Morgan Lewis

Jason C. Ray

Senior Attorney

Jason C. Ray advises employers on the design, implementation, and regulatory compliance of tax-qualified and nonqualified retirement plans. In addition to counseling clients on all aspects of employee benefits, Jason appears before the IRS and the US Department of Labor to review penalty assessments, plan correction, and plan audit, among other benefits matters. Jason guides clients in employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) transactions, including seller-financed and leveraged and nonleveraged buyouts as part of ownership succession transactions.

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ML BeneBits
Covering a full range of Benefits and Compensation Topics

    Extended Profile

    In addition to counseling clients on ESOPs, Jason also designs and drafts KSOPs and stock-based compensation arrangements. When clients need advice on the operation and administration of stock-based compensation agreements, Jason is there to help.

    Jason represents companies in ESOP stock-drop and ERISA breach of fiduciary duty cases. Clients in the midst of corporate transactions seek Jason’s counsel on benefits integration before and after the transactions. 

    Education

    • Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 2000, LL.M., Tax
    • Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 1999, J.D.
    • University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1994, B.A.

    Admissions

    • Texas
    • U.S. Tax Court

    Awards and Affiliations

    Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chambers USA (2019)

    Member, Law Firm of the Year, Employee Benefits (ERISA Law), US News/Best Lawyers – Best Law Firms (2019)

    Member, Dallas Bar Association

    Member, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers

    Member, Southwest Benefits Association

    Member, Southwest Chapter of the ESOP Association

    Member, Family Firm Institute

    Recognized, "The Best Lawyers in Dallas" in ERISA law, D Magazine (2007–2009)

    Publications

    5/21/2019 - Recognizing the Importance of Employee Ownership, More States Move Forward with Pro-ESOP Initiatives, ML BeneBits

    8/2/2018 - Main Street Employee Ownership Act Passes in House, ML BeneBits

    6/15/2017 - Three More US States Move Forward with Pro-ESOP Initiatives, ML BeneBits

    11/2/2016 - Stock-Drop Complaint Based on Insider Information Fails to State a Claim, ML BeneBits

    6/10/2016 - Lehman Brothers Wins Stock Drop Lawsuit, ML BeneBits

    2016 - Navigating an Internal Revenue Service Examination and a Department of Labor Investigation of Your ESOP, New York University Review of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation

    2015 - IRC Section 409(p) and S Corporation ESOPs, New York University Review of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation

    10/30/2015 - IRS: Prototype ESOP Documents Now Allowed, ML BeneBits

    March 2015 - Everything and the Kitchen Sink . . . , presented at The ESOP Association, Southwest Chapter Spring Conference, Dallas, TX

    2/12/2013 - Legal and Fiduciary Issues of ESOPs, presented at the National Center for Employee Ownership Conference

    10/10/2012 - The Modern ESOP and Fair Market Value After the End of Tax Cuts, Bloomberg BNA's Pension & Benefits Daily

    4/25/2012 - Governance in a Minority ESOP Company, presented at the National Center for Employee Ownership Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN

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    Events

    3/23/2018 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2018 Spring Conference

    1/31/2018 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2018 Board Governance – Cybersecurity Symposium

    9/29/2017 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2017 Fall Conference

    9/13/2017 - Hot Topics in Employee Benefits: What We’re Seeing – September 2017

    8/26/2016 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2016 Fall Conference

    3/11/2016 - ESOP Association Southwest Chapter 2016 Spring Conference

    4/25/2012 - NCEO/Beyster Institute 2012 Employee Ownership Conference