An employee share ownership lawyer designs the schemes that give employees a stake in the company’s capital and makes them legally sound. They put in place solutions suited to the needs of employees as well as those of the company. Hashtag Avocats, a law firm in Paris, offers this support.
What is employee share ownership?
Employee share ownership is an approach that consists of offering employees the opportunity to acquire shares in their company. In other words, employee share ownership allows the business owner to give employees a stake in the capital, so that they become shareholders of the company.
As a tool for collective motivation, employee share ownership promotes your company’s culture and aligns the interests of shareholders, employees and managers. It is a retention tool and the foundation of a stable shareholder base. This scheme offers many advantages but also carries risks, hence the value of legal support.
This scheme offers several advantages for companies and their employees:
- Employees become shareholders themselves and therefore have a greater interest in the success of their company.
- This strategy boosts employee engagement with a view to improving the company’s overall performance.
- Employee share ownership helps retain employees and strengthens their sense of belonging to the company.
Who is employee share ownership support for?
An employee share ownership lawyer mainly works for:
- Companies (very small businesses, SMEs, innovative companies) that want to develop their employee share ownership or make it legally sound through tailored support.
- Employees seeking advice to better understand their rights and obligations as employee shareholders or to resolve a dispute.
An employee share ownership lawyer is therefore a valuable resource for companies that want to improve their performance by putting in place a scheme that meets their employees’ expectations.
On which issues do the lawyers act?
| Employee share ownership issues | Explanations |
| Choosing the most suitable employee share ownership scheme | The firm helps you choose the scheme best suited to your needs and objectives, taking into account your financial situation, your corporate culture and your goals in terms of employee motivation and retention. |
| Setting up the scheme | The firm assists you in drafting the necessary legal documents, such as the shareholders’ agreement or the free share plan, and guides you through the administrative formalities. |
| Legal follow-up of the scheme | The firm advises you on the legal and tax aspects of the scheme throughout its life, and assists you in the event of a dispute. |
| Understanding what is at stake in employee share ownership | The firm explains the advantages and risks of employee share ownership, and helps you assess the impact of the scheme on your personal and wealth situation. |
| Negotiating the terms of the share grant | The firm assists you in negotiating the terms of the share grant, such as the exercise price of stock options or the length of the vesting period (période d’acquisition) for free shares, which cannot be less than one year (Article L. 225-197-1 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) (in French)). |
| Sale of shares | The firm advises you on the legal and tax aspects of selling your shares, and assists you in finding a buyer. |
| Legal audit of the employee share ownership scheme | The firm can carry out a legal audit of your employee share ownership scheme to identify any points of risk or improvement. |
| Setting up an internal communication plan on employee share ownership | The firm can help you design and roll out an internal communication plan to inform your employees and raise their awareness of what is at stake in employee share ownership. |
| Training your employees on employee share ownership | The firm offers training for your employees so that they understand what is at stake in employee share ownership and how it works. |
On which issues does Hashtag Avocats act?
Hashtag Avocats acts in particular in the following cases:
Setting up employee share ownership plans in France
Our firm, Hashtag Avocats, puts in place the appropriate structures to create a scheme or amend an existing employee share ownership scheme. Our lawyers also advise you on which type of plan to favour (stock option plan, free share award, company savings plan) according to your objectives and regulatory constraints.
Managing the legal and tax aspects
You must comply with the regulations in force when you set up an employee share ownership scheme. Our lawyers assist you in managing the legal and tax aspects of your share plan. In particular, they make sure to:
- Check that the scheme complies with the applicable laws.
- Draft and put in place the necessary documents (option agreements, specific articles of association, etc.).
- Assist the company in negotiations with staff representatives or trade unions.
Employee share ownership disputes
In the event of a dispute between an employee shareholder and the company, our lawyers act to find an amicable solution or bring legal proceedings if necessary. They can handle various situations such as:
- Challenging a decision relating to employee share ownership
- Disputes over compliance with legal formalities
- Protecting the rights of employee shareholders
Why choose Hashtag Avocats for employee share ownership?
Hashtag Avocats, in Paris, provides support to companies on employee share ownership. Our team offers a tailored service to meet each client’s needs. By instructing us, you benefit from:
- Sound advice on the most suitable employee share ownership solution for your situation.
- Personalised follow-up throughout the process.
- Services adapted to the legal specificities of your company.
We assist you in choosing the employee share ownership scheme best suited to your company. Our teams advise you and alert you to the benefits and risks of such a scheme. We help you choose the employee share ownership model that best fits your needs, support you in implementing it and explain its corporate and tax implications.
Our lawyers complete the legal registration formalities and assist you in announcing and explaining the project to employees and their trade union representatives. Where necessary, we also draft the agreements needed to set up the share ownership scheme.
Every situation is different: the information on this page is general and does not replace legal advice tailored to your case. The firm makes no promise of outcome; it commits to the means it deploys.
Our related employment law services
- Incentives lawyer: BSA, BSPCE and management packages
- Employer–employee dispute lawyer in Paris (in French)
- Employment litigation and labour tribunal (prud’hommes) lawyer (in French)
- Employment contract lawyer in Paris (in French)
- Employment contracts and sensitive clauses lawyer (in French)
- Management package lawyer
Further reading
