Michelle Lara > DLA Piper LLP (US) > San Diego (Golden Triangle), United States > Lawyer Profile
DLA Piper LLP (US) Offices
4365 EXECUTIVE DRIVE
SUITE 1100
SAN DIEGO, CA 92121-2133
CALIFORNIA
United States
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Michelle Lara
Work Department
Employment
Position
Partner
Career
Michelle Lara handles a broad range of executive compensation and employee benefits matters for a wide variety of clients, from large, publicly traded corporations to startup companies.
She provides comprehensive advice with respect to the design, implementation and administration of stock option and other equity-based incentive plans, cash incentive plans, executive employment and severance arrangements, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health and welfare benefit plans and tax-qualified retirement plans. Michelle has extensive experience advising clients on these matters in mergers and acquisitions, spinoffs, initial public offerings and other complex corporate transactions.
Memberships
National Association of Stock Plan Professionals; National Institute of Pension Administrators; San Diego Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference
Education
J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law; B.A., University of California at Berkeley
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
DLA Piper LLP (US)
frequently collaborates with the firm’s corporate practice to handle high-end transactions, as demonstrated by the team’s advice to Canadian pharmaceutical and cannabis company, Tilray, on its merger with Aphria. Practice leader Rita Patel, who works in the firm’s Washington DC office, led on this matter, while Chicago-based Richard Ashley has experience in handling benefits and compensation issues arising from transactions, including Code Sections 162(m), 280G and 409A compliance. Cisco Palao-Ricketts departed in June 2021 while San Diego-based Michelle Lara joined from Cooley LLP in April 2021. Erin Sweeney is another key member of the team.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- Dispute resolution > International litigation
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Real estate > Real estate
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: transactions
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: transactional and regulatory
- Industry focus > Cannabis
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Dispute resolution > E-discovery
- Industry focus > Energy: renewable/alternative power
- Tax > Financial products
- Media, technology and telecoms > Fintech
- Tax > International tax
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Finance > Structured finance: securitization
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing)
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
- Industry focus > Healthcare: life sciences
- Industry focus > Healthcare: service providers
- Industry focus > Insurance: advice to insurers
- Industry focus > Insurance: non-contentious
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions): defense
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings)
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Finance > Project finance