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Michelle Lara

Michelle Lara

Partner
San Diego
About

Michelle Lara has over 20 years of experience advising a wide variety of companies on the full range of issues associated with executive compensation and employee benefit arrangements, including the various tax, securities and employment law issues that govern compensation and benefit plans.

Michelle's clients include large Fortune 500 publicly held companies and other public and private companies at every stage of the corporate life cycle. She works with clients to develop strategy and provide practical solutions pertaining to the design and administration of equity and cash incentive compensation plans, nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, executive employment and severance agreements, change in control plans and other compensation agreements. Michelle regularly counsels publicly held companies and their compensation committees regarding the disclosure of compensation arrangements in public filings and corporate governance matters related to executive compensation.

Michelle has extensive experience with and regularly advises companies regarding compensation and benefit plan issues arising in connection with public offerings, mergers, acquisitions, and other significant corporate transactions.

Michelle is a regular speaker and educator at bar association and trade group conferences on equity and executive compensation issues.

Areas of FocusEmploymentCorporate
Bar admissionsCalifornia

EXPERIENCE

Michelle has decades of compensation and benefits experience and has helped hundreds of companies in mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and other significant corporate transactions as well as day to day administration of their executive compensation and employee benefits programs. Michelle has extensive experience counseling mature public companies regarding their compensation and benefits programs including related SEC reporting and governance and compliance issues.

Michelle’s most recent transactional experience includes:

  • US$3 billion public company acquisition as the buyer
  • US$282 million initial public offering as the issuer 
  • US$3.6 billion sale of public company as the seller 
  • US$175 million initial public offering as the issuer 
  • US$3.2 billion public company acquisition as the buyer
  • US$230 million initial public offering as the issuer 
Education
  • J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
  • B.A., University of California at Berkeley

Awards

The Legal 500 United States

  • Recommended, Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans: Transactional (2022-2024)

Chambers USA

  • Band 3, California: Los Angeles & Surrounds Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (2024)

Memberships And Affiliations

  • American Bar Association 
  • National Association of Stock Plan Professionals 
  • National Institute of Pension Administrators 
  • San Diego Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference 

My latest insights

News

DLA Piper advises Nemetschek Group on acquisition of GoCanvas Solutions

1 October 2024 .3 minute read

News

DLA Piper advises Renesas in its acquisition of Altium Limited

12 August 2024 .2 minute read

News

DLA Piper advises GigCapital5 in the closing of its business combination with QT Imaging

11 March 2024 .3 minute read

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Connect

Phone

+1 858 677 1452
(Work, San Diego)
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