Melissa Weaver works with employers to design, draft, implement and maintain qualified retirement plans that benefit both the employer and the employees. She advises on best practices and provides counsel when issues arise, whether in the context of an employer’s operations, in connection with a merger or acquisition, or as the result of an investigation or audit by the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or otherwise. She also assists with fiduciary compliance and education under ERISA, internal plan audits, and with the voluntary correction programs offered by the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor.
Melissa also provides counsel and support in the implementation of various welfare plans, including health, life, accident, disability, cafeteria and flexible benefit plans, and compliance with ERISA, the Affordable Care Act, COBRA, HIPAA, and other federal and state laws. She has considerable experience assisting clients in the design, implementation and administration of executive compensation and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, including employment agreements, equity compensation plans, SERPs, severance agreements, and compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
Honors & Awards
- Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (2018-2020)
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
Community Involvement
- Member, American Bar Association, Tax Section
- Member, North Carolina Bar Association, Tax Section
- Member, Raleigh Professional Women's Forum
Presentations & Media
- Co-Speaker (with Patricia Goodson), "When World's Collide: How to Handle the Intersection of Worker's Comp, FMLA, and the ADA," NC Bankers Association HR Conference, March 21, 2019
- The Affordable Care Act - It's Time to Start Counting Hours, April 2013
- Employer Duties in Providing Employee Benefits, July 30, 2010
Lawyer Client Comments