John Ludlum

John concentrates his practice on advising private and public entities on employee benefits and equity compensation matters for early stage private companies through mature public companies with a focus on mergers and acquisitions.

From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, John assists clients with employment agreements and creatively structuring tax-effective and practical incentive arrangements that meet business and operational goals.

Incentive Plan Design: John works with groups or related entities to design effective and cost-efficient cash and equity-based incentive plans utilizing stock grants, restricted stock awards, incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock units, and phantom and synthetic equity programs.

Employee Benefits Advisor: John counsels employers how to design and implement compensation plans current with market practices. His focus on clients and understanding of company life-cycle business needs maximizes benefits for employees and executives while minimizing tax and administrative burdens.

Tax Advice in Mergers and Acquisitions: John proactively identifies and analyzes the tax risks associated with assuming, terminating, and transitioning all types of benefits and employment arrangements. He ensures that proposed transactions comply with tax and securities laws affecting employees and equity compensation.

Prior to joining Holland & Hart, John practiced for over 11 years at two Silicon Valley-based firms, Fenwick & West LLP, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, PC. He has represented a wide variety of clients, from individual executives and founders to public serial acquirers during his legal career. Prior to his legal career, John flew jets for the U.S. Coast Guard, performing a wide variety of life-saving and law enforcement missions.