Overview
Isaac J. Morris is a special counsel and a business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, where he focuses his practice on employee benefits, executive compensation, and ERISA issues. Mr. Morris is a member of the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and Labor & Employment Practices.
Mr. Morris’ employee benefits work includes advising private and public employers in the design and administration of profit sharing and Code section 401(k) plans; Code section 403(b) tax-deferred annuity plans; Code section 457(b) and 457(f) nonqualified deferred compensation plans for tax-exempt employers; and nonqualified deferred compensation plans for for-profit employers, including equity and bonus arrangements for limited liability companies. He also assists employers with respect to a variety of executive compensation issues, including the drafting and operation of KEESA, employment, and letter agreements, as well as Code section 409A compliance and violation relief. Mr. Morris counsels employers regarding the application of the new health care reform laws, and has significant experience advising private and public employers on a range of golden parachute matters, including calculation and proper SEC reporting of such amounts, as well as proper shareholder reporting of such matters in order to avoid excise tax payments and loss of company deductions.
In addition to his employee benefits work, Mr. Morris advises clients on employee benefits and compensation issues, including related federal tax issues, arising in merger and acquisition transactions.
Representative Experience
- Advising a publicly held mining company with regard to numerous SEC and employee benefits matters following its merger, including the parachute payment implications, as well as the mechanics and compliance needed for the payment of the executives under their KEESAs and other nonqualified deferred compensation plans.
- Counseling a publicly held utilities company regarding its compliance with the numerous and often ambiguous requirements of the new health care reform laws.
- Counseling a privately held plastics manufacturer regarding the parachute payment implications during its sale, including drafting the necessary documentation for an adequate shareholder consent.
- Assisting several publicly held companies in their determination letter filings for their qualified retirement plans.
Education
Mr. Morris received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 2004), where he was an associate editor and a senior articles editor for the Northwestern University Law Review. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Utah (B.S., cum laude, 2000).
Mr. Morris served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jorge A. Solis, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Admissions and Professional Memberships
Mr. Morris is admitted to practice in Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Milwaukee Bar Association.
Publications and Presentations
Mr. Morris is a contributor to Foley’s Legal News Alert: Employee Benefits, which reports on recent developments in employee benefits and ERISA law.
- Presenter, Wisconsin Business Health Care Group (WBHCG), “Tobacco Cessation: Preventive Services, Mental Health Parity, Wellness Programs,” Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, April 22, 2015
- Presenter, Mid-America Coalition on Health Care (MACHC), “Tobacco Cessation: Preventive Services, Mental Health Parity, Wellness Programs,” St. Louis, Missouri, November 20, 2014
- Co-authored, "Regulatory Agencies Provide Only Limited Relief from Health Care Reform for Collectively Bargained Plans," Foley Legal News Alert: Employee Benefits, June 29, 2010
- Co-authored, "The Perfect Storm Gathers: Recent Announcements by the IRS Coupled with the Climate of Increased Law Enforcement Call into Question Continuing Vitality of Announcement 2002-63 Regarding Tax Accrual Workpapers," 57, The Tax Executive, No. 6, Nov.-Dec., 2005
- "Creating An Online Internet Tax: A Complex Construction?" 2, Northwestern Journal of Technology & Intellectual, 2, 2004
- "Irrational Fears: The ‘No Law To Apply’ Doctrine Vs. The Real Culprit Of Unconstitutional Delegation," 98, Northwestern University Law Review, 367, 2003