“You’ve got to think ahead and be proactive. Sometimes the most important work you do on a case happens before it’s even a case.”

Laurel Headley

Laurel Headley, Retired

Former partner Laurel Headley is widely respected as a tenacious, dedicated, and compassionate advocate with a devoted following of extremely satisfied clients. She never walked away from a case until she achieved the absolute best result for her client, one that always takes the client’s whole situation—job, family, and future—into account.

A San Francisco native, Laurel originally planned to become a teacher, earning her high school teaching credential in 1982. But when she found herself sidetracked by massive state budget cuts and teacher layoffs in the aftermath of Proposition 13, she changed course. Eventually she enrolled in the University of San Francisco Law School, where she was immediately drawn to civil rights and criminal defense law. She started working at Cooper, Arguedas, & Cassman while she was still a law student, becoming a full-time associate in 1991 and a partner in 1997.

Laurel is also a former co-chair of Women Defenders, the statewide association of women criminal defense attorneys, and was on the Board of Governors of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice.