Share options

Share options (or share schemes) increasingly play an important role in executive recruitment and retention.

We work with companies of all sizes and stages of development to devise and implement share incentive schemes which meet their objectives.

We advise on a wide range of incentive arrangements and structures including:

• Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) schemes
• nil paid share schemes
• unapproved share options
• growth shares
• reverse vesting arrangements
• phantom share schemes

Whilst tax is an important consideration in structuring any share incentive scheme, there are a range of other factors to consider. Our experience of working with companies through their life cycle means that we are able to identify and highlight potential pitfalls at the outset and structure the arrangements appropriately.

We pride ourselves on both our ability to explain often complex documentation in clear and concise terms, and our commercial approach focusing on the issues which are particularly important to our clients.

Client expertise

Our clients range from startups and growing businesses offering equity as a recruitment tool, to mature businesses engaged in succession planning or implementing a growth strategy with a view to an exit.

As well as acting on employment issues for businesses, we regularly advise employees in connection with their incentive arrangements.