Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits

Overview

Gibson Dunn has one of the most sophisticated and wide-ranging executive compensation and employee benefits practices.

Our Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Group offers comprehensive advice and services in all compensation and benefits matters. Rare among large firms, our group takes an interdisciplinary approach to compensation and benefits matters, advising on all associated tax, ERISA, labor, accounting, and securities law aspects of each matter.

The breadth of our client work means we have unique insight into market trends, allowing us to provide the most comprehensive practical and strategic advice. We have extensive experience advising some of the world’s largest companies across geographies and industries on broad and nuanced compensation and benefits issues. Our clients tell us that they value our collaborative, creative, and responsive approach – and consistently mention the practical nature of our advice.

We work with clients throughout their business life cycles, on some of their most sensitive and complex matters, and through industry ups and downs, to design compensation programs that drive service provider performance to meet business goals and advance stakeholder interests, while balancing the tax and disclosure implications, as well as proxy advisory firm and shareholder perceptions.

Among the substantive matters that our practice handles:

• executive and board compensation arrangements
• stock options, restricted stock units, profits interests, phantom equity and other forms of equity-based compensation
• mergers and acquisitions/private equity support
• change in control and “golden parachute” arrangements
• public company disclosure compliance
• plan assets and fiduciary compliance
• tax-qualified retirement plans
• non-qualified deferred compensation plans
• other incentive compensation arrangements
• health and welfare plans
• ERISA and executive compensation plan litigation