Design and drafting of benefits plans

Proper design and careful drafting of employee benefit plans is crucial to their administration, and also the key to benefit determinations when claims are litigated. Our tax attorneys have years of experience designing and drafting welfare benefit and pension plans. We also assist clients with administration and compliance issues such as U.S. Department of Labor plan audits and investigations.

A breadth of business law knowledge

Our Employee Benefits Guidance and Litigation attorneys are drawn from the firm's Employment and Labor and Tax groups. In addition, our lawyers benefit from being able to draw upon Nexsen Pruet’s many other business law practice groups, which helps ensure that our Employee Benefits Guidance and Litigation work supports overall client business objectives.

We focus on all forms of welfare and pension benefits for a wide range of organizations. Our employee benefits clients range from sole proprietorships to large firms with over 10,000 employees. We represent corporations, partnerships, LLCs and sole proprietorships, as well as many governmental and tax-exempt employers, such as hospitals, universities, charitable groups, credit unions and other organizations.

Retirement and compensation plans

The firm provides a wide spectrum of services to sponsors of qualified retirement plans, including ESOPs. Our services include:

• Design and implementation of plans
• Ongoing administration of plans
• Compliance with plan reporting and disclosure requirements
• Correction of qualification defects through various IRS-approved correction methods
• Correction and reporting of prohibited transactions
• Analysis of fiduciary responsibilities associated with the plans

We also have extensive experience in the design, implementation and administration of non-qualified deferred compensation plans, stock option plans, and other incentive compensation plans.

Health insurance and other benefits

In addition to retirement plan issues, our practice includes all aspects of the design, implementation and administration of all forms of welfare benefit plans, including fully insured and self-insured plans.

Our attorneys routinely counsel clients in matters pertaining to HIPAA and COBRA compliance. We also handle ERISA litigation involving the various types of pension and welfare benefit plans. Nexsen Pruet frequently works with various government agencies that regulate employee benefits, including the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Nexsen Pruet recognizes the importance of having lawyers that reflect the broad diversity within our client base, our jury system, our colleagues, and our community at large.  To that end, we are committed to recruiting minority candidates, reducing minority attrition, supporting minority organizations, and expanding and improving our diversity program.  We also recognize that the pursuit of a diverse workplace is, and should be, ongoing. 

As a means of promoting these interests, we created the Nexsen Pruet Diversity Scholarship Program. Prior to creating the scholarship, we completed a written plan that identified methods by which the firm could recruit, hire, and retain minority lawyers. The plan includes expanding our recruitment efforts to other law schools, increasing recruitment of lateral minority and female candidates, and continuing to develop and enhance our relationships with minority law organizations such as the Black Law Students Association.  Our goal is to identify qualified minority candidates who may be potential members of the firm.

Nexsen Pruet understands the need for and value of increased diversity, and we are strengthening and building upon our commitment to provide an inclusive environment within our firm.  As such, we will maintain a continuing focus on doing whatever we can to achieve the important and necessary goal of diversity.

Nexsen Pruet Diversity Scholarship

Strengthening the Lawyers of Tomorrow...Today

   The Nexsen Pruet Diversity Scholarship aims to:  

• Support diversity within our firm and the bar  
• Enhance educational opportunities for talented minorities in the field of law  
• Inform minority law students of opportunities for private practice in the Carolinas   

The Scholarship Program will award $3000 to one or more exceptional first year minority law students planning a career in North or South Carolina.   

All scholarship recipients will be considered for summer employment in one of the Nexsen Pruet offices upon completion of their first year of law school.  Scholarship recipients are invited to re-apply for additional scholarships during their second and third years of law school.   

 Eligible students must be attending one of the following schools:

• University of North Carolina School of Law
• University of South Carolina School of Law
• Wake Forest University School of Law 
• North Carolina Central University School of Law 
• Charleston School of Law
• Charlotte School of Law