David R. Johanson

Hawkins Parnell & Young LLP
1776 Second Street
Napa, CA

Phone: 707-299-2470
Fax: 707-581-1704
Firm Web Site: www.hpylaw.com

Practice Areas

Practice and Personal Background

David assists clients in general corporate matters and in employee ownership, benefit, ERISA, and related business matters, with an emphasis on executive compensation, equity incentive plans, non-qualified deferred compensation, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), ESOP transactions, mergers and acquisitions (and related tax planning), and business succession and estate planning. David has served as outside general counsel to numerous corporate clients over the past 36 years. He also frequently appears on behalf of clients in business and employment-oriented defense litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country, before regulatory agencies (e.g., U.S. Department of Labor, California Labor Commissioner, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), in tax controversies before the Internal Revenue Service and comparable state regulatory agencies, against felony criminal indictments in U.S. Federal Court, and in dispute resolutions of various kinds. David represents corporations in shareholder and non-competition disputes. David has defended ERISA fiduciaries, plan sponsors, selling shareholders, and investment advisers in ERISA litigation matters involving ESOPs and business transactions in federal and state courts throughout the country in a wide range of controversies covering ERISA fiduciary responsibilities, ESOP valuation disputes, disclosure obligations, investment issues, and tax matters. He has extensive experience in negotiating ESOP, ERISA, and other issues with government regulatory agencies and in representing ERISA fiduciaries in litigation. Recognized nationally for his experience and expertise in the ESOP and executive compensation field, David is a past chair (1993-1995 and 2005-2007) of the legislative and regulatory advisory committee of The ESOP Association. He also is a past chair of The ESOP Association’s advisory committee chairs council and is a former member of its board of directors. David was honored at the 17th annual conference of The ESOP Association as the outstanding committee chair for 1993-94. He also served for more than ten years as General Counsel to The National Center for Employee Ownership and on its board of directors. Services • Employee Benefits • Labor & Employment • Insurance • Administrative & Regulatory Education • University of Minnesota Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1986) • University of Minnesota: Twin Cities (B.I.S., summa cum laude, 1983) • Columbia College - Missouri (A.L.A., 1980) Bar Admissions • California • District of Columbia • Maryland • Minnesota • New York • Texas Courts • Supreme Court of the United States • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland • U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Dispute Resolution Training • Mediating Commercial & Litigated Cases, American Institute of Mediation (2017) • Advanced Mediation Practice, Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law and Vermont Law School (2011) • Court-Based Mediation of Family Law Matters, Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law and Vermont Law School (2010) • Civil Harassment Training for Temporary Judges (2011) • Unlawful Detainer Training for Temporary Judges (2009 through present) • Family Law Training for Temporary Judges (2010) • Mandatory Settlement Conferences for California Superior Court, County of Orange, on a pro bono basis as a Temporary Judge Professional Affiliations • The ESOP Association (since 1985) • The National Center for Employee Ownership (former member) • Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center • American Bar Association • Southern California Mediation Association (former member) • Santa Monica Bar Association o Panel Chair, Arbitration • Beverly Hills Bar Association o Panel Chair, Arbitration • State Bar of California • District of Columbia Bar • Maryland State Bar Association • Minnesota State Bar Association • New York State Bar Association • State Bar of Texas Honors • Executive Compensation and Equity Incentivization Lawyer of the Year, California, Acquisition International (2019) • Marquis Who's Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2017) • Continental Who’s Who in Law (2016) • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® • Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell® • Lawyers of Distinction Charitable & Civic Involvement • Temporary Judge on a pro bono basis for the California Superior Courts, Counties of Los Angeles and Orange • Driven Campaign Steering Committee, University of Minnesota Law School

Meetings Attended

Firm Description

Hawkins Parnell & Young LLP

View all Attorneys