Voluntary Separation Programs: Key Regulatory Considerations; Employer Pros and Cons; Design and Implementation

Mr. Grisham has over 30 years of successful experience counseling and representing employers in all aspects of workplace law in Tennessee and across the U.S. He has helped employers avoid claims, charges, and lawsuits with a focus on preventative practices, including counseling on discipline, termination, demotion, promotion and other workplace changes,  investigations, wage and hour compliance, reasonable accommodation assessment, supervisor training and the review of employment policies and procedures. Mr. Grisham has successfully litigated hundreds of administrative charges, employment lawsuits, and arbitration demands on behalf of employers, including federal and state law claims alleging discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, invasion of privacy, defamation, breach of contract, and wage and hour violations, among others. He represents employers in the prosecution and defense of trade secret claims, and in the enforcement of post-employment restrictive covenants such as non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements. Mr. Grisham also represents employers in unfair labor practice and union representation election proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. He is a Member of the American Employment Law Council, a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Grisham is a past Chair of the Memphis Bar Association's L&E Section and of the Tennessee Bar Association's L&E Section where he currently serves on the Executive Committee.

Drawing on 40 years as an advisor and litigator, Mr. Johanson provides strategic and practical legal counsel on employee ownership, executive compensation, equity incentive plans, non-qualified deferred compensation, and employee stock ownership plans. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, tax planning, business succession, estate planning, shareholder disputes, and non-competition issues, among other corporate and ERISA-related matters. Mr. Johanson defends companies and executives in complex business, employment, and class action disputes in federal and state courts nationwide. He has represented clients before regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor, Internal Revenue Service, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, handling tax controversies, felony criminal indictments, and diverse ownership and business dispute resolutions. He also routinely defends ERISA fiduciaries, plan sponsors, selling shareholders, and investment and valuation advisers in high-stakes litigation spanning ESOP valuation disputes, fiduciary responsibilities, disclosure obligations, and investment issues. In addition, Mr. Johanson has argued cases before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits and filed multiple petitions for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court. Nationally recognized for his expertise and leadership in the ESOP field, he leads an innovative team that has handled more than 750 ESOP transactions.