Sue Conway concentrates her practice in employee benefits, specifically health and welfare benefits. She has counseled employers for over 20 years in the design and administration of group health, disability, Section 125 cafeteria and other health and fringe benefit plans, including consumer engaged health plans such as health reimbursement arrangements (HRA's), health savings accounts (HSA's) and employer-sponsored wellness programs. She also works with companies on compliance with COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA and similar employee benefit laws and serves on the Firm's HIPAA Task Force, helping clients comply with the HIPAA privacy rules. Ms. Conway is also the Firm's Marketing and Client Development Partner.

Representative Experience

• Helped companies implement cost-saving high deductible health plans with health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs)
• Developed flexible benefits programs for over 100 employers
• Worked with third-party administrators and health plans to design and prepare consumer-engaged health plan (HRA and HSA) program documents for their clients
• Designed innovative wellness programs, including HIPAA-compliant wellness plans
• Adviser to employers and benefit providers on complex COBRA issues
• Frequent speaker at seminars and employer meetings statewide on consumer-directed health plans, COBRA, Medicare Prescription Drug coverage, wellness programs and other benefit matters
• Handled health and welfare benefit issues for companies in numerous merger and acquisition transactions
• Prepared umbrella benefit plans to simplify ERISA reporting and disclosure requirements for clients

Honors And Awards

• Named among the "50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan" by The Grand Rapids Business Journal
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America
• Named as one of the Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in the 2007 and 2008 editions of Michigan Super Lawyers and named a Super Lawyer in the 2007 and 2008 editions of Michigan Super Lawyers

Bar Associations

Teaching and Lecturing

• Adjunct Faculty, Grand Valley State University Masters in Taxation Program (2000-Present)
• Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Statewide Conference (2006)
• Michigan Colleges and University Professional Association for Human Resources (MiCUPA) Statewide Conference (2005, 2006)
• International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists (ISCEBS) West Michigan Chapter Annual Update (2006, 2007, 2008)

Publications

• Coauthor, "Division of Retirement Benefits," Michigan Family Law, Institute of Continuing Legal Education

• HR Focus
• Companies With A HEART Can Help Military Reservists

Professional Affiliations

• Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
  Member, Management Committee, 2003-2006
  

Community Affiliations

• Leadership Grand Rapids
  Board Chair, 2006-07; Executive Board, 2000-Present
  
• Legal Aid of West Michigan
  Vice President, 1999-01; Board of Directors, 1997-05
  
• Vassar Club of Western Michigan
  President
  
• Visiting Nurse Foundation
  Board of Directors, 2003-06
  
• Women's Resource Center
  Past President
  
• Grand Rapids Community Foundation
  Social Venture Investors Leadership Team, 2007-Present
  

News

• 45 Warner Norcross Partners Rated Best Lawyers in America
• 47 Warner Norcross Attorneys Recognized as Super Lawyers

Events

• Human Resources Seminar
• Does Your Cafeteria Plan Need Updating?