MINNEAPOLIS (July 1, 2024) — Lathrop GPM LLP is pleased to announce that employee benefits partner Allison Itami has joined the firm’s Business Transactions Practice Group in Minneapolis.

Itami marks Lathrop GPM’s ninth lateral partner hire in 2024 as part of its commitment to strategic growth. She also is the second lateral partner to join the firm’s business transactions team in Minneapolis in the past month. Laurie Huotari, former Minneapolis Office Managing Partner for Stoel Rives, moved to the firm in June, following several other business transactions hires this year.

“An experienced benefits attorney, Allison deepens our corporate offering with sophisticated insights into the niche fiduciary duties that are critical to successful transactions. Her practice aligns well with our strengths and priorities as a firm, including our team’s synergy with the Trusts, Estates & Legacy Planning Practice Group,” said Mark Williamson, chair of Lathrop GPM’s Business Transactions Practice Group. “Both Minneapolis and the Business Transactions Practice Group remain strategic growth priorities for the firm, and we’re committed to meeting our clients’ evolving needs by investing in top talent like Allison.”

Itami joins Lathrop GPM from preeminent benefits firm Groom Law Group. She counsels employers and financial institutions on ERISA’s fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty and related prohibited transactions applicable to retirement plans and IRAs. Additionally, she advises on the application of fiduciary laws to health and welfare benefit offerings, including a unique focus on captive insurance and reinsurance in health and welfare benefits.

“Lathrop GPM’s cutting-edge business transactions work provides unmatched opportunities to expand both my practice and the firm’s breadth of services,” said Itami. “It’s a strong fit culturally, and I look forward to working with such a talented team.”

Itami earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and her B.S. from Cornell University.