|
Wendy Davis is a partner in the Compensation & Benefits practice group and a member of the Cooley Business department. She joined the Firm in 2006 and works in the Hanover office.
Ms. Davis specializes in equity and executive compensation. She has extensive experience in establishing and maintaining equity compensation plans, cash bonus plans, deferred compensation arrangements, and change of control agreements. Ms. Davis regularly negotiates executive severance, retention and employment agreements on behalf of executives and employers at all stages of the corporate lifecycle. Ms. Davis frequently assists with the compensation, benefits and executive-related issues arising in mergers and acquisitions. Her practice addresses not only the practical design considerations of compensation programs but also the often complicated intersection of tax, employment, corporate and securities laws as well as the shareholder relations issues that arise in connection with compensation matters.
Prior to joining Cooley, Ms. Davis worked for three years as an associate in the Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits group at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP, specializing in compensation, benefits and executive-related issues arising in mergers and acquisitions. Before joining Simpson Thacher, Ms. Davis started her career as an associate in the Compensation & Benefits group at Venture Law Group, specializing in employment, equity compensation and executive-related issues of public and private companies.
Ms. Davis received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1999 where she served as the Editor of Interdisciplinary Programs of the Law School Roundtable. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Davis is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of California. Ms. Davis is a frequent speaker on compensation matters for the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals, most recently presenting on the treatment of perquisites under the new SEC disclosure rules as well as on major trends in compensation including share ownership requirements, the application of Section 409A to equity awards and traps for the unwary in the use of performance-based and deferred compensation. Ms. Davis has also spoken on the treatment of compensation and benefits matters in mergers and acquisitions for ALI-ABA.
Education- University of Chicago Law School
JD, 1999 - University of Pennsylvania
BA, 1996, magna cum laude
Admissions
Memberships
|