Freshfields
Incentives & Employment Associate
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Incentives & Employment Associate
Lead Incentives Associate
We are seeking a 4–6 PQE Associate with deep experience in Incentives work, a strong technical grounding and commercial awareness.
You will focus primarily on incentive arrangements including:
- Executive compensation
- Employee share plans
- Management equity
- Related tax and governance issues
For clients including:
- Listed companies
- Regulated businesses (including those in the financial sector)
- Multinationals
- Private equity houses
- Portfolio companies
About the Team
Our People and Reward (P&R) practice advises on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious:
- Employment
- Pensions
- Incentives law
National and multi-jurisdictional scope. The global practice comprises:
- 23 partners
- Approximately 100 lawyers across Europe, Asia, and the US
-London team
- 6 partners
- Around 25 associates
Advisory focus: Strategic and reputationally significant matters, with collaboration across:
- Corporate
- Tax
- Regulatory
- Disputes teams
This role sits within the Incentives team of the P&R department in London, advising on:
- Design, implementation, and operation of:
- Share schemes
- Executive remuneration
- Other incentive arrangements
- Related considerations:
- Tax
- Corporate governance
- Securities law
- Regulatory
Optional involvement in executive employment matters.
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Work Highlights
You will handle and deliver:
- Designing and implementing:
- Bespoke share plans
- Cash-based incentives
- Long-term incentive arrangements
- Advising on:
- Adoption and operation of tax-qualifying share plans
- Tax, corporate governance, and regulatory considerations relating to:
- Executive pay
- Share plans
- Supporting clients on:
- Public and private M&A
- Restructurings
- Capital markets transactions
- Reviewing and updating:
- Remuneration policies
- Guiding clients through:
- Shareholder expectations
- Governance norms
- Advising on:
- Management equity arrangements in private equity transactions
- Operation of malus and clawback
Key Responsibilities
- Draft clear, succinct, and technically precise:
- Incentive plan documentation
- Employee-friendly communication materials
- Negotiate:
- Incentive and remuneration issues, independently or alongside partners
- Manage matter delivery and mentor:
- Junior associates
- Trainees
- Participate in:
- Client training
- Seminars
- Knowledge-sharing initiatives
- Build and maintain:
- Strong client relationships
- Commercial focus
- Maintain robust:
- Financial management (e.g., WIP, billing, deadlines)
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Requirements
- Qualified lawyer with 4–6 years of PQE in:
- Incentives
- Executive compensation
- Share plans
- Strong technical grounding in:
- Tax law
- Corporate law
- Securities law
- Employment law (as it relates to incentive arrangements)
- Experience advising on incentive aspects of:
- M&A
- Restructurings
- Capital markets transactions
- Proven experience in a top-tier incentives practice at a global firm
- Interest and preference for:
- Business development
- Thought leadership
- Strong team ethos and willingness to:
- Share knowledge
Inclusion
Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer.
- All applications reviewed on merit alone.
- Applications welcome from all suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background.
Conditional offers dependent on candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to commencement.
Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. Criminal convictions not disclosed until a conditional offer stage. Decisions made case-by-case.
Equal opportunities prospectus also includes:
- Commitment to an environment valuing diversity.
- Activities to promote a culture that welcomes differences.
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