Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.

Jennings Strouss executive and employee compensation attorneys provide clients with practical and timely advice in the dynamic and highly-regulated field of compensation and benefits relating to directors, managers and employees.

Our experienced executive and employee compensation lawyers regularly assist clients in the creation and administration of a wide variety of compensation and benefit programs at all levels of an organization. They address issues arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), and other laws affecting employee benefits. Where appropriate, members of the Employee Benefits & Compensation Practice Section also collaborate with members of the Firm's Tax, Employment, Health Care, Litigation and HIPAA Counseling to effectively service our clients' needs.

Our clients include employers of all sizes in a variety of industries, as well as plan fiduciaries.

Executive and Employee Compensation
Our executive and employee compensation attorneys advise companies on all aspects of executive compensation for public and private companies. We can assist in the drafting, negotiation and administration of executive employment, severance, change-in-control and similar agreements, and the creation of compensation plans, such as stock option, restricted stock, annual bonus and long-term incentive compensation programs. We are experienced in compensation plans for directors or other managers of an enterprise, including annual and deferred compensation programs, charitable awards programs and non-qualified director retirement programs. We also represent clients in the creation and administration of employee policies, such as employee handbooks, leave policies, compliance with employment laws and anti-discrimination and harassment requirements.

Health and Welfare Plans
We advise our clients with respect to all types of health and welfare plans, including insured and self-insured medical plans, short- and long-term disability plans, Section 125 plans (cafeteria plans), flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement arrangements. Our executive and employee compensation lawyers also advise our clients on COBRA, ADA, FMLA and general HIPAA compliance.

Fiduciary Counseling
The Firm has substantial experience in counseling retirement plan sponsors, as well as trustees and other plan fiduciaries on ERISA’s fiduciary and prohibited transaction rules. Our lawyers regularly advise clients regarding their duties in choosing and monitoring plan investments. Our executive and employee compensation lawyers are also experienced in negotiating service provider agreements, investment management agreements, actuarial services agreements, investment performance monitoring agreements (hard and soft dollar) and custodial agreements.

ERISA Litigation and Government Proceedings
Our executive and employee compensation lawyers have successfully defended employers and plan fiduciaries, including pension plan trustees, in a wide variety of litigation matters, such as benefit claims, breach of fiduciary duty claims and actuarial disputes. We have appeared on behalf of our clients in Arizona Superior Court, U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Firm’s litigation lawyers team with our benefits lawyers to provide the most effective service possible in the evolving area of ERISA litigation. We have also represented clients in proceedings before the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor, and in connection with governmental audits.

Corporate Transactions
We counsel our clients on the employee-related aspects implicated by corporate mergers, acquisitions and dispositions. We help clients identify options for policy and benefit program integration, elimination or redesign, and to recognize relevant assets and liabilities related to employee benefit plans in the corporate transaction context. Clients often need assistance in special employment or termination arrangements in conjunction with significant corporate transactions.

Qualified Retirement Plans
The Firm advises employers on the design, drafting, administration and termination of 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, traditional pension plans, cash balance plans and employee stock ownership plans, as well as the associated government reporting and participant disclosure obligations. We also have extensive experience in addressing the unique issues that arise in the context of collectively bargained, multiemployer and multiple employer plans. We regularly assist clients in amending their plans to stay current with legislative and regulatory developments, and to satisfy changing business and human resource needs. We also represent clients in connection with the voluntary compliance programs sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Labor.

STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

Jennings Strouss continues to promote diversity by recruiting and retaining highly qualified individuals who represent diversity of opinion, personal experience and demographics. Our goal is to maintain and nurture this diversity in an environment that fosters excellence, achievement, and advancement of all qualified individuals regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, or position with the firm.

We retain excellent lawyers through regularly evaluating our recruiting focus, techniques, and strategies. We then make changes as necessary. Our recruiting committee expanded the on-campus interview program in 2007 to target students with diverse backgrounds and interests from law schools with significant minority enrollments and at minority student job fairs. The committee also is working on an outreach campaign to minority student organizations at various law schools around the country. Other demonstrations of our commitment to diversity are our continuing sponsorship of a law student in the annual Arizona State University Minority Writing Internship Program, a program that was started by our firm many years ago, and our sponsorship of the 2006 NBA Diversity Pipeline Program.

Our deep commitment to diversity is based on a solid belief that a multifaceted work environment can make us a better, smarter, and stronger law firm that has a positive influence in our communities.

JENNINGS STROUSS CORE VALUESWe are a diverse team that strives to provide the highest quality legal services to our clients by our commitment to these Core Values:

• Respect

   

  We show respect for each other and value diversity and inclusion both in the workplace and in dealing with others with whom we work.

• Communication

   

  We are committed to open and meaningful communication with each other and our clients.

• Diversity

   

  We have an unwavering commitment to diversity and to providing a professional environment that offers equal and nondiscriminatory access and opportunity to all employees.

• Balance

   

  We understand the importance of a healthy, balanced life and strive to help all employees achieve a healthy work-life balance.

• Recognition

   

  We encourage a workplace where each employee seeks on a daily basis to contribute to the success of the firm as a whole and is recognized for his or her contributions.

• Integrity and Excellence

   

  We are committed to excellence in the practice of law, and in so doing promote and adhere to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.

• Public Service

   

  We have a strong commitment to our community and public service including pro bono work.

DIVERSITY ACTION COMMITTEE

Member Joel Greene serves as the firm's Chief Diversity/Retention Officer. Instrumental in the development and implementation of the firm's Core Values, he is dedicated to working with the Diversity Action Committee to reinforce those values in an environment that fosters excellence, achievement, and advancement of all.

Representing a cross section of the firm's employees, each Committee member works to ensure that the Jennings Strouss diversity initiatives are continually updated and carried out as the firm adapts to the changing realities of the modern workplace. The Diversity Action Committee continues to formulate implementation guidelines and initiatives for the firm's Core Values. Each member views him or herself as a catalyst for change, where needed, to promote diversity and an enhanced sense of community within the firm.