Employment Counseling

Our attorneys provide day-to-day advice and contribute to our clients' long-range human resource strategies. We consult on pre-employment screening and background investigations, hiring decisions, discipline, performance management, suspensions, and terminations, including reductions-in-force. We also advise on the preparation, implementation, and administration of Employee Handbooks and personnel policies such as substance abuse testing (including under specific regulations of Federal DOT, FAA, DOD, and AEC), affirmative action plans, absence control procedures, and those steps necessary to comply with and defend against claims arising under other state and federal laws and regulations.

Benefits Counseling

We represent a number of clients who serve as investment advisors for mutual funds, pooled group trusts, and other investment vehicles, advising them with respect to their fiduciary obligations under ERISA, compliance with ERISA's reporting and disclosure rules, and applicability of the plan asset regulations. We are currently in the process of providing extensive advice and redrafting of our clients' deferred compensation plans to help them comply with the new rules governing deferred compensation under Section 409A.

Mergers and Acquisitions

We serve as merger and acquisition counsel for several clients regarding benefits issues, both domestically and internationally. Our service is comprehensive, for example, we negotiate benefits, engage in due diligence, and advise clients regarding partial terminations, distributions, ERISA 204(h) notice requirements, plan mergers, and multi-employer liability and amendment issues stemming from the transactions. We also coordinate benefits review by international local counsel.