Intro to Employee Benefits

Depending on the size of your organization, you may want to offer employee benefits or even be required to offer some benefits. For example, organizations in Illinois with 5 or more employees are required to offer retirement savings plans. Various laws apply depending on the size of your organization and its location. If you are considering adding new or first-time employee benefits or your arts organization is hiring its first W-2 employee, join Lawyers for the Creative Arts as we demystify the laws and best practices around employee benefits.

Get to know the current federal and state laws and best practices. This educational Zoom webinar will cover topics including retirement benefits like 401(k) and 403(b) plans; health, life, disability, and other welfare insurance; and creating your employee benefits plan. The webinar will include a question and answer session at the end and information on how to access resources to help as you consider adding employee benefits.

About the Speaker:

Allison Wilkerson, Partner at McDermott, Will & Emery

Allison Wilkerson focuses her practice on employee benefits matters. She has extensive experience handling issues pertaining to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

With respect to ERISA, Allison focuses on compliance issues and the Internal Revenue Code related to employee benefits, including qualified plans, nonqualified plans, and executive and deferred compensation. While advising employers on the design, implementation and administration of tax-qualified retirement plans and nonqualified retirement plans, Allison provides relevant guidance as to administrative and operational matters, and assists clients with various benefit plan correction programs offered by the Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Allison also has advised employers with respect to issues raised in connection with corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures as they relate to the various benefit plans maintained by the affected corporate entity or entities.

Allison focuses her ESOP practice on the design and implementation of ESOP transactions and provides ongoing legal counsel to ESOP-owned companies. She has been involved in hundreds of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, and the structuring and financing of ESOPs using private equity. She has advised employers on the implementation of nonqualified plans and executive compensation arrangements that complement the employee ownership structure and culture inherent in an ESOP-owned company. Allison also represents independent fiduciaries in their role as purchaser in an ESOP transaction as to their legal duties with respect to their representation of ESOP participants and beneficiaries.

Allison writes and speaks frequently on ERISA and ESOP issues.

Jacob M. Mattinson, Partner at McDermott, Will & Emery

Jacob M. Mattinson focuses his practice on employee benefits and matters related to 401(k), 403(b), pension, executive compensation, health care reform, and cafeteria and welfare plans.

Jacob assists clients in drafting employee benefit plan documents and amendments. He represents clients in matters before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), US Department of Labor (DOL) and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with respect to plan qualification issues. He also counsels privately and publicly held corporations and tax-exempt entities on a variety of benefits and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) issues, including ERISA fiduciary issues, compliance with the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), ERISA implications in corporate transactions, ERISA administrative claims and appeals, and executive compensation matters.

While in law school, Jacob was editor in chief of the Penn State Law Review. In addition, Jacob served as a legal intern for the Honorable Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Jacob is the Chairperson of the Young Professionals Board of Equip for Equality. Internally, Jacob serves on the Firm’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee.