Overview

Mindi Johnson is the co- leader of the firm's business and tax practice group and previously chaired the firm's employee benefits team. She helps clients navigate challenges and solve problems by providing practical guidance that maintains legal compliance while achieving business goals. Specifically, the types of matters Mindi handles include:

Employee Benefits Law

• Advising taxable and tax-exempt non-governmental employers and governmental employers regarding federal and state deferred compensation and welfare benefits law, including matters related to tax qualification and fiduciary standards.
• Implementing strategic changes to qualified retirement plans (such as 401(k) Plans and ESOPs) and welfare benefits plans (such as group health plans, VEBAS, MEWAS, Cafeteria Plans and Group Benefit Plans).
• Facilitating employee benefit plan corrections to reduce penalties and legal exposure through formal governmental programs, such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Voluntary Correction Program and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program.
• Responding to the IRS and DOL audits and investigations of employee benefit plans.
• Providing legal compliance reviews and audits of corporate benefit packages.
• Assisting with benefit plan administration, including preparation of QDROs, distribution materials and nondiscrimination testing.

Health Care Law

• Advising health care providers on various legal issues, including fraud & abuse, regulatory, licensing, compliance, billing, Medicare/Medicaid and HIPAA.
• Assisting with health care facility mergers and acquisitions.

In addition to her practice, Mindi is very active in professional and community activities. She is a member of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and the Michigan Women's Tax Association and is the Vice President of Professionals of the Michigan Chapter of the ESOP Association. 

Honors & Recognitions

Affiliations

Memberships & Affiliations

Legal Affiliations:

• American Bar Association
  • Section of Taxation
    • Employee Benefits Committee
    • Defined Contribution Plans, Subcommittee Co-Chair
• State Bar of Michigan
  • Taxation Section
    • Former Council Member and Michigan Tax Lawyer Editor
  • Business Law Section

Industry & Professional Associations:

• National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)
• The ESOP Association
• Michigan Chapter of the ESOP Association, Vice President - Professionals
• Women Lawyers Association of Michigan
• Michigan Women's Tax Association
• Calvin College Alumni Association

Community Activities:

• Grandville Calvin Christian Schools, Board of Directors
• Girls on the Run of Kent and Muskegon Counties, Former Member of Board of Directors
• Gazelle Girls, Advisory Committee

Communications

Publications

• MERS Defined Benefit Plan Changes, Foster Swift Municipal Law News E-blast, September 21, 2020
• Don’t Wait to Begin Business Succession Planning, MiBiz, September 15, 2020
• Common Compliance Errors: Cafeteria Plans, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law E-blast, September 14, 2020
• The Benefits of Adopting a Pre-Approved Plan, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News E-blast, August 11, 2020
• Fiduciary Basics for Benefits Plans, Business & Tax Law News E-blast, July 27, 2020
• IRS Expands Ability to Allow Midyear Cafeteria Plan Election Changes, Foster Swift Legal Update E-blast, May 15, 2020

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News & Events

Speaking Engagements

• Webinar: Planning to Ensure Full Forgiveness for Your PPP Loan, Foster Swift Collins & Smith, PC, May 7, 2020
• The Future of Benefits- The SECURE Act, American Bar Association: Mid-Year Meeting of Taxation Section, February 1, 2020
• ESOP Basics - Who, What, Where, When, How & Why?, 5TH Annual Great Lakes Regional ESOP Conference, October 17, 2019
• Ask the Experts ~ A Q&A for Non-Management Employee Owners, 2019 Spring ESOP Conference: Michigan Chapter of the ESOP Association, April 17, 2019
• Executive Deferred Compensation Arrangements in ESOP Companies, 2019 Spring ESOP Conference: Michigan Chapter of the ESOP Association, April 17, 2019
• Employee Benefits options for Small Employers, Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE): Tax Institute, May 24, 2018

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News

• Johnson Presents on ESOPS as a Succession Strategy, September 22, 2020
• Foster Swift Attorneys Named to 2021 Best Lawyers in America©, August 20, 2020
• Foster Swift Announces Women in Leadership, Michigan Business Network, June 5, 2019
• Johnson Appointed as Business Practice Group Co-Leader, April 12, 2019
• Johnson Selected to “Women in the Law” Class of 2018, Grand Rapids Business Journal, August 2, 2018
• Foster Swift Attorney Re-Elected as Council Member with the SBM's Taxation Section, Grand Rapids Bar Association, October 12, 2017
• Foster Swift Elects Four New Shareholders, January 25, 2016

Media

Employer Services

Employee Benefits: Importance of Proper Counsel

Employee Benefits: Retirement Plan Failures

Employee Benefits: Retirement Plan Issues

Employee Benefits: Cafeteria Plan