Standard Form of Restricted Stock Agreement]
EXHIBIT
10.13
[Standard Form of Restricted Stock
Agreement]
2005
LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
Date of
Award: __________________
Participant:
__________________
Lincoln Educational Services
Corporation (the “Company”) hereby
grants the Participant [_____] shares of restricted common stock of the Company
(the “Restricted
Shares”), pursuant to the provisions of the Company’s 2005 Long-Term
Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).
This
grant of the Restricted Shares shall be subject to the terms and conditions of
the Plan and this Award Agreement, including, but not limited to, the transfer
restrictions set forth in Section C hereof and the cancellation provisions of
Section B hereof. The Plan provides a complete description of the
terms and conditions governing all Awards granted thereunder. This
Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, as amended
from time to time, and to such rules and regulations as the Committee may adopt
under the Plan. If there is any inconsistency between the Plan and
this Award Agreement, the Plan’s terms (or applicable rules and regulations of
the Committee) shall control and supersede and replace any terms of this Award
Agreement that conflict with the terms of the Plan.
All
capitalized terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Plan, unless
specifically set forth otherwise herein.
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(A)
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Vesting
Schedule.
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(1)
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Subject
to the Participant’s continued employment with the Company and its
Subsidiaries (the “Company
Group”), [ ____ ] of the Restricted Shares shall vest on [ ____ ]
(each, a “Vesting
Date”). Any fractional Restricted Shares resulting from
the application of the vesting schedule shall be aggregated and the
Restricted Shares resulting from such aggregation shall vest [
____].
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(2)
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Upon
vesting, the Restricted Shares shall no longer be subject to the transfer
restrictions pursuant to Section C or cancellation pursuant to Section
B.
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(B)
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Termination of
Employment and Change in Control. Unless otherwise set
forth in an employment agreement between the Company and the Participant
in effect as of the Date of Grant, if, prior to a Vesting Date, the
Participant’s employment with the Company Group terminates for any reason,
the unvested Restricted Shares shall be cancelled immediately and the
Participant shall immediately forfeit any rights to the Restricted Shares;
provided,
however,
that in accordance with Section 6(c) of the Plan, the Committee
may elect, in its sole discretion, prior to or in connection with such
termination of employment, or upon a Change in Control, to provide for the
vesting and payment of some or all of the Participant’s then outstanding
Restricted Shares.
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(C)
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Transferability. Pursuant
to Section 12 of the Plan, the Restricted Shares are not transferable
other than by last will and testament or by the laws of descent and
distribution, and the Participant’s rights under this Award Agreement
shall be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime by the Participant
only.
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(D)
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Rights as a
Stockholder. The Participant shall have, with respect to
the Restricted Shares, all the rights of a stockholder of the Company,
including, if applicable, the right to vote the Restricted Shares and to
receive any dividends, subject to the restrictions set forth in the Plan
and this Award Agreement.
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(E)
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Dividends and
Distributions. Any shares of Common Stock or other
securities of the Company received by the Participant as a result of a
distribution to holders of Restricted Shares or as a dividend on the
Restricted Shares shall be subject to the same restrictions as the related
Restricted Shares, and all references to Restricted Shares hereunder shall
be deemed to include such shares of Common Stock or other
securities.
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(F)
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Share
Certificates. The certificate representing the shares of
Common Stock covered by the Restricted Shares shall be held in custody by
the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have
lapsed. As a condition of the award of Restricted Shares, the
Participant shall deliver to the Company a stock power, endorsed in blank,
relating to such shares of Common Stock. The Committee may
cause a legend or legends to be put on the certificate to make appropriate
reference to such restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under
the Plan or as may be required by the rules, regulations, and other
requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, any exchange that
lists the shares of Common Stock, and any applicable federal or state
laws.
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(G)
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No
Entitlements
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(1)
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The
Restricted Shares are discretionary awards. Neither this Award
Agreement nor the Plan confers on the Participant any right or entitlement
to receive compensation or bonus in any specific amount for any future
fiscal year (including, without limitation, any grants of future Awards
under the Plan) and do not impact in any way the Company Group’s
determination of the amount, if any, of the Participant’s compensation or
bonus. The Restricted Shares do not constitute salary, wages,
regular compensation, recurrent compensation or contractual compensation
for the year of grant or any later year and shall not be included in, nor
have any effect on, the determination of employment-related rights or
benefits under law or any employee benefit plan or similar arrangement
provided by the Company Group (including, without limitation, severance,
termination of employment and pension benefits), unless otherwise
specifically provided for under the terms of such plan or arrangement or
by the Company Group. The benefits provided pursuant to the
Restricted Shares are in no way secured, guaranteed or warranted by
Company Group.
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(2)
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The
Restricted Shares are awarded to the Participant by virtue of the
Participant’s employment with, and services performed for, the Company
Group. Neither this Award Agreement nor the Plan constitutes an
employment agreement. Nothing in either this Award Agreement or
the Plan shall modify the terms of the Participant’s
employment.
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(3)
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Subject
to the terms of any applicable employment agreement, the Company reserves
the right to change the terms and conditions of the Participant’s
employment, including the division, subsidiary or department in which the
Participant is employed. This Award Agreement, the Plan, the
grant of Restricted Shares, and/or any action taken or omitted to be taken
under this Award Agreement or the Plan shall not be deemed to create or
confer on the Participant any right to be retained in the employ of the
Company Group, or to interfere with or to limit in any way the right of
the Company Group to terminate the Participant’s employment at any
time. Moreover, the termination of employment provisions set
forth in Section (B) only apply to the treatment of the Restricted Shares
in the specified circumstances and shall not otherwise affect the
Participant’s employment relationship. By accepting this Award
Agreement, the Participant waives any and all rights to compensation or
damages in consequence of the termination of the Participant’s office or
employment for any reason whatsoever insofar as those rights arise or may
arise from the Participant’s ceasing to have rights under, or be entitled
to receive payment in respect of, the Restricted Shares as a result of
such termination, or from the loss or diminution in value of such rights
or entitlements. This waiver applies whether or not such
termination amounts to a wrongful discharge or unfair
dismissal.
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2
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(H)
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Miscellaneous.
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(1)
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The
Committee shall have the right to impose such restrictions on the
Restricted Shares as it deems necessary or advisable under applicable
federal securities laws, the rules and regulations of any stock exchange
or market upon which such Shares are then listed and/or traded, and/or
under any blue sky or state securities laws applicable to such
Shares. It is expressly understood that the Committee is
authorized to administer, construe, and make all determinations necessary
or appropriate to administer the Plan and this Award Agreement, all of
which shall be binding upon the
Participant.
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(2)
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The
Board may, at any time, or from time to time, terminate, amend, modify or
suspend the Plan, and the Board or the Committee may amend or modify this
Award Agreement at any time; provided, however, that
no termination, amendment, modification or suspension shall materially and
adversely alter or impair the rights of the Participant under this Award
Agreement without the Participant’s written
consent.
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(3)
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Shares
of restricted stock are not subject to Section 409A of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section
409A”). Notwithstanding the forgoing or any provision of
the Plan or this Award Agreement, if any provision of this Award Agreement
or the Plan contravenes Section 409A or could cause the Participant to
incur any tax, interest or penalties under Section 409A, the Committee
may, in its sole discretion and without the Participant’s consent, modify
such provision to (i) comply with, or avoid being subject to, Section
409A, or to avoid the incurrence of any taxes, interest and penalties
under Section 409A, and/or (ii) maintain, to the maximum extent
practicable, the original intent and economic benefit to the Participant
of the applicable provision without materially increasing the cost to the
Company or contravening the provisions of Section 409A. This
Section (H)(3) does not create an obligation on the part of the Company to
modify the Plan or this Award Agreement and does not guarantee that the
Restricted Shares will not be subject to taxes, interest and penalties
under Section 409A.
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(4)
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Vesting
of the Restricted Shares shall be subject to the Participant satisfying
all applicable federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including the
Participant’s FICA obligation). The Company shall have the
power and the right to (i) deduct or withhold from all amounts payable to
the Participant in connection with the Restricted Shares or otherwise, or
(ii) require the Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient
to satisfy any applicable taxes required by law. Further, the
Company may permit or require the Participant to satisfy, in whole or in
part, the tax obligations by withholding Shares that would otherwise be
received upon vesting of the Restricted
Shares.
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(5)
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This
Award Agreement shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and
regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or
national securities exchanges as may be required, or the Committee
determines are advisable. The Participant agrees to take all
steps the Company determines are necessary to comply with all applicable
provisions of federal and state securities law in exercising his rights
under this Award Agreement.
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(6)
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All
obligations of the Company under the Plan and this Award Agreement, with
respect to the Restricted Shares, shall be binding on any successor to the
Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct
or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or
substantially all of the business and/or assets of the
Company.
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(7)
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To
the extent not preempted by federal law, this Award Agreement shall be
governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of
New York.
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, this Award Agreement has been executed by the Company by one of
its duly authorized officers as of the Date of Award.
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LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION | ||
By:
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Name:
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Title:
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