01 Jul 2025
C-Suite Contracts: Unpacking Executive Pay and Protection
Executive employment agreements are more than just salary statements—they’re strategic tools that define the relationship between top leadership and the organization. Explore how these contracts govern compensation, bonuses, equity, severance, and protections like non-compete and change-in-control clauses. From golden parachutes to clawback provisions, executive contracts reflect a high-stakes blend of negotiation, legal precision, and alignment with shareholder interests.
Related Content
- Executive Compensation Training Presentation
Showcase this presentation to HR professionals to familiarize them with the types of executive compensation provided to key employees. The presentation discusses the benefits, forms, and tax implications of equity compensation, as well as key considerations for companies at every stage of growth looking to effectively utilize executive compensation in their compensation strategies.
- Executive Compensation Disclosure and Governance Resource Kit
Reference the titles in this resource kit to comply with the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and associated rules and regulations adopted by the SEC, to learn what public companies must disclose in their registration statements, proxy and information statements, and reports filed with the SEC, regarding their executive compensation arrangements.
Practical Guidance Updates
Featuring the latest updates from your Practical Guidance account.
- Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Key Legal Developments Tracker (Current)
Stay informed on new developments.- Retirement Plans. DOL's EBSA Division has rescinded its 2022 compliance releasethat previously discouraged fiduciaries from including cryptocurrency options in 401(k) retirement plans. DOL, News Release.
- Health and Welfare Plans. HHS rescinds informal guidance interpreting sex-based discrimination, including its 2021 interpretation of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, in response to executive orders and directives aimed at deregulating the executive branch. 90 Fed. Reg. 20393 (May 14, 2025); Presidential Executive Actions Tracker.
- Executive, Incentive, and Equity-Based Compensation. DOL’s Wage and Hour Division advised it will cease to enforce the Biden administration’s rule defining the term “independent contractor” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (which aimed to reclassify gig workers as employees rather than independent contractors), instead relying on criteria set forth in a DOL 2008 Fact Sheet.Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2025-1; DOL, News Release.
- What’s New in Practical Guidance
Discover the newest Practical Guidance content and resources in this update. This guide is designed to help you find the tools and insights you need to work more efficiently and effectively. - Document alerts allow you to stay current on legal developments that affect your practice. Find out how to set up your document alerts.
- Review the Chevron Reversal Impact Resource Kit for analysis related to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn four decades of deference to federal agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes.
- Keep current on Trump administration developments by referencing the Presidential Executive Actions Tracker, Legal Challenges to 2025 Presidential Executive Orders and Actions Tracker, Executive Orders, EEOC Letters, and Other Actions Concerning Law Firms Tracker, and Trump Transition Resource Kit.
- Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resource Kit is a frequently updated collection of current Practical Guidance materials on generative AI, ChatGPT, and similar tools.
- New! Practical Guidance Journal, 2025 Second Edition features guidance for regulating AI in the workplace in 2025, Intellectual Property issues related to deepfakes, the emergence of AI in mergers and acquisitions, and a checklist to help when evaluating AI technology risks.
- Browse the Practical Guidance Author Center to see the 2600+ leading attorney authors contributing to our 26 practice areas. Interested in becoming a Practical Guidance author? Click here for details.
- Legal Developments provide the latest updates and analyses of emerging topics impacting your practice area. Visit the Legal Developments page to see the latest topics, which also include breaking legal news and related Practical Guidance content.
- New and Updated Practical Guidance Content
- Transparency in Coverage (TiC) under the ACA Resource Kit
- Independent Contractor Agreement Playbook (Pro-service Recipient)
- Independent Contractor Agreement Playbook (Pro-service Provider)
- Restricted Stock Awards (Private Company) Training Presentation
- Retirement Plan Suits Show Value of Cybersecurity Policies
- Excessive Fee Cases: Not Just for Retirement Plans Anymore
- A Breakdown Of Trump's Order On Drug Pricing
- DOL Tells 5th Circ. It Will Craft New ESG Rule For 401(k) Plans
- What Parity Rule Freeze Means for Plan Sponsors
- DOL Rescinds Warning Against Crypto in 401(k) Plans
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