Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Employee Benefits

J. Michael Snypes, Jr. is a partner in the firm’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group. His practice focuses on a broad range of executive compensation and employee benefits matters, including those that arise in transactions, both private and public. Mr. Snypes is recommended by The Legal 500 US (2023).

Mr. Snypes advises public and private companies, management teams and private equity investors on compensation and benefits-related issues in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, management buyouts, securities offerings and corporate restructurings. He counsels companies, boards of directors, compensation committees and executives on tax, securities law and corporate governance matters pertaining to executive compensation. Mr. Snypes also advises on SEC disclosure issues and has experience with complex equity and phantom equity compensation models, as well as with dispute settlements and internal investigations arising in connection with employment terminations.

Mr. Snypes regularly helps clients design, implement and maintain cash and equity-based compensation arrangements, including annual and long-term incentive plans, stock and phantom stock incentive programs and non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements. He also advises on and assists in negotiating employment, severance, change in control, retention, deferred compensation, non-competition, non-solicitation and other compensation-related agreements and arrangements.

Mr. Snypes received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2006, where he was the managing editor of the Virginia Tax Review. He received a B.S. with Honors and Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995, and a Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business in 1996.