Compensation Counsel - Job Offers
We serve as compensation counsel to individuals who are evaluating the cash and equity numbers in their offers.
Workflow
Information Gathering
Analyze offer information and identify what information to request from the company in order to evaluate the offer numbers. Client communicates directly with the company to request information.
Numbers Evaluation
Analyze and discuss the offered salary, variable cash and number of shares compared to market for the offered role at the company’s stage of growth.
Numbers Negotiation
Client negotiates salary, variable cash and number of shares. Counsel on goals, strategy and calculations behind the scenes throughout the client’s negotiation.
Testimonials
“Mary Russell was extremely helpful to me when negotiating my last role. Not only did I learn more about how to think about equity, but Mary helped me negotiate a package that I would not have conceived or received without her expertise.”
— Sydney Sloan, CMO
“I was making a critical career shift and didn’t really have a framework for evaluating my options. Mary provides an approach that arms her clients with objective, well-researched information. Her process allowed us to work through competing viewpoints and develop a compelling counter offer. Her guidance ultimately resulted in an equitable outcome with which both parties were happy. Mary is who you want in your camp to cut through the uncertainty around your value vs what your next employer is willing to do to land you that dream job.”
— Twum Djin, CTO
“Mary is a great resource and was very easy to work with. She was very thorough and helped me negotiate my worth. I recommend that any potential startup employee (at any level) work with Stock Option Counsel to make sure they understand their contracts and offers.”
— Kevin Beauregard, VP - Engineering
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome
FAQs
What is the fee structure?
Fees for Compensation Counsel - Job Offers are hourly plus a success fee.
The hourly side of the fees usually total around $5K, and we can estimate fees on the intro call. Hourly rates vary based on the staffing required for the project.
The success fee is earned if we work together on the numbers evaluation and the client increases the offered number of shares by 50% or more. The success fee is paid at liquidity and equal to the value at liquidity of 5% of the total number of shares in the final offer.
For more info on the services we offer on an hourly-only basis, please see Legal Counsel - Job Offers and Legal Counsel - Other Equity Choices.
How can we start?
Schedule a brief intro call. Please call (650) 326-3412 or email info@stockoptioncounsel.com for scheduling.
From there, we would sign a DocuSign engagement letter and arrange to deposit estimated fees into a trust account, via an online credit card payment service for attorneys. We can usually get started on the first business day after those are complete.
How long does it take?
The process usually takes about one week from initial engagement to final offer depending on the responsiveness of the company to the information requests and negotiation steps.
Will you negotiate the offer numbers on my behalf?
No. The cultural expectation is for individuals to act as their own advocates. The Compensation Counsel service empowers clients to do this effectively with support behind the scenes.
Will you provide a data report that I can use as an authority in my negotiation?
No. The primary data sources for equity compensation are not licensed to individuals. The numbers evaluation counsel empowers clients with an understanding of how equity works and how to compare equity offers to other forms of compensation.