Lawyers in the Global Equity Services (GES) practice work with multinational employers to design, implement, and maintain equity-based compensation programs for their global employees, consultants, and directors. We are familiar with the different types of equity plans, including stock option and stock purchase plans that multinational companies extend to their employees on a global basis. We help design programs to maximize tax benefits for both the employer and employee, to anticipate and minimize adverse accounting effects, and to satisfy securities, labor, exchange control, and data privacy legislation in each jurisdiction. GES lawyers work with other Baker & McKenzie and correspondent lawyers around the world to provide a coordinated, detailed approach to global implementation.
We provide a variety of client-related services, including drafting plan documents and local country addenda, advising on the benefits of adopting local approved or qualified plans, preparing and filing country-specific tax rulings, securities law filings and prospectuses, assisting with local translations, reviewing employee communications, and providing overall project management. We also keep up with developments in each jurisdiction as they affect global equity plans, apprising clients accordingly.
GES lawyers have extensive experience with the global ramifications of re-pricing options, as well as how global equity plans are impacted by mergers, acquisitions, and spin offs.
We also work with brokers/dealers that service stock option and stock purchase plans on a global basis to determine whether and when the broker/dealer is subject to registration or other regulation in each jurisdiction. We work with financial services institutions to expand their institutional funds, broker/dealer, and other activities globally.
From time to time, our lawyers have assisted governments in drafting legislation related to global equity plans and have lobbied on behalf of our clients for legislation that would make these programs available and more beneficial to local employees.