Compensation In Special Circumstances

Zayla Partners has significant experience in navigating the complexities of executive pay before, during, and after a change of control. When advising both acquiring and acquired companies, our goal is to ensure maximum value to both parties. We have one of the most successful track records in maximizing value during a change of control. Specifically, we are the experts on record that navigated the largest known 280G tax savings in the U.S.

Compensation plans and disclosures for public companies are very different from their private company beginnings. At Zayla Partners, we have significant experience assisting companies with the IPO process. From long-term incentive plan design, to shareholder dilution modeling, to S-1 disclosures, we begin with your long-term goal in mind – pay starts with Z.

Over the past 20 years, we have honed our expertise as compensation experts in corporate restructurings, reorganizations, workouts, bankruptcies, insolvencies, and other matters involving financially distressed transactions. We work with boards, management, legal and financial advisors, restructuring advisors, trustees, creditor committees, and courts to gain approval of compensation structures. These structures (such as KEIPS and KERPS) consider all competing stakeholder interests while motivating key employees to re-emerge as a financially strong and healthy company.

Our litigation support practice has two decades of experience in providing expert reports in a number of compensation matters including: reasonable compensation, undercompensation for prior years services, pay equality, divorce, wrongful death, shareholder oppression, employment agreement disputes, and intermediate sanctions.

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are a common part of doing business. But they’re also sources of stress for companies and their teams. Whether a merger, acquisition, takeover, joint venture, or IPO, we’ll offer expert advice on executive compensation—and provide the stability to offset a turbulent time.

Compensating executives and employees in a nonprofit has a number of challenges. From IRS sanctions, to 990 disclosures, to donor disdain, boards and management struggle to walk the tightrope where they can pay market competitive wages and balance their organization’s stakeholder demands. At Zayla Partners, we provide an independent, third party voice of experience and strong reputation to ensure your company is in the best position to hire, inspire – and ultimately retire – the best talent available.

Pay equity, or equal pay for equal work, is critical to the integrity of any compensation structure. Pay equity integrity is not just for legal purposes, but creates a culture of trust and sustainability that recognizes and rewards talent based upon performance and merit. Add recent litigation, as well as proposed legislation, and it’s easy to understand the importance of getting pay equality right. At Zayla Partners, we are experts at conducting pay equity analysis and developing pay programs that are best-in-class with regards to pay equity.

Family-owned businesses present their own unique executive compensation challenges. Frequently the lines between ownership, board of directors, management and family members become blurred. At Zayla Partners, we have a long history of providing an outside, independent voice and process to establish market competitive, reasonable compensation for senior management and board members.

At Zayla Partners, we review, analyze, design and resolve disputes around executive employment agreements. We have experience providing opinion on high profile employment agreements to small privately held and not for profit organizations. When developing or even defending employment agreements, we ensure they include market competitive practices and provide appropriate representation to the company, shareholders, and the executive.