How to structure an investment banking bonus paid in client equity
I work for a boutique investment bank. On fundraisings, we often receive a large portion or the entirety of our fee in equity of the client.
I'm in the process of having a dialogue with the partners about how my bonus on a fundraising mandate we are working on should be paid. Ideally, I'd just receive the value of my bonus directly in shares (i.e. both my bank and I would become shareholders). However, they have mentioned they'd like to have a structure similar to how a partner in a fund retains "carry" on deals.
I'm looking to avoid a situation where down the road in a few years, if I decide to change firms or am let go before the shares are monetized through a sale or IPO, I would lose the value I've accumulated.
Any suggestions structures I could propose to the partners? Is anyone in a similar situation that could comment on how their bonus comp is structured?