Brandie Barrows is a dedicated health and retirement benefits attorney with over two decades of experience advising employers, plan sponsors, and fiduciaries on employee benefits and ERISA compliance. She counsels private employers, California non-federal governmental plans, and jointly managed health and retirement plans on compliance with ERISA, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Public Health Service Act, USERRA, COBRA, HIPAA, the Internal Revenue Code, the No Surprises Act, the SECURE Act, SECURE Act 2.0, the Political Reform Act, and related federal and state regulations, ensuring robust legal frameworks and effective risk management.
Her practice encompasses drafting plan administration policies, fiduciary compliance, provider contract review and negotiation, participant communications, and serving as legal counsel at board meetings while ensuring adherence to the Public Records Act and Brown Act.
Brandie’s legal career includes partnerships at prominent firms such as Taylor English Duma LLC and Saltzman & Johnson Law Corporation, where she guided clients through the design, implementation, and administration of health and welfare benefit plans, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, and profit-sharing plans. Earlier, as an associate at Baker & McKenzie, she advised U.S. and foreign clients on welfare and pension benefits, assisted with mergers and acquisitions involving pension and benefits due diligence in domestic and cross-border transactions, and supported multinational companies in extending stock-based incentive plans internationally.
A former intern investigator at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Brandie investigated discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, honing her skills in fact-finding and regulatory enforcement. She is known for her expertise in legislative research and for delivering insightful presentations on topics such as ACA compliance, proposed state and federal legislation, HIPAA, AI in healthcare, executive actions, COBRA, plan administration, and legal updates, while authoring client articles and memoranda to advance compliance strategies.
Brandie represents a diverse array of plans, including self- and fully insured non-federal governmental health and welfare benefit plans, ERISA health and welfare benefit plans, non-federal governmental Code Section 457 defined contribution plans, ERISA defined contribution plans, wellness plans, and fringe benefit plans. She also advises on immigration and naturalization matters from her early career, including employment-based visas, adjustments of status, and serving as a liaison with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
EDUCATION
- University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, J.D.
ADMISSIONS
- California
AFFILIATIONS
- State Bar of California American Bar Association: Employee Benefits Group
- California Lawyers Association: Privacy Law, Labor & Employment Law
- International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
