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Megan E. Woodford

Special Counsel

Washington +1 202 662 5192

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Megan Woodford represents both public and private companies, as well as individuals, in connection with a broad range of employee compensation and benefits matters. She advises on the design, administration, and implementation of compensation arrangements, including equity incentive plans and executive employment agreements.

    Megan counsels clients on the compensation and benefits aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions. Her practice also covers tax-qualified retirement and welfare plans.

    Megan has an active pro bono practice, with a focus on assisting women’s rights organizations.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Negotiated and drafted executive employment agreements on behalf of employers and executives in a variety of industries, including financial services, entertainment and life sciences.
    • Advised public and private company clients on, and drafted, equity-based arrangements, including stock options, restricted stock, RSUs, SARs, employee stock purchase plans, and profits interest plans.
    • Provided employee benefits and executive compensation advice in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures by private equity funds, pharmaceutical, financial services, and other companies, including:
      • AstraZeneca in its $1.8 billion Acquisition of CinCor Pharma;
      • Elanco Animal Health in its $440 million acquisition of Kindred Biosciences;
      • Humacyte, Inc. in its $800 million de-SPAC merger with Alpha Healthcare Acquisition Corp.;
      • Multinational pharmaceutical company in its $3 billion acquisition of Audentes Therapeutics; and
      • WSFS Financial Corporation in its $1.5 billion acquisition of Beneficial Bancorp, Inc.
    • Advised on deferred compensation plans, retention agreements, and bonus plans, including for compliance with Sections 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
    • Advised plan fiduciaries regarding their obligations under ERISA and provided annual fiduciary training.
    • Responsible for a variety of employee benefits matters while on secondment to the in-house legal department of a publicly traded household and consumer products company.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2013
        • cum laude
        • Harvard Journal of Law & Gender, Managing Editor
    • Duke University, B.S., 2008
        • magna cum laude
        • Phi Beta Kappa
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • New York
    Judicial Clerkship
    • Hon. Nannette Jolivette Brown, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, 2013 - 2014
    Previous Experience
    • Bates White LLC, Consultant (2008-2010)

    Areas of Expertise

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