Overview
Debra is a seasoned benefits lawyer advising clients on design, implementation and compliance matters relating to pensions, 401(k), ESOPs, health and welfare, fringe benefit and executive compensation programs.
Debra’s practice involves a full range of employee benefit programs, including defined benefit pension, cash balance, profit sharing, 401(k) and employee stock ownership (ESOP) plans; health, flexible benefits and other welfare benefit plans; stock-based compensation and equity-incentive plans; and non-qualified deferred and other executive compensation programs. She advises public, closely held and tax-exempt employers in a variety of industries on plan design, administration and compliance issues, helping them find a solution that best fits their business needs.
She speaks frequently at client seminars and joint seminars with other professional groups about benefit-related topics, including non-qualified deferred compensation and recent developments in retirement and health plans. In the past, she was an Adjunct Faculty at the University of St. Thomas, teaching courses in the administration of retirement and welfare benefit plans. She currently serves as a member of the Employee Benefits Council of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Services
Experience
- Advised professional group on the design and implementation of a cash balance plan to provide additional retirement savings for owners.
- Regularly conduct benefits due diligence and assist with benefits transition issues on numerous corporate transactions.
- Routinely advise on 409A, 280G, 162(m) and tax issues in employment and executive compensation matters.
- Member of team representing clients on complex ESOP transactions, providing for business succession and promoting employee ownership.
- Assist numerous clients with ongoing compliance matters, including regulatory audits and filings under voluntary correction programs.
Credentials
Education
- University of Iowa College of Law, M.A., J.D., 1990, high distinction
- University of Iowa, B.B.A., Accounting, 1986, highest distinction
Admissions
- Minnesota, 1990
- Iowa, 1990
- North Dakota, 2012
Recognition
- North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2017
- The Best Lawyers in America, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, 2014-present
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Peer Review Rated
- Order of the Coif
- CPA certified, 1987
Civic & Professional
Professional Activities
- Iowa State Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association, Tax and Employee Benefits Sections
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association, Member, Employee Benefits Council, 2011-present
- American Institute of CPAs
- Minnesota Society of CPAs
- University of St. Thomas Adjunct Faculty MBA Program, 1999-2007
- National Association for Stock Plan Professionals
- The ESOP Association
- National Center for Employee Ownership
- Minneapolis Pension Council, President, 2002-2003
- Journal of Corporation Law, Associate Editor, 1989-1990
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Publications & Presentations
Co-Author, “To Own or Not To Own? Rewarding Employees With Phantom Equity,” Fargo INC! Magazine, December 2021
Co-Presenter, Benefits Update: Construct Your Plans with Confidence, Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, On-Demand Webinar, October 2021
Co-Presenter, Employee Benefits Update, Fredrikson & Byron’s Employment & Labor Law Webinar Series, November 5, 2020
Co-Presenter, Considerations for the Aging Workforce, Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual North Dakota Employment Law Seminars, November 21-22, 2019
Presenter, Benefits Update, Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual North Dakota Employment Law Seminars, November 21-22, 2019
Co-Presenter, Benefits Update, Fredrikson & Byron’s 35th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 7, 2019
Presenter, Benefits Update, Fredrikson & Byron’s Employment Law Seminar, Des Moines, IA, October 4, 2019
Co-Presenter, Are You Prepared for an IRS or DOL Audit?, TCISCEBS Employee Benefits Seminar, May 23, 2018
Co-Presenter, Benefits Update: Preparing for an Audit, Fredrikson & Byron’s 33rd Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 3, 2017
Co-Presenter, Considerations for the Aging Workforce, Fredrikson & Byron’s 33rd Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 3, 2017
Co-Presenter, Benefits Update: Preparing for an Audit, Fredrikson & Byron’s Annual North Dakota Employment Law Seminars, October 5-6, 2017
Presenter, Benefits Update: Preparing for an Audit, Fredrikson & Byron’s Employment Law Seminar, West Des Moines, IA, September 27, 2017
Presenter, Retirement Plans—Recent Developments, Twin Cities ISCEBS 2017 Employee Benefits Seminar, May 18, 2017
Co-Presenter, ESOP Basics, Minnesota/Dakota Chapter of The ESOP Association, January-June, 2017
Co-Presenter, Preparing for an HR Compliance Audit, Minnesota Bankers Association HR Roundtable, January 17, 2017
Co-Presenter, Benefit Update, Fredrikson & Byron’s 32nd Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 26, 2016
Co-Presenter, HR’s Role in Corporate Restructuring, Fredrikson & Byron’s 32nd Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 26, 2016
Presenter, Benefit Update, Fredrikson & Byron’s Employment Law Seminar, Des Moines, Iowa, October 6, 2016; North Dakota, October 13-14, 2016
Co-Presenter, Considerations for the Aging Workforce, Fredrikson & Byron’s 31st Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 6, 2015
Co-Presenter, Documenting the M&A Deal, Fredrikson & Byron’s Bank and Finance Seminar: Key Developments that Every Banker Should Know, August 20, 2014
Presenter, Growing Pains: Compliance Strategies for Employers, July 10, 2014
Presenter, Deferred Compensation & Increased Taxes Creating a New Need for Pretax Deferrals, May 2014
Presenter, Updated Rx for Health Care Reform Compliance: New Guidance from IRS, DOL and HHS, May 1, 2014
Moderator, Designing Executive Compensation Programs, Fredrikson & Byron’s Practical Perspectives Series, April 24, 2014
Co-Author with Lisa S. Robinson, “Health Care Reform Update: Anticipated Final Regulations Issued on Employer Mandate, Including New Phase-In Rules,” FredALERT: Compensation Planning & Employee Benefits, February 2014
Health Care Reform and Minnesota’s Same-Sex Marriage Law and the Fall of DOMA—Implications for Employers, Fredrikson & Byron’s 29th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 6, 2013
Co-Presenter, Health Care Reform: What’s Next for Employers, TruSight, April 18, 2013
Co-Presenter, Fee Disclosures: Next Steps for Retirement Plan Sponsors, Midwest Pension Conference, April 17, 2013
Presenter, Employer Responsibilities Under Health Reform’s Affordable Care Act: What Aging Services Organizations Need to Know, Aging Services of Minnesota Institute “Expanding the Possibilities,” February 6-8, 2013
Co-Presenter, Benefits and Executive Compensation—Tips & Traps for the Unwary, Tax Institute, December 9, 2011
Wellness Programs Are All the Rage: But Do You Know the Rules?, Fredrikson & Byron’s 27th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar, November 10, 2011
Speaker, Primary Uses of Deferred Compensation Plans Seminar, February 15, 2010
Co-Author with Todd Guerrero, “Planning to Make Layoffs? Here Are Some Key Benefits Issues to Consider,” Biodiesel Magazine, July 2009