Bar Admissions
- Arizona
- Iowa
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of Arizona
- Supreme Court of Iowa
Education
- University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., with distinction)
- Iowa Law Review, Senior Note and Comment Editor
- Dartmouth College (B.A.)
vCard
Sara Van Houten
Partner
Services
Biography
Sara Van Houten counsels employers regarding all aspects of the design, operation, and compliance of their employee benefit and executive compensation plans.
Sara advises clients on compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Affordable Care Act, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Sara works with public and private companies to design and draft incentive compensation programs, omnibus equity plans, severance plans and change in control arrangements. She also has extensive experience with Section 409A compliance and corrections.
Sara assists clients with qualified retirement plans, including Section 401(k), defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and health and welfare benefit plans, including high-deductible health plans, health savings accounts, cafeteria plans and flexible benefit plans. Her experience includes plan design and administration, drafting plan documents, SPDs and plan amendments, plan corrections, service provider and investment management agreement reviews, and preparing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor (DOL) submissions. Sara also helps clients with ERISA fiduciary issues and employee benefits planning in mergers and acquisitions.
Credentials
Experience
Previous Professional Experience
- CVS Health, Legal Counsel
- United States District Court, Northern District of Iowa, Law Clerk to Hon. Linda R. Reade
- McLeod USA Publishing Company, Corporate Counsel
- United States District Court, Northern District of Iowa, Law Clerk to Chief Magistrate Judge John A. Jarvey
Professional Memberships and Activities
- State Bar of Arizona
- State Bar of Iowa
- American Bar Association
Community Involvement
- American Red Cross, Central and Northern Arizona Chapter, Board of Directors (2023-present)
- Homeless Legal Assistance (2022)
- Child Crisis Arizona, Volunteer (2019-2021)
Representative Presentations and Publications
- “Employee Benefits Issues in M&A Transactions: What to Watch and When,” Co-Presenter, Western Pension & Benefits Council (February 18, 2026)
- “Voluntary Benefit Programs: The Plaintiff Class Action Lawyers are Coming,” Co-Author, Snell & Wilmer Employee Benefits Blog (January 21, 2026)
- “Employee Benefit Issues to Consider in 2025 and Beyond”, Presenter, Snell & Wilmer San Diego Annual Labor and Employment Seminar (November 13, 2025)
- “Top Ten Employee Benefit Issues to Consider in 2025,” Co-Presenter, 2025 SHRM of Greater Phoenix Labor & Employment Conference (April 16, 2025)
- “Fiduciary Responsibilities for Retirement Plans: How to Avoid Some Common Misperceptions and Missteps,” Co-Presenter, SHRM Employment Law Seminar (October 21, 2024)
- “Employee Benefits Unveiled: Crucial Compliance Nuggets You Didn’t Know You Needed,” Co-Presenter, Snell & Wilmer CLE Webinar Series (June 4, 2024)
- 2024 Whitley Penn Employee Benefit Plans Conference, Speaker (May 14, 2024)
- “New Requirements for Retirement Plans,” Presenter, Snell & Wilmer Virtual CLE Series (June 13, 2023)
- “Proposed Rules Expand Access to Contraceptive Care as a Preventive Service,” Author, SW Benefits Blog (February 22, 2023)
- “Impact of the Dobbs Decision: An Employee Benefits and Labor & Employment Perspective”, Co-Presenter, Western Pension & Benefits Council (Sept. 22, 2022)
- “Section 409A in a Nutshell,” Presenter, Snell & Wilmer Virtual CLE Series (June 23, 2022)
Publications
Dec 23, 2025
SW Benefits Update
2025 End-of-Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 4) Executive Compensation
Nov 25, 2025
SW Benefits Update
2025 End-of-Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 2) Annual Cost of Living Adjustments
Nov 24, 2025
SW Benefits Update
2025 End-of-Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 1) Health and Welfare
Dec 17, 2024
SW Benefits Update
2024 End-of-Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” List (Part 4) Executive Compensation
Dec 03, 2024
SW Benefits Update