Edward Leeds > Ballard Spahr LLP > Philadelphia, United States > Lawyer Profile

Ballard Spahr LLP
1735 MARKET STREET, 51ST FLOOR
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103-7599
PENNSYLVANIA
United States
Edward Leeds photo

Work Department

Business and Transactions

Position

Counsel

Career

Edward I. Leeds is counsel in the Employee Benefits/Executive Compensation, Health Law, and Privacy and Data Security Practice Groups of Ballard Spahr, where he concentrates on issues relating to the design, administration, and taxation of health and other welfare benefit plans. His practice has evolved with the laws and market forces that shape those plans. He advises clients about compliance with the Affordable Care Act, HIPAA, HITECH, COBRA, cafeteria plan rules, and other legal requirements. He assists clients in evaluating and implementing measures to meet HIPAA’s privacy and security requirements. He advises them with regard to wellness initiatives and assists them in meeting reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act and ERISA. During the COVID-19 outbreak, he is helping employers address health and welfare benefit issues arising from the FFCRA and CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and American Rescue Plan, as well as changes in their workforce.

Ed represents employers in the negotiation and drafting of contracts with insurers, third-party administrators, and other vendors. He drafts plan documents, summary plan descriptions, and other communications. His experience includes helping clients implement a wide range of health benefit offerings, including Medicare Advantage Programs, EGWPs, on-site clinics, and integrated health reimbursement arrangements.

Ed also serves as the firm’s HIPAA Privacy Counsel.

Admissions

Pennsylvania

Languages

French

Education

Harvard Law School (J.D. 1984, cum laude)

Haverford College (B.A. 1980)

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design

Ballard Spahr LLP has a strong specialism in health benefit plans, assisting numerous clients with the implementation and maintenance of programs for complying with ACA requirements, privacy and security rules as well as laws governing wellness initiatives. The firm also has considerable experience of benefit pension plans, advising on the merger and termination of pension plans, among other issues. Its client list includes plan sponsors, plan committees, investment funds, and investment advisors. Brian Pinheiro leads the practice from the firm’s Philadelphia office, representing for-profit, tax-exempt, church and government employers in relation to a full array of plans. Edward Leeds, who is also based in Philadelphia, has a central focus on the design, administration and taxation of health and welfare benefit plans, and is valued for his ‘expertise and responsiveness’. Washington DC’s Finn Pressly, an August 2022 recruit from Littler Mendelson, P.C., also counsels on health and welfare benefit plans, as well as handling benefits-related due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.