Janet Lee

Janet M. Lee

Senior Counsel, Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits, New York

“I advise clients on all aspects of executive compensation and employee benefit matters, including equity compensation design and implementation, corporate transaction-related issues and public company disclosure and corporate governance considerations.”

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Published works

Overview

Janet is Senior Counsel in Linklaters’ US Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits practice. She has over 20 years’ experience advising clients on all aspects of executive compensation and employee benefit matters, including employment, change in control, equity compensation and severance agreements. She advises both buyers and sellers on compensation and benefits matters arising from public and private company mergers and acquisitions. She also advises on incentive program design, implementation and management, as well as public company disclosure and corporate governance considerations related to compensation arrangements.

Janet advises on ERISA matters, including the structuring of products and services for ERISA plan and individual retirement account investors, and plan asset issues associated with the private investment funds formation practice.

Prior to joining Linklaters, Janet was in-house executive compensation, employee benefits and ERISA counsel at Goldman Sachs.

Work highlights
  • Rio Tinto: advising on its US$6.7bn all-cash acquisition of NYSE-listed Arcadium Lithium.
  • Volkswagen: advising on its US$5.8bn vehicle software technology JV and investment transaction with Rivian.
  • Dow: advising on its partnership transaction with Macquarie Asset Management to launch US$6bn Diamond Infrastructure Solutions.
  • Tate & Lyle: advising on its US$1.8bn acquisition of CP Kelco from J.M. Huber Corporation.
  • Aperam: advising on its US$537m acquisition of Nasdaq-listed Universal Stainless & Alloy Products.
  • BASF: advising on its pending US$1.15bn sale of its Brazilian decorative paints business to Sherwin-Williams.
  • Generali: advising on its acquisition of Conning Holdings Limited from Cathay Life, a subsidiary of Cathay Financial Holdings.
  • Getir: advising on the acquisition of online grocery company FreshDirect Inc. from Ahold Delhaize USA.

Professional experience

Janet brings her extensive experience as in-house executive compensation, employee benefits and ERISA counsel at a global financial services firm as well as the executive compensation and employee benefits practices of two other preeminent multinational law firms.

Education and qualifications

Janet holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard and a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude, in Political Science and English from Amherst College.

Published works

Janet is a speaker on executive compensation and employee benefits topics, including as a Practicing Law Institute panelist.