Wesley H. Covert

Wesley joined Laner Muchin in 2008 as an associate and has been a partner at the firm since 2014. Wes concentrates his practice on employee benefit plan compliance and offers practical advice to provide beneficial outcomes for his clients. Wes represents a number of Taft-Hartley, multi-employer plans, plan fiduciaries, contributing employers and employer associations in various matters including plan design and compliance, audits, fiduciary responsibility and corporate governance. Wes’ experience with a myriad of benefit issues equips him to offer his clients practical solutions in this ever-changing, complex area of the law.  

Wes also counsels single employers in various industries as to compliance with various federal laws, especially ERISA and the Affordable Care Act. Wes also regularly guides clients through the correction programs available through the IRS and DOL and has extensive experience working with regulatory agencies during benefit plan audits. In Illinois, Wes advises governmental clients on various state and municipal pension matters, PSEBA and other benefit matters.

Wes was most recently selected for recognition in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for Employee Benefits. He is a frequent speaker and author on various benefit topics and editor of the Firm's e-newsletter, The Fast Laner. Wes is originally from West Union, Ohio, and resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two daughters.

HONORS, MEMBERSHIPS AND PUBLICATIONS

• Named Illinois Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers for several years
• Recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2024 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Human Resources Management Association of Chicago, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
• Author, ACA and ERISA Update, Illinois State Bar Association Employee Benefits Newsletter, September 2017
• Author, U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies The Definition Of "Church Plan" Under ERISA, The Fast Laner, June 2017
• Author, Small Employers Can Ring In The New Year With A Brand New Health Reimbursement Arrangement Benefit, The Fast Laner, January 2017
• Author, Safe Harbor 401(k) Notices Webinar, Distinguished Faculty of Lorman Education Services, September 2016
• Co-Author, Use of Mandatory Arbitration Provisions to Recoup Money Owed to ERISA Plans, ERISA Compliance & Enforcement Library BNA, 2010
• Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution, The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, 2003

Below are representative samples of the types of matters Wes handles on behalf of Laner Muchin clients:

Representing various multiemployer plan Boards of Trustees on numerous benefit-related matters.

Extensive experience guiding clients through the IRS and DOL correction programs for plan document failures, operational errors, and fiduciary breaches.

Advising clients on all aspects of health and welfare plan compliance, including the Affordable Care Act, HIPAA, Cafeteria Plan Rules, COBRA, ERISA and state law requirements.

Providing support during regulatory audits by the IRS and DOL.

Conducting benefit plan internal audits to prevent future compliance issues.

Advising clients on plan design; drafting of plan documents; negotiating service provider agreements; and handling benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions.

Assisting plan sponsors with day-to-day administrative efforts, including benefit claims and appeals, QDRO determinations, and participant communications.