Practice Areas
Admissions
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
J.D., Saint Louis University School of Law, magna cum laude, 2001
B.A., Murray State University, 1998, Valedictorian/Outstanding Senior Woman
Profile
Amy Blaisdell has been a dedicated member of the firm’s management team for more than two decades. She currently leads the firm’s Health Care Industry Group and has previously served as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Practice Group Leader of the Employment and Labor Practice Group.
All the while, Amy has led a robust Employment and Labor practice, having been specifically recognized as a Chambers rated attorney in the area of Labor and Employment Law for the last five years. Amy was also named as Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year for Employment Law in the St. Louis area for 2022 and has been ranked as one of The Best Lawyers in America since 2016.
Amy focuses her practice on highly regulated industries. Understanding the specific regulatory framework in which her clients operate enables her to provide comprehensive guidance to both prevent litigation and nimbly navigate the courtroom or arbitration setting when litigation or claims are filed. She has successfully tried jury trials and arbitrations to conclusion.
Over the course of more than two decades, Amy has also conducted and/or assisted clients in conducting hundreds of investigations into alleged violations of federal and state laws for non-profit and for profit organizations. Amy also provides training on compliance investigations and practical day-to-day human resources and employee benefits advice.
As part of her extensive representation of health care and non-profit organizations, Amy has represented employers and plan sponsors nationwide in the defense of employment and employee benefits litigation, including in the United States Supreme Court. Amy has defended hundreds of ERISA lawsuits, including class actions, alleging wrongful denial of ERISA benefits, breach of fiduciary duty, Mental Health Parity Act violations, and ERISA penalty claims among others. She has substantial experience helping employers and plan sponsors navigate the complexities relating to transgender benefits.
In her securities practice, Amy has defended nationwide class actions filed against brokerage firms involving wage and hour matters. She also regularly defends brokerage firms in arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, including claims alleging wrongful termination of brokers and Form U5 defamation.
Honors & Awards
Honors & Awards
- Chambers USA, Labor & Employment, 2018-2022
- The Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law – Management, 2023-2024; Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2016-2024; St. Louis area Employment Law Lawyer of the Year, 2022
- Benchmark Litigation, Labor & Employment Star, 2018-2020
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor, 2010-2011
- Missouri Lawyers Weekly, "Up & Coming," 2009
Experience
Representative Matters
- Represented Advocate Health Care Network before the U.S. Supreme Court in Advocate Health Care Network et al. v. Stapleton et al., a high-profile case involving the interpretation of ERISA’s “church plan” definition. The case resulted in a unanimous June 5, 2017, decision in favor of Advocate and two other religiously affiliated hospitals.
- Defending a religious health care network and employees in a putative class action lawsuit challenging the pension plan's status as a church plan exempt from ERISA.
- Defended a health care network in two putative class action lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri alleging failure to pay for overtime under federal Fair Labor Standards Act and Missouri law. The cases were resolved on favorable terms for client through settlement.
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of an long-term disability plans in multiple lawsuits alleging wrongful denial of benefits under ERISA.
- Defended a country club and individual club members against ERISA claims for benefits, breach of fiduciary duty, and interference with protected rights, and multiple state law claims. Obtained summary judgment in all seven counts based on the ultimate finding that a deferred compensation plan and an employment agreement plan were “top-hat” plans and, thus, not subject to ERISA.
News & Insights
News
- August 17, 2023
- June 1, 2023
- August 18, 2022
- June 1, 2022
- Business Insurance, September 1, 2021
- August 19, 2021
- May 20, 2021
- August 20, 2020
- HHS Blocked from Rolling Back Health Care Protections for Transgender WorkersSHRM, August 18, 2020
- Interview with Amy Blaisdell, "What Does the High Court's LGBTQ Rulling Mean for Employee Benefits?"SHRM, June 24, 2020
- Interview with Amy Blaisdell, “What workers and employers should know as Missouri businesses reopen”KSDK, April 27, 2020
- Interview with Amy Blaisdell, “What workers and employers should know as Missouri businesses reopen”KSDK, April 27, 2020
- April 23, 2020
- HR Dive, February 7, 2020
- Hospital Peer Review, February 2020
- August 15, 2019
- Healthcare Risk Management, June 2019
- April 2019
- October 15, 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- May 3, 2018
- St. Louis Record, December 28, 2017
- December 18, 2017
- June 9, 2017
- June 5, 2017
- August 30, 2016
- December 16, 2015
- Crain's Benefits Outlook, June 22, 2015
- Fox2News, March 31, 2015
- Interview with Amy Blaisdell, "Illinois law protects pregnant women and new moms at work"KSDK-TV, January 5, 2015
- Interview with Amy Blaisdell, "Illinois enacts Pregnancy Fairness Law, making pregnancy a protected status for all companies"Inside Counsel, January 5, 2015
- Illinois Business Journal, December 2014
- KMOX Radio, December 2014
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- Greensfelder's Employment Law Seminar, September 14, 2022
- “Modern Healthcare: Beyond the Brick and Mortar – Legal Considerations Associated with Remote Workers, Traveling Workers and Telehealth”American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration, April 24, 2022
- Midwest AAOE Annual Meeting, August 20, 2021
- April 8, 2021
- The Healthcare Roundtable, March 11, 2021
- "Looking Ahead to 2021: Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for the New Year" webinarDecember 14, 2020
- Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, May 22, 2020
- "Return to Work: Critical Information for Employers as Employees Come Back to the Workplace" webinarMay 5, 2020
- "FMLA: Beyond the Basic"Client Seminar, July 30, 2019
- DRI's Life, Health, Disability, and ERISA Seminar, Chicago, IL, April 3, 2019
- November 30, 2016
- October 16, 2013
- October 17, 2012
- September 16, 2010
Publications
Articles & Books
- For the Defense, August 2020
- Westlaw Journal Employment, July 16, 2019
- Southern Business Journal, May 5, 2015
- Many details within new Illinois Pregnancy Fairness LawIllinois Business Journal, December 15, 2014
- Becker's Hospital Review, April 10, 2013
- Westlaw Journal Employment, March 6, 2013
- Defense Research Institute's ERISA Report, Vol. 5, Issue 2, December 29, 2010
- "When the Exception Swallows the Rule - The Church Plan Exception to ERISA"The Voice, July 21, 2010
Newsletters
- Greensfelder Employment & Labor Newsletter, Fall 2009
- "The Family and Medical Leave Act Final Regulations: What Employers Need to Know"Greensfelder Employment & Labor Newsletter, January 2009
Blog Posts
- Health Care Today | Health Law Blog, August 25, 2020
- Plans, Perks & Pay | Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Blog, August 19, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 17, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , May 19, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 28, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 19, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 18, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 16, 2020
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , January 12, 2018
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , November 10, 2017
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , October 12, 2017
- Plans, Perks & Pay | Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Blog, January 18, 2017
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , July 15, 2015
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 30, 2015
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , March 26, 2015
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , December 31, 2014
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , October 13, 2014
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 28, 2013
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , June 10, 2013
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , May 14, 2013
- SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog , April 25, 2013