Katherine “Kate” Ulrich Saracene

Kate Ulrich Saracene built her national reputation as an employee benefits lawyer advising employers, insurers, third-party administrators, and multiple employer benefit plans regarding health, welfare and fringe benefit plan compliance. As an employment lawyer, Kate also advises clients across the full life cycle of the employment relationship, from hiring to separation and everything in between. Having spent more than a decade as a human resources and labor relations professional, Kate has a firsthand understanding of what her clients face every day. That in-house background informs everything she does as an attorney, and is central to her ability to distill complex legal concepts to actionable advice.

Kate regularly counsels health and welfare plan sponsors and administrators on plan design, strategy, governance, compliance, day-to-day administration, and funding for group medical, dental, and vision plans, account-based plans, cafeteria plans, wellness programs, disability, paid family leave, and other welfare and fringe benefits. She also handles large-scale projects such as establishing on-site medical clinics, converting to self-funding, and restructuring overfunded Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trusts. For insurers, third-party administrators, and health care providers engaged in direct contracting with employer plans, Kate advises on product development, delivery, operations, and compliance.

Kate also works with industry associations, school districts, and municipalities on the formation and operation of multiple employer benefit plans, and with both employers and unions regarding collective bargaining for employee benefits. The scope of her counseling practice extends well beyond health and welfare benefits, and encompasses employment taxes, employment policies, progressive discipline, separation agreements, and defined contribution retirement plans. Her practice sits at the intersection of labor and employment law, ERISA, tax, state insurance law, and privacy regulations. She is adept at untangling the overlapping compliance challenges that HR professionals encounter daily, whether navigating disability benefits, leave and accommodations across multiple federal and state frameworks, or structuring wellness programs to comply with a multitude of federal regulations. Kate has accumulated deep experience working with clients in health care, K-12 education, private equity, family offices, and manufacturing, and she works to deliver advice that is both practical and efficient for the people implementing it.