Compensation & Benefits Associate Attorney (3rd–6th Year)

About the Role

Our client's nationally recognized Compensation & Benefits practice group is seeking a Compensation & Benefits Associate Attorney (3rd–6th year) to join its growing team.

This role is ideal for an attorney with sophisticated experience advising clients on executive compensation, employee benefits, and transactional compensation matters in connection with public company representation, mergers & acquisitions, and capital markets transactions.

Associates in this group work closely with corporate, tax, and employment teams on high-profile transactions and ongoing advisory matters for sophisticated public and private company clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise clients on:

  • Executive compensation arrangements

  • Equity compensation plans

  • Employee benefits matters

  • Employment and severance agreements

• Support compensation and benefits aspects of:

  • Mergers & acquisitions

  • IPOs

  • Capital markets transactions

  • Corporate restructurings

• Draft and review:

  • Equity award agreements

  • Incentive compensation plans

  • Employment agreements

  • Severance arrangements

  • Proxy disclosures and SEC-related compensation disclosures

• Advise clients on:

  • IRC Section 280G

  • IRC Section 409A

  • Governance and compliance issues related to compensation programs

• Collaborate with corporate, tax, and employment teams on transactional matters

• Manage multiple sophisticated matters simultaneously in a fast-paced environment

Required Qualifications

• 3–6 years of experience in:

  • Executive compensation

  • Employee benefits

  • Equity compensation

  • Transactional compensation and benefits matters

• Strong experience with:

  • IPOs

  • M&A transactions

  • Proxy disclosures

  • Employment and severance agreements

  • IRC Sections 280G and 409A

• Excellent drafting, analytical, and communication skills

• Ability to manage sophisticated client matters independently

• Strong academic credentials from a nationally recognized law school

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Strong transactional compensation & benefits associate

• Comfortable working cross-functionally on sophisticated corporate transactions

• Detail-oriented with excellent technical and drafting skills

• Strong client service orientation and ability to manage competing priorities

• Interested in working on complex executive compensation and governance matters

Preferred Background

Best-fit candidates likely come from:

• Am Law 100 executive compensation & benefits groups

• National corporate/tax practices

• Chambers-ranked compensation & benefits practices

Strong target firms may include:

• Skadden

• Latham

• Kirkland

• Simpson Thacher

• Davis Polk

• Sullivan & Cromwell

• Paul Weiss

• Gibson Dunn

• Wachtell

• Sidley

• Debevoise

• Cooley