Kapnick Insurance Group is pleased to announce the addition of Michele Rivas, Compliance Attorney, to its Benefits division. Michele comes to Kapnick with 20 years of experience providing legal services in the areas of employee benefits, employment and corporate law to a variety of clients, ranging from small employers to Fortune 500 companies. Michele previously worked for Sullivan, Ward, Asher & Patton P.C. (SWAP) located in Southfield, Michigan. Michele spent the past four years focusing primarily on providing compliance advice regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Health Care Reform”). Before working at SWAP, Michele worked in the employee benefits/employment and business transaction groups of Dykema, Honigman, Jaffe and Ice Miller.

In her position as a compliance attorney at Kapnick Insurance Group, Michele will provide legal advice with respect to a wide range of compliance and regulatory issues, including providing day-to-day advice within the following areas: Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, Health Care Reform, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, FLSA, and state law. Michele will also monitor and analyze pending and new legislation and its anticipated affect on benefit plans and arrangements. "The addition of Michele to our benefits team will add a critical service benefiting our clients," said Steve Peck - President of the Benefits Division. "In addition, it will allow us to be more proactive in alerting our clients in advance of new legislation, or changes in legislation, which may affect their benefits programs."

Michele is President of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, a Michigan Super Lawyers Rising Star, and an American Bar Foundation fellow. Michele graduated magna cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law with a concentration in corporate law.