(Webcast) Drafting Separation Agreements In Employment Matters

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | 12:00 pm – 1:45 pm

• Description
• Faculty
• Agenda
• CLE Credit
• Sponsors

• If you are an employment law practitioner or an in-house counsel or advise employers or employees on compensation-related matters, you cannot afford to miss this program.  An expert panel will cover numerous legal issues and challenges that arise when drafting and negotiating separation agreements and will provide practical tips and tools to enhance your drafting and negotiating skills.

  Topics to be addressed include:

  • Nondisclosure provisions pursuant to N.Y. GOL Section 5-336
  • Pros and cons of mandatory arbitration provisions
  • Lump sum versus installment severance payments
  • Treatment of equity
  • Temporal, geographic, and breadth of restrictive covenants
  • Variations of non-disparagement provisions
  • Cooperation provisions
  • Release re-affirmation provisions where appropriate

  Program Fee:
  $199 for Members | $299 for Nonmembers

  Members who are Law Students, Recent Law Graduates, Newly Admitted Lawyers (admitted for the first time in any state or country 2019-2021), In-House/Corporate Counsel, Judges, and attorney members who practice within the Government, Academic or Not-for-Profit sectors attend this program for free.

• Randi Cohen
  Law Office of Randi M. Cohen

  Jerrold F. Goldberg
  Greenberg Traurig, LLP

  Jyotin “Joe” Hamid
  Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

  Brian Heller
  Schwartz Perry & Heller, LLP

  Anthony A. Mingione
  Blank Rome LLP

  Catherine A. Williams
  Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

• 12:00 pm – 12:05 pm
  Introduction of Panelists
  Richard B. Friedman

  12:05 pm – 12:20 pm
  Whether to Offer a Separation Agreement

  • Level of employee
  • Level of risk absent any agreement
  • Importance to the former employer of a release
  • Employment agreement

  Catherine A. Williams

  • Employee handbook
  • Prior Practices

  Jerrold F. Goldberg

  12:20 pm – 12:30 pm
  Overall Approach to Separation Agreements

  • How short?
  • Whether to use plain English or legal jargon
  • Proposed monetary range

  Joe Hamid

  • Do you expect employee to be represented by counsel?
  • Business context of agreement

  Anthony A. Mingione

  12:30 pm – 12:35 pm
  How Separation is Characterized                                                             

  • Resignation
  • Termination without cause
  • Termination with cause

  Catherine A. Williams

  12:35 pm – 1:15 pm
  Frequently Negotiated Provisions

  • Monetary Issues
  • Amounts and timing of payments (including impact of severance payments on unemployment benefits)
  • Lump sum versus installment payments
  • Possible accelerated vesting of options
  • COBRA premium payments
  • PTO and other payments to former employee

  Jerrold F. Goldberg & Brian Heller  

  • Release Issues
  • Scope of release
  • Any release or other relevant provisions in favor of employee?
  • OWBPA releases
  • Release re-affirmation after cessation of employment

  Anthony A. Mingione & Randi M. Cohen

  • Miscellaneous Issues
  • Non-disparagement provisions
  • Cooperation provisions
  • References provision
  • No re-hire provision
  • Agreed upon public statements
  • Rule 409A Issues

  Randi M. Cohen & Catherine A. Williams

  • Tax Treatment for payments characterized for physical injury and emotional harm caused by physical injury
  • Payment of Legal Fees
  • Return of property provision
  • Attestation by employee of no knowledge of other wrongdoing

  Randi M. Cohen & Joe Hamid

  1:15 pm – 1:25 pm
  Confidentiality-related Provisions                                                                

  • New York General Obligations Law Section 5-336
  • Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act language in confidentiality provisions
  • Other types of confidentiality provisions
  • Scope of employer obligations

  Brian Heller &   Catherine A. Williams

  1:25 pm – 1:35 pm
  Restrictive Covenants                                                                                     

  • Possible existing provisions
  • Whether employee should sign an agreement with a restrictive covenant
    • Non-competes are a matter of state law
  • Enforceable if scope of services, geographical area, and temporal periods are
  • More readily enforceable in the context of the sale of a business
  • Non-solicitation of employees and customers are also a matter of state law
  • Enforceable if scope and temporal periods are reasonable
  • Applicability of a merger clause

  Jerrold F. Goldberg & Brian Heller

  1:35 pm – 1:40 pm
  Dispute Resolution Provisions Including Arbitration Obligations

  • Pros and cons of mandatory arbitration provisions
  • Mechanics of an arbitration provision (forum, rules, number of arbitrators, fee shifting, etc.) but rarely negotiable
  • Carve outs for injunctive relief
  • Forum selection clause

  Joe Hamid

  1:40 pm – 1:45 pm
  Remedies Provisions                                                                                         

  • Liquidated Damages
  • Clawback provision for material breach
  • Whether Employee Can Retain A Modest Amount Despite Clawback to Provide Considerations for Release of ADEA Claims
  • What Tribunal Will Make the Determination?

  Anthony A. Mingione

  Separation Agreements in the Context Of Collective Bargaining Agreements
  Jerrold F. Goldberg

• New York: 2.0 Skills
  New Jersey: 2.1 General
  California: 2.0 General
  Pennsylvania: 1.5 General
  Connecticut: Available to Licensed Attorneys

• Sponsoring Association Committee:
  Labor & Employment Law, Katherine A. Greenberg, Chair

  Sponsorship Opportunities are Available! Please Contact:
  Angie Avila, Manager, Membership Outreach and Sponsorships | (212) 382-6608 | aavila@nycbar.org