Legal Counsel - Equity Choices
We serve as attorney counsel to individuals on equity compensation matters including:
Founder interests at incorporation, financings and exit events
Option exercise planning
Liquidity planning
Merger and acquisition terms
Post-acquisition employment agreements
For job offer negotiation services, see Compensation Counsel - Job Offers and Legal Counsel - Job Offers
Testimonials
“Mary Russell’s breadth and depth of knowledge of the intricacies of startup equity is truly astounding. I shudder to imagine how different my outcome as a startup employee may have turned out without her counsel.”
— Ryan Tomayko, GitHub’s Chief Technology Officer
“Starting and growing companies requires emotional peace of mind and consistent rational decisions—Mary helps with both. She is fantastic and time-efficient at evaluating the whole picture and coming up with transformational actions that help you and your company.”
— Nathan Wilson, Founder & Chief Technology Officer
“I can't possibly thank Mary enough for the knowledge and confidence she has given me to navigate the world of startup equity. Better understanding early liquidity options has given me and my family financial security years sooner than we ever expected.”
— James Messinger, Engineer
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome
FAQs
What is the fee structure?
Hourly fees. Our hourly rates vary based on the staffing required for the project.
Total hourly fees for Legal Counsel - Equity Choices usually range from $5K - $10K in total, and we can estimate fees on the intro call.
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.
What if I have a dispute with my company?
Enforcing legal claims is outside our area of practice. We work primarily on offer negotiation and revision, where the client’s leverage is the companies’ desire to recruit and retain their employees.
What services do you provide for job offer evaluations?
See Legal Counsel - Job Offers for our services on the legal/tax structure of the offer.
See Compensation Counsel - Job Offers for our services on the evaluation of the numbers side of the offer.