Biography
Laurel’s practice focuses on litigating a wide range of high-stakes matters nationwide, including contractual disputes, class actions, consumer deception and products liability claims, and appellate and constitutional litigation. She counsels clients through all stages of litigation, including trial and appeal, with a particular focus on motions practice.
Some of Laurel’s recent experience includes serving on Weil teams representing:
- A major energy company in a complex, multi-defendant litigation and appeal challenging natural gas sales practices during a severe winter weather event.
- A leading food retailer in breach-of-contract litigation following a proposed merger.
- A major consumer products company in complex, multi-defendant litigation matters in multiple jurisdictions around the country seeking to impose public nuisance liability for plastic litter.
- A global food and beverage company in a putative class action alleging consumer fraud and deception.
- A major public technology company in antitrust-related litigation.
Laurel also has an active pro bono practice. Her experience includes serving on Weil’s team as pro bono counsel to a death row inmate in capital habeas proceedings and representing a Rastafari former inmate seeking to obtain money damages under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act when prison officials violated his religious rights by forcibly cutting his dreadlocks. Laurel and the Weil team is also partnering with the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland as co-counsel during the sentencing and appellate phases of a criminal False Claims Act matter. The Federal Defender’s office named Weil “Pro Bono Partner of the Year” for their efforts on this case.
Laurel has previously served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington Law School, where she taught a class on scholarly writing.
Prior to joining Weil, Laurel served as a law clerk to the Honorable J. Clifford Wallace of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and to the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Laurel received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Journal on Legislation. Laurel also received several Dean’s Scholar Prizes. Prior to law school, Laurel worked in risk assessment and sanctions compliance for a large national bank and for a federal government agency. She earned her Master’s degree in International Relations from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy and her Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Laurel is conversational in Spanish.