Tag: executive employment lawyer

4 Reasons to Seek Executive Employment Advice Even Before You Receive a CEO Job Offer

Two weeks ago, on Wednesday February 21, 2024, CEOWorld magazine published an article I wrote titled, “4 Reasons to Seek Executive Employment Advice Even Before You Receive a CEO Job Offer.”

The new article is designed for CEOs and C-level executives, or those not there yet but aspiring and, as an aspirant, seeking your first CEO position or your first position in the C-suite.

So, if you are in that position, have you ever considered bringing in the expert to assist you even before you have that job offer?  

This new article discusses four reasons why it may be advisable to engage the services of the expert, the executive employment attorney, earlier – that is, even before you get that job offer.  Reasons include the following areas where pre-job offer counseling may provide important benefits to you:

  • Enhancing Your Attraction as a Job Candidate
  • Guarding Against Missteps and Preserving Negotiation Leverage
  • Providing an Independent Sounding Board
  • Ending the Job Negotiations When the Fit Is Not Right

To see my full CEOWORLD magazine. article, go to LINK: https://ceoworld.biz/2024/02/21/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/

Or on my website at  https://www.executiveemploymentattorney.com/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/

This was my 44th  article published in CEOWORLD since 2016.  Previously, the editor advised that I can use “Featured in the CEOWORLD magazine” and the CEOWORLD “Logo” on my website and add CEOWORLD magazine in my LinkedIn profile’s “Experience Section” as an “Opinion Columnist.” and authority in the field.  

On its own initiative, CEOWORLD magazine created on their website a library of Robert Adelson published articles.   You can peruse this library and/or read as many of my 44 published articles as you wish.  See https://ceoworld.biz/author/robert-adelson/

CEOworld Magazine logo

With more than 12.4+ million-page views, CEOWORLD magazine is the world’s leading business magazine written strictly for CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, senior management executives, business leaders, and high net worth individuals worldwide. https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceomagazine/

Tweeting or X-ing My new CEOWorld article on “4 Reasons to Seek Executive Employment Advice Even Before You Receive a CEO Job Offer”

If you tweet or X and would like to tweet or X my article, here are my five (5) tweets to retweet one or more or to use in your own tweet or x –

2/21/24 article @ceoworld by @attorneyadelson for #CEOs #CLevel and #Seniorexecutives and #Aspirants to top of the #corporateladder on “4 Reasons to Seek #ExecutiveEmploymentAdvice Even BEFORE You Receive a CEO or #Clevel #JobOffer “https://ceoworld.biz/2024/02/21/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/ via @CEOWORLD magazine

2/21/24 article @ceoworld by @attorneyadelson for #CEOs #CLevel & #Seniorexecutives & #ClevelAspirants on Seeking #ExecutiveEmploymentAdvice Early to Enhance Your Attraction as #JobCandidate https://ceoworld.biz/2024/02/21/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/ via @CEOWORLD magazine

2/21/24 article @ceoworld by @attorneyadelson for #CEOs #CLevel & #Seniorexecutives and #ClevelJobAspirants to seek #ExecutiveEmploymentAdvice even BEFORE You get your #JobOffer to #AvoidMissteps & Preserve Your #BargainingLeverage https://ceoworld.biz/2024/02/21/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/ via @CEOWORLD magazine

2/21/24 article @ceoworld by @attorneyadelson for #CEOs #CLevel & #Seniorexecutives and #ClevelJobAspirants to seek #ExecutiveEmploymentAdvice even BEFORE #JobOffer to Give You an Independent #SoundingBoard in your early discussions https://ceoworld.biz/2024/02/21/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/ via @CEOWORLD magazine

2/21/24 article @ceoworld by @attorneyadelson for #CEOs #CLevel & #Seniorexecutives and #ClevelJobAspirants to seek #ExecutiveEmploymentAdvice even BEFORE #JobOffer to advise u on whether and how to end Job talks if Fit Not Right 4u https://ceoworld.biz/2024/02/21/4-reasons-to-seek-executive-employment-advice-even-before-you-receive-a-ceo-job-offer/ via @CEOWORLD magazine

It is my hope that this article will be of benefit to CEOs, C-level and senior executives and those who aspire to the top levels of the corporate ladder, by pointing to some of the important advantages that can be offered by your obtaining executive employment counseling, even before you receive that job offer you are hoping for.  If you or any colleague of yours has a need in this area, please do reach out to me –  rob@attorneyadelson.com or call 617-875-8665.

Building & Keeping Your Executive Team: How to Recruit and Retain Senior Executives for Your Startup or Early Stage Company

This presentation was given earlier this year on May 17, 2022, for the Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network (ENET), where I was one of three invited speakers for the ENET’s webinar that evening on the topic “Recruiting Board Members and Senior Executives”.

As I explained to the ENET audience that night, since 2016, my law work has increasingly focused on executive representations, negotiations over job offers, employment terms, equity, executive compensation, separation and severance, for C-level and senior executive clients.

Today, more than 95% of my law work and 98% of all new law work consists of those representations. 

But on occasion, a company will hire me.

Why would a company do that?  Why would a company hire an attorney known to be one so focused on representing the interest of executives?

The reason:   The company is  having difficulty recruiting an A-level senior executive.  They cannot pay top dollar and are willing to try something different to recruit that ideal man or woman to fill the pressing need in their organization.

So … in that time of pressing need, the company hires me, as one who knows what executives seek to help the company “think out of the box” – to devise a strategy and prepare documents to get the best executive at the least cost and within the company budget.   For a startup or  early stage company, it is executive recruitment on a shoestring.

In my work representing companies, my slogan is “Appear Generous.  Demand Performance.”  The strategy I develop and then the documents I prepare are radically different then most executive employment and equity documents.  My documents do appear to be fair …even generous.  And in recruitment, I help the company with its “sell” – telling executives, “Even at less base pay you will come out ahead with our package.  And what’s more, this package reflects a culture where you will be valued and respected.”

But we still demand performance.  My documents are still employment “at-will” and I make sure that a company can readily terminate a non-performer.  But what is different, is that my documents provide that if the executive does perform, he or she won’t be cheated out of what they earned.   Sadly, that element of basic fairness, is often so rare in today’s corporate America.

In my presentation and slides, I discuss such issues as

Between the revolutionary terms I suggest,  and our explanation and “sell” to the executive recruit, I have had a high success rate.   Although we are often significantly outbid on the dollar figure, I often get my target man or woman for my company client.

For my slides for this presentation, LINK:  https://www.slideshare.net/RobertAdelson/building-keeping-your-executive-team-how-to-recruit-and-retain-senior-executives-for-your-startup-or-early-stage-company

To see and listen to the video of my 19-minute ENET presentation on executive recruitment from my website, LINK:  https://youtu.be/vCCJ5RO1blw

or access both my presentation slides and video recording on my website, LINK:   https://www.executiveemploymentattorney.com/building-keeping-your-executive-team-how-to-recruit-and-retain-senior-executives-for-your-startup-or-early-stage-company/   

It is my hope that this article will be of benefit to CEOs and Company founders who are having difficulty in recruiting a high caliber C-level and senior executive for a role key to growth, and might want to think out of the box….  Feel free to share these slides or this portion of my October 2022 Business Law Newsletter.  If you or any colleague of yours has a need in this area, please do reach out to me at rob@attorneyadelson.com  or 617-875-8665.

Executive Contract Terms to Negotiate with Your Prospective Employer

On Tuesday June 22, 2021, the website Ivy Exec published under “Career Advice” an article I wrote on “Executive Contract Terms to Negotiate with Your Prospective Employer”. 

This article is designed for CEOs, C-level and senior executives, who are sometimes neglectful of their own interests and might be tempted to accept the assurance from a prospective employer that the job offer terms are just standard.  But executive contract terms are not standard.

My article discusses critical contract terms that, as a senior executive, you should consider negotiable to assure you are receiving fair financial treatment and to provide important protections to your career path and reputation.  I suggest negotiation strategies for key contract terms including: 

  • Signing Bonus – to make you whole for what you are giving up from your job and also compensate you for the risks you are taking going into a new situation where you will have to prove yourself yet again,
  • Meaningful Equity – giving you a stake in the company sufficient in size and upside potential to justify the move.
  • Tax-favored Equity – with my structuring suggestions to maximize your take-home pay.
  • Restrictive covenants – NDAs limited to not bar you from future utilization of  your prior knowledge and connections, Non-competes limited so no significant detour is created to the expected path for your future career growth,
  • Severance triggers – to allow you to quit for good reason if the company fails to live up to promises you relied on accepting the offer;  
  • Robust severance terms – with not only severance pay but continuation of health benefits, prorated bonus and equity acceleration.

My article then concludes with a discussion of other non-contract factors that go into the decision to accept a job offer such as compatibility with company, fit of skills and personality, and your belief in company prospects.  

But remember, even where you see a good fit going in, things can change: so, having a good contract is an important protection against your champion leaving or other unforeseen developments.

To see my full article, as published in the “Career Advice” section of the Ivy Exec website, go to LINK: https://www.ivyexec.com/career-advice/2021/executive-contract-terms-to-negotiate-with-your-prospective-employer/

 Or on my website at https://www.executiveemploymentattorney.com/articles-section/executive-contract-terms/

IvyExec hosts articles and webinars from experts in the career, leadership, and business spaces who wish to share their knowledge with our audience.  In April 2021, I was invited to write for IvyExec since it seeks original content on the topics of career development, leadership, and business strategy as it applies to senior-level and C-Suite professionals.  IvyExec blog posts and webinars are shared with its community of more than 2 million members on its website, in its newsletter, and on its social media channels.  https://www.ivyexec.com/career-advice/write-for-us/

Tweeting my IvyExec article on “Executive Contract Terms to Negotiate with Your Prospective Employer”.

If you tweet and would like to tweet my article, here is my four (4) tweets to retweet or to use in your own tweet –

It is my hope that this article will be of benefit to CEOs, C-level and senior executives who are contemplating a new job offer or employment contract and want to assure the key need financial terms and career protections are in place.  This article suggests to you what is negotiable and that it may be wise to seek these items even when you feel confident the job is a good fit for you.  Because sometimes, your champion may leave or other things might happen – so that, at that point, it might be comforting to you to know you have in writing critical contractual protections.

So, my hope is that this article will offer insights on these important matters. Feel free to tweet or share this article. If you or any colleague of yours has a need in this area, please do reach out to me.

Triggering Executive Severance to Protect Your Interests in Case of COVID-19 or Other Changed Circumstances

Two years ago, on May 27, 2020, CEOWorld magazine published an article I wrote on “Triggering Executive Severance to Protect Your Interests in Case of COVID-19 or other Changed Circumstances”.  The magazine advised me that I can use “Featured in the CEOWORLD magazine” and the CEOWORLD “Logo” on my website.

CEOworld Magazine logo

This was my 28th article published in CEOWORLD. Earlier this year, the editor advised that I can add CEOWORLD magazine in my LinkedIn profile’s “Experience Section” as an “Opinion Columnist.” and authority in the field.  See https://ceoworld.biz/author/robert-adelson/

This article,  published May 27, 2020, was designed for CEOs, C-level and senior executives, especially those who, once on the job, may find that their chances for success become daunting because changed circumstances beyond their control. Over the ups and downs of the last two years of the pandemic, for many such executives, the significant changes in connection with the COVID-19/coronavirus crisis and other disruptions may have caused great reductions in expected base, bonus, equity and LTI compensation and reduced duties and responsibilities as well.

Continue reading “Triggering Executive Severance to Protect Your Interests in Case of COVID-19 or Other Changed Circumstances”

Has a New Employer Withdrawn Your Executive Job Offer? How “Promissory Estoppel” can give you a legal remedy

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, on April 28, 2020, CEOWorld magazine published an article I wrote on “Has a New Employer Withdrawn Your Executive Job Offer? How “Promissory Estoppel” can give you a legal remedy”. 

This article was and remains designed for CEOs, C-level and senior executives, especially those who receive a job offer, then give notice to their current employer and later see the new offer rescinded or withdrawn.  With your old job now lost, this article discusses use of the legal doctrine of promissory estoppel as a remedy for the now out-of-work executive.  When the article was first written and published many job offers were revoked due to  due to the  COVID-19 /coronavirus pandemic but the article remains relevant because revocation could arise from other  changes at the new employer.

Continue reading “Has a New Employer Withdrawn Your Executive Job Offer? How “Promissory Estoppel” can give you a legal remedy”