Employee incentives
Share plans
Implementing share plans including enterprise management incentive plans, growth share plans and joint ownership plans. Recently structured an innovative growth share plan over shares in a subsidiary of a fund management company to incentivise its key employees.
Bonus arrangements
Advising clients on the design and structure of annual bonus plans, incorporating deferral and bespoke clawback provisions.
Appointments and terminations
Representing both employers and senior management on appointments and on the impact of a termination of employment on equity awards held by a departing individual, with particular focus on the financial services sector.
Global share plans
Advising multinational clients on the employment, tax, securities and regulatory law aspects of operating share plans in several jurisdictions.
UK advice for overseas clients
Advising various overseas clients, especially US based clients, on the extension of participation in their share plans to UK employees.
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Corporate governance
Compliance
Advising clients on the application of regulations pertinent to share plans and employee incentives including the Model Code, Corporate Governance Code, AIM Rules and Listing Rules.
Shareholding guidelines
Preparing shareholding guidelines to apply to board members and other senior management for FTSE listed companies.
Clawback
Advising several banking clients on the technical and practical implications of clawback, in particular in the context of new hires seeking to have existing entitlements "bought out".
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Remuneration policies
Remuneration reporting
Advising several FTSE 250 companies on their disclosures and remuneration policy in their remuneration reports further to the directors' remuneration regulations. Clients include ICAP plc and Diploma plc.
Financial services institutions
Advising clients regulated by the PRA/FCA on the application of the Remuneration Code and CRD IV.
Remuneration committees
Advising remuneration committees on remuneration matters and their terms of reference.
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Corporate
Initial public offers
Designing and implementing the incentive arrangements for companies in the context of an initial public offering, including those adopted by easyHotel plc for its senior executives on its admission to AIM.
Mergers and acquisitions
Acting for buyers and sellers on several transactions including incadea plc on the equity incentive aspects of its sale to Dealertrack Technologies, Inc and GDF Suez on the acquisition (through a subsidiary) of the management businesses of Balfour Beatty and, separately Lend Lease Group’s UK facilities.
Private equity
Implementing arrangements to incentivise senior managers of private equity backed clients and advising on the impact of further funding and restructurings on such arrangements.
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Tax
HM Revenue & Customs tax-advantaged share plans
Advising on the implementation and continuing operation and compliance of tax-advantaged share plans, including their self-certification and filing requirements.
Employee shareholder status
Advising several clients on tax favoured employee shareholder status shares including in connection with a growth share plan.
Litigation
Advising companies, trustees and individuals on disputes relating to equity arrangements including a client on a settlement with HM Revenue & Customs relating to a complex trust structure which was legislated against in 2011.
Employee owned companies
Advising an employee owned company on the tax and other implications of its corporate structure, and in particular, on the various tax advantages afforded to such entities.
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