William H. Hoffman concentrates in executive compensation and employee benefits; compensation and benefits aspects of mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, public and private securities offerings, and other complex corporate transactions.

Recent Matters

• Advised corporate clients regarding securities law, tax, accounting and employee incentive issues involved in implementing stock option exchange programs.
• Advised international manufacturing joint venture domiciled in the Netherlands on design and implementation of equity incentive plans for U.S. and European employees.
• Counseled financial software developer regarding program’s handling of tax issues.
• Advised U.S. emerging growth and technology clients regarding extension of stock option and employee stock purchase plans to foreign subsidiary employees.
• Designed incentive compensation plans for limited liability companies.
• Advised U.S. affiliates of foreign corporations regarding equity incentive plans for U.S. employees.
• Counseled executive and corporate clients regarding hedging of executives’ concentrated company stock positions.
• Advised financial institutions regarding design of equity derivative products.
• Negotiated and drafted executive employment agreements.
• Advised boards of directors and management of public and private companies regarding the impact of mergers, acquisitions and asset sales on equity compensation plans and executive employment agreements.
• Drafted and counseled clients regarding change in control plans and golden parachute agreements.
• Designed and advised public and private companies regarding cash-based performance incentive plans.
• Designed and assisted numerous companies, ranging from start-ups to mature, multinational, publicly-held corporations, to implement, administer and communicate many forms of equity compensation plans for their employees, boards of directors and consultants, including incentive and nonqualified stock option plans, director formula award plans, Section 423 employee stock purchase plans, restricted stock purchase and stock bonus plans, performance share plans, and stock appreciation rights and phantom stock plans.
• Advised public and private companies and individual executive clients regarding numerous securities and tax law issues related to equity and executive compensation, including federal executive compensation disclosure rules, Section 16 short-swing profit liability and reporting issues, and insider trading issues.