Press Release

Veteran Compensation and Benefits Attorney John E. Ludlum Joins Cozen O’Connor’s Salt Lake City Office

Issued by Cozen O'Connor

Jan. 6, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY – Cozen O’Connor today welcomed seasoned compensation and benefits attorney John E. Ludlum to the Labor & Employment (L&E) Department. Ludlum brings nearly three decades of experience advising and representing national and Utah business clients in compensation and tax matters ranging from executive compensation to mergers and acquisitions related tax issues to the firm’s North American Labor & Employment Department. Ludlum joins Cozen O’Connor as a member and will work out of its Salt Lake City office.

Ludlum comes to the firm from Holland & Hart LLP, where he was a partner in that firm’s tax and benefits group. He focuses his practice on a range of issues related to employee equity compensation, including incentive plan design, tax considerations, compliance, and market practices, as well as negotiating terms and advising employers on compensation and tax considerations for executive employment agreements. Working closely with inside counsel and personnel department representatives, he also advises on often complex employee benefits issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions, including equity, executive agreements, Code Section 280G, retirement plans, and Code Section 409A compliance.

“Like other states, business and client needs in Utah continue to evolve, with current issues ranging from deferred compensation compliance to new and updated AI and data breach reporting requirements,” said Thomas S. Giotto, chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department. “As a veteran benefits attorney familiar with national and state regulatory measures, John is well suited to both advise our clients on the many issues impacting their operations and help expand Cozen O’Connor’s presence in Utah. He’s a welcome addition to our practice and I’m very much looking forward to working with him.”

Ludlum’s background also includes representing employers on the design, implementation, administration, and ongoing compliance of qualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and non-qualified executive retirement plans; advising on tax matters for employment and separation agreements; counseling clients on pension and welfare plan operations, negotiating and drafting employment agreements, equity plans, and deferred compensation plans; and advising on tax matters for qualified and non-qualified employee benefit packages.

Prior to joining the legal profession, Ludlum was an officer/aircraft commander in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he executed search and rescue, law enforcement, pollution response, ice patrol, and medical evacuation missions domestically and internationally, including service in Operation Desert Storm.

“Cozen O’Connor has a well-deserved reputation as a forward thinking, cutting edge firm with a growing North American labor and employment practice,” Ludlum said. “Benefits law is a moving target governed by interrelated federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Having access to the many legal resources of a full-service firm like ours is a great benefit, both for me and my clients. I’m very much looking forward to helping grow our L&E practice, and our presence, here in Utah.”

Ludlum earned his J.D at the University of Virginia School of Law, and his B.A. in comparative literature at the University of California at Berkeley, CA.

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 925 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 33 offices across two continents.

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