For over three decades, we have been advising companies and boards, as well as individual executives, owners and directors facing executive-level disputes and complaints. As our clients have told Chambers USA, we are “trusted advisors” who have "encyclopedic knowledge" of employment laws. But, even more importantly, we anticipate and consider the business sensitivities raised by challenging internal leadership and ownership disputes and external commercial disputes. We help our clients make informed and fair decisions that minimize their risks and liability and appropriately consider broader economic and business considerations.
We help our clients:
- Conduct effective and independent internal investigations of complaints and disputes involving owners, executives and board members.
- Assess and investigate claims of disclosures and misuse of trade secrets and company intellectual property and defamation by former employees and competitors.
- Develop compliant executive and equity agreements and related policies.
- Develop tailored confidentiality and IP agreements and policies and post-employment restrictive covenants.
- Conduct effective due diligence and draft agreements in connection with mergers and acquisitions.
- Properly identify and manage independent contractors and contingent workers.
- Maintain compliance with the additional obligations of regulated industries, including government contractors and publicly traded companies.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Conduct investigations for major non-profit charity of allegations by current executive threatening to issue press release with false allegations concerning former CEO and current leadership.
- Represented UK-based executive after go-private transaction, resulting in the payment of over $8 million in severance, bonuses and value of equity.
- Represented C-Suite executive of one of the world's largest banks in the negotiation of an exit package involving substantial severance and equity.
- Investigated and resolved sexual harassment allegations of a female Senior Vice President of a major non-profit who threatened to report false allegations to the media and Congress. Her claims were successfully resolved after the investigation revealed that the SVP had colluded with another executive to concoct and assert false claims to extort from the organization.
- Represented C-suite executive of investment and brokerage firm in post-change in control transition that resulted in payments and equity totaling over $8 million.
- Represented six senior executives (individually) of a large Atlanta-based company who were terminated or resigned in connection with acquisitions and restructurings.
- Negotiated on behalf of seven senior executives of one of the largest federal contractors substantial separation and equity packages in connection with restructurings and individual separations.
- Represented several ex-pats based in Germany and the UK in resolving tax equalization and equity disputes.
- Represented international private property developer in litigation challenging distribution of partnership proceeds for multi-family housing developments.
- Represented a group of executives in the US and Middle East of a large, publicly traded government contractor in negotiations concerning their terminations in connection with an ERISA-regulated severance plan adopted following an acquisition.