Profile

Melissa Goodman is the former Chair of the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group. Melissa focuses on advising top level corporate leadership - boards of directors, in-house counsel and chief executives - on unique, complex and often crisis-level employment affairs. She is known for agilely managing sophisticated employment issues during mission critical scenarios, including:

Executive Transitions - Drafts, negotiates, advises and litigates complex executive transitions such as employment and separation agreements, trade secret disputes, non-competes, wage and hour disputes, and compensation agreements
Unfair Competition - Litigates complex unfair competition-related claims (including breach of non-competition agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference and breach of fiduciary duty claims) extensively throughout the United States, advises and strategizes on handling such issues, and drafts and negotiates restrictive covenants
Whistleblowers and Retaliation Threats - Advises on all aspects of whistleblower and retaliation situations, from responding to threats to handling litigation
Regulatory Missteps - Guidance and counsel to leadership in response to allegations of corporate wrongdoing related to Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank
Major Transactions - With the goal of protecting company assets, counsels leadership during major transactions, from advising on purchase agreements, drafting employment and related agreements to navigating disputes and litigation
ERISA Litigation - Handles all aspects of retirement and benefit plan litigation; Indemnification Claims - Provides guidance to leadership and litigates indemnification suits brought by corporate officers

In addition to complex employment situations, Melissa is also regularly called upon by clients to provide advice on day-to-day employment law issues. As a member of the Social Media Practice Group, Melissa has experience in a variety of matters regarding social media and its impact in the labor and employment arena. She advises clients on the risks and implications arising from the use of social media, and creates guidelines and social media policy recommendations.

Melissa is a skilled litigator with 18 years of experience. She has litigated in multiple states, including having argued en banc in a case that created new noncompete law. She has also represented parties in employment arbitration before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and other arbitration forums.

Areas of Practice

• Crisis Management
• Investment Banking and Broker-Dealer
• Investment Funds and Private Equity
• Labor and Employment
• Social Media