Alan Levine’s practice focuses on executive compensation and employee benefits matters.

He counsels companies in all facets of executive compensation and employee benefits matters as part of his general advisory and transactional practices, including negotiating employment arrangements, designing, and implementing incentive compensation plans (including carry arrangements), evaluating non-competition and non-solicitation covenants, and addressing ERISA’s plan asset rules for private investment funds.

He also represents executives and management teams of public and private companies in a variety of industries on their employment and equity arrangements, often in change of control situations.

Alan uses a common sense, commercial approach to tackling clients’ executive compensation and employee benefits matters. An experienced practitioner with deep market knowledge, Alan is able to quickly identify critical issues, effectively communicate those issues to clients and opposing counsel, and provide constructive solutions. As a result, Alan’s clients have come to rely on him as a “first call” advisor on matters both within his specialties and outside of them.

Alan joined the firm as a partner in 2023.

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Notable Experience

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Experiences

  • Advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on the employment and equity arrangements for their investment professionals, including with respect to carried interest and co-investment programs.

  • Design and implement equity incentive compensation programs for C-suite executives and other key employees, including with respect to profits interests, options, appreciation rights, restricted equity, restricted equity unit, and performance equity.

  • Advises buyers, sellers, and targets in addressing equity compensation arrangements in change of control situations.

  • Advises private equity sponsors in their fund formation activities and in their fiduciary capacities, including with respect to ERISA’s plan asset regulations and related matters.

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Mergers, Acquisitions, and Joint Venture Experiences

  • Represents private equity sponsors and other companies in the executive compensation and employee benefits aspects of their mergers, acquisitions, and joint venture activities.

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Prior to joining Cleary, Alan’s Merger, Acquisitions, and Joint Venture experiences included:

  • A sector-focused private equity firm that partners with leading middle market business services and consumer companies, in its investment in a sustainable beachwear company; in a strategic private equity investment from an innovative global joint venture; and its acquisition of a leading pure-play solutions provider of critical supplies to the health care, biotech, clinical diagnostics, and life sciences industries.

  • An education-focused consultancy business in its sale to a leading provider of cloud, professional, and managed IT services.

  • A leading provider of sustainably sourced sheets, pillows, mattresses, and towels in its sale to a leading consumer brand focused private equity sponsor.

  • A full-service advisory and accounting firm in its acquisition of a middle-market accounting firm.

  • A consumer-focused private equity sponsor in its roll-up of veterinarian medical practices.

  • A major private-equity sponsor in its “merger of equals” between its portfolio company and another leading provider of hosted information technology solutions.

  • A leading media and internet company in multiple acquisitions and dispositions, including an online dictionary service and a leading online publisher.

  • A global private equity sponsor in its sale of a leading animal health and nutrition company to a leading captive private equity sponsor.

  • One of the nation’s most respected full-service independent insurance brokers in its sale to an innovative national retail insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm.

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Executive and Management Team Experiences

  • Negotiates on behalf of private equity and hedge fund professionals in connection with their employment and carry arrangements, as well as represents executives and management teams in various industries, including the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, often in change of control situations.

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Prior to joining Cleary, Alan’s Executive and Management Team representation experiences included:

  • The management team of a major public/private infrastructure project in their employment and equity arrangements.

  • The executive management team in connection with the acquisition of the company they manage, a leading global provider of specialty chemicals, by a global investment firm with more than $25 billion of assets under management.

  • The senior management team in connection with acquisition of the company they manage, a leading life insurance company, by a global investment firm with more than $50 billion of assets undermanagement.

  • The incoming CEO in his employment and equity compensation arrangements at a newly formed staffing “roll-up” formed by affiliates of two private equity sponsors.

  • The president of the world’s leader in business news in connection with the renegotiation of his employment arrangement.

  • The lead principals of newly formed long-term capital private equity fund in their carried interest arrangements.

  • Negotiated on behalf of the incoming co-head of a multibillion dollar global-focused private equity fund that is sponsored by a global alternative asset manager with more than $185 billion of assets under management.

  • The incoming co-CEO of a leading global private investment firm with more than $75 billion of assets under management.

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Selected Activities

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Member, American Bar Association

Member, New York State Bar Association

Member, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Committee of the New York City Bar Association

Publications