Laura Akowuah

Laura is an experienced US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lawyer in Cooley’s Washington, DC, office, where she advises clients on FDA compliance, enforcement risk and regulatory strategy across the food, drug and life sciences sectors. She helps companies navigate recalls, adverse inspectional findings, import issues, and FDA regulatory actions and investigations. Laura counsels clients on premarket product pathways and product safety, and she provides clients strategic guidance to help minimize advertising- and labeling-related risk. Drawing on more than a decade of experience at FDA – including service in the Office of the Chief Counsel and leadership roles within FDA’s Human Foods Program – Laura brings a deep understanding of how FDA operates and a highly practical, actionable approach to solving challenges at every stage of the product life cycle. 

Before joining Cooley, Laura served as associate chief counsel for enforcement in FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, where she advised on litigation and enforcement matters involving food, drugs, dietary supplements, clinical trials, and human cells and tissue products. She advised special agents in FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations and assisted the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in investigations and criminal prosecutions. Most recently, Laura held multiple leadership roles in FDA’s Human Foods Program (formerly the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition), including acting director for the Office of Enforcement, acting director for the Office of Compliance Intervention and Consultation, and senior advisor for Critical Foods Enforcement and Compliance. Laura received multiple accolades for her service at FDA, including the Outstanding Service Award and the DOJ’s John Marshall Award – the department’s highest award offered to attorneys.

Laura clerked for Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Before law school, she worked on public health initiatives both domestically and abroad. Laura holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law, a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and a BS from North Carolina State University.