Webinar 11.11.25
11.11
Granting Equity in the US: The Rules Every Israeli Startup Must Know
9:00AM - 12:00AM EDT
Jessica Lutrin
T: +1.512.580.9646
T: +1.212.858.1090
Jessica’s expertise and responsiveness is top-notch, but she particularly excels at interacting with both her client (the acquirer) and the target company. She is both cool under pressure and warm in her interactions. With Jessica, I always know that I'm getting high-quality legal work and the kind of service that you don't often see from a specialist area on an M&A transaction.
Jessica Lutrin, Pillsbury's Executive Compensation & Benefits Practice Group Leader, has broad executive compensation and benefits experience spanning transactional, counseling and advisory matters.
Jessica’s practice focuses on the design, implementation and compliance of compensatory and benefits arrangements, such as equity-based incentives, cash-based incentives and deferred compensation and employment, retention and severance agreements, with particular focus on compensation and benefits issues arising in the transactional context. Jessica advises a variety of clients, both public and private, and domestic and international, across multiple industries.
Representative Experience
- Advised Spin Master Corp., a leading children’s entertainment company, in reaching an agreement to acquire Melissa & Doug for $950 million in cash, which was recognized as “Canada M&A Deal of the Year” awarded by Americas M&A Atlas Awards (2025).
- Advised Reservoir Communications Group in advancing a new investment partnership with Chicago-based private equity firm Periscope Equity.
- Advised Integral Federal in connection with its recent strategic acquisition of information technology solutions company Pragmatics LLC.
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- Provided legal counsel to Softrams, a leading technology firm, in connection with its recent acquisition by premier middle-market technology and advisory services provider, Tria Federal.
- Advised Axoni in the sale of its Veris post-trade processing business unit and related intellectual property to London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
- Advised C5MI Insight in its recent investment by DC Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on investments in U.S.-based government and engineering companies.
- Advised Speakeasy Co. in its recent acquisition by Flaviar Inc., the global leader in beverage and alcohol e-commerce.
- Advised equity firm Verance Capital on its strategic investment in Acceleration Community of Companies as it initiates the next phase in its growth.
- Advised Harmonia Holdings Group LLC on its strategic growth investment from funds affiliated with private equity investment firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC (MDP).
- Advised BRANDED in its recent acquisition of digital brand creation pioneer Heyday to form a new company, Essor.
- Advised Remi Labsin its recent $21 million Series A financing round—boosting the company’s valuation to $90 million.
- Advised Thyme Care in its recent $95 million capital raise.
- Advised Concentric Educational Solutions, the leading Black-owned education support system that partners with schools to offer resources to address barriers impacting students, families and staff, in its recent $5 million Series A funding round.
- Advised Spin Master Corp. in reaching a definitive agreement to acquire Melissa & Doug for $950 million in cash.
- Represented private equity firm, IMB Partners, in its strategic investment in government contractor, eTelligent Group (eTel).
- Advised Joint Research and Development (JRAD) in its recent acquisition by Broadtree Partners, a middle-market private equity firm with a specific focus on aerospace, defense, intelligence and federal civilian government services.
- Advised Interactive Strength Inc. (FORME) in its recent initial public offering of an aggregate of 1.5 million shares of its common stock.
- Advised cleantech company CleanChoice Energy in its recent majority stake acquisition by True Green Capital Management (TGC), a renewable energy infrastructure investment firm.
- Advised Japanese chemical manufacturer Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd on its acquisition of FBSciences Holdings Inc.
- Served as counsel to Chevron, through its Chevron New Energies business, in its recent collaboration with Baseload Capital to develop geothermal projects in the United States.
- Served as legal counsel to NTT DATA in signing a definitive agreement to acquire Aspirent.
- Advised RippleMatch, a startup recruitment automation platform, in a $45 million Series B financing round led by a Goldman Sachs Asset Management growth equity branch.
- Advised leading location data and technology company Foursquare Labs, Inc. in its merger with Factual Inc. The combined Foursquare and Factual generate more than $150 million in revenue in more than 20 global markets.
- Advised Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., a global provider of custom-engineered sealing, connecting, conducting and shielding solutions for original equipment manufacturers, on its sale to Kaman Corporation.
- Advised leading TMT-focused global merchant bank The Raine Group, as lead investor, on the entry into definitive transaction documentation providing for a $150 million investment in Foursquare Labs.
- Represented SK Inc., the second largest South Korea-based conglomerate, in its investment of TerraPower, a leading nuclear innovation company and next-generation small modular reactor (SMR) developer.
- Assisted EV fleet charging specialist TeraWatt Infrastructure in raising over $1 billion in financing for buildout of electric fleet charging centers and operations nationwide.
- Represented Catalyst Spirits in its acquisition by Campari Group’s Howler Head Whiskey.
- Represented NTT DATA, Inc., a digital business and IT services leader, in a number of acquisitions, including: in its definitive agreement to acquire global MuleSoft consulting firm leader, Apisero; in its acquisition of 100% of the membership interests in Cognosante Consulting, LLC, a leader in health information technology solutions and services for federal and state health agencies, from Cognosante Holdings, LLC; in its definitive agreement to acquire Postlight LLC, a New York-based digital strategy, design and engineering company; and in its acquisition of Vectorform, a Detroit-based digital transformation and innovation company. NTT Data’s acquisition of Postlight LLC was honored as Americas IT & Services Deal of the Year at the 2022 Americas M&A Atlas Awards.
- Represented The Giving Block in its acquisition by Shift4.
- Represented LifeSpeak, the leading mental health and total wellbeing platform for employers, health plans, and insurance companies, in its $92.5 million acquisition of Wellbeats, a market-leading provider of an on-demand SaaS physical wellbeing platform. This deal was awarded the Canada M&A Deal of the Year (Mid-Market) at the 2022 Americas M&A Atlas Awards.
- Represented SecurityScorecard, the global leader in cybersecurity ratings, in its acquisition of LIFARS, LLC., a digital forensics, incident response and cyber resiliency services company.
- Represented Ullico Infrastructure Fund on the acquisition of the Arizona business and operations of Triton Utilities, Inc.
- Advised Rabbit Hole Whiskey in its sale to Pernod Ricard SA.
- Advised Cenntro Automotive Group Limited, a designer and manufacturer of electric commercial vehicles, on its combination with Naked Brand Group Limited (Nasdaq: NAKD).
- Represented Bluepoint Games in a definitive agreement to be acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Advised State Street Corporation in its $90 million acquisition of Mercatus, Inc., a premier front-and-middle-office solutions and data management provider for private market managers.
- Advised Upland Software, Inc. in its acquisition of Panviva Pty Ltd.
- Represented Foursquare in its acquisition of Unfolded, a next generation platform for geospatial analytics.
- Advised Newport Center Ventures, LLC – a joint venture comprised of Eagle Four Partners, LLC, Lyon Living Development Company and their affiliates – in the purchase of the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa.
- Represented Mid-Con Energy Partners in an agreement with Contango Oil & Gas to combine in an all-stock merger transaction valued at over $400 million.
- Represented Atlas Copco AB is its acquisition of Perceptron.
- Advised San Diego-based Vital Therapies, Inc. in a definitive agreement under which Vital Therapies acquired all of the outstanding shares in Immunic AG in exchange for newly issued shares of Vital Therapies in an all-stock transaction.
- Advised Cozy Services Ltd. in its $68 million sale to CoStar Realty Information Inc.
- Advised Asia Alternatives in Private Equity Joint Venture with Franklin Templeton.
- Advised ComplySci, the leading provider of regulatory technology for financial and professional services companies, on a recent strategic investment in the company from private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.
- Advised ProZyme Inc. in connection with its sale to Agilent Technologies, Inc.
- Advised Spin Master in Its $79.1 Million Acquisition of the GUND Plush Toy Brand.
- Represented Business Insider in its acquisition by Axel Springer Digital Ventures GmbH.
- Represented the leading provider of information services for the health care industry in its acquisitions of a health care analytics company and of a provider of quality and compliance management software and services.
- Represented Wärtsilä in its acquisitions of American Hydro Corporation, Greensmith Energy Management Systems and Lock-n-Stitch.
- Represented Amphenol Corporation in numerous matters, including its acquisitions of All Systems Broadband and Custom Cable.
- Represented Spin Master in its acquisitions of Swimways and certain plush toy product lines from Enesco.
- Represented Big Four accounting firm in numerous matters, including its acquisitions of a digital design firm, a legal technology company and a tax advisory firm.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized for “Canada M&A Deal of the Year” awarded by Americas M&A Atlas Awards (2025) for Spin Master Corp’s $950 million acquisition of Melissa & Doug.
- Recognized as a top rate employee benefits attorney in New York by Super Lawyers (2015 – 2020).
- Selected as a 2020 Cornerstone Award honoree by the Lawyers Alliance for New York for her pro bono work.
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- “Cybersecurity Considerations for Retirement Plan Sponsors,” Law360, 2016. Co-author.
- Publications
- “Cybersecurity Considerations for Retirement Plan Sponsors,” Law360, 2016. Co-author.
- “Final Regulations Will Affect Default Risk for Borrowers with Pension Plans,” Bloomberg BNA 2015. Co-author.
- IRS Releases Advice Addressing Section 162(m) and CFO Compensation of Smaller Reporting Companies (co-author), 2015.
- Speaking Engagements
- “Granting Equity to U.S. Residents – Do’s and Don’ts for Israeli Start-Ups,” Shibolet Law Firm – Pillsbury Webinar, 11/11/2025.
- “Granting Equity to U.S. Residents – Do’s and Don’ts for Israeli Start-Ups,” Shibolet Law Firm – Pillsbury Webinar, 11/17/2022.
- “Operating Global Stock Plans in the United States,” Pillsbury Webinar, 06/14/2022.
- “Episode #10: Cost-effective strategies for employers. What you should know.” The Pillsbury Industry Insights Podcast, 06/19/2020.
- “Executive Compensation & Benefits Legal Roundtable,” Pillsbury Webinar, 06/18/2020.
- “Cybersecurity and Data Protection,” American Bar Association’s ERISA Fiduciary Institute 2019, 04/04/2019.
- “Picking Your Virtual Pocket: Cyber Risks for Stock Professionals,” National Association of Stock Plan Professionals Chapter Meeting, 05/19/17.
Education
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LL.B., University of the Witwatersrand, 2009
cum laudeB.A., University of the Witwatersrand, 2007
cum laude
Admissions
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Texas
New York