The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced that Alexis Renee Backs has joined the Firm's Chicago office as an associate in the Labor & Employment Group.

Backs' practice focuses on employee benefits and executive compensation. She advises employers and plan sponsors on the design and administration of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and welfare benefit plans. She routinely counsels clients on regulatory compliance with ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code and represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service in connection with determination letter applications and voluntary compliance program submissions under the Employee Plan Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS). Backs is also actively involved in assisting clients sponsoring group health plans prepare for, and comply with, regulatory changes under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) as well as maintain compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).

Backs also advises employers on the design and implementation of various non-qualified compensation programs (including Section 409A compliance issues) and has experience negotiating and drafting employment agreements, change-in-control agreements, severance agreements and separation and release agreements.

She received her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California.

Quarles & Brady LLP

Quarles & Brady LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 400 attorneys practicing from offices in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Chicago, Ill.; Naples and Tampa, Fla.; Milwaukee and Madison, Wis.; Shanghai, China; and Washington, D.C. The Firm offers an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies. Additional information about the Firm may be found at www.quarles.com, and on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.