Laura L. Ferguson

Professional Memberships

IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US)

Career

Laura counsels clients ranging from multinational banks to energy companies on a wide variety of employee benefits, executive compensation, and privacy and cybersecurity matters.

Laura provides guidance on privacy and cybersecurity-related issues under applicable federal and state laws, including developing and implementing comprehensive policies, incident response plans, and drafting and negotiating vendor contracts. As an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US), she assists clients with responding to data breaches and navigating the compliance efforts needed for the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Laura assists clients with identifying and resolving benefit plan documents and operational failures through the preparation and submission of voluntary compliance program applications to the IRS and DOL. She also has experience in drafting equity compensation plans, deferred compensation plans, and employment agreements, helping clients comply with various laws, including Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.

From a mergers and acquisitions perspective, Laura regularly works on employee benefits, executive compensation, and privacy and cybersecurity matters arising from transactions, including negotiating purchase agreements, navigating diligence issues (such as Code Sections 409A and 280G issues), drafting transition services agreements, and assisting with a variety of compensation agreements (e.g., transaction bonus, equity, employment, and retention agreements).

Laura’s data breach response work includes conducting the required legal and regulatory analysis, preparing required notifications to affected individuals and various governmental agencies, responding to follow-up inquiries from regulators, and coordinating responses to customers, law enforcement, regulators, and the public.

From a health care privacy perspective, Laura also counsels clients concerning the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) by preparing policies and procedures, negotiating business associate agreements with vendors, providing on-site training to staff, and assisting with data breach responses required by the Breach Notification Rule. She also assists clients with responding to inquiries or investigations by the Office for Civil Rights related to potential violations of HIPAA.