Matthew Grunert is our go-to labor and employment lawyer. He is very knowledgeable and client focused. He communicates the legal structure very clearly and he is creative when we need solutions.

The Legal 500 United States, 2024

Matt Grunert advises clients on a broad range of compensation and employee benefits matters for public and closely-held companies, as well as private equity funds and portfolio companies. He has vast experience counseling clients with the design, implementation and on-going operation of Section 409A non-qualified deferred compensation plans and equity compensation arrangements, including stock options, restricted stock, phantom stock, Section 162(m) grandfathering issues and partnership profits interests. Matt also regularly counsels both companies and executives with the negotiation and drafting of executive compensation arrangements, including employment agreements, retention and severance agreements and change-in-control arrangements.   

Matt is heavily involved in counseling clients on the executive compensation and employee benefits matters in corporate transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and joint ventures, including allocation of benefits liabilities, 280G golden parachute matters and post-closing compensation and benefits administration. He also works with clients with credit and financing arrangements, as well as capital markets transactions, including representing issuers and underwriters in IPOs, follow-on equity offerings and debt offerings.

Matt advises clients with respect to the application of NYSE and NASDAQ listing rules and corporate and securities laws to compensation, including proxy and other public disclosures, Section 16 and various corporate governance matters. In addition, Matt works with clients on compensation matters relevant to proxy advisory firms such as ISS.    

He also works with clients on the design, implementation, maintenance, merging and termination of defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans and health and welfare plans and has represented clients with respect thereto before various governmental agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.