Laura was awarded a B.A. in psychology from Indiana University in 1991 and a paralegal certificate from The Philadelphia Institute for Paralegal Training in 1993.

Before joining Barnes & Thornburg, Laura worked as an asbestos litigation paralegal for the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos, P.C. in Philadelphia. She was responsible for drafting and filing complaints, interviewing clients, maintaining files, drafting responses to discovery, and preparing documents and exhibits for trial. In several global settlements, Laura was responsible for preparing claims for the plaintiffs, filing their claims with trust funds, maintaining status reports on the claims, preparing release documents, and forwarding payments to clients.