Kara Backus

Lawyer information

Practice Areas

Kara enjoys working with clients to help them better understand and solve their often complex employee benefits issues. Kara practices exclusively in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. She has experience with qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, executive compensation issues, and the employee benefits aspects of mergers and acquisitions.

Kara works with clients to design and draft benefit plans, monitor compliance with new legislation and regulatory guidance under the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA, and to interact with the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor regarding plan issues. Kara also advises clients on COBRA and HIPAA issues, fiduciary responsibility, and prohibited transaction requirements.

Personal

As a member of the benefits community, Kara volunteers her time as a member of the Oregon Retirement Savings Board and as President of the Portland Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council.

In her free time, Kara enjoys walking, hiking and working in the yard with her husband, Josh, and their rescue dog, Dr. Woof. She also likes to read and write fiction and is an active member of a women’s soccer league.