Laura Donaldson joined MBL in February 2019. She is an experienced litigation attorney specializing in civil rights and criminal defense work. Prior to joining MBL, Laura was with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, representing private and public clients in complex civil litigation matters in California state and federal courts. During her time with WilmerHale, Laura represented a California inmate filing a habeas corpus petition and appeared on his behalf before the Parole Board, securing his release from custody after serving over 2 decades in prison.
Laura received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2015. While at USC, Laura was actively involved in the Post-Conviction Justice Project clinical program, representing clients at parole and resentencing hearings, as well as conducting mitigation investigations and litigating state habeas petitions on behalf of prison inmates sentenced as juveniles to life without the possibility of parole. Laura was a key member of the team that prompted an independent investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office into the case of Mary Virginia Jones, who was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for her role in a 1981 murder. Ultimately, the conviction was vacated and Ms. Jones was released from prison after serving 32 years.
Laura is admitted to practice in all California state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.