Ogletree Deakins Elevates New Leader in its Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group

ATLANTA – April 27, 2021 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that John Morrison, shareholder in the firm’s Atlanta and New York offices, has been selected to serve as co-chair of the firm’s national Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group. John will serve as co-chair alongside Stephanie Smithey. The Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group has more than 40 attorneys nationwide focused on employee benefits compliance matters and 20 attorneys who handle Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation.

John’s practice encompasses all aspects of executive compensation. He has extensive experience advising multinational public companies, private companies, and tax-exempt organizations on a wide range of executive compensation matters, including the design, implementation, and tax structuring of executive compensation arrangements; tax and regulatory compliance matters; advising boards, compensation committees, and management on corporate governance and fiduciary matters; and the development and preparation of executive compensation and benefits-related disclosures in public filings. John also has extensive experience advising on executive compensation and employee benefits issues in connection with mergers and acquisitions; corporate restructurings; and financings, including change of control and retention agreements and golden parachute excise tax mitigation strategies.

“From the time he joined Ogletree Deakins, John has been a leader in the firm, with his unsurpassed knowledge and experience in the area of executive compensation, equity compensation, corporate governance and business transactions,” said Stephanie Smithey, co-chair of the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group. “Our clients and colleagues alike will benefit tremendously from having him in this leadership role.”

The group’s employee benefits practitioners advise clients regarding the full array of retirement plans and welfare plans, sponsored by employers in the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors. These include tax-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation arrangements, welfare and fringe benefits programs, incentive and other bonus arrangements, cafeteria plans, severance pay plans, equity-based compensation plans, corporate governance matters and defined contribution/consumer-directed health plans implementing cost-containment strategies, such as health savings account plans (HSAs) or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs).

The ERISA attorneys provide practical advice designed to align a company’s employee benefits and executive compensation strategies with its overall strategic business objectives. They routinely draft plan documents and related instruments for qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, welfare plans, and fringe benefit plans; advise clients regarding the employee benefits aspects of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings; and counsel clients regarding other aspects of tax or regulatory compliance.

For the past five consecutive years, U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” has ranked Ogletree Deakins nationally as a Tier 1 Law Firm in both Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Litigation – ERISA.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 10 consecutive years. In 2021, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Litigation – Labor & Employment category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 900 attorneys located in 53 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies. www.ogletree.com