The New York-based executive compensation, employee benefits, and ERISA practice at Linklaters LLP manages executive compensation arrangements, ERISA fiduciary matters, and complex domestic and cross-border public and private acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs, and restructurings. Andrew Gaines leads the practice, bringing more than three decades of experience advising employers on all aspects of executive compensation and employee benefits plans, including their treatment in corporate transactions and bankruptcy proceedings. He is supported by Janet Lee, who advises private equity and hedge fund sponsors on structuring investment products and services for ERISA plan investors, and by Maddy Hayes, who concentrates on complex executive compensation and employee benefits issues arising in public and private mergers and acquisitions, as well as fund and capital markets transactions.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Andrew Gaines - subject matter expert, authority, pragmatism, commerciality. Maddy Hayes - day to day lead, engagement, energy, speed of response Janet Lee - breadth of experience, commerciality.'
‘Deep, textured expertise on transactional remuneration, Board and Executive Reward negotiation, and strategy. ’
‘Andrew Gaines and Maddy Hayes are excellent team players - viewed as an extension of our inhouse team. Fast and responsive; always ready to give a view on direction and validate internal thinking. ’
‘The employee benefits, executive compensation, and retirement practice at Linklaters has season professionals who are responsive, sophisticated, and commercially minded.’
‘Maddy Hayes is an outstanding associate. She is responsive, smart and efficient.’
‘Responsive, knowledgeable, practical and commercial.’
‘Maddy Hayes and Andrew Gaines. Both helped us cross the gap on a tricky transaction with some ingenious structuring.'
Key clients
- Rio Tinto
- Dow
- Volkswagen AG
- Spirent Communications
- Aperam
- Tate and Lyle
- Desjardins
- Mace
- BASF SE
Work highlights
Advised on employee benefits and executive compensation of Rio Tinto's US$6.7bn acquisition of Arcadium Lithium.
Advised on employee benefits and executive compensation of Dow's US$6bn joint venture with Macquarie to create Diamond Infrastructure Solutions.
Advised on employee benefits and executive compensation of Volkswagen AG's US$5bn investment and 50-50 joint venture with Rivian.
Lawyers
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Practice head
Andrew Gaines
Other key lawyers
Janet Lee; Maddy Hayes