A certified public accountant and attorney with an extensive tax and accounting background including experience as an auditor with a large accounting firm, John brings a practical approach to the legal counsel he provides to employee benefit plan committees, including 401(k) plan committees, regarding their fiduciary responsibilities. Clients appreciate his ability to provide a comprehensive view of their specific benefit plans and how they affect their business. Business owners and executives leverage John’s nearly 20 years of experience in employee benefits, executive compensation matters, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). John regularly represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and department of Labor (DOL) in benefits matters.

A significant portion of John’s practice is centered on establishing and maintaining ESOPs for a nationwide client base, including plan design, distribution policies, the structure and implementation of ESOP transactions and administration matters. John also regularly represents ESOP trustees in purchase and sale transactions. In 2020, he helped to establish the Florida Center for Employee Ownership, a statewide resource for business owners who are considering a transition of the ownership of a business to its employees and is a member of its Board of Directors. He speaks regularly on ESOP issues at national and regional conferences.

John plays a critical role in navigating the complex and potentially risky issues that can arise during an M&A transaction. Clients draw on his benefits issues experience, including assistance with the due diligence on benefit plans sponsored by an acquired company. He routinely counsels clients on plan documentation, plan qualification, and other benefits issues, including tax and fiduciary matters.

Having worked with plans of all sizes, ranging from those sponsored by small, local companies to large, multi-national corporations, John has guided business owners, executives, and other senior managers with a range of employee benefits. Employers at all stages, from startups to public companies, seek John for advice and counsel on how to establish and maintain equity-based compensation programs for executives and employees.

Clients value John’s significant experience assisting in the correction of errors in both qualified and non-qualified retirement plans. This includes representing clients in Voluntary Compliance Program applications before the IRS, providing the opportunity to maintain compliance with IRS regulations and the potential for saving significant penalties and fees. He regularly assists clients with executive employment agreements, severance agreements, change in control agreements and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, including compliance with Internal Revenue Code Sections 409A, 457(b) and 457(f).