Biography

Since joining the firm in 1988, Lisa has practiced exclusively in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation, with a particular emphasis on the design, drafting, and operation of 401(k) plans (of both publicly traded and privately held companies), IRS correction programs and procedures for qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, and ERISA fiduciary duties and responsibilities.

Lisa regularly advises 401(k) plan clients regarding the design and implementation of automatic contribution arrangements (including QACAs and EACAs); implementation of a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) and the requirements for compliance with the QDIA regulations; and procedures for plan loan administration, QDRO administration, missing participants, and uncashed distribution checks. She has extensive experience (1) advising clients on the requirements applicable to tax-qualified retirement plans and nonqualified deferred compensation plans, (2) representing clients whose employee benefit plans are audited by the IRS and the U.S. Department of Labor, and (3) advising clients on employee benefit plan issues in mergers and acquisitions. She also has deep experience drafting plan documents, fiduciary committee documents including investment policy statements and charters, and participant disclosure documents including SPDs and required notices.

Lisa served on the firm's Associate Review Committee from July 2006 through April 2015 and chaired that committee from January 2009 through April 2015. In 2017, she chaired the firm's Associate Leave Policy Task Force. As a mother of triplets, Lisa enjoys mentoring younger attorneys on work/life balance issues.

Services/Industries

Education

  • Duke University School of Law  (J.D.)
  • Hamilton College  (B.A., magna cum laude)
    • Phi Beta Kappa

Public Service

  • Past President and Member, Falmouth Maine Emergency Medical Team

Bar Admissions

  • Maine

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Maine State Bar Association, including the Women's Law Section
  • Maine Employee Benefits Council
  • New England Employee Benefits Council

Honors

  • Named the Best Lawyers® 2022, 2018 and 2015 Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Portland, Maine
  • AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business under Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law in Portland, Maine

To learn more about third-party ratings and rankings, and the selection processes used for inclusion, click here.

Firm Highlights

Blog

Pension-Linked Emergency Savings Accounts: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Forthcoming

Following the initial flurry of publications summarizing the retirement plan enhancements under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”), this post takes a deeper dive into one of those enhancements: the optional “pension-linked...

Blog

When Cash is not King: Holiday Gifts as “De Minimis” Fringe Benefits

To celebrate the holiday season, this post highlights the tax consequences of employer-sponsored holiday perks such as gift cards, turkeys, hams and gift baskets. Under the current tax rules, employers may give infrequent low...

Blog

401(k) Plan Matching Contributions: To True Up or Not True Up?

As a matter of plan design, for purposes of matching contributions some 401(k) plans provide that a participant’s compensation for the entire plan year is taken into account (regardless of whether the participant makes...

Blog

Casting a Wider Net: SECURE 2.0 Gives “Long-Term Part-Time Employees” Faster Access to 401(k) Plans and 403(b) Plans

The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) promotes and expands access to retirement plans for American workers in several ways. Among other things, SECURE 2.0 strengthens and expands the special 401(k) plan eligibility...

Blog

IRS Guidance Expands Access to ACA Premium Tax Credit, Allows Cafeteria Plan Sponsors to Permit Employees to Revoke Family Coverage Mid-year

Final Regulations under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code On October 11, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Final Regulations under Code Section 36B relating to eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s...

Blog

Next Steps for Making Collective Investment Trusts Available to More Retirement Plans

Collective investment trusts (“CITs”) have become an increasingly popular choice for 401(k) plan investment menus over the past decade, consistent with a trend toward lower-cost investment options that has been driven, in part, by...

Blog

SECURE 2.0 Provides New and Expanded Retirement Plan Correction Rules

With the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“SECURE 2.0”) on December 29, 2022, Congress has made several changes related to the correction of errors in administering retirement plans. These changes include...

Blog

Proposed Regulations on How to Use Forfeiture Accounts: Helpful Guidance and a Great Reminder to Plan Sponsors

On February 27, 2023, the IRS published proposed regulations on the use of forfeitures in qualified retirement plans. [1] For defined contribution plans, the regulations provide welcome clarity on what forfeitures can be used...

Publication/Podcast

Amending Your Retirement Plans this Year for SECURE Act and CARES Act Changes

This post was updated on September 29, 2022. On August 3, 2022, the IRS extended the deadline for retirement plan sponsors to adopt amendments necessary to comply with the Setting Every Community Up for...

Blog

A Last-Minute Gift – Prescription Drug Reporting Grace Period and Good Faith Relief

In a move akin to last-minute gift-giving, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the “Departments”) released FAQ 56 on December 23, 2022, which provides relief regarding the Prescription Drug...

Contact Verrill at (855) 307 0700