Marie E. Casciari
Rated by Super Lawyers


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Marie E. Casciari

Shareholder
Seattle, Washington

Marie E. Casciari
Rated by Super Lawyers


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Marie Casciari is a shareholder at DeBofsky Law, and leads the Seattle office. She is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section, Employee Benefits Committee. She practices exclusively in the areas of employee benefits, ERISA, mental health parity (MHPAEA), and other insurance benefits litigation.

Bar Admissions

  • Washington, 2021
  • Illinois, 2011
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Washington, 2022
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2022
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 2011
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 2011

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
    • Juris Doctor, 2011
  • Boston University, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts
    • Bachelor of Arts, 2007
    • Major: Philosophy (Pre-Law Concentration)

Certifications

  • Society for Human Resource Management, Essentials of Human Resources Certification, 2021
  • Center for Conflict Resolution, Mediation Skills Training Certification, 2016

Testimonials

“Marie singled handedly changed my life. She is an exemplary attorney with Integrity!”

Marie Casciari was my attorney for my long-term disability appeal. She won my appeal and in a prompt manner.

Contact: From the onset, I was extremely impressed with how fast Marie’s office returned my call; it took less than 1 hour for her office to return my initial call. I was told what Marie needed to properly assess my case and its merits so I could speak to her the next day. From the beginning, I felt like Marie’s office understood how important this call was to me.

Once I spoke to Marie the following day, not only was she a great listener, but she was compassionate and quick to give me ideas she was thinking about for my case. She did not hold anything back with her honesty and how she interpreted the law and how it would apply to my claim. When I spoke to other lawyers, I felt like they were only telling me half the story or holding back on telling me what we should do. Marie never did this; she truly cared about me, my claim, and my family as she counseled me from the very start regardless of whether I decided to hire her or not.

It was because of Marie’s approachability, her forthrightness to assist me, her knowledge of disability law, and her amazing promptness that we (my husband and myself) decided to hire her and her firm. Note, we had interviewed over 10 other attorneys both locally and even as far as the East Coast before we made our decision to retain Marie.

Communication: Marie is easy to talk to and she kept me informed at every step to make sure we were on task. Marie gave my case and its appeal both structure and timeliness.

For example, if I emailed Marie with a comment or question, she was so prompt to respond. I have worked with many attorneys, and I have never seen an attorney who is more responsive and quicker to find answers than Marie. This is not only refreshing but reassuring as she helped me navigate thru my long-term disability appeal.

In addition, she never lost sight of how important this appeal was to my family and its livelihood. She made me feel like her only client and gave me her undivided attention each time we spoke. I know she has numerous clients and is a very busy attorney, yet she never rushed me nor made me feel like my questions were frivolous. She was always receptive to explain the law, how it applies to my claim, and she even reach out to me when she was “out of the office” for holiday or vacation. She never forgot how important my claim was to me. This type of attention to her clients is absolutely unheard of in the legal industry and makes Marie a clear “stand out” amongst her colleagues.

Competence: Marie is a litigator, so she thinks like one. If you choose Marie as your lawyer, you feel confident that she can argue your case before a judge or jury if need be and win. She is very detail oriented and knows your case and its facts inside and out. When she calls you or emails you, she is prepared and has read your file. Lots of lawyer “pretend” or try to act like they know your case by generalizing their responses to you or telling you they will get back to you later. Marie does not do this. Marie is specific when she answers you; she knows your case and she answers you now not later.

Marie’s knowledge of disability law is unsurpassed. She is adept at the appeal processes and knew the case law relevant to my specific illnesses. Marie is to the point and no nonsense when it comes to arguing the merits of your appeal.
Marie is definitely the kind of attorney that is respected by Judges and even the opposing parties.

Compassion: Marie truly understands that this is not where you want to be; I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would have an illness that would incapacitate me like this and affect my ability to work, support my family, and have my life essentially upended like it was. I loved my work (it was who I was for over 26 years), I loved and cared for my clients, I missed my colleagues, and Marie understood this without making me have to put it all into words and relive my losses each day I could not work. Marie understood that I felt scared about supporting my small child and what losing my career meant to the future I had planned for my boy. Marie’s innate ability to understand her clients, their claim, fears, needs, and disability is what distinguishes Marie from other attorneys.

In summary, Marie singled handedly changed my life. She won my disability appeal and words cannot express how grateful I am. Marie is an exemplary example of an attorney with Integrity!

S.M., Seatte, WA

“I was amazingly fortunate to have found Attorney Marie Casciari and her team at DeBofsky Law”

I found myself in a dire situation where I am facing a lifetime inability to work.  My long-term disability insurance carrier denied my coverage due to several factors which were inaccurate. After attempting to make an appeal myself I quickly realized I was over my head- moribund and desperate actually. I was amazingly fortunate to have found Attorney Marie Casciari and her team at DeBofsky Law  and I’ll tell you why: empathy, intelligence, integrity, vigilance, and professionalism that I have rarely witnessed in 30 years as a corporate executive working for the largest corporations in the world. In that time I worked with hundreds of attorneys on the legal matters through contracting, negotiations, and dispute.  My case was terribly complicated, clinically complex, and covered in gray areas…and I cannot give Marie higher praise, higher marks for successfully traversing this maze; she, and her team, absolutely sets the standard.

Truly, Todd Hanson, Seatte, WA

“Marie Casciari was exceptional! “

Marie Casciari was exceptional! We could not have asked for a better attorney or outcome to our lawsuit.   We did not know what to expect when we filed a lawsuit against our health care provider for denying residential treatment coverage for our child.  Ms. Casciari helped explain each step of the process and promptly provided updates as the lawsuit progressed through the court.  She did outstanding research to ensure she was prepared for each court appearance. She also did an excellent job of anticipating how the judge would react to each stage of the litigation.  We were pleasantly surprised with the outcome and would highly recommend Ms. Casciari.

Dominic W.

Representative Cases

  • Day v. Humana Ins. Co., 335 F.R.D. 181 (N.D. Ill. 2020)
  • Dominic W. v. N. Trust Co. Emp. Welfare Benefit Plan, 392 F. Supp. 3d 907 (N.D. Ill 2019)
  • Alice F. v. Health Care Serv. Corp., 367 F. Supp. 3d 817 (N.D. Ill. 2019)
  • Berg v. N.Y. Life Ins. Co., 831 F.3d 426 (7th Cir. 2016)
  • Krupp v. Liberty Life Assurance Co. of Bos., 936 F. Supp. 2d 908 (N.D. Ill. 2013)
  • Raybourne v. Cigna Life Ins. Co., 700 F.3d 1076 (7th Cir. 2012)
  • Ayotte v. Prudential Ins. Co. of N. Am., 900 F. Supp. 2d 814 (N.D. Ill. 2012)
  • Shepherd v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2012 U.S. Dist. Lexis 13453 (N.D. Ill. 2012)
  • Krase v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2012 WL 4483506, 2012 U.S. Dist. Lexis 138837 (N.D. Ill. 2012)
  • Ehas v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2012 WL 5989215, 2012 U.S. Dist. Lexis 169151 (N.D. Ill. 2012)

Honors & Awards

  • Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employee Benefits Law, 2016 – Present
  • Leading Lawyers, Emerging Lawyers, Employee Benefits Law, 2017 – Present
  • American Bar Association, Section of Labor & Employment Law Leadership Development Program, 2014

Classes & Seminars

  • MHPAEA in the Courts, American Bar Association (November 2023)
  • 2023 ERISA Health and Welfare Litigation Updates, Practising Law Institute (October 2023)
  • ERISA Preemption, American Bar Association (October 2023)
  • ERISA Basics Concepts – Statutory Overview, American Bar Association (October 2023)
  • Department of Labor Update: Fireside Chat with Lisa Gomez, Assistant Secretary of Labor, American Bar Association (July 2023)
  • ERISA Basics Concepts – Statutory Overview, American Bar Association (November 2022)
  • 2022 Health and Welfare Litigation Update, Practising Law Institute (October 2022)
  • Insurance Claims: Empowering Your Clients for Coverage, Chicago School of Professional Psychology (November 2021)
  • Recent Developments Impacting Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits: What Every Employer and Employee Should Know, American Bar Association (November 2021)
  • Benefits Claims – Administrative Procedures & Litigation Overview, American Bar Association (October 2021)
  • Advancing the Future of Proton Therapy, National Association for Proton Therapy (April 2021)
  • To Be Preempted or Not to Be Preempted: An Update on the Interactions between State Law and ERISA, American Bar Association (November 2020)
  • Navigating the Legal Landscape of Proton Therapy Denials, National Association for Proton Therapy (September 2020)
  • ERISA Ethical Issues and Concerns, American Bar Association (June 2020)
  • Into the Wilderness: Recent Developments in Federal Parity Act Litigation, American Bar Association (January 2020)
  • ERISA Preemption, American Bar Association (October 2019)
  • ERISA Ethical Issues and Concerns, American Bar Association (June 2019)
  • ERISA Preemption, American Bar Association (June 2019)
  • Mock Hearing on Motion to Dismiss, American Bar Association (February 2019)
  • What Every Social Security Lawyer Should Know About LTD Claims, Chicago Bar Association (November 2018)
  • ERISA Ethical Issues and Concerns, American Bar Association (October 2018)
  • ERISA Preemption, American Bar Association (October 2018)
  • Mental Health Parity Litigation, American Bar Association (May 2018)
  • Crafting Compliant, Effective Behavioral Health Benefit Programs, American Bar Association (February 2018)
  • Benefit Claims: Administrative Procedures, American Bar Association (October 2017)
  • Pleadings and Motion Practice in ERISA Litigation, American Bar Association (October 2017)
  • ERISA Ethical Issues and Concerns, American Bar Association (October 2017)
  • Pleadings and Motion Practice in ERISA Litigation, American Bar Association (June 2017)
  • Health Care Claims and Related Litigation, American Bar Association (June 2017)
  • Transgender Health Care Issues and Nondiscrimination, American Bar Association (March 2017)
  • Litigating Individual Health Claims, American Bar Association (February 2017)
  • Parkinson’s Disease and Disability: the Basics, Rush University Medical Center (February 2017)
  • Drafting ERISA Complaints and Moving to Dismiss, American Bar Association (October 2016)
  • ACA and Related Healthcare Litigation, American Bar Association (October 2016)
  • Hot Topics in Health Care Litigation under ERISA and the ACA, American Bar Association (June 2016)
  • Anatomy of a Deposition, American Bar Association (May 2016)
  • Pleadings and Motions Practice in ERISA Litigation, American Bar Association (May 2016)
  • ERISA Litigation Review, Chicago Bar Association (March 2016)
  • Wellness Programs: Design, Implementation and Litigation Risks, American Bar Association (February 2016)
  • Litigation of Welfare Benefit Claims, Chicago Bar Association (October 2015)
  • ERISA Basics Concepts – Statutory Overview, American Bar Association (October 2015)
  • Litigation of Long-Term Disability Claims, American Bar Association (May 2015)
  • 2013-2014 Year in Review: Top ERISA and Employee Benefits Cases, Chicago Bar Association (March 2015)
  • 2013-2014 Year in Review: Top ERISA and Employee Benefits Cases, Chicago Bar Association (November 2014)

Published Work

  • ERISA Health & Welfare Litigation “Hot Hits,” Practising Law Institute (August 2023)
  • What’s Hot and What’s Not in ERISA Health & Welfare Litigation, Practising Law Institute (August 2022)
  • Predicting the Future Course of Employee Benefits Litigation, American Bar Association (September 2021)
  • Recent Trends in Transgender Healthcare Law, American Bar Association (June 2020)
  • Federal Court Finds ERISA Does Not Preempt State Auto-Enrollment Individual Retirement Program, Illinois Bar Association (May 2020)
  • Federal Court Finds Insurance Giant Breach Its Fiduciary Duties and Violated Illinois Law, Illinois Bar Association (July 2019)
  • Bloomberg BNA American Bar Association Section of Labor & Employment Law Employee Benefits Law Treatise
    • Chapter Editor, 2016-2022
    • Contributing Author, 2014-2016

Professional Organizations

  • Federal Bar Association, Western District of Washington
  • American Bar Association
    • Co-Chair of Labor & Employment Law Section, Employee Benefits Committee, 2022-Present
    • Co-Chair of Labor & Employment Law Section, Leadership Development Program, 2018-2020
    • Co-Chair of Labor & Employment Law Section, Employee Benefits Committee, ERISA Preemption and Effect on Other Laws Subcommittee, 2018-2022
    • Co-Chair of Labor & Employment Law Section, Employee Benefits Committee, Employment Discrimination & Employee Benefits Subcommittee, 2016-2018
    • Vice-Chair of Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Employee Benefits Committee, 2020-2022
    • Vice-Chair of Labor & Employment Law Section, Membership Development Committee, 2016-2018
  • Illinois State Bar Association
    •  CLE Coordinator of Employee Benefits Section, 2018-2020
  • Chicago Bar Association
    • Vice Chair of Employee Benefits Committee, 2015-2016
    • Co-Chair of Health and Hospital Law Committee, 2014-2015

Past Employment

  • DeBofsky & Associates, P.C., Associate, 2013 – 2016
  • Daley, DeBofsky & Bryant, Associate, 2011 – 2013
  • Daley, DeBofsky & Bryant, Law Clerk, 2009 – 2011
  • Foley & Lardner LLP, Project Assistant, 2007 – 2008
  • Mayer Brown LLP, Intern, 2006

Languages

  • English
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