John E. Aguirre

John Aguirre

Partner

Employee Benefits and Compensation

Comprehensive Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Experience

John has substantial experience in all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation, including tax, ERISA, securities, and state law concerns.
Advises on Significant M&A Deals and Other Transactions

John has been involved in some of the most significant M&A deals in the technology sector, advising on executive compensation and employee benefits matters. He also has substantial experience in strategic partnering agreements, collaborations, joint ventures, spin-offs, and other transactions.
A Recognized Practitioner

John has been consistently recognized in Chambers USA since 2006 in the employee benefits and executive compensation category.

John Aguirre is a partner in the employee benefits and compensation practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. His practice encompasses all aspects of employee benefits and executive compensation, including tax, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and federal and state securities law. He also has significant experience in the employee benefits and executive compensation aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and spin-off transactions.

John represents clients in the high-tech, semiconductor, life sciences, retail, and financial sectors, helping them design and administer a wide array of plans, including tax-qualified retirement programs (for example, 401(k) plans), health and disability programs, equity-based compensation plans, and all kinds of executive compensation arrangements.

Listed in the 2006-2024 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, John has received substantial market endorsement for his practice. Sources describe him as “fantastic and easy to deal with” attorney who “provides high-quality and accurate advice.”

Experience

Education

J.D., Stanford Law School, 1987
B.A., Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley, 1984

Honors

Named in the 2006-2024 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
Named in the 2005-2013 and 2018 editions of Northern California Super Lawyers
Selected for inclusion in the 2009-2011 and 2014-2018 editions of Best Lawyers in America

Admissions

State Bar of California

Credentials

Education

J.D., Stanford Law School, 1987
B.A., Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley, 1984

Honors

Named in the 2006-2024 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
Named in the 2005-2013 and 2018 editions of Northern California Super Lawyers
Selected for inclusion in the 2009-2011 and 2014-2018 editions of Best Lawyers in America

Admissions

State Bar of California

Select Representative Matters

Advised on executive compensation and employee benefits matters related to some of the nation's most significant mergers and acquisitions, including:
- An electronics manufacturer's $16.7 billion acquisition by a global technology company
- An infrastructure software company's $4.3 billion acquisition by a private equity firm
- A software development company's $5.3 billion acquisition by an investment firm and an investment management organization
- A semiconductor manufacturer's $4 billion merger with another semiconductor company
- A cloud computing company's $390 million acquisition of an enterprise software company
- A financial services software company's $2.7 billion acquisition of a software company
- An e-commerce company's $280 million acquisition by a supermarket chain
Represented executives, or executive teams, in going-private transactions (private equity leveraged buyout), including:
- A global technology company's $3 billion acquisition of an audio products company and a subscription streaming music service
- A multinational computer technology company's $25 billion going-private transaction
Represented executives and company founders, including the CEO and founder of an action camera manufacturing company, in employee benefits and executive compensation matters, as well as structured CEO employment agreements for companies or on behalf of individuals

Matters

Select Representative Matters

Advised on executive compensation and employee benefits matters related to some of the nation's most significant mergers and acquisitions, including:
- An electronics manufacturer's $16.7 billion acquisition by a global technology company
- An infrastructure software company's $4.3 billion acquisition by a private equity firm
- A software development company's $5.3 billion acquisition by an investment firm and an investment management organization
- A semiconductor manufacturer's $4 billion merger with another semiconductor company
- A cloud computing company's $390 million acquisition of an enterprise software company
- A financial services software company's $2.7 billion acquisition of a software company
- An e-commerce company's $280 million acquisition by a supermarket chain
Represented executives, or executive teams, in going-private transactions (private equity leveraged buyout), including:
- A global technology company's $3 billion acquisition of an audio products company and a subscription streaming music service
- A multinational computer technology company's $25 billion going-private transaction
Represented executives and company founders, including the CEO and founder of an action camera manufacturing company, in employee benefits and executive compensation matters, as well as structured CEO employment agreements for companies or on behalf of individuals

Select Publications

Co-author with L. Stimmell and D. Thomas, "Pay Ratio Disclosure: How to Tackle the SEC Rule," Corporate Secretary, December 29, 2017

Insights

Select Publications

Co-author with L. Stimmell and D. Thomas, "Pay Ratio Disclosure: How to Tackle the SEC Rule," Corporate Secretary, December 29, 2017

Employee Benefits and Compensation

Recent Insights

News Articles

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati practices and attorneys were honored in the recently published 2024 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. This year, the firm was ranked in 36 geography-specific practice categories, while 79 attorneys were honored among the best in their fields.

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News Articles

The recently published 2023 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business recognized numerous Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati practices and attorneys. This year, the firm was ranked in 35 geography-specific practice categories, while 79 attorneys were honored among the best in their fields.

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Recent Events

WSGR Events

Please join Wilson Sonsini for MCLE Virtual Series – Session 2. We will be providing a half-day of professional educational sessions on a wide range of topics, including most of the MCLE categories in California, New York, Texas and Washington, among other states.

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WSGR Events

In this webinar, Wilson Sonsini examines issues relating to new grants of equity awards during the COVID-19 pandemic Partners John Aguirre, Scott McCall, and David Thomas address questions that we have received from clients on these topics.

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