The law firm provides legal representation to clients in the development and preparation of various types of equity based compensation plans in order to encourage employees to contribute to the long-term growth and success of the business. Equity-based compensation may involve the provision of actual stock ownership to employees, such as qualified or non-qualified stock options, or the provision of a cash bonus to employees with the amount of such cash bonus tied to the value of the business (i.e. “phantom stock” or “stock appreciation rights”). The various types of equity-based compensation plans present different tax issues for both the business and the employee as well as ownership and control issues. Our firm assists clients in understanding the various types of equity-based compensation plans that are available and the issues involved with each plan so that the client can implement the type of plan that best suits the client's objectives.