Heather Brookfield

Heather Brookfield

Partner
Heather Brookfield
San Francisco
+1 415 733 6139

Heather Brookfield is a partner in the firm’s Business Law department and ERISA/Executive Compensation practice. She specializes in all aspects of executive compensation, including the design, implementation, governance and maintenance of equity and incentive compensation plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, employment agreements, tax-qualified retirement plans, and severance programs. She has broad experience advising companies, boards and members of management on executive compensation issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, spin-offs and other corporate transactions.

Heather counsels public and private companies of all sizes regarding a wide range of legal, regulatory and governance issues arising under the Internal Revenue Code, federal and state securities laws, stock exchange listing standards, institutional investor voting policies and ERISA, including reporting and disclosure requirements and fiduciary responsibilities. Heather also represents executives and senior management teams in the negotiation of employment agreements and in the context of corporate transactions.

Experience

Heather’s representative experience includes advising:

  • Uber Technologies, Inc. as in-house compensation and benefits counsel on-site from Uber headquarters to negotiate and resolve compensation-related issues arising in numerous acquisitions, investments and divestitures*
  • A Fortune 200 Retail Company regarding the duplication, administration and implementation of benefit plans and benefit related issues in connection with a split*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Professional Experience

Prior to joining Goodwin, Heather was most recently a special counsel at Morgan Lewis. While at Morgan Lewis, Heather was seconded to Uber for 22 months where she advised on the company’s executive compensation programs, M&A, employee integration and internal controls. While at Uber she provided advice with respect to a wide range of legal, regulatory and governance issues arising in connection with the design, negotiation, implementation and disclosure of executive employment agreements, compensation plans, programs and policies, including significant work related to corporate governance and SEC reporting.

Heather began her career at Brobeck.

Credentials

Education

JD1998

New York University School of Law

BACommunications1994

University of California, Santa Barbara

(high honors)

Admissions

Bars

  • California

Recognition & Awards

Heather was recently named as one of the “Top 50 Attorneys of San Francisco” for 2023 by Attorney intel.

Heather has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America Best Lawyers for her work in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law 2023.

Heather has been selected for inclusion in The Legal 500 U.S. 2022.