Katten Adds to Its Employee Benefits Practice With Addition of Partner Kate Ulrich Saracene

(CHICAGO) Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced today that Kate Ulrich Saracene has joined the firm as a partner in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice. Saracene represents fully and self-insured employers, consultants, insurance brokers, third-party administrators and multi-employer arrangements with benefit plan design and operational compliance. She also provides counsel on wellness programs and paid family leave, two of the fastest-growing areas in employee benefits.

"Our clients and their service providers continue to be faced with increasingly complex employee benefits laws and regulations," said Katten Chairman Roger P. Furey. "This shifting environment requires multidimensional counsel and Kate's legal knowledge combined with her deep human resources and employee benefits experience makes her an ideal advisor in this area."

Saracene, who began her career in human resources and employee benefit plan administration and later practiced law as a labor and employment attorney, has been focusing on employee benefit plans for the past decade. She also has extensive experience with a wide range of benefit plan types including health, life and accident, flexible spending accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, dependent care assistance programs and severance pay, among others. She often helps employers design, draft and document plan descriptions and enrollment materials as well as navigate the complexities of government disclosures and filings, US Department of Labor and other government audits.

"In today's rapidly changing corporate landscape, Kate has the ability to provide a steady hand to employers looking for counsel on everything related to health and welfare plans, particularly wellness programs, health care reform rules, and compliance and litigation matters," said Saul E. Rudo, national head of Katten's Tax Planning practice and a member of the firm's Board of Directors and Executive Committee. "She will play an important role in our ability to provide the best solutions for our clients and her experience complements our already strong employee benefits and executive compensation capabilities."

Saracene provides counsel on compliance matters to a wide variety of employer types, including education, health care, manufacturing, hospitality, technology, media, government and industry associations. She also has a robust practice advising third-party administrators on product development and compliance.

Saracene is a frequent lecturer and writer on topics relating to employee benefits and wellness programs. She has been featured in national and industry media, including Forbes, Bloomberg Business Week, Law360, HR Morning and HR Executive magazine. She has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers, a "40 Under Forty" award recipient by the Rochester Business Journal, a "Top Woman in Law" by The Daily Record and a "Woman to Watch" by the Democrat & Chronicle.