Welfare benefit plan design, financing and compliance...
With over 40 years of overall experience in welfare benefit plan design, financing and compliance, Mr. Fowler has spent the last 21 years in private law practice on employee benefit matters, preceded by 9 years in welfare plan consulting practice providing services to large corporate clients, law firms, public agencies, and tax exempt organizations, and 11 years in group insurance sales, account management, and product development for New York Life.
While in private practice, Mr. Fowler provides legal/technical support to large employers, public agencies, and regional insurance brokers with regard to welfare plan benefits, cafeteria plans, communications, and compliance and other legislation affecting welfare plans such as Health Care Reform Law, COBRA, ERISA, FMLA and HIPAA. He also sits as trust counsel for various welfare plan trusts, both public and private.
For much of the period immediately preceding his entry into private practice, Mr. Fowler was a Senior Manager at Price Waterhouse where his duties included management and promotion of the welfare plan consulting practice on a nationwide basis with the Employee Benefits Practice unit of the firm’s tax department. He is a frequent speaker on employee benefit matters.
Areas of Practice ...
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)
- California and selected other state laws affecting Welfare Benefits
- State and federal Health Care Reform legislation
- Document preparation and technical support for ERISA plans, Cafeteria, Flex, HRA and 105(h) plans, COBRA, FMLA, etc., including plan documents, summary plan descriptions and wrap around documents
- HIPAA Compliance including preparation of policies and procedures for compliance with Privacy Rules and HIPAA Security Rules
- Retiree health and life insurance
- VEBAs and other tax-exempt organizations
- Self-insured welfare benefit plan arrangements
- Representation on IRS/DOL late filings, prohibited transaction exemption filings, and other welfare plan compliance matters
Now with Kutak Rock LLP
As of June 1, 2011, Mr. Fowler joined a national law firm with almost 450 full time lawyers (Kutak Rock LLP). Kutak Rock has a number of lawyers in the partnership and on staff who specialize in employment-related matters beyond welfare benefit plan matters.
Kutak Rock brings AV-rated expertise in the fields of qualified and non-qualified pension and deferred compensation plans, defined contribution plans, and public pension plans. The Kutak Rock firm also provides advice to employers regarding employment, labor, and human resources matters. The firm also has expertise in executive compensation and estate planning. Finally, Kutak Rock provides a complete array of litigation services.