Laurel Fedder

Laurel Fedder is a Partner specializing in executive compensation and employee benefits for start-ups, emerging growth and public companies. She designs equity incentive plans, advises on corporate governance and has extensive experience counseling clients through M&A transactions and IPOs. Laurel also represents executives, founders and management teams in negotiating and structuring employment agreements, severance packages and change-in-control arrangements.

Laurel has over 10 years of experience as an executive compensation attorney. She advises on a wide range of compensation and benefits matters, including broad-based and executive-level equity plans, cash compensation plans, Section 409A deferred compensation design and compliance, Section 162(m) regulations, tender offers and ongoing corporate governance impacting compensation. Her practice also involves counseling companies on compensation and benefits issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, financings and other complex corporate transactions, including Section 280G golden parachute excise tax issues, treatment of equity awards and employee retention matters. Laurel has also counseled clients through initial public offerings, including drafting employee stock purchase plans, re-structuring pre-IPO interests and ensuring compliance with compensation-related public company regulations.

Laurel received her law degree from Georgetown University and her bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Santa Clara University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to joining VLP, Laurel served as Counsel at Gunderson Dettmer and spent time as in-house counsel following the company’s spin off from a Fortune 500 company. Outside of the office, Laurel enjoys traveling and treasure hunting at estate sales.