Clear, commercial advice for high-profile and complex executive compensation matters
Proskauer’s market-leading Executive Compensation Group provides clients with deep experience, extensive industry knowledge, and a responsive, collaborative approach. Executive compensation matters often involve dynamic, sensitive, and high-profile issues that can move quickly. Drawing on decades of experience, we deliver timely, pragmatic, and creative advice, working alongside clients to align compensation strategies with business objectives, navigate complex legal requirements, align compensation strategies with business objectives, and implement practical solutions.
We advise a broad range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies and their boards and compensation committees; private equity firms and their portfolio companies; asset managers, including hedge funds; tax-exempt entities; management teams in leveraged buyouts; and CEOs and other senior executives of public and private companies, including founders. We advise clients on best practices and industry standards while developing creative, practical solutions tailored to their needs. Our multidisciplinary team brings together experience in tax, securities, corporate governance, stock exchange listing standards, ERISA, and employment law.
Our Executive Compensation practice is consistently recognized by leading legal directories, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and The Best Lawyers in America.
Areas of Focus
- C-Suite and senior team executive compensation arrangements, including employment agreements, severance plans and agreements and change in control plans and agreements;
- Board and committee governance relating to compensation and executive succession;
- Equity-based compensation such as stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, profits interests and other partnership interests, phantom arrangements and other vehicles;
- Bonus, deferred compensation, non-qualified retirement, retention and incentive plans and arrangements;
- Transactional-related compensation and benefit matters, including mergers & acquisitions, management buy-outs (MBOs), spin-offs, joint ventures, bankruptcies and restructurings, public offerings and other transformative transactions;
- Public company securities and disclosure matters;
- Private Equity, Hedge Fund and alternative asset compensation arrangements;
- Consulting, advisory and non-employee director arrangements; and
- Post-termination restrictive covenants, clawbacks and other post-termination arrangements.