Miller Nash welcomes John C. Hughes to the firm’s employee benefits team. John, based in the firm’s Boise office, focuses his practice on ERISA and employee benefits, counseling clients nationwide on the full spectrum of employee benefit plan matters. He represents public and private companies, tax-exempt and governmental entities, plan committees and individual fiduciaries, as well as industry service providers such as financial institutions, plan administrators, accountants, and investment consultants. An experienced and recognized thought leader in his field, John frequently writes and speaks on ERISA and employee benefits topics.
“We are thrilled to have John Hughes join our growing team in Boise, Idaho,” said Kieran Curley, managing partner of Miller Nash. “The firm is committed to deepening our ERISA and employee benefits capabilities firmwide in order to continue to provide our clients with exceptional service.”
Miller Nash’s employee benefits team represents clients and their plans before the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. They prepare plan documents, trust agreements, SPDs, SMMs, benefit forms, notices to participants, determination letter applications, Form 5500s, and excise tax filings. Additionally, they advise plan sponsors with respect to plan design, plan administration, benefit claims, reporting and disclosure compliance, qualification requirements, nondiscrimination testing, fiduciary duties, investment matters, service-provider contracts, IRS and DOL audits, correction of compliance problems, and restructuring benefit plans in business transactions.
Before joining Miller Nash, John practiced at a Boise-based business and litigation firm, focusing on ERISA and employee benefits. Earlier in his career, he served as Managing Editor of the California Western Law Review; interned for the Honorable Kevin Thomas Duffy of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; worked as Assistant Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C.; and practiced as a litigator at prominent San Diego law firms.
About John Hughes
John’s experience spans regulatory compliance, fiduciary governance, mergers and acquisitions, plan design and administration, plan corrections under IRS and DOL programs, tax qualification, and benefits-related disputes and litigation. He provides practical, strategic guidance that helps clients minimize risk while maintaining efficient and compliant benefits programs. He received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo before earning his law degree at California Western School of Law.
