Paul Lancaster Adams

Shareholder
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

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Paul is a nationally recognized labor and employment lawyer. With a strong in-house and outside counsel background, he brings a unique and practical perspective to issues critical to the modern workplace through counseling, negotiation and litigation. Paul represents employers throughout the U.S. in high-stakes federal and state court employment litigation, class and collective actions and administrative proceedings. He has successfully tried to verdict over 25 matters in federal and state courts and handled numerous arbitrations and mediations. Paul routinely defends clients in investigations by government agencies such as the EEOC, and state equivalents, DOL and NLRB and conducts and oversees internal corporate investigations of discrimination, harassment, fraud, embezzlement and other forms of employment misconduct. He also represents clients in employment related intellectual property matters.

The International Law Office (ILO) named Paul the 2017 and 2019 exclusive winner for Pennsylvania in the Employment Law category for its “Client Choice Awards”, based on feedback provided by more than 2,500 in-house counsel. The recognition focused on Paul’s ability to provide high quality legal representation, strategic thinking and value for services across jurisdictions. Since 2017, he has been recognized as one of the “100 Most Powerful Corporate Employment Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon and Human Resources Executive magazine, and in 2020 was the profile-featured cover page honoree to the publication’s inaugural“500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers”. In 2016 Paul was elected a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. He has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 2014 and further singled out as one of “The Legal 500” nationally. Philly Biz Magazine named Paul a “2016 Executive of the Year” distinguishing him as 1 of 11 individuals “working to make Philadelphia a leader in every sector.” In 2014, Paul was named one of the “Attorneys Who Matter” describing him as one of “the best and brightest minds in the legal field from around the globe” by leading international business ethics think-tank the Ethisphere® Institute.

Paul has served and continues to serve, in firm leadership roles to include, but not limited to, firm-wide Management Committee, Office Managing Shareholder, National/International Client Services Steering Committee and the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee. Through Paul’s leadership, the Philadelphia office was named SmartCEO’s “2015 Law Firm of the Year” and Paul a finalist of the “Industry Practice Attorney of the Year”. Paul has been honored “Pennsylvania Diverse Attorney of the Year” in 2013 by The Legal Intelligencer (oldest law journal in the United States), a “Best Attorney in Philadelphia” by the Philadelphia Inquirer as well as “Top Lawyer in Pennsylvania” by the National Law Journal both since 2014 and Pennsylvania Super Lawyer 2015 to present. Additionally, in 2013 the Philadelphia Business Journal selected him to receive the “Minority Business Leader Executive Award” which distinguishably recognizes top-level corporate executives and advocates who play a strong role in their respective industries and communities.

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,
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 global Energy Industry team, 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 J. 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.

GUETER AURELIEN

Counsel,
Venable LLP

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Gueter Aurelien’s practice focuses on a broad range of corporate law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial financing, equity investments, securities offerings, commercial contracts, and general business transactions. Gueter advises start-up, emerging growth, and later-stage companies in a variety of industries; financial institutions; specialty lenders; banks; investors; entrepreneurs; and nonprofit organizations. She also regularly represents community development entities and other parties in connection with Federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing transactions.

In addition to her general corporate practice, Gueter has experience with public finance. She represents municipalities and conduit issuers and borrowers and routinely serves as bond counsel and borrower’s counsel. She has experience advising on general obligation bonds and revenue bonds; competitive, negotiated, and public offerings; private placements; and sophisticated financing, refinancing, and refunding arrangements using tax-exempt and taxable bonds.

Gueter has been recognized in The Daily Record, Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America and The National Black Lawyers. She is a former contributor for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and former board member for Boys Hope Girls Hope of Baltimore.

Gueter earned her B.A. from Columbia University, her M.A. in forensic accounting from Florida Atlantic University and her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

BRYAN BROWNING

Assistant General Counsel, Head of Global Disputes,
Whirlpool Corporation

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Bryan Browning is a decisive problem-solver for key stakeholders and C-suite leaders. He is Assistant General Counsel, Head of Global Disputes at Fortune 200 company Whirlpool Corporation, where he manages a large and talented team of attorneys, claims professionals, and staff. Bryan’s team is charged with developing and delivering on successful strategies related to all phases of Whirlpool’s highly-visible and complex disputes portfolio, including product liability, product safety, commercial matters, class actions, intellectual property litigation, privacy and data security related disputes, and governmental investigations. He also proactively leads dispute risk mitigation projects and provides strategic counsel on dispute risks globally to help advance Whirlpool’s strategy and protect the company. In addition, Bryan is also General Counsel for the Hispanic National Bar Association, a national organization that represents the interests of over 65,000 Hispanic legal professionals in the U.S and its territories.

Prior to his time at Whirlpool, Bryan served as Senior Legal Counsel, Commercial and Products Litigation at global technology company, Lenovo. In that role, Bryan managed Lenovo’s material commercial, employment, privacy, consumer, and products litigation globally. He also led all class action defense efforts and provided consultation on global risk management and insurance programs.  Before Lenovo, Bryan was a shareholder at Bassford Remele, P.A. in Minneapolis, MN where he focused on product liability, commercial, and class action trial work. Bryan had the honor of being the first Latino shareholder in Bassford’s then 135-year history.

Outside of his work at Whirlpool, Bryan is deeply involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives and organizations that are spearheading the efforts to make a difference. Most notably, he has served as an officer and on the Executive Committee of the Hispanic National Bar Association for many years. Moreover, he has served on various other non-profit boards and committees that share his vision of expanding the diversity pipeline in the legal profession. Specifically, Bryan currently serves on the boards of the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence, the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy, and the University of Minnesota Office of Equity and Diversity, National Diversity Advisory Board. Bryan was selected by the Hispanic National Bar Association as a recipient of the 2017 Top Lawyers Under 40 Award, and a 2016 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer. He has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers every year since 2012, and has been recognized by a number of organizations for his commitments to the legal profession and greater community.

NAKIMULI DAVIS-PRIMER

Shareholder,
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

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Nakimuli primarily focuses her practice on partnering with clients to create respectful workplaces that comply with federal, state, and local laws.  A key aspect of this partnership includes assisting clients with developing policies, practices, and procedures that create sustainable inclusive workplace climates.  Accordingly, Nakimuli is a Shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Labor & Employment (L&E) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practice groups. Before joining Baker Donelson, she was a law clerk to the Honorable Leslie H. Southwick of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In addition to her practice at Baker Donelson, for the last two years Nakimuli has been an Adjunct Professor at Mississippi College School of Law, where she teaches Employment Law. 

Nakimuli has significant experience defending employers in administrative matters and single and multi-plaintiff litigation alleging discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, breach of contract, and violations of various federal, state, and local laws. She routinely identifies and assesses opportunities for clients to reduce legal risk and improve their workplace culture, which includes reviewing and developing policies and handbooks, advising clients on novel employment issues, conducting internal investigations, training employees and leaders on a variety of employment-related topics, and serving as a resource for human resource professionals and in-house counsel tackling employment issues.  At the onset of the pandemic, Nakimuli quickly became adept in the changing legal landscape for employers.  She counseled and advised employers across numerous industries, including manufacturing, education, banking, health care, and hospitality, on novel issues relating to leaves and accommodations, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), reductions-in-force, furloughs, COVID-19 exposures and diagnosis, hiring, terminations, return-to-work protocols, OSHA compliance, vaccination mandates, and COVID-19 testing issues and concerns. She studied and presented on issues that were important to clients, resulting in thousands tuning in to her webinars on topics such as the FFCRA, employer rights and obligations during the pandemic, and return-to-work protocols.  Nakimuli exhibits this same commitment to all issues that concern her clients. 

A growing aspect of Nakimuli’s practice involves partnering with clients to develop Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) plans and initiatives, which includes creating and evaluating cultural audits and employee surveys to ground and inform DEI initiatives and goals, social media policies, DEIA related policies and practices, and communication strategies surrounding issues relating to DEIA. Nakimuli partners with clients to create ongoing training programs that raise awareness of, identify tools and strategies for, and reinforce best practices to create sustainable inclusive workplaces. These measures are critical to increasing employee engagement and reducing legal risk, particularly the risk of harassment and discrimination claims. Nakimuli develops training programs for leaders, management level, and non-management level employees on topics ranging from implicit bias, inclusive leadership, increasing employee engagement, and navigating multigenerational workforces to discrimination, harassment, conflict resolution, and leave and accommodation requests.  In addition to her L&E and ESG practice, Nakimuli represents clients on commercial litigation matters, specifically including breach of contract, fraud, and premises liability.  She also has significant experience representing insurers on bad faith breach of contract claims and litigating federal condemnation actions.

Nakimuli has earned numerous recognitions for her community involvement and leadership. In 2013, she was named to Lawyers of Color’s inaugural “Hot List”, recognizing her as one of 100 early to mid-career minority attorneys under 40 from the South who are excelling in the legal profession. She was first-named by the National Black Lawyers as a Top 100 Attorney in 2015, with multiple recognitions thereafter. In 2020, she was recognized by the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division as a 2020 On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyer, and by the Mississippi Business Journal as a Top 10 Finalist on their Top 50 Under 40 List. She has been named a Mid-South Rising Star by Mid-South Super Lawyers (2014 – 2021); and was recognized as one of the top 10 up-and-coming attorneys in the Jackson metro area by Portico Magazine (2015). Nakimuli was listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers as a leading Labor & Employment lawyer in Mississippi (2022) and recently was recognized by Bloomberg Law as a 2022 They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 honoree.  She has received the Outstanding Service Award for two local bar organizations as well as other recognitions and honors for her volunteer service.  Nakimuli is a Barrister in the Inn of Court, Charles Clark Inn and is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.  She is also a Board of Trustee for the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) and provides pro bono counsel to the MMA regarding personnel matters.   

MATT DEPAZ

Partner,
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP

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Matt’s practice focuses on the defense of companies in complex product liability and class action litigation. Matt has represented numerous product manufacturers in federal and state jurisdictions, including multidistrict litigation and coordinated state court proceedings. Matt’s work includes taking and defending depositions, drafting motions and briefs, and preparing expert and company witnesses for depositions and trial testimony.

Matt has also gained significant experience working with and representing companies in the health care industry. Matt seconded to a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company to assist with ongoing litigation. Before joining Shook, he also interned at Walgreens where he assisted in-house counsel on various state and federal regulatory matters. And before law school, Matt interned for Shire where he helped train pharmaceutical sales professionals and compose a marketing campaign.

In addition to his practice, Matt actively participates in local and national bar associations. In 2019, Matt was elected to serve a two-year term as one of Missouri’s delegates to the ABA’s House of Delegates. Since 2019, Matt has co-chaired the Heartland Diversity Job Fair for KCMBA. Since 2018, Matt has served on the Missouri Bar Young Lawyer’s Section Council, where he has focused on helping new lawyers entering the profession.

RONAK D. DESAI

Of Counsel, Litigation,
Paul Hastings LLP

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Ronak D. Desai is Of Counsel in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings LLP and serves as firm-wide co-leader of its Congressional Investigations practice.

A seasoned international investigations, enforcement defense, and compliance attorney, Mr. Desai has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He advises clients on a broad range of complex investigative, compliance, crisis management, and public policy matters.  Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Mr. Desai served as investigative counsel to a high-profile Select Committee on Capitol Hill. In addition to his Congressional work, Mr. Desai is a recognized expert on India and the Subcontinent, and draws upon his deep understanding of the region to help U.S. and other multinational clients navigate the unique legal and policy challenges arising in the course of their cross-border operations. He also counsels Indian companies conducting business abroad, including in the United States. Mr. Desai serves as pro bono General Counsel and independent Board Director to the Partnership for a Secure America, a DC-based foreign policy think tank that seeks to promote bipartisanship on Capitol Hill through its flagship Congressional Partnership Program. In 2016, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appointed Mr. Desai to her Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). He recently completed his second three-year term. He also serves as Member of the Board of the South Asian Symphony Foundation and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a frequent author, speaker, and commentator. He is a regular contributor to Forbes and Bloomberg Law, and a host of publications in the Asia-Pacific. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The National Law Journal, The Hill, Foreign Policy, The Huffington Post, and has been cited by The Congressional Research Service. He has been previously recognized by the South Asian Bar Association, the National Law Journal, and the American Bar Association for his white collar, Congressional investigations, and India-related legal work.  Mr. Desai earned joint public policy and law degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School from which he graduated magna cum laude. 

JASON G. DOWNS

Shareholder,
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

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Jason Downs, shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, taps into his experience managing one of the premier AG offices in the country and his reputation as a top-notch trial attorney to help clients engage with government regulators, including state attorneys general. As State Attorneys General practice group co-chair, he serves as lead counsel for clients facing enforcement action, takes a creative approach to educating the state AG community on behalf of clients and helps businesses understand the authority of state attorneys general. Jason also provides strategic advice on parallel civil and criminal investigations, as well as civil rights audits.

As chief deputy AG, Jason managed all legal matters brought on behalf of, or against, the District of Columbia and oversaw enforcement actions involving local and multistate anticompetitive, unfair and deceptive trade practices. Prior to that, he served as general counsel at the Office of the Attorney General. He also spent seven years at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, serving as lead counsel on 26 felony jury trials against federal prosecutors. Jason has also resolved cases without the necessity of a trial, including convincing federal prosecutors not to indict the chief financial officer of a company under investigation for foreign importation statutes violations. In another case, Jason persuaded federal prosecutors to dismiss a 17-count indictment. He successfully litigated an 8-level variance from the federal sentencing guidelines in a case involving bribery of a public official.

Jason serves as trial advocacy workshop faculty at Harvard Law School and is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law.

CHARLENE A. BARKER GEDEUS, ESQ.

Shareholder,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

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Charlene Gedeus, shareholder in Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Labor & Employment section, represents private and public employers in labor and employment-related disputes in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies, as well as in the arbitral forum. Experienced in both single-plaintiff matters and class actions, her practice includes defending claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, unlawful harassment and hostile work environment claims. Charlene counsels employers from industries as diverse as retail, food service, education and manufacturing.

As a complement to her litigation practice, Charlene also provides extensive pre-litigation day-to-day advice and tailored counseling to employers with the objective of preventing and managing litigation risks. She counsels management and Human Resources personnel on a myriad of employment-related issues, including performance management/discipline, workplace accommodations, FMLA compliance, terminations and employment best practices. Charlene also assists employers in developing and implementing employment policies and programs in accordance with state and federal employment laws.

In 2017, Charlene was named one of Philly Biz’s Women to Watch. Additionally, Charlene has been selected for inclusion in the Pennsylvania Rising Stars® list each year since 2019.

She holds a bachelor’s degree and M.P.A from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a law degree from New York Law School.

CHRISTOPHER GRANT

Senior Lead Counsel,
LinkedIn Corporation

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Christopher Grant (he/him) serves as Senior Lead Counsel for the LinkedIn Corporation, operator of the world’s leading professional social network.

Chris is a member of the Products, Partnerships, and Platforms legal team and in addition to counseling on several of LinkedIn’s products, he supports the Business Development team in various licensing verticals.  Most recently, Chris provided critical support and was a key advisor on bringing the successful LinkedIn Podcast Network to life.

Prior to joining LinkedIn, Chris was a corporate associate at the Tokyo offices of Jones Day and Morrison & Foerster.  While at Morrison & Foerster, he worked on some of the largest M&A transactions out of Japan.

Chris is deeply engaged with organizations that advance positive change: (1) he is on the leadership team for Out@In, an employee resource group at LinkedIn that creates a space of belonging for LGBT+ employees and allies; (2) he is on the LinkedIn legal team’s diversity, inclusion, and belonging committee which aims to increase and support diversity in the legal field and to foster learnings on diversity; (3) he is a singing member and a board member for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, a historic 501(c)3 organization that “leads by creating extraordinary music and experiences that build community, inspires activism, and fosters compassion at home and around the world”; and (4) he is a volunteer at the LGBT Asylum Project which aims to “provide accessible legal representation for LGBT asylum seekers”.

A native of Belize, Chris is a 2012 JD/LLM dual-degree graduate of the Duke University School of Law, holds CIPP/US accreditation, and speaks fluent Japanese and Kriol.

SHANELLE HENRY

Senior Corporate Counsel,
Microsoft

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Shanelle Henry is a Senior Corporate Counsel at Microsoft, where she helps lead a team of business and sales clients supporting our vast partner ecosystem to drive digital transformation for customers in the areas of cloud, AI, IOT and other innovative technologies. At Microsoft, Shanelle has also served as a product attorney supporting engineers who developed leading business application cloud solutions for small, medium and large companies. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was an Associate at the leading AmLaw100, international law firm of Nixon Peabody where she specialized in Intellectual Property and Enforcement matters.  Outside of her legal work, Shanelle is passionate about serving her community and is an Executive Committee member of a coding program designed for children in underserved communities in partnership with DMV NSBE, Jr. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor, and a double major graduate of Brandeis University with her Bachelor of Arts degree.

NAOMI K. HILLS

Senior Counsel,
GSK

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Naomi K. Hills is Senior Counsel at GSK within the Specialty/Oncology team. Naomi is lead counsel for the US sample program, patient engagement leadership team. Naomi is responsible for advising on promotional and non-promotional initiatives for specialty and oncology biologics. Naomi advises on the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, PhRMA code and other promotional and regulatory rules. Naomi is a member of the Legal & Compliance core team for a “Inclusive Culture Workstream” which is tasked to help shape DEI within leadership behaviors, recruitment, and talent assessment. In addition to the above, Naomi provides Pro-Bono legal services with the Innocence Project. Prior to her role at GSK, Naomi was US Head of Legal for a multinational private label juice corporation.

Naomi is an active member in the legal community and is the Chair of the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) Corporate Counsel section, a member of NYSBA’s Audit Committee and Committee on Leadership. Naomi was a 2021 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow. Naomi received her BA from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park and J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law.

Naomi is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® and The President of The Pearls an Ivy Foundation of Queens, Inc., she is also an active member of The Links Inc., Long Island Chapter.

TENNILLE HOOVER

Senior Corporate Counsel,
U.S. Bank

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Tennille Hoover is Senior Corporate Counsel at U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. She has served in this position since January 2021. In her role as Senior Corporate Counsel, Tennille is responsible for advising the organization on the legal risk and compliance for all areas of employment law in the United States and Canada.

Prior to joining U.S. Bank, Tennille worked for The Employment Law Solution: McFadden Davis, LLC, a woman- and minority-owned law firm, where her practice focused on management-side employment litigation and advisement. In that role, Tennille successfully defended employers against actions brought by current and former employees in federal and state courts, as well as the Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and other administrative agencies. She also performed complex investigates for private, governmental, and educational organizations.

Outside of the office, Tennille is actively engaged in the legal community as a member of Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Advisory Committee and annual evaluator for the Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition. She also serves as a mentor to aspiring attorneys in the Spelman Sister-2-Sister Program.

Tennille is also very active in her local community as a board member for her homeowner’s association and President of The Quad Academy Parent Teacher Organization, a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization she cofounded at her daughter’s school. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Tennille graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she served as the President of the Black Law Students Association and as Editor-in-Chief of Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice.

Tennille has been recognized as a 2020 and 2021 Super Lawyers Rising Star, and a 2022 Georgia Legal Awards On the Rise Awardee.

In her spare time, you can find her exploring the world and trying to keep up with her 4-year-old polyglot.

MICHAEL J. HUI

Of Counsel,
Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP

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Michael J. Hui is a trusted advisor and collaborator to startups and emerging growth companies. He guides them through the entire employment lifecycle from hire, compensation, EEO compliance, termination, and beyond. Michael works to develop real life solutions to help clients achieve their mission and maximize value for the business. As a former high stakes employment litigator, Michael leverages this background when counseling clients to limit or eliminate risk, as well as providing support when disputes arise.

Prior to joining Gunderson Dettmer, Michael was a litigator at an international labor and employment law firm representing tech companies and multinational corporations in all types of employment matters, including sexual harassment lawsuits, wage and hour class and PAGA actions, and wrongful discharge matters. Michael also was seconded as an in-house employment counsel to a publicly traded fintech company, giving him unique insight into client needs and expectations.

Michael currently serves on the board of directors for the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and sits as the president of the Northern California Employment Round Table, which partners with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing to educate the public and employers regarding issues of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

PAUL HUMPHREYS

Partner,
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

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Paul Humphreys is a partner at Freshfields in New York. He focuses on cross-border public and private M&A, private equity transactions, venture capital and general corporate governance matters. Paul advises clients across a number of industries, including industrials, chemicals, life sciences and private equity. He was elected to Law360’s 2021 M&A editorial board for his significant contributions to the thought leadership discourse.

Paul is a founding member and partner sponsor of our US Halo network, Freshfields’ LGBT+ network that supports the firm’s LGBT+ colleagues and the broader LGBT+ legal community. He also leads our alumni engagement efforts in the United States.

Paul received his J.D., cum laude, from Pace University School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves on Pace University School of Law’s Board of Visitors. Prior to Freshfields, Paul worked in international education and spent two years in Kyushu, Japan.

VANESSA JACKSON

Partner,
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

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Advises lenders and borrowers in a broad range of finance transactions, including leveraged and investment-grade acquisition financings. A 2022 Law360 “Rising Star.”

Vanessa’s practice focuses on the representation of financial institutions and corporate borrowers in a broad range of corporate finance transactions, including leveraged and investment-grade acquisition financings, asset-based credit facilities, debt restructurings, spinoffs, working capital financings, debtor-in-possession financings, exit financings, and other secured and unsecured financings.

In 2022, Vanessa was named a “Rising Star” in banking by Law360. The Partnership for New York City named Vanessa to its 2022 Class of David Rockefeller Fellows and Crain’s New York Business named her to its 2022 “Notable Women in Law” list. She serves as co- chair of Davis Polk’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and is a member of Law360’s 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Editorial Advisory Board.

JUSTIN T. JOHNSON

Senior Counsel, Global Affiliate Governance,
AbbVie Inc.

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Justin joined AbbVie in January 2021 where he serves as the principal attorney for the governance oversight of AbbVie Inc.’s 300+ affiliates, leads the global legal integration of Allergan Limited following its acquisition by AbbVie Inc. in spring 2020, and oversees the Global Affiliate Governance Team in the day-to-day management of AbbVie Inc.’s subsidiary governance. Justin serves on AbbVie’s HBCU Legal Career Promotion Committee, which seeks to enrich the pipeline of diverse talent from HBCU’s in the legal profession, including professions in the health care industry. Justin is also a member of AbbVie Inc.’s Corporate Legal, Governance, and Operations 1L Legal Internship Committee, where he serves as a mentor to first year law students, a fundamental component of the summer internship program.

Prior to joining AbbVie, Justin worked at Rush University System for Health (RUSH) where he most recently served as its Senior Corporate Counsel, Senior Associate General Counsel, Managing Director of Corporate Development, and Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees. Justin was the principal attorney for major corporate health care transactions such as: the formation and expansion of RUSH, significant asset acquisitions and dispositions, and RUSH’s tax-exempt bond issuances, re-financings, and disclosures. Justin developed and managed the RUSH Deals Team, an interdisciplinary group consisting of system senior leadership which tracked, evaluated, prioritized, and implemented all major external growth opportunities and transactions. Justin was an Assistant Professor of Rush University’s Department of Health Systems Management, where he co-directed its Health Law and Ethics course. Additionally, Justin served as a member of RUSH’s Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee, the Diversity Leadership Council, and as the Co-Chairperson of the Demographic Strategy Team.

In his volunteer time, Justin serves as a member of the Citizens Police Oversight Committee of the Village of Oak Park, a committee charged with evaluating complaints about police conduct and interpersonal/community relations.

Justin recently served as an Adjunct Professor for Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, were he established and lead two courses covering the topics of health care law, ethics, and bioethics.

Justin attended Princeton University and received his law degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

JOHN KIM

Counsel,
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

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John Kim is Counsel at State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company where he is based out of the company’s home offices in Bloomington, Illinois, which is also his hometown. John provides strategic advice and counsel to business partners on labor, employment, and immigration matters across the enterprise and in support of State Farm’s mission to help customers manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams.

At State Farm’s Law Department, John has led the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and spearheaded the department’s engagement with minority bar associations. He is active with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association where he is the immediate past president of the NAPABA Law Foundation. In 2020, the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago recognized John with its Vanguard Award.

John also led the Law Department’s Ethic and Professionalism Committee. Currently, he serves as the Vice-Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism, which promotes a culture of civility and inclusion among Illinois lawyers and judges.

As a good neighbor, John is an active participant in State Farm’s pro bono program and collaborates with state-wide and local providers. In partnership with The Immigration Project, John has organized immigration clinics, as well as provided direct legal services. John serves as Treasurer of Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., which provides access to justice to low-income, elderly, and vulnerable clients throughout central and northern Illinois. John is a long-time volunteer at the Community Health Care Clinic, a free and charitable medical and dental clinic in McLean County, Illinois, where he received the 2022 Commitment to Health Award.

Prior to joining State Farm, John engaged in private practice in central Illinois. He received his J.D. from the American University’s Washington College of Law and a B.A. from Wheaton College (IL). Before attending law school, John worked as a refugee and asylee caseworker in Nairobi, Kenya, and as a policy analyst for a faith-based organization in Washington, D.C.

MICHELLE MARTINEZ

Senior Counsel – Global Product,
eBay Inc.

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Michelle grew up in Utah, moving to Salt Lake City from Los Angeles at the age of five. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University and her law degree from Vanderbilt University, Michelle began her legal career as a federal judicial clerk in the District of New Mexico and then later in the Middle District of Tennessee. After clerking, Michelle worked for several national law firms with a focus on intellectual property law, including patent prosecution and copyrights. Her experience living and working around the country (as well as a summer spent living in Venezuela and in New York City) allowed Michelle to see many different perspectives and helped her develop communication skills that she has integrated into her practice. At eBay, Michelle is putting her background in computer science and electrical engineering to good use, first in her role as Senior Counsel for Patents and Open Source, and now as a Global Product Counsel. She works closely with her team to encourage innovation, protect ideas, and develop relationships within eBay and with eBay’s customers.

Michelle is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Legal Committee at eBay, and works with her teammates to educate employees and the community to further one of eBay’s core tents: Be for Everyone.

Michelle is passionately involved in supporting adolescent STEM activities, including as a volunteer and presenter for Expanding Your Horizons, SheTech, Girl Scouts, and World IP Day. In addition, Michelle previously served as a Trustee for the MountainWest Capital Network, and she is currently on the Board of Directors for the Utah Chapter of the American Heart Association. Michelle’s free time is spent traveling, drinking coffee or acting as a bus driver for her kids.

EVA J. PULLIAM

Partner,
ArentFox Schiff LLP

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Eva Pulliam is a Partner at ArentFox Schiff, splitting her time between the firm’s Washington, D.C. and San Francisco offices. With a focus on the retail, technology, and consumer products industries, she regularly advises on best practices in the areas of data privacy, advertising and marketing, and trademark. Household names, tech giants and startups, non-profits, and other innovative organizations call on Eva to guide them through product development, compliance, and brand management. Clients value Eva’s ability to merge business goals with legal requirements. She enjoys collaborating with clients to create fun and exciting offerings that incorporate technology and innovation while complying with an evolving legal landscape.

Eva has been recognized as a “Next Generation Leader” in The Recorder’s 2018 Women Leaders in Tech Law  for her extensive work in the tech industry. She regularly presents on advertising, intellectual property, and privacy. Her recent presentations have spanned topics such as the evolution of adtech, the metaverse, the evolving US privacy landscape, and more. She is also a frequent commentator for Law360. Additionally, Eva is a certified privacy professional (CIPP/US) and a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

As an advocate for racial and social justice, Eva is an active member of the ArentFox Schiff Center for Racial Equity and the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. She is also a proud board member for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and a 2018 Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow.

JULIUS M. REDD

Principal,
Beveridge & Diamond P.C.

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Julius is a litigator and counselor who maintains a national practice.

He represents clients in various industries in complex civil litigation, enforcement actions, and administrative regulatory proceedings. Much of his litigation practice is focused on environmental issues, representing clients in matters related to contaminated property; toxic tort; contractual disputes; and complex commercial litigation. His ability to connect with clients and learn the intricacies of their businesses allows Julius to align his legal counsel with targeted actions to advance clients’ goals.

Handling cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States, his multifaceted experience in resolving conflicts enables him to achieve favorable results that satisfy both practical and economic objectives for the firm’s clients.

Environmental Justice

Julius also co-founded and co-chairs B&D’s Environmental Justice (EJ) practice group. He advises clients on EJ issues, evaluates EJ operational risks, designs and implements comprehensive EJ strategies, and proactively implements EJ considerations in project development. Julius regularly speaks and writes on EJ issues and is routinely quoted on EJ developments in publications such as Law360, Bloomberg, InsideEPA, and E&E News. He also frequently hosts episodes of Groundtruth, an EJ-focused podcast series created in partnership with the Environmental Law Institute.

Environmental Compliance Counseling

Additionally, Julius is a trusted advisor who provides strategic advice to C-suite executives and operational personnel on various environmental compliance and emerging ESG risks. He counsels clients on developing and implementing environmental compliance programs, and helps clients test the effectiveness of programs through environmental audits.

Civic Involvement and Pro Bono Legal Service

Julius maintains an active civic volunteer profile. He is a founding member of the Men of Color Project (MoCP), an organization designed to build leaders in the legal sector, facilitate intergenerational support, and encourage community service and civic engagement amongst men of color in the legal profession. He is also involved in prisoner advocacy, having spearheaded the firm’s participation in the Clemency Project, where attorneys assisted low-level, non-violent federal inmates in obtaining executive clemency via an Obama Administration initiative.

Since law school, Julius has been committed to providing pro bono representation, which included his work that secured the release of an inmate who was wrongfully convicted of murder after he had served 24 years in prison. Additionally, has represented pro bono clients in various areas of the law, including immigration, education, and landlord/tenant matters, to name a few.

Julius is also a board member of Unity Christian Fellowship, a STEM-focused non-profit youth development organization.

HELEN L. RESPASS

Senior Legal Editor & Global Pro Bono Co-Chair,
Thomson Reuters

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Helen Respass is a Senior Legal Editor at Practical Law, Thomson Reuters, where she creates legal know-how on topics such as commercial and cross-border transactions, employment, anti-corruption, corporate governance, compliance, and non-profit organizations. At Thomson Reuters, Helen was also seconded to the Employment Practice Group of the General Counsel’s Office, where she provided legal advice on a broad range of employment issues.

Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Helen was Assistant General Counsel for the Americas region at Sojitz Corporation of America, a global trading company. Among her responsibilities, Helen handled corporate, M&A, commercial, and employment matters, developed and oversaw the global ethics and compliance program, and managed the Trade Compliance Unit.

Helen started her legal career at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Linklaters LLP in the corporate and employee benefits practices. While an associate, Helen led and trained attorneys at Kelley Drye to represent refugees in asylum proceedings in partnership with Human Rights First, and served as Co-Chair of the Linklaters New York Pro Bono Committee.

Helen is passionate about pro bono and diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Thomson Reuters, she currently serves as the Co-Chair of Global Pro Bono, where she oversees the global pro bono program, coordinates with internal teams to align pro bono initiatives with corporate goals, and supports and organizes pro bono opportunities and training for employees. Helen is also an executive committee member of diverse business resource groups at Thomson Reuters, including Women @ Thomson Reuters and the Asian Affinity Network, and an ally member of the Global Allyship Community and Black Employee Network.

In 2020, Helen received the Cornerstone Award from Lawyers Alliance for New York, which recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions through pro bono legal services to nonprofits. In 2016, she received the Outstanding Volunteer Award from Open Hands Legal Services, honoring her exceptional commitment and kindness to clients at the organization’s legal aid desks.

Helen received an A.B. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a three-time recipient of Outstanding Pro Bono Work awards.

CHRISTOPHER R. RIAÑO

Of Counsel,
Holland & Knight LLP

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Christopher R. Riaño is Of Counsel at Holland & Knight LLP and is a nationally recognized attorney with extensive experience in constitutional, public, and administrative law, particularly in highly regulated industries. His experience includes service as a Commissioner for the New York State Gaming Commission, the General Counsel to the New York State Liquor Authority, Assistant Counsel to the Governor of New York for Education, Arts, and Constitutional Law, as well as service as a New York State Administrative Law Judge.

Riaño also is an award-winning author and scholar in the fields of constitutional and public law. He has lectured on constitutional law, jurisprudence, and public/administrative law for dozens of organizations across the country. His first book “Marriage Equality: From Outlaws to In-Laws,” co-authored with Professor William Eskridge of Yale Law School and published by Yale University Press, presents the 50-year history of same-sex marriage equality in the United States from 1967 – 2017. The book has received numerous accolades, including the 2021 Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association.

Riaño also currently serves as the President of the nation’s Center for Civic Education, as the Chair of the LGBTQ Law Section for the New York State Bar Association, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association. He has previously held numerous additional roles in service to the profession.

RICHARD C. ROSALEZ

Vice President, Litigation,
Samsung Electronics America

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Rich Rosalez is the Vice President, Litigation at Samsung Electronics America, Inc., the US subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., one of the largest electronics and high-tech manufacturing companies in the world.  As a leader in the legal department, Rich manages the company’s litigation docket, pre-litigation, investigations, responses to enforcement matters, and related activities.  Since joining Samsung in 2011, Rich has been actively involved in some of the most followed and influential legal matters in the US, and he has counseled the company and its leaders through fourfold growth.  Rich regularly advises Samsung on significant strategic issues, competition, brand protection, and public relations matters, including serving as a company spokesperson with numerous leading media outlets.  Long passionate about DEI, Rich is a founding member, mentor, and executive sponsor of Unidos, Samsung’s Latino/Hispanic employee resource group, and he serves on the company’s DEI Advisory Council.

Outside of the office, Rich is active in the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (In-House Committee), and the Hispanic National Bar Association (Deputy Regional President), where he has recently focused on mentoring programs, and he previously held numerous positions over several years with the American Bar Association’s trial practice committee (newsletter, website, membership, and diversity subcommittees).  Rich has also served as an adviser to a leading DFW charter school, an adventure guides leader, a youth sports coach many times over, and a school and community volunteer.  Rich has won a number of awards for his professional and community endeavors, ranging from the DFW Association of Corporate Counsel/D CEO Magazine Outstanding In-House Counsel of the Year Award, to the Hispanic National Bar Association Top Lawyers Under 40 Award, and a City of Dallas Service Award.  Rich has been featured on the cover of Modern Counsel magazine’s Resilience Issue, and twice been highlighted in Hispanic Executive magazine.

Prior to joining Samsung, Rich practiced white collar, government enforcement, antitrust, intellectual property, and complex commercial litigation at Jones Day in Dallas, and Latham & Watkins in New York.  Originally from rural Ohio, Rich attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia Law School.

CHRISTINE N. SWIFT

VP, Litigation & Corporate Insurance,
Lincoln Financial Group

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Christine Swift joined Lincoln Financial Group in 2011 and is a member of Lincoln’s Enterprise Litigation team, focusing primarily on complex litigation. In addition, Christine leads Lincoln’s Corporate Insurance function, where she is responsible for the placement and oversight of all of Lincoln’s management and professional liability and casualty insurance programs.

Prior to joining Lincoln, Christine was a litigation attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Philadelphia, where she handled a variety of matters including class actions, federal appropriations litigation, as well as labor and employment disputes.

Christine is passionate about diversity and inclusion, serving as Co-Chair of the Lincoln Legal Department’s Diversity Action Team, as well as Co-Chair of the Women’s Business Resource Group at Lincoln.

Outside of Lincoln, Christine is Vice-Chair of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and previously served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana.

Christine received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctor from Temple University, Beasley School of Law. She currently lives in Indiana, with her husband and two boys.

NIKOLAS TAKACS

Senior Product and Regulatory Counsel,
Marqeta

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Nikolas Takacs has focused his career on payments, banking, and cross-border legal issues. He currently serves as Senior Counsel at Marqeta in Oakland, California, where he advises the company on product and regulatory matters.

Prior to joining Marqeta, Nikolas was Senior Counsel at Visa, providing guidance on compliance with sanctions, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, export controls, and political law.  Nikolas started his in-house legal career at Wells Fargo, initially serving as commercial counsel for the International Trade Services line of business and later as a regulatory counsel in the Anti-Bribery, Sanctions, and Anti-Money Laundering Division of the Legal Department.  Before moving in-house, Nikolas was an associate attorney in the International practice group of Armstrong Teasdale LLP, advising clients on international compliance matters including import and export, sanctions, and anti-bribery laws.

Nikolas has been a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity throughout his legal career. He currently serves on the board of directors of the California Minority Counsel Program and as chair of their Ambassador’s Council. Nikolas was a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for Visa’s Legal and Compliance Department. While at Wells Fargo, Nikolas was a member of the Legal Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and chaired the San Francisco office’s diverse summer internship program.

Nikolas is a graduate of American University Washington College of Law and earned his bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Hispanic Studies from the College of William and Mary.

SUE XIA

Senior Counsel – Patents and Open Source,
Walmart

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Sue Xia is lead counsel of patents and open source at Walmart. She leads Walmart’s patent program where she manages the growing patent portfolio and supports all areas of the company including retail, eCommerce, Sam’s Club and Walmart’s innovation incubator Store No.8. She also advises on all open source issues across Walmart.

During her time at Walmart, Sue built the patent program at Walmart and grew Walmart’s small patent portfolio to what is now today the largest patent portfolio among US retailers.

Prior to joining Walmart, Sue practiced at major law firms where she represented semiconductor and software companies in a variety of IP matters including patent portfolio counseling, patent prosecution and litigation. She has litigated complex patent cases in district court and the International Trade Commission.

Sue earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from UCLA and JD from Santa Clara University. Sue lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and two boys.