- Jackson Lewis

Outlook + approach

We help clients navigate workforce transitions with precision, legal defensibility and business alignment.

Organizations engage our team when they face critical workforce transitions — including reductions-in-force (RIFs), layoffs and workforce restructuring initiatives — whether driven by business realignment, cost pressures, loss of contracts, technological change, M&A activity, site consolidation or multijurisdictional RIFs. Our multidisciplinary team partners with HR, legal, finance and operational leadership to design and execute restructuring initiatives that are consistent, equitable, scalable and grounded in advanced analytics.

We support enterprise-wide transitions for large, multistate and global employers as well as tailored restructuring solutions for small and mid-sized organizations. We collaborate closely with senior leadership to manage sensitive decisions with discretion and precision. We combine deep legal knowledge and data analytics with practical insight to help employers implement RIFs, design fair selection criteria and communicate effectively, all while keeping a focus on their long-term business goals.

Clients + contexts

Organizations across a range of industries rely on us for counseling on complex workforce changes, including RIFs, layoffs, reorganizations and workforce restructurings.

Representative Industries

Energy, Utilities and Manufacturing
Financial Services, Private Equity and Professional Services
Healthcare, Life Sciences and Biotech
Technology, Telecommunications, Retail, Logistics and Consumer Products
Government Contractors and Public-Sector-Adjacent Entities

Workforce Changes

Rightsizing and cost-reduction initiatives
Mass layoffs and multi-site reductions-in-force
Business-unit restructurings or reorganizations
Contract loss or insourcing or outsourcing transitions
M&A integration, carve-outs and divestitures
Global footprint optimization
Facility closures, relocations or operational shifts

Core capabilities + client concerns

Our end-to-end workforce restructuring solutions — from compliance and risk management to strategic workforce planning — provide the legal rigor and strategic insights employers need to achieve business objectives and minimize legal exposure while implementing complex workforce transitions.

Selection Criteria + Decisional Unit Design

We help clients design objective, consistent and defensible frameworks for workforce changes.

Define appropriate decisional units aligned with operational realities and business structure.
Develop job-related, measurable selection criteria that reduce bias and withstand scrutiny.
Advise on calibration processes and documentation protocols to ensure consistency across leaders and sites.
Evaluate alternative criteria and approaches to strengthen business rationale and mitigate risk.

Class & Complex Litigation

National Compliance & Multi-State Solutions

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Reductions-in-Force (RIF) + WARN / Mini-WARN Compliance

We guide clients through federal WARN, state mini-WARN, and related timing and notice requirements.

Assess coverage thresholds, counting rules, and exceptions across jurisdictions.
Prepare notices and develop coordinated timing strategies for multi-site and remote/hybrid workforces.
Advise on mass layoff, plant closing, and aggregated event analysis.
Support collective consultation and works council obligations where required.

National Compliance & Multi-State Solutions

Business Rationale, Documentation + Defensibility

We build the structures and documentation needed to support lawful, explainable decisions.

Develop clear business rationales tied to strategic goals, operational changes or financial drivers.
Create documentation frameworks that reinforce neutrality and legal compliance.
Prepare organization-wide guidance to maintain consistency.
Position clients to respond effectively to agency inquiries, audits and other scrutiny if they arise.

Class & Complex Litigation

National Compliance & Multi-State Solutions

Separation Programs, Releases + Benefits Compliance

We design and implement separation programs that meet legal requirements and reduce downstream risk.

Draft separation and release agreements compliant with OWBPA, ADEA and state laws.
Prepare group termination disclosures and decisional-unit descriptions for employees 40+.
Advise on severance programs subject to ERISA and related plan-design considerations.
Coordinate COBRA and state continuation obligations and support employer communications about benefits and transition resources.
Develop scalable separation program templates and documentation workflows suitable for large, distributed workforces.

Class & Complex Litigation

Employee Benefits

National Compliance & Multi-State Solutions

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Communications, Change Management + Workforce Experience

We plan and execute communication strategies surrounding restructuring decisions and layoffs clearly, consistently, and effectively.

Develop messaging for affected and retained employees and prepare leader talking points.
Create implementation playbooks, FAQs, and communication templates to support consistent execution.
Advise on morale, engagement, and retention risks to stabilize teams during transition.
Support pre- and post-announcement communication planning to preserve trust and organizational continuity.
Guide leadership teams through high-stakes communications with discretion and high-touch support.

Corporate Diversity Counseling

Labor Relations

Workforce Analytics + Adverse Impact Analysis

We use analytics to strengthen decision frameworks, assess legal risk, and reinforce defensibility.

Conduct adverse impact analyses and pre-implementation scenario modeling to identify risk patterns.
Model the effects of alternative criteria, weighting approaches and decisional-unit structures.
Prepare clear, defensible reports for internal leadership, regulators and litigation settings.
Provide post-implementation reviews to identify systemic vulnerabilities and inform future planning.

Workplace Analytics & Preventative Strategies

Global Mobility, Immigration + International Restructuring

We navigate cross-border employment law and immigration considerations during workforce changes.

Address visa, work permit and other work authorization considerations, including nonimmigrant status implications and required timing for foreign national employees.
Guide clients through country-specific termination rules, notice periods and severance obligations.
Support works council consultation, collective redundancy procedures and multi-country compliance strategies.
Coordinate global planning for restructuring and global layoffs to ensure consistency while adhering to local requirements.

Immigration

International Employment

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Organizational Design + Redeployment Strategy

We help clients evaluate and structure their workforce to support future-state business needs while minimizing unnecessary displacement.

Assess organizational structure, capability gaps and role alignment during restructuring.
Identify redeployment, reskilling and internal mobility opportunities to retain key talent.
Evaluate alternative staffing models and future-state workforce configurations.
Support leaders in designing efficient, scalable structures that align with operational goals.

Extended services

Clients rely on Jackson Lewis’ Workforce Restructuring team beyond its core restructuring capabilities for strategic, compliance-driven solutions that support their business before, during and after workforce change.

Policy Modernization + Compliance Transformation

Update employer policies, handbooks and compliance programs to reflect new organizational structures, mitigate risk and establish consistent expectations across evolving teams and locations.

National Compliance and Multi-State Solutions

Pay Equity + Compensation Structure Assessment

Evaluate compensation systems for equity, compression and structural risks, and reshape pay frameworks to ensure compliance, competitiveness and defensibility before and after workforce changes or layoffs.

Pay Equity

Leadership + HR Training for Defensible Decision-Making

Equip HR teams and leaders with frameworks and tools to apply objective criteria, document decisions properly and execute workforce processes consistently and lawfully.

Workplace Training

M&A Workforce Integration + Post-Deal Alignment

Assess workforce overlap, harmonize roles and titles, align policies and practices, and support post-closing workforce design to reduce operational risk and ensure smooth integration following transactions.

Mergers & Acquisitions