Laura Lakin McDaniels is a special counsel in the Compensation & Benefits practice group and a member of the Cooley Business department. She joined the Firm in 2008 and is resident in the Hanover office.

Ms. McDaniels' practice focuses on equity and executive compensation and welfare benefits. Ms. McDaniels advises clients on the design and administration of stock option plans, other equity or cash based incentive plans, severance plans, deferred compensation plans and health and welfare plans, including related ERISA, COBRA, tax, securities, and corporate law compliance issues. She has also worked extensively on tax and compensation-related issues arising in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate restructuring transactions.

Prior to joining Cooley, Ms. McDaniels was an associate at Heller Ehrman LLP. Ms. McDaniels started her law career as a corporate attorney at Venture Law Group, specializing in formation and financing activities, securities compliance and corporate governance matters for emerging growth companies.

Ms. McDaniels received a JD from the University of Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, where she served as a member of the California Law Review and the Senior Articles Editor for the Berkeley Technology Law Journal. Prior to law school, Ms. McDaniels obtained a Master of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, with a concentration in business and government policy. She graduated magna cum laude with a BA from the Wellesley College.

Ms. McDaniels is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals.