Monica Arora

Partner & Co-Head, Private Funds Group,
Proskauer Rose LLP

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Monica Arora is a partner and co-head of the Private Funds Group at Proskauer.

Monica advises asset managers across the full spectrum of investment fund matters. Her particular expertise concentrates within the areas of buyout, private credit, distressed debt, growth equity, infrastructure and real estate funds, including the establishment of bespoke fund structures, joint ventures and other strategic arrangements for sponsors globally.

Monica is a thought leader in the industry. She is consistently ranked as a leading investment funds lawyer, including by Chambers USA and The Legal 500 and is frequently invited to speak on panels at various industry related events. She is also a prominent and engaged member of the private funds community, including as a committee member and contributor on the New York City Bar Association’s Private Investment Funds Committee and a member of the Editorial Board of Law 360 Private Equity.

Monica’s leadership in the Firm extends well beyond her role in the department as she is a key member of numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives. She is also actively engaged in a number of charitable boards outside of the Firm.

Prior to joining Proskauer, Monica was the global head of the investment funds group at White & Case.

NEERAJ Arora

Partner, Co-Leader: Energy Industry Team & Deputy Practice Group Leader: Energy & Project Development,
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

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A partner in Morgan Lewis’s Project Finance, Infrastructure & Natural Resources practice and co-leader of the firm’s internationally recognized global energy industry team, and the deputy co-practice group leader of the firm’s energy and project development practice group, Neeraj Arora brings to clients deep knowledge and experience in project finance and development transactions. He represents sponsors, financial institutions, and utilities in connection with the development, acquisition, disposition, and financing of significant infrastructure projects, including conventional (gas and coal) and renewable (energy storage, solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal) power generation projects, transmission lines, and pipelines, and advises clients seeking innovative business opportunities related to climate change. Additionally, Neeraj advises on bank and institutional investor debt financing transactions (including tax equity bridge loans), equity investments and joint ventures, and project mergers and acquisitions, as well as other project development commercial transactions. For his work, Neeraj is ranked in numerous legal directories, including Chambers USA, Chambers Global, and The Legal 500. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and received his law degree from Yale Law School.

Gopal Burgher

Managing Partner,
BurgherGray LLP

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Gopal M. Burgher is the Managing Partner of BurgherGray LLP, a corporate law firm with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Miami, and Chicago. Gopal maintains a dynamic and diversified corporate transactional practice, principally focused on capital markets and finance. He regularly serves as a trusted advisor to business executives and in-house counsels of global and regional financial institutions, community banks, insurance companies, private investment funds, financial advisory firms, asset managers, and other financial services companies (including financial technology firms). Through his practical and goal-oriented leadership approach, Gopal has strengthened BurgherGray’s reputation as a trusted adviser in transactional and business litigation matters.

Gopal is a graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was an Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fellow, and The State University of New York at Fredonia (magna cum laude, double major in political science and philosophy). He is also a graduate of the Strategic Steps for Growth Streetwise MBA Program offered by the NYU Stern School of Business (in collaboration with Interise and the NYC Department of Small Business Services) and the Freddie Mac Vendor Academy Program. Gopal is admitted to the Bar of the State of New York. He is a member or participant in several industry organizations, including the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the National Bar Association, the Structured Finance Association, and the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (former Co-Chair, Banking and Finance Practice Area Subcommittee), among other industry groups and organizations.

In addition to maintaining an active law practice, engaging in rainmaking activities, and otherwise leading the firm, Gopal has consistently demonstrated his commitment to community services. This commitment has manifested itself through support of several charitable and philanthropic organizations and causes over the past two decades, including, among others, the American Foundation of the University of the West Indies, the Fredonia College Foundation (board member), ESPOIR Youth Program Inc. (board member), Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) Inc., Professional Jamaicans for Jamaica Inc., Self-Help Africa, and the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Gopal has received several awards throughout his career in recognition of his commitment to his community. He was most recently awarded the Heritage Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service to the Community by the Consul General of Jamaica in New York. He also boasts the City & State’s Responsible 100 Legal Award and has been recognized with the Young Gifted & Black Corporate Leadership & Business Management Award for Professional Services. In addition, Gopal was also awarded the Visionary Recipient Award by The Children of Jamaica Outreach, Inc.

Manuel F. Cachán

Partner, Co-head of Trials Practice Group
Proskauer Rose LLP

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An experienced trial lawyer and litigator, Manuel Cachán is Co-Head of the firm’s Trials Practice Group.  He has served as trial counsel in various significant and high-profile matters, including:

• as co-lead counsel for Monsanto in a case brought by a woman claiming that use of the herbicide Roundup caused her non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Following a five month trial, a California jury rejected the claims entirely, returning a defense verdict on all counts.  The verdict in Stephens v. Monsanto is the second defense verdict in the Roundup mass tort litigation. All prior trials with plaintiffs who claimed to have personally applied Roundup resulted in verdicts against Monsanto ranging from $80 million to over $2 billion. “Bayer wins second straight verdict in a Roundup cancer case.,” Reuters December 9, 2021; 
• as first-chair trial counsel for Johnson & Johnson in a three-week jury trial in Oklahoma City state court alleging that exposure to Johnson’s Baby Powder causes mesothelioma. Following jury deliberations but before a verdict had been reached, the matter was resolved on favorable terms.
• for Johnson & Johnson in the first-ever California trial relating to J&J’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products and their alleged link to ovarian cancer. After trial, the court entered judgment notwithstanding the verdict for the J&J defendants and in the alternative granted J&J’s motion for a new trial. “Could Reversal of $417M Calif. Verdict Foreshadow Doom for Talc Cases?,” National Law Journal October 24, 2017; 
• in a similar product liability trial related to J&J’s talc-based products in St. Louis, the jury returned a complete defense verdict on all claims and awarded zero damages. “J&J Gets Its First Win in Missouri Talcum Powder Trials,” Law360 March 3, 2017;
• for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota, in an approximately two-month jury trial alleging mismanagement of pension investments in the bank’s securities lending program. The jury returned a complete defense verdict. “Wells Fargo Beats Suit Over Securities-Lending Losses,” Law360 August 8, 2013;
• for NBCUniversal and KNBC-TV in a one-month jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging age discrimination, brought by a journalist formerly employed by the company. “NBC Benched Reporter” For Being ‘Too Veteran,’ Jury Told”, Law360 December 4, 2015;
• for Dick Clark Productions in a several-week bench trial in federal court involving breach of a production agreement, brought by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over rights to the Golden Globes show “Judge Rules Golden Globes-NBC Deal Was Proper”, The New York Times May 2, 2012;
• for Rysher Entertainment in a two-week jury trial in a suit brought by the actor Don Johnson, involving his alleged share of profits from a popular television show; and
• for Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company in an approximately one-week jury trial seeking damages sustained by the company as a result of the unplanned shut-off a refining tank.

Manuel has been recognized by The American Lawyer, which has named him “Litigator of the Week” and “Runner-Up Litigator of the Week”; the Los Angeles Daily Journal, which included him in its list of “Top 20 Under 40” lawyers; Benchmark Litigation, which has designated him a “Local Litigation Star” for Los Angeles, a “California Litigation Star” and a “National Practice Area Star” in product liability; Law360, which named him to its list of “Top Lawyers Under 40 in the Nation”; and Minority Corporate Counsel magazine, which listed him as one of twelve diverse “Rising Star” attorneys nationwide.

In the last several years, Manuel has represented Fortune 500 companies before federal and state courts around the country in breach-of-contract litigations, securities and banking actions, product liability lawsuits, professional malpractice cases, and suits brought under California’s Unfair Competition Law.

Examples include:

• representing NBCUniversal Media LLC in connection with claims by actor Gabrielle Union over workplace issues on the competition talent show, “America’s Got Talent”;
• representing Johnson & Johnson as trial counsel in a bellwether wrongful-death product liability action alleging that Tylenol causes severe liver injury;
• representing Wells Fargo in two lawsuits brought by the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland, respectively, alleging disparate-impact race discrimination in connection with mortgage lending; 
• representing Wells Fargo in a class action brought by the City of Los Angeles alleging the bank engaged in unlawful sales practices;
• representing Wells Fargo in several suits alleging the mismanagement of investments made on behalf of various pension funds; and 
• representing NBCUniversal in an arbitration involving the profits from a series of popular made-for-television movies.

Manuel has for many years taken an active role in the legal community. He has previously served as a member of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) of the State Bar of California, which evaluates all candidates under consideration for a judicial appointment by the Governor. He is President of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) in Los Angeles.

Manuel is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was a Fulbright Fellow before enrolling in law school. Prior to beginning private practice, Manuel served as law clerk to the Honorable Arthur L. Alarcón of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Manuel is the son of Cuban exiles and is fluent in Spanish.

Jaret L. Davis

Co-Managing Shareholder of the Miami Office
Greenberg Traurig, P.A. 

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Jaret L. Davis is the Co-Managing Shareholder of the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., and a member of the firm’s global Executive Committee. He oversees approximately 170 attorneys and 200 business staff based in the firm’s founding office in Miami, Florida, and focuses his corporate and securities practice on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

For over a decade, Jaret has led the efforts of the Miami office and played a key role in the firm’s global efforts to be a dominant player in the IT and biotech industries. Under Jaret’s leadership, the Miami office has been a thought leader in representing angel investors, venture capital firms, growth equity funds, as well as various technology companies along all intervals of the life cycle, from startup to multi-billion dollar publicly traded companies. He routinely provides representation to publicly traded clients having an aggregate market capitalization of over $20 billion.

His notable representations include advising Medina Capital in its $3 billion joint venture with global private equity fund BC Partners, which resulted in the acquisition of 57 data centers across the globe and a suite of cybersecurity and data analytics companies. He also led a 40+ attorney legal team representing Terremark Worldwide, Inc., an IT infrastructure provider, in its $2 billion acquisition by Verizon Communications, Inc. In the life sciences/healthcare space, he led the GT team that represented Exactech, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed producer of orthopedic solutions, in connection with its $737 million acquisition by global private equity fund TPG Capital.

In addition to his practice, Jaret is active in several civic capacities, including currently serving as chairman of the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s board of directors, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 pediatric health system in Florida, and he was recently appointed as a member of the Miami Foundation’s board of trustees. He is also co-founder and general counsel of the eMerge Americas global technology conference. He also served as chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the official economic development partnership for Miami-Dade County. During his tenure, he led the city’s efforts to lure Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters, where Miami was one of the finalists in the process.

Lillian S. Hardy

Partner, Investigations, White Collar, and Fraud/Crisis Leadership Team
Hogan Lovells

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Strategically perceptive, Lillian S. Hardy founded the firm’s Crisis Leadership Practice after recognizing a market need for legal services that account for reputation management. Her practice focuses on controversies and investigations emanating from a wide array of incidents across all industries. She has a particular focus on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations, cybersecurity and data privacy-related investigations, consumer protection investigations, and anything pertaining to fraud or misconduct. Recognized by Bloomberg Law, Global Investigation Review, National Law Journal, and others as a leader beyond her years, Hardy has managed incidents and investigations for clients across five continents and is regularly sought out for representations where both government enforcement and threat of public “cancellation” loom large. Hardy is one of Hogan Lovells’ most senior leaders as member of the firm’s Global Board of Directors, the Americas management team, and serves as a sponsor to underrepresented lawyers at Hogan Lovells and beyond.

Patricia Brown Holmes

Managing Partner
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

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Patricia Brown Holmes is the first African-American woman to lead and have her name on the door of a major law firm that is not women- or minority-owned. She is a highly respected and accomplished lawyer who focuses her practice on the areas of high-stakes commercial litigation, crisis management, ESG issues, white collar crime, and legal client counseling, particularly with Diversity Equity and Inclusion audits (DEI audits) and issues. As a former state court judge and experienced prosecutor and defense lawyer, she brings a unique variety of capabilities to her practice. Patricia’s comprehensive trial experience, coupled with her deft management abilities, position her as a valuable advocate and trusted adviser to her clients.

Prior to serving as an associate judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Patricia was an Assistant U.S. Attorney and an Assistant State’s Attorney. She is one of only a handful of attorneys in the State of Illinois who has tried cases in state, city, and federal court as well as state appellate, federal appellate, and state supreme courts.

Patricia has practiced in courtrooms from all sides of the bench – as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and as a judge. Given her familiarity with sensitive legal matters, she is also especially qualified to conduct internal investigations and assist clients in managing their most critical “bet-the-company” crises. She is keen on business continuity, media and public relations, risk assessment, conflict resolution and recovery, and recurrence prevention. Every matter ends with lessons learned. Applying sound judgment, creative strategies, and common sense, Patricia navigates complicated and delicate legal matters with appropriate discretion and poise.

Patricia is widely recognized as an engaging speaker having presented to both corporations and law firms on a variety of continuing legal education topics, including ethics and diversity and inclusion. She has won many awards and accolades for her involvement in the legal community, mentoring successes, and efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion.

YOUNG LEE

Partner
Orrick

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Young Lee is a partner in Orrick’s Energy and Infrastructure Group, based in New York. She has been involved in many of the largest U.S. PPP transactions that have achieved financial close in the past several years.

Young is recognized as a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA and Chambers Global (2015-2022), where clients state that she “is phenomenal – practical, thoughtful and creative,” that she “provides expert representation in the development and financing of high-value and sophisticated infrastructure projects” and is “very insightful and bringing a lot of practical experience to deals.”

Young represents sponsors, lenders and investors in the development, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of complex infrastructure projects and the acquisition and sale of projects and companies in the infrastructure sector.

Young has acted as lead counsel in numerous project financings, acquisitions and other strategic arrangements in the United States and abroad. These transactions have involved, among other assets, toll roads, airports, port facilities, generation assets, telecommunications infrastructure, water and waste facilities, and companies owning portfolios of infrastructure assets.

Purvi PATEL Albers 

Partner and Board Member
Haynes and Boone, LLP

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Purvi Patel Albers joined Haynes and Boone, LLP in 1999 as the firm’s first dedicated trademark lawyer and spent two decades building a practice that now includes more than 30 trademark practitioners. She currently is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and serves in various management roles, including chairing the firm’s Alumni Committee and serving on the Admissions to Partnership Committee.

In her practice, Purvi is a trusted adviser and counsel to Fortune 500 companies and high-growth ventures on the management of their valuable brand investments. She has been ranked among the world’s leading trademark lawyers by Managing Intellectual Property, World Intellectual Property Review, and World Trademark Review.

Purvi has long been committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within her firm and the legal community. She served on Haynes Boone’s task force formed to improve the hiring and retention of diverse, and particularly, Black attorneys. She participates in conferences and speaking engagements designed to enhance DEI, including the South Asian Bar Association Leadership Institute. She also mentors Haynes Boone trademark associates and lateral attorneys and continuously looks for opportunities for them to further their professional development.

Purvi also is an avid supporter of the arts and education, among other civic causes. She serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for both The Arts Community Alliance and Dallas Theater Center, a major regional theater in Dallas. She has also served on the DEI Task Forces for both non-profits. She also serves on the Board of Family Gateway, whose mission is to provide stability and life-changing services to children and families affected by homelessness.

Kecia Reynolds

Partner, Leader Section 337 IP Litigation
Paul Hastings LLP

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Kecia Reynolds is a partner in the Intellectual Property practice and leader of the ITC Section 337 Investigations practice, based in the Washington, D.C. office. Ms. Reynolds is an experienced trial lawyer who has, over the past 20 years, litigated more than 50 cases before the International Trade Commission (ITC), bringing her clients a strong track record of victories. 

As lead counsel, Ms. Reynolds has won for complainants and respondents in patent and trademark infringement cases in various technical fields, including mechanical devices, consumer electronics, medical devices, semiconductors, and chemical materials. 

From 2007-2012, Ms. Reynolds served at the ITC as a Senior Investigative Staff Attorney for the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, where she was trial counsel on behalf of the U.S. government. She is also a registered patent attorney and has represented clients before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), as well as in U.S. district courts. 

Experience

 

• Currently represent non-party Google LLC for third party discovery. (Certain Electronic Devices Having Wireless Communication Capabilities and Components Thereof; Inv. No. 337-TA-1284) 
• Currently represent complainants in an ITC investigation alleging infringement of medical device patents against four respondents. (Certain Pneumatic Compression Devices and Components Thereof, Inv. No. 337-TA-1316) Represent plaintiffs in the corresponding EDTX district court case.
• Won a determination of no violation of Section 337 for respondent IKEA Supply AG, IKEA US Retail LLC and IKEA of Sweden AB regarding alleged infringement of LED packaging patents. (Certain Filament Light-Emitting Diodes and Products Containing Same (II), 337-TA-1220) 
• Won a determination of no violation of Section 337 for respondents Stanley Black & Decker Inc. and Black & Decker (US) Inc. regarding alleged patent infringement. (Certain Electronic Stud Finders, Metal Detectors and Electrical Scanners, 337-TA-1221) 
• Won an Exclusion Order for complainants Hyundai Motor Company and Hyundai Motor America regarding gray market trademark infringement. (Certain Replacement Automotive Service and Collision Parts and Components Thereof, 337-TA-1160) 
• Represented patent owner Sleep Number in an inter partes review brought by American National Manufacturing challenging claims found to infringe in a preceding ITC case and other claims asserted in a district court case relating to the electronic air controller used with an air adjustable mattress. The PTAB confirmed patentability of all but one of the infringing claims and confirmed patentability of newly added claims. 
• Won a total victory of no infringement and invalidity for respondent Sigma Designs Inc. regarding alleged infringement of complainant Broadcom’s patents. (Certain Semiconductor Devices and Consumer Audiovisual Products Containing the Same, 337-TA-1047) 
• Won for multiple respondents: Hoover Inc., Royal Appliance Manufacturing Co. d/b/a TTi Floor Care North America, Inc., The Black & Decker Corporation, Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., bObsweep, Inc., bObsweep USA, and Shenzhen Silver Star Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. regarding alleged infringement of complainant iRobot’s patents resulting in a determination of no violation for some respondents and a favorable settlement for other respondents. (Certain Robotic Vacuum Cleaning Devices and Components Thereof Such As Spare Parts, 337-TA-1057) 
• Won an Exclusion Order for complainants Select Comfort Corp. and Select Comfort SC Corp. regarding alleged infringement of Sleep Number Bed patents. (Certain Air Mattress Systems, Components Thereof, and Methods of Using the Same, 337-TA-971) 

Anjan Sahni

Partner-in-Charge, New York Office
WilmerHale

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Anjan Sahni is the Partner-in-Charge of WilmerHale’s New York office and serves on the firm’s Management Committee.

Mr. Sahni represents companies, boards, and individuals in federal and state government investigations and litigation. He returned to WilmerHale in 2015, after having been a federal prosecutor for over a decade at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he served in various senior roles. Since 2005, Mr. Sahni has been lead counsel in a dozen federal criminal trials, including in a recent high-profile criminal antitrust trial, in which he obtained an acquittal.

Recognized by Chambers USA as a leading white-collar and government investigations lawyer, Mr. Sahni draws extensive praise from his peers and clients. Clients describe him as “outstanding,” “unflappable” and “extremely polished,” and having a “laser-sharp ability to reason legally.” Sources laud his courtroom abilities, describing him “as a phenomenal trial attorney” and “an extremely persuasive advocate in the courtroom.” The National Law Journal recognized Mr. Sahni as a Litigation Trailblazer in 2019 and a Criminal Law Trailblazer in 2020. Mr. Sahni was also named to the Lawyers of Color Power List in 2020, recognizing influential minority attorneys in the United States.

Mr. Sahni served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 2005 to 2015. As a prosecutor, Mr. Sahni served as Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, in which role he supervised investigations and prosecutions involving insider trading, accounting fraud, market manipulation, commodities fraud, and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Mr. Sahni also served as the Co-Chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit, where he oversaw investigations and prosecutions involving domestic and international terrorism, arms trafficking, counterintelligence, piracy, money laundering, violations of export controls and economic sanctions laws, and global narcotics trafficking.

Mr. Sahni advises institutions and individuals in high-stakes government investigations and litigation across a range of agencies and subject areas. He represents clients in matters involving the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, FINRA, and State Attorneys General. His recent representations have involved the areas of securities and commodities fraud, antitrust, international sanctions, export controls, data privacy, tax law, laws governing the use of classified information, the BSA, the FCPA, and federal and state civil rights laws. He also maintains an active pro bono practice on behalf of indigent criminal defendants and the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights organization.

After graduating at the top of his class at Emory University, Mr. Sahni attended Yale Law School.

Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Pierre N. Leval of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which he joined WilmerHale as a litigation associate.

CRAIG A. THOMPSON

Partner
Venable LLP

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Craig A. Thompson is a trial lawyer and represents clients in the areas of product liability, commercial litigation, product liability and personal injury. An elected Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), Craig is an assertive trial attorney and legal counselor with significant experience handling civil cases before federal and state courts throughout the country. His knowledge of technology, legal and business administration enables him to resolve numerous cases by assessing liability and developing risk management strategies. His professional motto — “add value and provide solutions” — has guided him in the service of clients located all over the country.

Craig has served as first chair trial counsel in numerous “bet the company” cases and has been ranked in Chambers USA for several years. Clients describe him as “a great public speaker who really connects with jurors and is able to frame things in a very understandable and persuasive way.”

Craig has also been recognized in The International Who’s Who of Life Science Lawyers, The International Who’s Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and the Legal 500 for Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. He is an elected member of ABOTA.

Craig earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park, and currently serves as a member and Chair of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater. He earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Craig is extensively involved in the legal community and has spoken across the globe on a variety of legal and non-legal issues. He served on the Board of Directors of Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ) and is a past board member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI). He is the first African-American President of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and served in that role from 2018-2019. Craig and his wife, Deborah (who is also a lawyer), are the parents of three amazing children.

Denice Tokunaga

Partner
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

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With an eye toward collaboration, Denice works with her clients to take advantage of opportunities in commercial real estate and reimagine the traditional use of space to benefit the end-user.

Whether it is a complex cross-border leasing project, a new development, or an acquisition or disposition, Denice remains focused on the client objectives in completing the transaction. She works with real estate developers, public and private companies, and government entities to help meet their domestic and international growth goals through the purchase and sale of commercial and mixed-use projects, and representing both landlords and tenants of commercial and industrial space.

Denice has extensive experience representing e-commerce companies in industrial leasing, having negotiated leases for over 275 million square feet for fulfilment, distribution, data center, last mile, and other industrial uses.

Many of her US-based clients look to her to represent them in their expansion into other countries—overseeing and negotiating the acquisition, leasing, and development of build-to-suit and market refurbish projects. Denice has a particular focus on working with clients from a variety of industries on scaling their real estate portfolios to support their growth across the US and globally.

Denice’s clients benefit from her deep environmental experience involving due diligence investigation and development of contaminated properties.

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Real Estate Law (2020-2022)
• Listed in Seattle Super Lawyers for Real Estate (Thomson Reuters) (2016-2021)
• Co-Author, “Helping Clients Expand Data Center Footprints During the Pandemic,” Case Study, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 1, 2020)
• Quoted, “A Look Inside Big Law’s Push Into Seattle: A Boomtown for Tech, Real Estate and Employment,” The Recorder (October 19, 2021)
• Quoted, “‘There’s Just Not Enough Warehouse Space’: Florida Enjoying Industrial Sector Boom,” The Daily Business Review (June 7, 2021)

JD, University of Texas

BA, Austin College

MARK WHITAKER

Global Co-Chair, IP Litigation
Morrison Foerster

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Mark Whitaker is global co-chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice and has more than 30 years of experience crafting legal strategies in high-stakes patent and trade secret litigation.

Mark sees the whole board for each of his clients and works closely with them to define a successful litigation outcome and determine the best path to achieve that goal. He has extensive experience navigating the rules and procedures in the nation’s top patent litigation venues, including U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the Court of Federal Claims.

Mark regularly acts as lead counsel in matters involving technologies such as semiconductors, photo/optical technologies, chemicals, and database analytics. His clients do business in a broad range of industries including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, and telecommunications. He often leads a team of MoFo lawyers representing several defendants in parallel multipatent litigations.

A past president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Mark was elected to its prestigious Fellows membership in 2019. He is a frequent speaker at the AIPLA, American Bar Association, the Practising Law Institute, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and numerous CLE events all over the country. He is also the current co-chair of MoFo’s Diversity Strategy Committee, building on decades of experience leading law firm diversity and inclusion efforts.

Mark is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served first as a surface warfare officer and later as a member of the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Following his military service, he began his private-practice legal career as a commercial litigator before concentrating on IP and technology litigation.

CHRIS WILSON

Partner
Goodwin Procter LLP

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Chris Wilson is a partner in Goodwin’s Private Equity group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Healthcare Practice.

Mr. Wilson specializes in advising private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a wide variety of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth equity investments, strategic transactions, joint ventures and general corporate matters. Mr. Wilson also frequently represents management teams and operating executives in sale transactions.

Mr. Wilson principally focuses his practice on transactions in the healthcare services and healthcare technology verticals, and has significant experience in the consumer, business services, technology companies, financial services/asset management, and manufacturing verticals. He also co-chairs the firm’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity.