Rising Stars 2020

Micheal Binns

Atlanta Office Development Partner,
Parker Poe

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Micheal Binns is a registered patent attorney practicing primarily in the area of intellectual property litigation. His experience includes the litigation, counseling, and prosecution of all forms of intellectual property related to a variety of industries and technologies, including tech, biotechnology, chemical, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications arts.

Micheal also has significant trial experience involving Hatch-Waxman litigation, including preparing fact and expert witnesses for trial testimony and for cross-examination. He prides himself on providing clients with a competitive advantage in sophisticated intellectual property matters.

Prior to practicing law, Micheal taught mathematics, biology, and chemistry at City Harvest Christian Academy in Yonkers, New York. While attending law school, he was president of the Black Law Students Association and a member of the Pepperdine national entertainment law moot court team. At Morgan State University, he served as president of the Inter-Residence Council and earned the title Mr. Junior Morgan State University.

Micheal is board chair of Page Turners Make Great Learners in Atlanta and an active board member with the Georgia Wildlife Federation and the Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Danielle Coleman

Senior Litigation Counsel,
VMware, Inc.

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Danielle Coleman is Senior Litigation Counsel at VMware, a technology company headquartered in Silicon Valley, and she oversees global commercial and intellectual property litigation and disputes.

At VMware, Danielle is a Global Co-Lead for the Black@VMware Power of Difference community, helping drive thought leadership, professional development, and representation for Black employees. She also promotes diversity in the legal field by mentoring future and current law students and regularly participating in mock interviews and mock pitches, providing feedback to women and minority attorneys to help them develop and succeed. Danielle has received a “Diversity Award” from the Bar Association of San Francisco for her diversity work in the legal community.

Danielle engages in legal pro bono work, representing low-income tenants in unlawful detainer settlement negotiations and helping a Nicaraguan woman obtain asylum in the U.S. Danielle is the Pro Bono Lead for VMware’s Palo Alto office, and she regularly organizes pro bono opportunities for the Legal Department, such as asylum clinics.

She has great passion for the community and health equity. She is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Alameda Health System Foundation (AHSF), which raises money for the Alameda Health System a network of hospitals and clinics serving uninsured and under-served patients in Alameda County. As the AHSF Gala co-chair for the last two years, she has helped raise over $1 million. In addition, Danielle is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alameda County Community Food Bank, which supports 1 in 5 residents of Alameda County, with two-thirds being children and seniors. She volunteers at the Food Bank, encourages others to volunteer, and raises funds to support its mission to close the hunger gap, which disproportionately impacts minorities.

Prior to joining VMware, Danielle was Director, Global Litigation at Applied Materials. She previously was an attorney at Morrison & Foerster where she was an active member of the patent trial team winning a jury verdict over $1 billion. She was a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup in the Northern District of California.

Ms. Coleman received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry, with honors in Chemistry and English, from Xavier University of Louisiana, and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school, she worked at pharmaceutical companies performing biochemical research, and she is an inventor on four U.S. patents.

She has spoken on multiple panels at summits and conferences on topics ranging from IP litigation to diversity and inclusion. She was a recipient of the “Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Under 40” award and “Excellence in Innovation: 40 Under 40” award from the National Bar Association.

Alesha Dominique

Partner,
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP

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Alesha M. Dominique represents clients in intellectual property litigation, with an emphasis on patent, trademark, false advertising, and unfair competition matters. Alesha’s experience includes representing clients before federal district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She also counsels clients on trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement matters. Alesha’s experience cuts across multiple industries, including the entertainment, music, fashion, beauty, food and beverage, software and e-commerce industries. Effective June 1, 2020, Alesha will be named the Global Chair of the Trademark Prosecution Group at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. In 2019, Alesha was chosen as a “Women Worth Watching,” in Profiles in Diversity Journal (2019).

Ms. Dominique’s key representative matters include the following:

Representing a national food distributor in a false advertising and unfair competition lawsuit relating to the sale of imported rice (lead counsel);
Represented a multinational retail corporation in trademark infringement case; won motion to dismiss.
Represented collectively more than 100 producers and distributors of copyrighted television content in disputes regarding their share of hundreds of millions of dollars in copyright royalties.
Represented hip-hop artist “Drake” in copyright case involving an allegedly infringing “sample” from a jazz album.
Represented a fashion e-retailer in copyright case involving allegedly infringing textile patterns.
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of health insurance industry client in copyright action in Eastern District of Virginia involving allegations of infringement of software code.
Represented a major international luxury goods manufacturer in a contributory counterfeiting and contributory trademark infringement suit against a leading online marketplace; won motions for summary judgment.
Represented global technology companies before the U.S. International Trade Commission in a patent infringement investigation related to Power-over-Ethernet products; ended in a full withdrawal of the complaint and a dismissal of the ITC’s investigation.
Represented golf ball manufacturer against claim of $246 million in damages for infringement of four patents related to golf ball construction; obtained jury verdict invalidating all four asserted patents as anticipated and obvious.
Counseled clients on compliance with Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, including in the areas of testimonials, endorsements, online advertising, and “Made in the USA” claims.

Alesha’s publications include the following:

In January 2020, Alesha partnered with CODO Design to discuss managing intellectual property through your rebrand in Chapter 12 of the book bundle, “Craft Beer Rebranded: Evolution, Revolution & Creating A Brand That Sells More Beer,” published by CODO Design.

In December 2019, Alesha also partnered with CODO Design to discuss brand strategy and intellectual property issues breweries run into on a daily basis in, “A Designer and a Lawyer Walk into a Brewery: Creating and Protecting a Compelling Brand,” published by CODO Design.

In June 2019, Alesha spoke on the panel, “Marks & Design in the Commercial Industries,” at the WIPO-CPIP Summer School on Intellectual Property in Arlington, Virginia.

Alesha has also published a host of client alerts about various trademark law matters, which can be found here: https://www.msk.com/attorneys-Alesha_Dominique#News

M. Janine Jjingo

Partner, Banking Group,
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

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Ms. Jjingo regularly advises a variety of financial institutions, including Bank of America, Barclays, Citibank, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, ING and Morgan Stanley. She was recognized as a Rising Star in IFLR1000, as well as a Rising Star in Finance at Euromoney Legal Media Group’s 2019 Americas Women in Business Law Awards and as a Rising Star Best in Banking & Finance at Euromoney Legal Media Group’s 2019 Americas Rising Star Awards.

Her representations have included:

York Capital Management in its sale of The Bay Club Company to KKR & Co. Inc.;
Visteon Corporation in various amendments to its credit agreement including the replacement and repricing of the existing term facility with a new $350 million term loan facility; and in the $3.6 billion sale of its 70 percent stake in Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp. (South Korea);
Key Safety Systems, Inc. in its $1.6 billion acquisition of substantially all of the assets and operations of Takata Corporation (Japan), as part of Takata’s Chapter 11 case;
BlackRock, Inc. in a variety of matters involving revolving credit facilities and its $20 billion acquisition of Barclays Global Investors;
Synergy Pharmaceuticals in its Chapter 11 filing, DIP financing and sale of substantially all of its assets to Bausch Health;
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. in its $2.8 billion acquisition by Penn National Gaming, Inc.;
DST Systems, Inc. in its $5.4 billion acquisition by SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.;
Permira Funds in connection with a first lien $325 million term loan and $50 million revolving facility, in addition to a second lien $120 million term loan to finance its acquisition of DiversiTech Holdings, Inc.;
Gilead in a variety of matters, including its $11.9 billion acquisition of Kite Pharma, Inc. and its $11 billion acquisition for Pharmasset, Inc.;
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. in its:
- $2.6 billion acquisition of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation;
- $800 million acquisition of Mercury (Cayman) Holdings, the holding company of Amoun Pharmaceutical Company S.A.E. (Egypt); and
- its $15 billion acquisition of Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.;
A&E Television Networks in connection with the financing of NBCUniversal Media, LLC’s $3 billion sale of its 15.8 percent stake in A&E to The Walt Disney Corporation and Hearst Corporation; and
E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company in its:
- $7.4 billion acquisition of Danisco A/S, a manufacturer of food ingredients; and
- in a $3.5 billion revolving credit facility from JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

Maria R. Salcedo

Partner,
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

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Maria represents companies in individual and complex product liability lawsuits and product recalls. She is experienced in all stages of litigation, including fact discovery, expert witness preparation, complex briefing, and trial. Maria has served on more than 11 trial teams and consistently achieves positive results for her clients, including resolving the case before trial or successfully defending smoking-and-health trials in Florida. She understands her clients’ businesses and goals and provides excellent legal strategy.

She has also handled multinational product recalls for a major US consumer goods manufacturer, including matters in Latin America, the Caribbean and Australia. She has fluent oral and written Spanish skills.

Maria provides outstanding service not only to her firm clients, but also to her community. She won the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association President’s Award in 2017. She was president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Greater Kansas City in 2011 and 2016, and she is an active member of the Hispanic National Bar Association. She also represents pro bono parents and children in Family Court and defendants in criminal cases through the Missouri Right to Counsel Coalition Project.

Additionally, Maria is the vice-chair of the board of directors for Citizens of the World Charter School Kansas City, a school that seeks to provide excellent public education focused on developing and demonstrating understanding while building connections within a diverse community. She is also on the board of directors of Visit KC (the entity that promotes Kansas City’s travel and tourism industry) and the Visit KC Foundation.

Recognizing her excellent contributions and promising future, her firm selected Maria to participate in the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity Fellows program in 2018 and nominated her for the MCCA Rising Stars Award.

She graduated with highest distinction from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in journalism and international studies. While studying at the University of Kansas School of Law, Maria won First Place Oralist at the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, was a Dean’s Fellow, and Law School Merit Scholar.

On her free time, Maria volunteers at her church as part of the diversity leadership team and the counting team, plays tennis, lifts weights, and attends live concerts.

Tiffany Smith

Partner,
WilmerHale

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Tiffany J. Smith has over a decade of experience advising and representing broker-dealers and other financial institutions, including financial technology companies, regarding compliance with federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules of the self-regulatory organizations. Ms. Smith’s practice primarily focuses on three areas: (i) broker-dealer regulatory compliance, (ii) representing clients in connection with enforcement matters and regulatory examinations, and (iii) providing regulatory advice in connection with corporate transactions.

With respect to broker-dealer regulatory compliance, Ms. Smith often advises clients on newly adopted rules and areas of increased regulatory focus, including the rules on market access, securities trading and market activities, short sales, and issuer repurchases. Ms. Smith also has experience advising clients on the regulatory implications of new and emerging technologies (e.g., blockchain) and helping clients navigate the regulatory hurdles associated with these technologies. In addition, she counsels clients on triggers for broker-dealer registration, including those related to offshore activities and those related to the activities of financial technology companies.

Ms. Smith has experience representing clients in connection with regulatory examinations, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) enforcement matters, and the FINRA MC-400 Membership Continuance Process, and conducting internal investigations.

Ms. Smith often serves as regulatory counsel in connection with corporate transactions involving broker-dealers, advises clients through the FINRA new and continuing member application processes, and counsels clients on the triggers for filing a FINRA continuing member application.

At the firm, Ms. Smith has been active on the Diversity Committee, Hiring Committee, Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, and various volunteer-based initiatives. From 2016–2019, she was co-chair of firm’s New York summer associate program.

While in law school, Ms. Smith was a Compliance Audit Specialist for M&T Securities. She audited personnel to ensure compliance with internal, federal and self-regulatory organization rules, and held the following securities licenses: Series 6, 7, 24, 53, 63 and 65. Ms. Smith also interned at the Investment Management Division of the SEC and the Litigation Department at FINRA.

In 2014, Ms. Smith completed the Council of Urban Professionals Executive Leadership Program, a year-long leadership development program comprised of leadership training, coaching and keynote conversations with executives. Ms. Smith is also a member of the Wall Street Blockchain Association, the New York City Bar, the National Bar Association, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association and the LGBT Bar Association of New York; and on the Board of the Legal Aid Society.

Maya Yamazaki

Partner,
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

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Maya Yamazaki focuses her practice on intellectual property, media and technology law for clients ranging from startups and emerging companies to global corporations. Her practice includes the structuring, drafting, and negotiation of information technology and digital media transactions. She also counsels clients on a range of issues including advertising, marketing, and promotional matters. Maya also has experience litigating copyright, patent, trade secret, and trademark cases in federal court and before federal agencies.

Practice Highlights

Video Games
Draft and negotiate agreements for content acquisition of television and film rights (electronic/digital sell through and video on demand) for distribution via video game consoles

Draft and negotiate agreements for application development and distribution for premier video game consoles and mobile devices

Draft terms of use, license agreements, and privacy policies for mobile applications and websites

Represents publishers, consoles, and platforms in drafting and negotiation game development, publishing, and distribution agreements

Music
Represent music publishers in drafting inbound licenses with musicians and outbound licenses with music users

Counsel clients on music licensing and negotiate related agreements, including related to public performance of music and related clearances

Represent artists in music publishing and licensing agreements

Digital Media
Advise clients on various intellectual property matters including enforcement of trademarks and copyrights, DMCA compliance, and pre-publication review of content

Counsel clients on social media matters including compliance with applicable FTC and COPPA regulations

Structure and draft digital media contracts such as music licensing agreements and video and content license agreements for Internet portals and websites. Structure and draft advertising and marketing agreements including celebrity talent agreements, co-promotion and sponsorship agreements, and contest rules

Publishing
Represented illustrators in negotiating publishing agreements for use of their work in books

Structure, draft, and negotiate agency and representation agreements for authors and content owners

Technology
Structure, draft, and negotiate technology contracts such as inbound and outbound software license agreements, joint development agreements, hosted (Cloud) services agreements, application development agreements, hardware procurement, services agreements, website design and hosting agreements, distribution and fulfillment agreements, agreements with University IP offices, and consulting agreements

Provide Internet, mobile, and technology-related advice to established businesses and smaller startups

Provide counsel and advice on issues related to open source licenses

Advertising and Marketing
Draft and negotiate agreements related to sponsorship, promotions, and co-marketing for leading technology companies

Draft advertising agreements for advertising inventory sellers, buyers, and advertisers

Counsel clients on contest and sweepstakes rules

MICHEAL BINNS

Danielle Coleman

ALESHA DOMINIQUE

CONWAY EKPO

PAST MCCA RISING STARS

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Micheal Binns

Danielle Coleman

Alesha Dominique

Conway Ekpo

Susan Garcia

Christine Hardy

Sonny Haynes

M. Janine Jjingo

Terry Johnson

Ely Juarez Pennant

Jesse Nevarez

Smita Rajmohan

Maria R. Salcedo

Volha Samasiuk

Cecilia Sanabria

Tiffany Smith

Casiya Thaniel

Bernard Williams Jr

Bonnie Wolf

Maya Yamazaki