One Park Plaza, Suite 600  Irvine, California  92614

Telephone (949) 660-0481

Employee Benefits & ERISA Law

Kathleen Salas Bass is an experienced employee benefits attorney with an emphasis on qualified retirement plans, and health and welfare plans. 

 

She has provided legal counsel to public and private companies and tax-exempt organizations with respect to the design, implementation and operation of tax-qualified employee retirement plans, such as 401(k), profit sharing, 403(b) and 457 plans. Her clients include plan sponsors of small to large plans, as well as third-party administrators who provide services to such plans. Ms. Bass has also represented clients regarding the qualified status of retirement plans before the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor, including the correction of plan failures under the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor correction programs.

 

Ms. Bass also provides counsel to clients regarding employee welfare and fringe benefit plans, including fully-insured and self-insured group health plans. This involves advice regarding compliance with the COBRA, HIPAA, and other federal mandates, as well as the design, implementation and operation of flexible benefit plans.

 

Ms. Bass provides advice with respect to the requirements of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code for both qualified retirement plans and health and welfare plans, including plan documentation, reporting, disclosure, and fiduciary responsibilities.

 

Ms. Bass received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine in 1987. She obtained her J.D. in 1998 from Stanford Law School.  She is a member of the Orange County Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference and the California and San Diego County Bar Associations.  She has served on the board of directors for the Orange County Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference since 2003 and is the president-elect. She has served on the Program Committee for the annual Western Benefits Conference and as Program Chair for the Orange County Chapter of the Western Benefits Conference. Ms. Bass speaks on benefits topics for organizations such as the Western Benefits Conference and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists. She was formerly associated with the law firms of Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop, LLP.  She joined the Firm as of counsel in 2003.

 

Phone: (949) 660-0486

Facsimile: (949) 660-0487

E-mail: Kathleen Salas Bass

Kathleen Salas Bass

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Ms. Bass has a broad range of experience in employee benefits law and ERISA, from qualified retirement plans to health and welfare plans.