Cass leads BCLP’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group, focusing her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation matters, with a particular expertise in employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Her practice is anchored in the design, implementation, and ongoing compliance of both qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and non-qualified retirement plans. Cass advises on a broad spectrum of benefit structures, including welfare benefit plans, deferred compensation arrangements, bonus programs, and equity incentive plans, making her a trusted and versatile advisor in the employee benefits space.

 A significant focus of Cass’s work involves ESOP-related transactions. She has represented companies, lenders, and trustees in structuring these transactions to ensure that the financial and strategic goals of the organization as well as the complex regulatory requirements are satisfied. Her nuanced understanding of ESOPs allows her to offer clear, actionable advice at every stage from transaction structuring to long-term compliance with administration for ESOP-owned companies.

In addition to her retirement plan expertise, Cass provides strategic counsel on executive compensation matters, including the negotiation and drafting of executive employment agreements and equity-based incentive plans. She works closely with clients to ensure that these agreements align with their organizational goals while safeguarding their interests. Her depth of knowledge in this area is further reflected in her role as a co-author of Executive Compensation – Best Practices (393-1st T.M.), a Bloomberg-published portfolio offering key insights on effective compensation design and regulatory compliance.

Cass also works with clients navigating benefits issues in corporate transactions, assisting in the correction of defects in tax-qualified retirement plans, and the establishment and maintenance of Association Health Plans. Cass’s holistic and detail-oriented approach empowers clients to manage complex legal and regulatory requirements with confidence.