August 6, 2018
Fenwick litigation and employment partner Sheeva Ghassemi-Vanni spoke with Law360 about some of the biggest questions dealmakers should ask before finalizing a deal.
Among the most important areas of focus for Ghassemi-Vanni when she is helping an acquiror on a deal is worker classification. “If I’m representing a buyer, I’ll come in and get a census of [the target company’s] workers and then will go through and help [the buyer] assess potential misclassification risk,” she said. This helps to assess liability and avoid mistakes that can lead to costly class actions.
Bringing on none or only some of a company’s workers presents its own set of issues, Ghassemi-Vanni said. A deal may implicate layoff laws and requirements, including the federal WARN Act, and can trigger a wave of benefits payouts.
Read more in the full article, available on Law360 (subscription required).