Email this page Print this page Print to PDF

Kara

Kara Backus

Shareholder

Kara Backus' practice is exclusively in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. Kara enjoys working with clients to help them better understand and solve their often complex employee benefits issues.

She has experience with qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, executive compensation issues, and the employee benefits aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Kara counsels clients to design and draft benefit plans, monitor compliance with new legislation, analyze regulatory guidance under the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA, and to interact with the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor regarding plan issues. Kara also advises clients on COBRA and HIPAA issues, fiduciary responsibility, and prohibited transaction requirements.

Chambers® USA’s Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business ranks Kara among the top employee benefits and executive compensation attorneys in Oregon, with one source sharing, "Kara is a pleasure to work with. We appreciate her responsiveness and expertise."

Outside of work, Kara enjoys reading fiction, gardening, and getting outside in rain or shine with her husband and young son.

Professional Experience

Lane Powell PC

Shareholder (2021-Present)
Associate (2012-2015)

Bullard Law, Shareholder (2015-2021)

Jones Day, Associate (2008-2012)

Community Involvement

Portland Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Council

Member (2015-Present)
President (2014-2016)

Oregon Retirement Savings, Board Member (2015-Present)

Oregon State Bar, Member (2011-Present)

State Bar of California, Member (2008-Present)

Thought Leadership

October 30, 2024Event / CLE
SECURE 2.0 Act – What Employers and Employees Should Know
Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants | Bellevue, Washington
September 12 & October 9, 2024Event / CLE
'Best Practices for Best Employers™' Labor & Employment Seminar 2024
Now in Portland & Seattle!
August 15, 2024News
The Best Lawyers in America© 2025 Recognizes 128 Lane Powell Attorneys
Awards & Honors
June 6, 2024News
Lane Powell Ranked Again Among Top Firms in 2024 Chambers® USA
Awards & Honors
January 26, 2024News
Backus Quoted in Law360 Article ‘What Gender-Affirming Care Cases Mean for Benefits Attys'
In the News
September 15 & October 6, 2023Event / CLE
'Best Practices for Best Employers™' Labor & Employment Seminar 2023
Now in Seattle & Portland!
August 17, 2023News
The Best Lawyers in America© 2024 Recognizes 123 Lane Powell Attorneys
Awards & Honors
June 1, 2023News
Lane Powell Again Ranked Among Top Firms in 2023 Chambers® USA
Awards & Honors
March 8, 2023Publication
ACA Anti-Discrimination Rules May Apply To 3rd-Party Admin
Law360
January 27, 2023Publication
Third-Party Administrators May Be on the Hook for Affordable Care Act’s Anti-Discrimination Rules
Labor, Employment & Benefits Legal Update
October 13, 2022Event / CLE
'Best Practices for Best Employers™' Labor & Employment Seminar
Lane Powell | Seattle, Washington
August 18, 2022News
The Best Lawyers in America© 2023 Recognizes 90 Lane Powell Attorneys
Awards & Honors
July 27, 2022Publication
Abortion Coverage as an Employee Benefit: The Supreme Court Forces Employers Into the Fray
Labor, Employment & Benefits Legal Update
June 1, 2022News
Lane Powell Again Ranked Among Top Firms in 2022 Chambers® USA
Awards & Honors
October 6 - December 8, 2021Event / CLE
'Best Practices for Best Employers™' Webinar Series
Lane Powell | Virtual
December 1, 2021Event / CLE
COVID-19 and Employee Benefits Plans: Making Sense of the New Legislation and Guidance
Lane Powell 'Best Practices For Best Employers™' Webinar Series | Virtual
November 17, 2021Event / CLE
New Strategies for Managing Remote Workers During the Pandemic Era (Part Two)
Lane Powell 'Best Practices For Best Employers™' Webinar Series | Virtual
September 3, 2021News
Kara Backus Featured in Law360 Article ‘Employee Benefits Attorney Rejoins Lane Powell in Portland’
In the News
September 1, 2021News
Experienced Employee Benefits Attorney Backus Rejoins Lane Powell
Firm Announcement

Practices & Industries

Labor, Employment & Benefits
Corporate, Securities, and M&A
ERISA, Life, Health & Disability
Privacy & Data Security
Senior Living & Long Term Care
Tax

Education

University of Southern California Gould School of Law , J.D., 2008
- Interdisciplinary Law Journal, Executive Articles Editor
- All Saints Church and the Argument for a Goal-Driven Application of Internal Revenue Service Rules for Tax-Exempt Organizations, 17 S. Cal. Interdisc. L.J. 301
Amherst College, B.A., English and German, 1996
- Academic All-American and “Friends of Amherst” honors

Admissions

Oregon
California

Language

German (Proficient)

Honors

Chambers® USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2020-2024)

"Portland Lawyer of the Year," Best Lawyers®, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2025)

“Oregon Super Lawyer,” Thomson Reuters, Employee Benefits (2017-2018)

Before proceeding, please note: If you are not a current client of Lane Powell PC, please do not include any information in this email that you or someone else considers to be confidential or secret in nature. Prior to the establishment of a lawyer-client relationship, unsolicited emails from non-clients containing confidential or secret information cannot be protected from disclosure.