What is included and what is not
Included
- Plan rules (for example an EMI or CSOP plan for the United Kingdom, an equity incentive plan with ISO and NSO provisions for the United States, stock acquisition rights terms for Japan, an ESS-compliant plan for Australia)
- Option agreement or grant letter and notice of exercise
- Vesting schedule with cliff, acceleration and leaver provisions selected at intake
- Board and shareholder resolutions adopting the plan, reserving the pool and authorising allotments
- Constitution or shareholders' agreement amendments where the pool requires them
- Employee-facing plan summary and FAQ in plain language
- Review and sign-off by a lawyer admitted in the jurisdiction
- One round of amendments after your internal review
Not included
- Valuation of the shares or a 409A report (we identify when one is needed)
- Tax rulings, HMRC valuation agreements or ATO advice
- Securities filings, permits or disclosure documents beyond those included for the jurisdiction's employee exemption
- Cap table modelling (a GoGoTrust service)
- Grants to employees in other countries without a sub-plan
Review levels
- Drafted on the LegalMatrix workflow from the approved clause library and your intake answers
- Checked by the LegalMatrix legal team for consistency and completeness
- Delivered as an editable document with a clause-by-clause note
- Document preparation: no lawyer sign-off, no legal advice
- A lawyer admitted where the document will be used reviews, revises and signs off
- Enforceability check for that jurisdiction: governing law, formalities, mandatory rules
- Reviewer's name, admission and date on the document; 20-minute call included
- Covered by the practising entity's professional indemnity
Counterparty Contract Review, the Negotiation Playbook and the Successor Programme Document Set include lawyer review in the price. IP filings are made by registered practitioners and are not offered without one.
Who it is for
For
- Start-ups creating a first option pool before or after a seed round
- Companies replacing an informal promise of equity with enforceable documents
- Groups rolling out a parent-company plan to a subsidiary in a covered jurisdiction
Not for
- Companies with no shareholder support for dilution; the approvals will not pass
- Listed companies with exchange-rule plan requirements
- A single executive grant (see the executive equity grant product)
What the document does
Clause summaries. The product delivers the drafted and reviewed document, not a template.
How it runs
Intake
A questionnaire and a 45-minute call capture the pool size, eligible employees, vesting design, exit expectations, existing constitution and shareholders' agreement, and the jurisdiction.
First draft
The LegalMatrix workflow produces the plan rules, grant documents, resolutions and employee summary from the jurisdiction's library, using the tax-advantaged form where the company qualifies.
Professional review
A lawyer admitted in the jurisdiction checks the plan against company law allotment rules, the securities exemption for employee offers and the tax-advantaged conditions, and signs off.
Signature
After one round of amendments, signature-ready documents are issued in order: approvals, plan adoption, then individual grants.
Record update
GoGoTrust records the pool and each grant on the cap table, updates the register where required and diarises vesting dates and any statutory notifications.
A lawyer admitted in the jurisdiction reviews and signs off the plan, grant documents and resolutions before release; tax-advantaged status depends on conditions the client's tax adviser confirms.
Price by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Price | With lawyer sign-off |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| Hong Kong | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| Japan | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| Taiwan | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| United States | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| Canada | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| Australia | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| New Zealand | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| United Kingdom | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
| Malta | US$6,800 | US$8,850 |
Questions
Which plan type will we get?
The form that fits the jurisdiction and your company: EMI or CSOP in the United Kingdom, an equity incentive plan with ISOs and NSOs in the United States, stock acquisition rights in Japan, an ESS plan in Australia, and contractual option plans elsewhere. The intake call settles this.
Do we need a valuation first?
In the United States a 409A valuation sets the exercise price; in the United Kingdom an HMRC-agreed valuation supports EMI. Elsewhere a board-determined fair value is common. The product tells you what you need and when.
Can one plan cover employees in several countries?
A plan is prepared for one jurisdiction. Employees elsewhere are usually covered by a sub-plan or a separate local plan; LegalMatrix quotes those per jurisdiction. See the guide on ESOP across borders.
What happens to options when someone leaves?
Unvested options lapse; vested options are exercisable in a window (commonly 90 days) unless the person is a bad leaver. You set the definitions at intake.
Does the plan need shareholder approval?
Yes in every covered jurisdiction, because directors need authority to allot the shares and existing shareholders' agreements usually require consent to a pool.
Is the employee summary binding?
No. It is a plain-language explanation; the plan rules and the option agreement govern, and the summary says so.