What Can You Negotiate When You Receive an Offer?

Congratulations, you received an offer! Now what can you negotiate? Lawyers are usually quite conservative and want to know precedent, so see below for the list of asks in order of frequency:

• Compensation. Most employers expect some negotiation over compensation. Compensation is typically made up of base, bonus, and equity, and usually one element (or more!) is moveable. If you are walking away from anything (equity, promised promotion, etc.), you can ask for a sign-on. It usually won’t make you whole but something is better than nothing. Don’t beat yourself up though if you get a fair offer and don’t negotiate — things generally even out over time if you have a good manager, and I have seen candidates who negotiated too hard generate ill will.
• Start date. Employers will suggest start dates that take into account a two-week notice period and maybe a few days off. If you want to tack on more time, a week or two is normal. If the employer needs you to start sooner but you have a pre-planned vacation, I have seen employers ask you to start for a short period, take your vacation, and then really start. If you are close to a big vest date, many employers prefer you to wait for the vest before changing jobs, but I would discuss with them.
• Title. Most in-house teams are staffed pretty leanly so there aren’t that many categories of titles. You can certainly negotiate for the title of the next band up (from corporate counsel to senior corporate counsel, or senior corporate counsel to AGC). You can also ask for an outward facing title like “Director” or “Head of.” Check out the titles of other members of the Legal department (and other parts of the company like Finance) to see what’s standard.
• Relocation budget. If you are moving for the job, companies should be covering the cost. If you are senior enough, there could be a housing budget, assistance with sale of old house, etc.
• Remote work. Companies will tell you what they expect their remote policy to be. If you need a fully remote or bespoke hybrid model or travel budget, you can try for it.
• Education budget. Bar licenses are covered, but sometimes employers will pay for related continuing education (privacy certification, engineering classes, etc.), membership to professional organizations, or industry conferences. Worth an ask if it’s important to you and related to the job.
• Speaking engagements/publications. Some companies have strict policies on speaking engagements and publications. If public speaking and writing are important to you, find out their rules and ask for pre-approval.
• Change in vesting schedule/benefits. I think you have to be an exec to get this.