Tony Chan

His clients include global strategic buyers and sellers, as well as financial sponsors and their portfolio companies in the life science, healthcare, investment management and technology industries.

Tony has been recognized for his life sciences and M&A work by a number of notable publications, including The Legal 500 US, Law360, IFLR1000 and Legal Media Group. In particular, Law360 highlighted his work in navigating the complex life sciences industry and key partnership negotiations between biotechnology and drug companies.

In addition, Tony sustains an active pro bono practice, serving as counsel to nonprofit organizations such as Aequitas, APAI Vote, Chefs Stopping Asian American Hate, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Film Society, Partners for Public Good and the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance.  Tony serves as the President of board of the Harvard Law School Association of DC, the Vice-Chair of board of the Museum of Modern Art Arlington and on the board of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of DC.  Tony is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School where he has taught Takeovers, Mergers and Acquisitions annually since 2015.

Tiffany Cheung

Meenakshi Datta

Heidi B. Friedman

Elizabeth Ising

Charles E. Harris II

Gilbert K.S. Liu

Partner and Chair, Securitization,
Kramer Levin

—

Gilbert K.S. Liu advises and represents issuers, underwriters, borrowers, lenders and service providers in connection with structured finance and securitization transactions involving a wide variety of esoteric asset classes, including residential and commercial solar assets, timeshare loans, US government energy savings performance contracts, venture loans, life science loans, recurring revenue loans, home improvement loans, equipment leases, auto loans, trademark and licensing rights, and music royalties.

Both Legal 500 and Chambers USA have repeatedly recognized Gil as a leading securitization lawyer. Chambers USA noted: Gil “provides excellent counsel” and “has continued to be a leader in the space. He thinks through matters critically and deliberately, bringing tremendous experience to the table.” Citing clients, Chambers has also described him as “thoughtful and knowledgeable” and “a tremendous [lawyer] with a deep knowledge of structures and market norms, which he can apply to novel situations,” noting his great reputation in the esoteric market and “[skilled] handling of esoteric assets,” and “his efficiency in ‘absorbing our objectives and crafting solutions’ and ability to ‘break things down and figure everything out step by step.’”

Crain’s New York Business named Gil to its list of Notable Asian Leaders in 2022, the Asian American Business Development Center named him one of its Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business in 2014, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association honored him with its Best Under 40 Award in 2009.

Gil currently serves on the board and executive committee of Apex for Youth, a non-profit organization providing support for underserved Asian immigrant youth in New York City.  He also serves on the board of Homerun Projects, a nonprofit organization supporting youth-based programs in New York City. For more than 10 years, Gil served on the board and executive committee of Harlem RBI (now known as DREAM), a nonprofit organization providing social, academic and athletic services for youth in East Harlem, NY. He has also been a member of the board of Volunteers of Legal Service. Gil has been involved in pro bono matters for Harlem RBI, the DREAM Charter School, the Chinese American Health Foundation, the CAIPA Foundation, Lowline, Broadway Barks, Infinite Variety Productions and the Seido Juku Benefit Foundation.

Gil also serves on Kramer Levin’s Executive Committee, Operations Committee, Collaboration Committee, Pro Bono Committee and Diversity Committee, and is a member of the firm’s Attorneys of Color Affinity Group.

Yabo Lin

Sonal N. Mehta

Partner-in-Charge, Palo Alto and Vice-Chair, Litigation Department,
WilmerHale

—

Sonal is a dynamic litigator and strategic counselor representing many of the world’s leading technology and life sciences companies in complex disputes spanning IP, antitrust, class action, and complex commercial issues. She is regularly called upon by clients—ranging from Silicon Valley’s top technology companies to cutting-edge start-ups—to serve as lead counsel in the courtroom and as a trusted advisor in the boardroom.

Sonal has over 20 years of experience across all aspects of trial and appellate practice, including federal jury trials, state court jury and bench trials, International Trade Commission investigations, international arbitrations, and appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Federal Circuit and the California appellate courts.

Sonal’s honors include:

• Regularly recognized by Chambers USA Guide in California and nationwide for intellectual property: patents.
• Recognized in the 2023 and 2024 edition of Chambers Global in the category of intellectual property: patents.
• Named to Benchmark Litigation’s elite Top 10 Women in Litigation list in 2021 and 2022.
• Named Benchmark Litigation’s San Francisco Attorney of the Year across practice areas in 2020 and named the California Intellectual Property Litigator of the Year in 2021.
• Named to the Daily Journal’s list of Leading Commercial Litigators (2023 and 2024) and recognized as a Top Intellectual Property Lawyer (2022–2023).
• Regularly recognized by The Legal500 United States for patent litigation: full coverage.
• Named San Jose Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America for patent litigation (2020, 2022 and 2024), patent law (2020 and 2024) and intellectual property litigation (2023–2024).

Sonal is also a leader at her firm, serving as Partner-in-Charge of WilmerHale’s Palo Alto Office, Vice-Chair for the firm’s Litigation and Controversy Department, and on the firm’s Management and Compensation Committees.

Prior to joining WilmerHale, Sonal was a partner at another large international law firm, where she built her practice representing major technology sector companies in high-stakes patent litigation at the trial and appellate levels. She then joined a litigation boutique firm based in San Francisco, where she continued to serve as lead counsel for leading technology and life sciences clients in patent and commercial litigation matters.

Vicki Odette

Preston K. Ratliff II

Partner and Litigation Office Chair,
Paul Hastings, LLP

—

Preston K. Ratliff II is the Chair of the Firm’s Litigation practice in New York. Mr. Ratliff focuses his practice on complex, high-stakes litigation with an emphasis on patent litigation in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural, and renewable fuel sectors. He has successfully represented major and emerging companies both pre-trial and at trial.  Chambers USA notes that Mr. Ratliff is “really outstanding and excels at all aspects of litigation. What stands out is that he is a brilliant strategist who sees the big picture and can anticipate risks that aren’t always necessarily apparent…he is a very calming and unflappable presence even in the most difficult and stressful situations.”

Mr. Ratliff also has extensive experience counseling clients with respect to their IP portfolios and evaluating strategic licensing opportunities.  In addition, Mr. Ratliff is a frequent publisher in patent journals and an invited speaker at some of the most prestigious life sciences industry conferences.

EXEMPLARY REPRESENTATIONS

Seagen Inc. v. Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited.

Lead counsel in a hotly-contested, nearly 100 billion dollar breach of contract intellectual property biotechnology dispute involving antibody-drug conjugates (“ADCs”) for the treatment of various cancers. Mr. Ratliff, along with his team, obtained a complete victory dismissing the opposition’s claims as both substantively meritless and time-barred. This win was reported to be among the largest disputes ever handled by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, which is the American Arbitration Association’s forum for global conflict resolution.

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma et al. v. Emcure Pharmaceuticals et al.

Lead counsel that locked in full patent protection and revenues arising from Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma’s chemical compound patent for its billion-dollar-plus-per-year schizophrenia and bipolar drug, Latuda^®. Specifically, Mr. Ratliff obtained a Federal Circuit decision that affirmed a district court’s November 2016 claim construction ruling and a February 2017 judgment of infringement against three generic drug manufacturers. Taken together, these dual victories secured patent protection for Latuda^® while blocking more than a dozen generic drug manufacturers, including industry giant Teva Pharmaceuticals, from launching competing products.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Sandoz Inc. and Accord Healthcare, Inc.

Co-led a trial team that won an important trial victory for Merck concerning its pharmaceutical product Emend^® for Injection, which is used in the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. After a bench trial, the district court ruled that Merck’s patent was valid and infringed, defeating the challenge brought by several generic companies. Mr. Ratliff also co-led a team that convinced the Patent Office to deny Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex’s petition for an IPR, challenging a patent protecting Merck’s Emend^® for Injection franchise. Mr. Ratliff also convinced the PTAB to deny Apotex’s further request to rehear its IPR petition.

Pfizer Inc. v. Amgen Fremont Inc. and Amgen Inc.

Co-led a team that obtained a complete victory in a highly-complex breach of contract and intellectual property dispute in Delaware Chancery Court concerning billion-dollar biotechnology drug products.

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. et al. v. Par Pharmaceuticals, Inc. et al.

Lead trial counsel for Sucampo in a Hatch-Waxman litigation protecting its leading medication Amitiza^® for bowel disorders. In its suit against Par, Mr. Ratliff helped secure a settlement that provides Sucampo additional market exclusivity, as well as a royalty-bearing

Biovail International Laboratories v. Andrx Pharmaceuticals, LLC et al.

Co-led a trial team that secured a highly-favorable settlement in a patent infringement litigation regarding the company’s top-selling drug product for managing blood pressure.

Srikanth K. Reddy

Partner,
Goodwin Procter LLP

—

Srikanth Reddy is a partner in Goodwin’s Litigation department and a member of the IP Litigation practice, where he concentrates his practice on intellectual property opinion and litigation matters. He is also a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Disputes group and currently serves as the Boston Hiring Partner.

Srikanth counsels clients in a broad range of intellectual property litigation matters, including patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters. He has specific experience working on a highly diverse range of patent litigation matters including enforcement investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), Hatch-Waxman/ ANDA cases, other district court patent litigation matters and post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

EXPERIENCE

The technology areas at issue in the intellectual property litigation matters handled by Srikanth are highly varied and include, for example, pharmaceutical chemistry, biotechnology, immunoassays, vibration-monitoring equipment, semiconductor fabrication, computer chip assembly and packaging, digital out of home displays, light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturing and packaging, razor cartridges, cosmetic lasers used in the medical device industry, computer implemented business methods, mobile software applications, source code analysis and modems.

Rohit Sachdev

Katie Schwarting

Pallavi Mehta Wahi

Leslie Overton

Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer,
Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

—

Leslie Overton serves as Axinn’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. She recently earned an Executive Certificate in DEI from Georgetown University. Leslie also maintains an active antitrust practice. Having previously served in senior positions at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Leslie offers her clients a valuable combination of experience and insight. Leslie guides companies through merger reviews, civil non-merger investigations, and criminal investigations involving federal, state, and foreign antitrust authorities.  She also customizes antitrust compliance programs to match her clients’ exposure and business realities.  While serving as deputy assistant attorney general for civil enforcement during the Obama Administration, Leslie managed over half of the DOJ’s merger challenges in fiscal years 2012–2014. Additionally, she supervised litigation and civil non-merger investigations, as well as several criminal antitrust matters.

Christa Brown-Sanford

Christa has a full-time patent practice, with the ability to advise on a number of different issues — working together with her clients to be a true counselor. With an electrical engineering background and keen business sense, her ability to communicate with anyone, from clients, opposing counsel, inventors, or patent examiners alike, in a clear and digestible way, underscores her commitment to being a true partner at every stage of the process. Christa’s clients appreciate that “[s]he is thoughtful and thorough . . . [and] can think through issues and solve [them].” (Chambers USA, 2020)

She provides guidance on patent procurement, patent portfolio development, patent litigation, and patent licensing – particularly involving telecommunications, blockchain, electronics, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, software, personal mobility, and other cutting-edge technologies. Clients describe her as “top notch” and consider her as “the subject matter expert.” (Chambers USA, 2022)

Christa also assists companies in developing and managing their patent portfolios and generating revenue from their intellectual property assets through licensing campaigns. While leading licensing efforts for companies, she continues to provide counsel and advice on patent procurement and litigation exposure.

An adjunct professor at SMU’s Dedman School of Law, Christa teaches patent licensing and enforcement, in addition to patent prosecution courses.

Actively involved in the community, Christa is a member of the Charter 100 and serves on the boards of Southern Methodist University, SMU’s Dedman School of Law, the Baylor Scott & White Foundation, and New Friends New Life (an organization focused on empowering trafficked women and girls). She recently completed serving as the President for the Junior League of Dallas, during the League’s Centennial year.

Jorja Jackson

Vice President, Legal & Regulatory Affairs,
Workday

—

Jorja Jackson is Vice President of Legal & Regulatory Affairs at Workday. She began her legal career as an Employment Lawyer at Littler Mendelson and then moved in-house and supported corporate law departments at ArcSight (acquired by HP), Robert Half International, Inc. and Salesforce where she advised business on matters impacting global employment and improving the success of the company. At Workday, she oversees subject matter experts in litigation, cybersecurity, governance, regulatory and ethics. One area of particular interest and fun is her work on ESG and setting up a framework and governance for this expansive and constantly evolving area of work. She helps the business solve problems to move the business forward. Jorja has also served as faculty in the extension programs for San Francisco State University and UCLA, teaching classes focused on ethics and employment law basics for students interested in HR or business roles.

Samantha Grant

Partner,
Reed Smith LLP

—

Samantha is an effective advocate for employers and management in administrative, arbitration, and trial proceedings. She leverages her analytical and strategic skills to deliver superior results in litigation of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, breach of contract, fraud, defamation, trade secret, and unfair competition cases, among others. She advises clients on litigation avoidance strategies and local, state, and federal compliance matters. She also conducts workplace investigations and management and workforce training.

The insight and experience she gained while on a two-year secondment as in-house employment counsel for a Fortune 50 company was invaluable in her becoming a particularly pragmatic outside counsel. She learned the business of her clients and found targeted solutions to legal problems while considering the business objectives and impact.

Leslie Overton

Vice President and Associate General Counsel,
Altria Client Services Inc.

—

Kamran Q. Khan is Vice-President and Associate General Counsel with Altria Client Services Inc. Over the last 16 years, Kamran has managed a wide portfolio of litigation, business counseling and regulatory matters supporting Altria’s family of companies. Kamran served as front-line general counsel for Nu Mark -An Altria Innovation Company responsible for developing and marketing non-traditional tobacco products. In this role, Kamran led a team providing legal support for all aspects of the development, marketing, and sale of innovative products. Currently, Kamran leads a team responsible for supporting Government Affairs, Corporate Citizenship, Regulatory Affairs, and Privacy. Kamran is the Chair of the Altria Law Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is involved with various diversity-related efforts on a local and national level.

Prior to joining Altria, Kamran was a Partner in the National Products Liability Division of Shook, Hardy and Bacon (“SHB”). At SHB, Kamran’s practice focused on products-related litigation and regulation. Kamran has been involved in the defense of complex products liability and civil RICO cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Kamran was a longtime member of SHB’s Search Committee (Hiring Committee), as well as a founding member of SHB’s Diversity Committee.

Kamran received his J.D. at Southern Illinois University School of Law and a B.A. in History at the University of Florida. While in law school, Kamran was Case Note and Comment Editor of the Southern Illinois University Law Journal, a member of the Order of the Barristers, and a member of the National Products Liability Moot Court Team.

Kareem Dale

Director & Senior Counsel,
Discover Financial Services

—

Kareem Dale is blind and grew up in Chicago. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising in May 1995. He graduated Cum Laude and received his JD/MBA in May 1999 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He currently serves as Director and Senior Counsel with Discover Financial Services, a leading direct bank and payments services company.

In 2009, he was appointed by President Obama as a Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, the highest ranking position on disability ever to be created by a President. He coordinated disability policy and outreach for all federal agencies, working both in the White House Domestic Policy Council and White House Office of Public Engagement. He also led outreach and engagement to the legal community, including coordinating outreach for the appointment and nomination for two U.S. Supreme Court Justices as well as numerous federal appellate and district court judges. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Dale served as National Disability Director for the Obama for America campaign and held a similar position in the Obama-Biden transition.

Before joining the Obama administration, he was the Managing Partner of The Dale Law Group where his practice focused on commercial litigation, personal injury and real estate. He spent 7 years at Winston & Strawn as a litigation attorney prior to opening his own law firm.

He also has been active in community service. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois. He also is a current member of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Bar Foundation. He is a 2017 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow. He was a member of the Mayor’s Steering Committee in Chicago celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He served on the Board of Directors for Access Living in Chicago for three years. He also served as the past President of the Board of Directors for the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago, where he led the Theater’s capital campaign prior to stepping down to join the White House. During his legal career, he has dedicated numerous hours to those persons unable to afford legal representation, for which he received the Probono Commitment to Legal Service Award. In recognition of his achievements, Mr. Dale was featured in the 2006 inaugural edition of Who’s Who, Black in Chicago. He also was recognized in the November-December 2001 issue of Ebony magazine as one of the 30 Leaders of the Future under 30.

Jennifer Yokoyama

Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel,
Microsoft Corporation

—

Jen leads the legal strategy and execution for Microsoft’s Cloud + AI and Strategic Missions and Technologies (SMT) engineering teams, overseeing a group that provides legal strategy, support, counseling, and execution across a vast spectrum of legal, compliance, product counseling, and regulatory issues. She directs all parts of the CELA Cloud + AI team (which includes Azure, Cloud Operations and Innovation, Commerce and Ecosystems, Microsoft Industry Clouds, Developer Division, Business Applications, Data Platform, AI Platform, Azure Edge and Platform, Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure, Health and Life Sciences Solutions and Platforms, and GitHub) and the CELA SMT team (including Microsoft’s U.S. Federal business, Azure Space & Mission Engineering, Azure for Operators, and Azure Quantum) – all towards the goal of achieving more in a trusted and responsible way.

Outside of Microsoft, Jen is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and representation of minority points of view throughout the legal and tech industries. One way she acts on this is through the time spent on the Board of ChIPs, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance and connect women in technology, law, and policy. Jen is also a huge fan of great (and sometimes not-so-great) television and movies, reading, sports (particularly football), and all types of food.

Catherine Quinlan

Vice President, AI Ethics,
IBM Corporation

—

Catherine M. Quinlan is Vice President, AI Ethics for IBM and manages the work of IBM’s AI Ethics Board, a multi-disciplinary team responsible for the governance and decision-making process for AI ethics policies and practices. Catherine oversees the AI ethics use case review process as well as the development of guidance for compliance to new and changing regulations across the globe. Catherine is Co-Director of the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab, which was established in 2020 as a partnership between the University of Notre Dame and IBM to promote broad-based, far-reaching interdisciplinary research, thought and policy leadership in artificial intelligence and other technology ethics.

During her tenure at IBM, Catherine has served in a variety of positions as an attorney within IBM’s Legal & Regulatory Affairs organization, including positions related to product counseling, open source, employment, and marketing and advertising.

Catherine is a member of the New York State Bar, is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States of America and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

She is President of the Westchester/Southern CT Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Catherine graduated from Lafayette College and New York Law School.

Sabastian Niles

President and Chief Legal Officer,
Salesforce

—

Sabastian Niles is President and Chief Legal Officer. In this role, he oversees Salesforce’s global legal and government affairs organizations. He is a member of the executive leadership team reporting to Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff and a strategic advisor to Salesforce and its board of directors.

Prior to joining Salesforce, Sabastian was a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he worked with U.S. and international companies navigating corporate transformations, creating value through innovation, and sustaining stakeholder trust. His wide-ranging client work included developing and leading teams advising CEOs, boards of directors, and senior executives on corporate governance, enterprise risk oversight, strategic and financial investments, alliances, mergers and acquisitions. He also worked with teams to advance sustainability priorities, strengthen stakeholder and shareholder relationships, and deepen corporate purpose to create value and fortify culture.

Sabastian is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Business & Society board of advisors, an elected fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel, and a member of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. He is also a director of the nonprofit organization Literacy Partners, which focuses on empowering families, adult learners, caregivers, and children through the power of literacy, education, and language skills.

Sabastian earned a law degree from Harvard Law School, where he co-founded the Harvard Association of Law and Business. He received degrees in finance, economics, and decision and information sciences from the University of Maryland.

Megan Yoshimura

Senior Corporate Counsel,
Microsoft Corporation

—

Megan Yoshimura is Senior Corporate Counsel at Microsoft. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more (About Microsoft | Mission and Vision | Microsoft). Megan is an employment lawyer and attorney manager responsible for advising sales and engineering clients on all areas of US employment law and compliance. Megan partners closely with Human resources, business clients, and across the legal department. Megan is currently Vice Chair of the Microsoft’s Legal Department D&I Council.

Megan received her law degree from American University and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. She currently serves as Board Secretary of Columbia Legal Services and is the Communications Chair of the Executive Council of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

Megan and her husband, Allan, reside Seattle, Washington with their two sons. Megan stays active coaching her sons’ baseball and cross country teams.

Sabastian Niles

President and Chief Legal Officer,
Salesforce

—

Sabastian Niles is President and Chief Legal Officer. In this role, he oversees Salesforce’s global legal and government affairs organizations. He is a member of the executive leadership team reporting to Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff and a strategic advisor to Salesforce and its board of directors.

Prior to joining Salesforce, Sabastian was a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he worked with U.S. and international companies navigating corporate transformations, creating value through innovation, and sustaining stakeholder trust. His wide-ranging client work included developing and leading teams advising CEOs, boards of directors, and senior executives on corporate governance, enterprise risk oversight, strategic and financial investments, alliances, mergers and acquisitions. He also worked with teams to advance sustainability priorities, strengthen stakeholder and shareholder relationships, and deepen corporate purpose to create value and fortify culture.

Sabastian is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Business & Society board of advisors, an elected fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel, and a member of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. He is also a director of the nonprofit organization Literacy Partners, which focuses on empowering families, adult learners, caregivers, and children through the power of literacy, education, and language skills.

Sabastian earned a law degree from Harvard Law School, where he co-founded the Harvard Association of Law and Business. He received degrees in finance, economics, and decision and information sciences from the University of Maryland.

Esra Hudson

Partner and Leader of Labor & Employment Practice,
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

—

Esra Hudson is the leader of Manatt’s employment and labor practice. Resident in the Los Angeles office, she focuses her practice on all aspects of employment law and related litigation. Esra has particular experience handling Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions and class action defense. She also represents companies in state and federal courts, defending claims of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, wrongful discharge and related tort claims, breach of contract, trade secrets, unfair competition, and all other employment-related matters. Esra has represented employers in proceedings before state and federal agencies, including the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has also successfully defended broad-ranging classification audits by the California Employment Development Department. Esra’s litigation practice also includes extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, including managing and trying dozens of simultaneous arbitration matters following the enforcement of class action waivers in arbitration agreements. In addition to her litigation practice, Esra is a trusted advisor to her clients on a variety of employment, personnel management and operational issues. She has expertise in crisis management and media relations, including in sensitive matters involving executives and high-profile individuals. Esra also provides a wide array of management training on a variety of employment-related subjects, including sexual harassment and discrimination prevention. She develops employment manuals and policies, as well as executive employment and severance agreements. Esra provides services for companies in a diverse group of industries, including entertainment, financial services, healthcare, transportation, insurance, manufacturing, the service industry and nonprofits.

Tonya Johnson

Assistant General Counsel,
The Home Depot, Inc.

—

Tonya Johnson is an Assistant General Counsel of Employment Law in The Home Depot’s Legal Department. Ms. Johnson has been with The Home Depot since 2008 and focuses her practice on pro-active employment law for locations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Prior to joining The Home Depot, Ms. Johnson was an Associate in the Labor and Employment Group at Paul Hastings in Atlanta. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from The Ohio State University and is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School.

Ms. Johnson partners with her internal clients on a wide range of human resources topics, including HR policy development and compliance, accommodations, leave management, conducting workplace investigations, drug/alcohol testing compliance, reductions in force, compliance with local, state and federal wage & hour requirements, development of commission-based incentive programs, I-9 and E-Verify issues, and immigration sponsorship.

Danyale Price

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer,
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

—

Danyale Price is the Chief Inclusion Officer at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Working closely with firm leadership, Danyale is responsible for the global strategy and implementation of Paul, Weiss’s efforts to promote a diverse workforce and sustain an inclusive culture. She is a counselor and advisor to many associates and a DE&I advisor to partners and clients.

With more than 20 years of experience as a DE&I professional, Danyale has been named to Crain’s New York Business’s “Notable Black Leaders” list and Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Executives in Diversity & Inclusion” list, which highlights DE&I professionals who have driven positive change within their organizations and the corporate world.

Danyale began her career as a litigator before starting her diversity career at Goldman Sachs. She subsequently served as director of career planning at development at the National Basketball Players Association before joining Paul, Weiss. She received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Spelman College.

Beth Tsai

Director, Trust & Safety Policy,
Google

—

Beth Tsai is the Director for Search, Geo and Bard Policy under Google’s Trust & Safety Team. Her team is responsible for keeping Google’s users safe by driving the creation of trustworthy products and supporting Google’s mission to help users access useful, high-quality information.

Beth was part of the original team responsible for building the Google Assistant and Google Lens, and has played a critical role in developing Google’s approach towards offensive, dangerous or sensitive content in LLMs like LaMDA, Bard and Search Generative Experiences. She is currently leading Google’s Trust & Safety policy strategy for Generative AI, focused on enabling safe, responsible and engaging interactions.

Jonathan Torres

Associate General Counsel – AI, Licensing, and Open Source,
Meta

—

Jonathan Torres is Associate General Counsel for AI, Licensing, and Open Source at Meta, where he manages foundational AI development, policy, and licensing, including the recently released Llama 2 models, and open source compliance across all of Meta’s offerings. Prior to joining Meta, Jonathan worked for AWS where his practice included product counseling for AI/ML, including AWS Bedrock and Sagemaker, and strategic collaboration partnerships. Outside of work, Jonathan enjoys supporting associations aimed at empowering historically underrepresented students to enter STEM education and careers, including Code2College and FIRST in Texas. He earned his undergraduate degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Nimesh Patel

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer,
Akin

—

Nimesh Patel is the Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for Akin. In this role he works closely with the firm’s chairperson and Management Committee and is responsible for leading the firm’s global DEI strategy and initiatives. This includes ensuring that the firm’s core values of inclusiveness and diversity are reflected in all efforts related to recruiting, professional development, advancement, and strategic partnerships. Nimesh has more than 20 years of experience advancing DEI issues in both the private sector and the federal government. Prior to joining Akin Gump, he served as the head of diversity and inclusion at another prominent global law firm. During the Obama Administration, Nimesh also served as the first Chief DEI Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with 230,000 employees worldwide. Nimesh’s prior work experience also includes being an associate in the labor and employment practice at two large international law firms, with a specialty in corporate diversity counseling. He started his career as an Honor’s Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, where his experience included serving as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section and as an assistant general counsel for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Nimesh’s numerous leadership experiences include currently serving as the President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Law Foundation, as well as former President of NAPABA, former board member of Asian Americans Advancing Justice: AAJC, and former vice chair of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights.

Denise Zamore

Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary,
agilon health

—

Denise Zamore currently serves as agilon health Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. Denise is a member of agilon’s executive leadership team with responsibility for global legal, compliance, regulatory affairs, corporate governance, enterprise risk, and corporate transactional activities. Trusted advisor to CEO, CFO and Board of Directors, Denise supports all areas of agilon’s diverse business, serving as a business partner for executives, other team members, and partners organization wide.

Denise joined agilon health from Optum where she previously served as Deputy General Counsel leading a team of attorneys and non-attorney professionals providing support to healthcare provider partners and executives on a broad array of areas including critical strategy development, identification and leveraging of high-profile risks and opportunities, regulatory guidance, mergers and acquisitions, state regulation of risk-bearing entities, compliance with corporate practice of medicine, privacy and employment law.

Prior to Optum, Denise led a team of attorneys and non-attorney litigation professionals at UnitedHealthcare in the coordination and management of legal, regulatory and compliance matters related to all lines of health insurance business where she advised insurance business units on issues related to antitrust, bankruptcy, behavioral health, claims reimbursement, contract disputes, employment, ERISA, Medicare, Medicaid, member privacy and provider disputes. She supported provider network and contract negotiation teams and led projects related to interoperability, budget, legal spend and law firm diversity.

Denise is committed to diversity and in 2012 founded the UnitedHealthcare annual diverse 1L summer internship program. She previously served as Chair of UnitedHealth Group’s Diversity & Inclusion Council and was selected by UHG Chief Legal Officer as a 2013 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow and a 2017-18 UHG Emerging Leader. She continues her commitment to diversity at agilonhealth, serving as the Executive Sponsor to the Pride@agilon LGBTQI+ Employee Resource Group, as well as being actively involved in many other diversity activities at the organization related to mentorship, sponsorship, education and recruiting.

Denise is an active member of her community and serves as a mentor to high school and college students. She serves as a board member of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, a foundation dedicated to promoting equal access to justice; as a board member of the Hartford Promise Scholars program, a nonprofit organization focused on high school and college success for Hartford public school students, and as a board member of the Connecticut Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. She has received numerous award and distinctions for her commitment to diversity and the practice of law.

Prior to moving in-house, Denise completed a two-year federal clerkship and practiced complex commercial litigation at large multinational law firms. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. in government from Georgetown University.

She resides in Connecticut with her husband and son.

Cedric Powell

Partner,
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

—

Cedric Powell is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.

He is a seasoned private equity, M&A attorney with extensive experience in middle market M&A transactions, representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, strategic acquirers, and founders in both buy-side and sell-side transactions. Cedric’s experience spans various industries, including aerospace and defense, manufacturing, food and beverage, national security, government services, retail, technology, chemical distribution, consumer packaged goods, grocery, third-party logistics, and healthcare to name a few. Additionally, Cedric regularly represents clients in various other corporate and transactional matters, including equity financings, strategic investments, joint ventures, and corporate governance.

Cedric co-chairs the DC Office’s Diversity and Inclusion Office Working Group, the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Attorney Network (DIAN) and the firm’s Black Lawyers Network. He also co-chairs the DC Office’s Recruiting Committee.

Honors:

• ”Ones to Watch,” Best Lawyers, 2024
• Recognized Lawyer – M&A/Corporate and Commercial, Legal 500 US, 2023
• Minority Corporate Counsel Association – Pathways Advisory Council, 2023
• Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), Rising Star, 2021
• Washington, D.C. Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2019

Tim Brown

President – Venerable Investment Advisers; Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary,
Venerable

—

Timothy Brown is President of Venerable Investment Advisers where he leads the investment adviser business line with overall P&L responsibility. He is also Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary of Venerable Holdings, Inc., and a member of the company’s Executive Committee. In this role, Mr. Brown leads the Law Department with responsibility for all legal, compliance, regulatory, corporate governance, litigation, corporate secretary, and government affairs matters.

Previously, Mr. Brown was Vice President and Chief Counsel for Voya Financial, Inc., where he advised the executive management team. He led cross-functional teams in the U.S. and Latin America in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate finance, government relations, insurance regulatory, and securities matters.

Mr. Brown began his legal career as a Corporate and Securities associate with King & Spalding, LLP before moving to Greenberg Traurig, LLP. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Iowa Insurers and the past Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Hands on Atlanta Board of Directors.

Mr. Brown received his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was associate editor for the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review, and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee State University.

Diane Brayton

Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
The New York Times Company

—

Diane Brayton became executive vice president and general counsel of The New York Times Company in January 2017. In her role, she provides legal counsel to the company’s board of directors and senior management and leads a legal team that advises on, among other areas, media and intellectual property law, corporate governance and securities matters, commercial transactions, employment and labor relations, and litigation management. In addition to her duties as general counsel, Ms. Brayton oversees the company’s information security, corporate security and occupational health and safety functions. Ms. Brayton served as the Times Company’s corporate secretary from 2011 to 2023.

Prior to becoming general counsel, Ms. Brayton held a series of progressively senior roles in the company’s legal department, serving as deputy general counsel (2016), assistant general counsel (2009 to 2016), and senior counsel (2007 to 2009). She joined the Times Company in 2004 as counsel. Prior to working at the Times Company, Ms. Brayton was vice president and counsel in the legal department of Credit Suisse First Boston from 2002 to 2004 and an associate at the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York, Moscow and London from 1997 to 2002. From 1996 to 1997, she was a clerk for the Honorable W. Eugene Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

In 2019, Ms. Brayton joined the board of directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide.

Ms. Brayton received a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Nebraska and a J.D. degree from the University of Texas School of Law, where she graduated with honors.

Sonya Olds Som, Esq.

Global Managing Partner – Legal, Risk, Compliance & Government Affairs Practice Group,
Diversified Search Group

—

Sonya Olds Som, Esq. serves as Global Managing Partner of Diversified Search Group’s Legal, Risk, Compliance and Government Affairs practice.

Combining her extensive executive search experience in the legal industry with a proven track record of understanding the importance of diversity and inclusive leadership. Sonya leads searches and advises clients in recruiting Chief Legal Officers, General Counsels, and other C-Suite and Board members with compliance expertise across industries and locations.

Sonya has built a reputation as a connector of people. She has an unrivaled ability to build strategic partnerships. By cultivating key alliances through a highly consultative approach, Sonya has been able to leverage her deep background in talent acquisition, diversity & inclusion, and labor & employment law to attract top industry talent for organizations globally. Sonya regularly provides thought leadership through industry panels, the media, and social media.

She provides organizations with the ability to strengthen their culture of Diversity & Inclusion by positioning this as an integral component to successfully doing business.

At the core of her role is conducting executive searches across C-Suite roles and industries as well as conducting Diversity & Inclusion consulting for organizations.

Prior to joining Diversified Search Group, Sonya was an Executive Search Partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Legal, Risk, Compliance and Government Affairs and Diversity Advisory Services Practices.

Preceding her time with Heidrick & Struggles, Sonya was a Partner at Major, Lindsey & Africa. For nearly a decade, she oversaw various areas of recruiting within the legal field including developing and sourcing candidates, business development and marketing. She was able to leverage a deep professional network throughout the legal industry to place leaders in global legal departments and top law firms.

Laura Maechtlen

Partner; National Chair, Labor & Employment,
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

—

Laura Maechtlen is the National Chair of the Labor and Employment Department at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Her practice is focused on employment litigation and includes the defense of class, collective and multi-plaintiff actions. Laura also has experience litigating against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in systemic actions, both at the early charge stage and in large-scale EEOC pattern-and-practice litigation.

Laura is a national leader on issues related to diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, and has held a variety of leadership positions through which she has advocated for systemic improvement in the legal industry in the areas of diversity and inclusion. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the California Minority Counsel Program. She is a previous Latina Commissioner for the Hispanic National Bar Association, President of the National LGBT Bar Association, Chair of the CA Minority Counsel Program, and Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).

Laura speaks and publishes regularly on a variety of employment law and litigation topics, and issues regarding diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and has been quoted on those topics by the San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, The Recorder, Vogue, The Daily Journal, the Insurance Journal, CIO.com, Employment Law 360, and others. She has also served as a contributing editor to multiple editions of The Fair Labor Standards Act (ABA) and The Developing Labor Law (BNA).

Bendita Malakia

Director of Diversity & Engagement,
O’Melveny & Myers, LLP

—

Bendita Cynthia Malakia is a global justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) executive and talent cultivation expert whose aim is to ensure that individuals that are underrepresented, underserved and underestimated can thrive in the workplace. She currently leads diversity & engagement at the global law firm of O’Melveny & Myers.

Bendita is a catalyst for underrepresented colleagues to be their authentic selves in the workplace and helps organizations structure for their success, including working across difference to create community – by building systems, inspiring investment, and fostering connections. With a people-centric, metrics-driven approach, Bendita also leverages her JEDI, leadership development, and executive coaching capabilities to help clients achieve their DEI ambitions.

Bendita draws on her prior experiences as a chief diversity & inclusion officer, a large law firm lawyer financing projects in emerging markets, in-house counsel at two global financial institutions, and as a diversity consultant for large and mid-size organizations, and a certified professional coach to co-create change individually and institutionally.

Bendita’s thought leadership and advocacy extend to being a prolific writer and speaker on JEDI in the workplace, with specialized capabilities in intersectionality, women of color and LGBTQ+ issues. She is President of the National LGBTQ+ Bar, and contributes to the development of JEDI more broadly through initiatives bringing metrics and accountability globally. Bendita serves as on the advisory board of Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP) and IILP’s Social Impact Incubator. She also serves as an advisor to a caregiving coaching startup, the Keep Company. Bendita graduated from Harvard Law School, Barnard College and Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

Awards:

• Most Inspirational D&I Leader (nominated by peer JEDI professionals), d&i leaders, 2022
• Wall of Distinction for significant achievements as an alum, Cicero-North Syracuse High School, 2022
• Top Global DEI Professional, National Diversity Institute, 2022
• Commended, for innovative racial justice initiatives, Financial Times, 2020
• Who’s Who in Black Dallas, Who’s Who in Black Dallas Edition, 2016-2017
• Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2015
• Project Finance (Washington, D.C.), Who’s Who Legal, 2015

Carlos Dávila-Caballero

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer,
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

—

Carlos Dávila-Caballero is Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the law firm of Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, LLP, where he oversees DEI strategies and provides leadership and expertise to the Firm’s Executive Committee and relevant committees, administrative departments, lawyers, and staff. He also provides DEI expertise to clients and external stakeholders, as well as support to the firm’s affinity and women’s groups. Prior to his current role, Mr. Dávila-Caballero was the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cleary Gottlieb, and before that, was Assistant Dean for Diversity Initiatives and Career Development at Tulane University Law School. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida and his JD from Tulane University Law School. Mr. Dávila-Caballero is a former president of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) and former Vice President for Finance for NALP. He is also a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and the Hispanic National Bar Association and a national speaker about DEI topics in the legal profession. Mr. Dávila-Caballero is based in New York City and Montréal.

Puamuh Ghogomu

Assistant General Counsel, Labor and Employment,
W.W. Grainger, Inc.

—

Puamuh Ghogomu just began working at Grainger as Assistant General Counsel, Labor and Employment Law, where he will be responsible for managing Grainger’s employment law and labor practices. Prior to this, he was Senior Counsel, Employment Law in the Litigation, Compliance & Regulatory Law group at AbbVie. In this role, he was responsible for partnering with Human Resources and company management and leaders to provide legal counsel and advice on a broad range of employment and labor law matters to AbbVie’s research-based pharmaceutical business. He also represented the company in employment matters pending before administrative agencies.

Puamuh has significant experience managing litigation, in the development and implementation of employment policies, leave of absence and accommodation administration and support, as well as diversity and inclusion advice and counsel, and workforce training to managers and HR professionals on a variety of employment law subjects.

Prior to joining AbbVie, Puamuh was Senior Counsel, Employment Law at Walgreens, and prior to that, he was an associate at Littler Mendelson in Chicago. He is licensed to practice in Illinois.

Mr. Ghogomu received his law degree and Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

José Ramón González

Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary,
Equitable Holdings, Inc.

—

José Ramón González is Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Equitable Holdings, and a member of the company’s Management Committee. In this role, González leads the Law Department with responsibility for all legal, compliance, regulatory and governmental affairs.

Previously, Mr. González was Executive Vice President & General Counsel for CNA Insurance, serving as principal counsel to the Chief Executive Officer, senior management team and board of directors. He led the Law Department and was responsible for legal affairs, compliance, regulatory and government affairs, corporate secretary affairs, securities and litigation.

Prior to joining CNA, Mr. González was Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at QBE North America, and Group General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Torus Insurance. He also held numerous leadership roles over the course of 12 years within the legal function of AIG. During his tenure, he played a leading role in the resolution of numerous significant regulatory matters.

Mr. González began practicing law in 1995 as a corporate associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

With a longstanding commitment to the community, Mr. González has served on a number of not-for-profit boards of directors. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and a member of the boards of Latino Donor Collaborative and the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. González holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from the Columbia University School of Law.

Grace Speights

Global Leader, Labor and Employment Practice,
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

—

Grace Speights is a partner at Morgan Lewis, resident in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. Office. Grace serves as the Global Leader of Morgan Lewis’ Labor and Employment Practice. In that role she is responsible for managing more than 300 lawyers across the Firm’s offices and for setting the strategic focus of the Practice Group. Prior to this position, Grace served as the Managing Partner of the Firm’s Washington Office, Chair of the Systemic Employment Litigation Practice Group, a member of the Firm’s Partner Compensation Committee, and Chair of ML Women. Grace currently serves on the Firm’s Advisory Board and co-chairs, with Firm Chair Jami McKeon, the Firm’s Mobilizing for Equality Taskforce.

Grace’s practice focuses on counseling and defending clients in employment discrimination litigation, primarily class action litigation, and counseling clients on corporate diversity best practices. She is often called upon by clients for assistance in crisis management. She also leads a cross-office and cross-disciplinary group of Morgan Lewis lawyers who are advising companies in addressing the myriad issues arising from the #metoo movement and the racial justice movement, including conducting workplace misconduct investigations, conducting workplace cultural assessments, and developing strategies for providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace. Grace’s clientele includes large companies, high profile individuals, and entertainment and sports organizations.

In 2018, Grace was recognized by American Lawyer as the Attorney of the Year for being a “change agent” and ally of the #metoo movement and by Employment Law 360 as an MVP for her work in the #metoo space. Grace is currently the chair of the board of trustees of The George Washington University. Grace has served on the university’s board of trustees since 2013, including as secretary and as chair of the committee of governance and nominations. Grace’s preferred pronouns are she/her/hers.

Michelle Rhee

Deputy General Counsel,
Wells Fargo Bank N.A.

—

Michelle Rhee was named deputy general counsel for Wealth & Investment Management (WIM) in 2020. She joined Wells Fargo in 2018 as assistant general counsel for Wells Fargo Asset Management, a WIM business. Her responsibilities have included serving as chief legal officer for Wells Fargo Funds, coordinating counsel for the WIM division, and acting as a key partner for numerous WIM business initiatives.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Michelle was Associate General Counsel at Bank of America Corporation (BAC) from March 2004 until February 2018. At BAC, Michelle headed a legal team supporting the global distribution of securities products to high net worth individuals within the Merrill Lynch, U.S. Trust and Merrill Edge businesses. Michelle’s team of 24 attorneys provided origination, development, and regulatory advice on a variety of securities products including mutual funds, alternative investment funds, derivatives, collective vehicles, 529 plans, separately managed accounts, HSAs, IRAs, and equity and fixed income transactions.

Prior to joining BAC, Michelle was an associate and junior partner at Hale and Dorr from 1997 to 2004 in the firm’s Asset Management practice.

Michelle is a member of the MA bar. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Kori Carew

Chief Catalyst Officer and Founder,
Bridge 68 LLC

—

Kori S. Carew, Esq. is an attorney, TedX speaker, and community builder who generates awareness and understanding of critical human issues by creating the space and climate for open dialogue that is meaningful, and enables people to expand their perspective and drive positive change. With grace and truth she is a people inclusion strategist, advocate, speaker, coach, writer, status quo disruptor, truthteller, wife, and mother of two curly-haired, wise, energetic, fierce, spitfire daughters. She brings an incisive voice, unapologetic questioning of the status quo, and a lifelong fascination of human potential to empowering women and historically marginalized and excluded people. Her multi-national, multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual family background gives her a keen sensitivity to belonging and inclusion across differences. Beyond her work within organizations she actively serves her community as a civic leader.

Kori brings a fierce love of community and belonging that transcends differences to her work, ministry, and life. She loves to sing, cook, entertain, dance in the hallways at work, and read when she is not equipping leaders to be inclusive, interrupt bias and disrupt the status quo, or helping individuals live their best and fiercest lives. At her day job she focuses on developing and implementing strategies for individual career, leadership and organizational diversity and inclusion success, helps organizations build bridges across differences and improve inclusion, coaches, trains on people, leadership, and talent development as well as diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging topics.

Kori is the Chief Catalyst Officer and Founder of the consulting firm Bridge 68 LLC focused on empowering individuals and organizations to be their best through people and leadership development and cultivating belonging, inclusion, diversity and equity. She brings 22 years of experience leading, advocating and counseling in law firms including leading Inclusion and Diversity strategies and programs in AmLaw 100 law firms. Kori was most recently the Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at an international AmLaw 100 law firm Seyfarth Shaw where she rolled out several talent and inclusion initiatives including The Belonging Project.

Kori is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, a certified Gallup CliftonStrengths® Coach and an IDI Qualified Administrator. She also is an Enneagram 1 (improver) and Conscious Reformer on the Insight Profiles Discovery wheel (blue). Her top 5 CliftonStrengths® are: connectedness, achiever, leaner, responsibility, and context. Kori took up painting during the pandemic and is energized by helping people live their best lives. When she is not “working” she focuses her voice and talent on issues of gender equity and rights, inclusion, and human and civil rights, serving in her church and community, entertaining in her home, and cherishing her phenomenal community. Kori is a nationally sought-after speaker on topics of diversity, inclusion and belonging, inclusive leadership, talent engagement and development, authenticity and leveraging power. Her TedX, Just belonging: finding the courage to interrupt bias can be found here. https://www.ted.com/talks/kori_carew_just_belonging_finding_the_courage_to_interrupt _bias.

Peter Wilson, Jr.

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer,
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

—

Peter Wilson, Jr. is Cravath’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. He focuses on leading the firm’s core commitment to diversity and inclusion and making it integral to overall business strategy. Working closely with firm leadership, he develops strategies and programs that enhance the recruitment, retention and advancement of professionals from underrepresented groups in the legal profession.

Prior to joining Cravath, Peter led diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at two other large law firms. Before assuming diversity leadership, Peter practiced corporate and public finance law.

As a frequent presenter at major diversity conferences, Peter has delivered key presentations for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), Charting Your Own Course (CYOC) and the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP). He also has served on numerous non-profit boards. Currently, Peter is a board member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance. He has served as the Chair of the Tri-State Diversity Council, Vice President of Outreach for the Connecticut Rivers Council Boy Scouts of America, Vice President of ALFDP and a board member of the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity.

Keri Matthews

Principal, Deputy General Counsel, Head of Enterprise Legal Services,
The Vanguard Group, Inc.

—

Keri Matthews heads Vanguard’s Enterprise Legal Services group which is responsible for litigation and regulatory enforcement, employment law, privacy, technology, and intellectual property, and marketing and communications law for Vanguard globally.

Keri joined Vanguard from Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati where she served as Head of Employment Law. Prior to joining Fifth Third, she was with Deutsche Bank in New York and held roles in both Legal (Managing Director and Employment Counsel) and HR (Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion). She began her legal career at O’Melveny & Myers in New York.

She is a graduate of NYU School of Law and the University of Western Ontario.

Dawn Rosemond

Firm Diversity Partner,
Barnes & Thornburg LLP

—

Dawn Rosemond serves as Barnes & Thornburg’s full-time Firm Diversity Partner. In this role, Dawn is charged with activating the firm’s longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity. Through the creation and implementation of deliberate programming and strategic initiatives, Dawn leads the charge for cultivating and maintaining an environment that boldly promotes the training, sponsorship, empowerment and promotion of all firm talent, regardless of background.

Always positive, boundlessly energetic and refreshingly authentic, Dawn’s people skills and innate personal drive to develop the strengths of everyone around her are bolstered by her tireless energy and work ethic. In her role as firm diversity partner, Dawn spearheads the firm’s efforts to make bold, lasting change in an industry needing redirection.

Dawn is the first African-American female to make equity partner at Barnes & Thornburg and reportedly in the state of Indiana. She has been with the firm her entire legal career, representing business clients in virtually all stages of litigation, including pre-litigation counseling, ADR, trials and appeals. Dawn adds value most of all by endeavoring at every turn to provide her clients with an unmatched level of care for their business needs and objectives.

Dawn began her career with a focus on federal and state employment litigation. Today, she focuses on representing, counseling and protecting clients that range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies in business and commercial litigation.

Dawn has more than 25 years of experience providing advice and zealous advocacy for her clients on a range of issues, from compliance, restrictive covenant enforcement, trade secret protection and management, intellectual property protection and policing, and vendor and contractual disputes.

Dawn serves as co-chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, alongside the Firm Managing Partner, and oversees the firm’s Racial Justice Committees. A published author of the Amazon best-selling business short, Boss Presence, Dawn is a national speaker on leadership and personal development and a deliberate mentor. At her core, Dawn is moved by pointing people to their greatness and believes that doing so is the best way to elevate individual and collective consciousness and ultimately change a culture.

Professional and Community Involvement:

• Owner, NPB Group LLC (dba REIGN™)
• Member, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Volunteer, Fort Wayne Girls Rock and Ladies With Purpose

Honors:

• Recipient, Indiana Torchbearer Award
• INK Magazine, named one of the most influential African-Americans in Northeast Indiana, 2009
• Recipient, Niemann Citation for Excellence and Professionalism, Allen County Bar Association, 2015-2016
• Indiana Super Lawyers, 2009; Corporate Counsel Edition of Super Lawyers
• “Indiana Super Achiever,” MyLifeIndiana®, 2019
• One of the “Nation’s Best,” Lawyers of Color®, 2019-2020
• “My Life Indiana: Super Achievers,” 2021

Joseph Centeno

Shareholder, Labor & Employment Co-Chair,
Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, PC

—

Joe Centeno’s practice includes collective and class action litigation, including Fair Credit Reporting Act, employment litigation, high stakes #MeToo matters, restrictive covenants, labor relations, policies, leave, termination of employment, joint employment, diversity and inclusion strategy and planning, Title IX investigation and compliance, and C-suite executive employment agreements. Joe counsels employers on virtually all employment and labor-related laws and regulations. He has extensive jury trial experience and has been lead trial counsel in numerous high-profile trials and arbitrations. He also has broad experience in defending claims before state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, many state and city Human and Relations and Civil Rights Commissions and agencies, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, where he served as a Commissioner by mayoral appointment.

Joe has been nationally recognized by Best Lawyers in America, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Philadelphia Business Journal, Minority Corporate Counsel Association and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. He co-chairs Buchanan’s Labor, Employment, Benefits & Immigration section, which is recognized as a national Tier 1 practice by U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” In 2021 and 2022, Joe was honored as a leader in the field of Labor & Employment Law in Pennsylvania by Chambers USA. During the research process, one of Joe’s references remarked, “Joseph is a consummate partner in the truest sense – he thinks big picture, and understands what we are looking for in an attorney-client relationship.” In 2022, Joe was named a ‘Best Law Firm Mentor’ by The Legal Intelligencer as part of the publication’s Professional Excellence Awards. Additionally, Joe was recognized as a ‘Best Mentor: Law Firm’ finalist by The American Lawyer in 2022.

Yasser Madriz

Trial Partner,
McGuireWoods LLP

—

Yasser is the managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Houston office. A trial lawyer with extensive experience handling complex, high-stakes litigation in federal and state court, he plays key roles in various multibillion-dollar cases filed throughout the United States. He represents plaintiffs and defendants across industries in business, commercial and energy litigation matters.

Over the past several years, Yasser has focused his practice on cases involving technology and intellectual property disputes, trade secret theft and unfair competition claims, but he has substantial experience handling other litigation matters. As a former transactional attorney, for instance, Yasser frequently leverages his transactional background to help clients solve complex transaction-based disputes, business organization controversies and derivative actions. He is able to dissect complex corporate disputes from the perspective of a litigator and a transactional attorney — an asset from which many of his clients have benefited.

Yasser collaborates with his clients to plan and develop strategies to protect their businesses. Yasser uses his negotiation prowess to obtain favorable results for clients in settlement proceedings and mediations. Yasser also understands that litigation sometimes cannot be avoided and stands ready to fight for his clients and advance their positions in jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations.

As a native Nicaraguan, Yasser’s Latin American roots and fluency in Spanish have enabled him to develop experience representing Latin American clients in international and cross-border disputes.

Eugene Clark-Herrera

Partner,
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

—

Eugene Clark-Herrera, a partner in Orrick’s San Francisco office, focuses his practice on financing for school and college facilities, as well as city and county facilities and infrastructure. His practice includes serving as bond and disclosure counsel on revenue and tax-supported bond financing involving counties, cities, school and college districts, charter schools, airports, and student and multi-family housing projects.

Eugene has experience with a variety of financing structures and characteristics, including pension obligation bonds, synthetic fixed rate bonds, and various reinvestment vehicles. In addition, he has pioneered capital markets access for California public charter schools and advised governmental issuers, foundations, advocacy groups and policy makers in the development and expansion of public charter school access to tax-advantaged financing.

His insights helped inform and establish the Equitable Facilities Fund, a nonprofit social impact fund that empowers high-performing public charter schools with equitable access to low-cost, long-term financing by innovatively combining mission-related investments and capital markets. He also helped structure the largest charter school facilities financing in California, $93 million for construction and improvement of seven school campuses.

Eugene also co-founded and serves on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Mural Music & Arts Project, an arts-based youth development organization he founded in East Palo Alto, California, to educate, inspire and empower teens through the arts.

He has served for 10 years on the board of the California Lawyers for the Arts and on the board of the Flywheel Fund, a nonprofit that seeks to protect students pursuing low income public interest or other jobs from the financial hardship associated with any tuition repayment. Eugene also has served as treasurer and board member for the Charles Houston Bar Association, an affiliate of the National Bar Association representing the interests of African American lawyers, judges and law students throughout Northern California.

Prior to law school, Eugene was a public school teacher and science curriculum developer in the South Bronx and Washington Heights neighborhoods of New York City for six years, including two years with Teach for America.

Since joining Orrick, Eugene has championed efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. He led a DEI group in our San Francisco office for 15 years and has led the Black Lawyers of Orrick affinity group. In 2022, he became one of three DEI leaders firmwide, with a focus on DEI and talent.

He is a graduate of Stanford Law School and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Richard Hung

Global Co-Chair, Litigation,
Morrison Foerster LLP

—

Rich is the global co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Litigation Department. He previously co-led the firm’s IP Litigation Group and the cross-disciplinary Intellectual Property Group for over a decade. He brings his knowledge as a registered patent lawyer and a Federal Circuit clerk to lead complex technology matters for clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts. He has represented plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes patent litigation, competitor on-competitor cases, non-practicing entity assertions, and trade secret misappropriation disputes, obtaining consent judgments in multiple cases. Rich also represents clients in adversarial proceedings before the U.S. PTO and counsels clients on strategic offensive and defensive patent licensing and acquisition issues.

His matters have spanned a broad range of technologies, including:

• Internet search
• Cryptography
• Programmable logic devices
• Graphical user interfaces
• Smartphones
• Water filtration consumer appliances

Rich earned dual bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and economics from Stanford University and his law degree from Columbia Law School. In law school, he externed for the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, then with the Southern District of New York. He was also a James Kent Scholar, a moot court editor and judge, and a recipient of the Carroll G. Harper Prize for excellence in intellectual property. After law school, Rich clerked for the Honorable Paul Michel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In 2014, Rich was appointed by then San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee to serve as a neutral commissioner on the San Francisco Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board. He currently serves as the president of the Asian Law Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides pro bono legal assistance to the Asian/Pacific Islander community in the Silicon Valley. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Rich previously tried multiple criminal cases—all to favorable verdicts—with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

Dolly Mirchandani

Partner,
White & Case LLP

—

Dolly’s practice focuses on the infrastructure and energy sector, including public private partnerships, reflecting 26 years of experience working on some of the most significant deals in the sector. She has an extensive client base and represents sponsors, infrastructure funds, commercial banks, institutional lenders, contractors, secondary market investors and governments in the tender, development, acquisition and financing of greenfield and brownfield infrastructure projects. Dolly has advised across multiple infrastructure asset classes including surface transportation (airports, ports, roads, parking, bridges, transit and rail), water and wastewater, waste management, district energy, digital and social infrastructure. Her breadth of practice and decades of experience allows her to anticipate concerns, propose solutions and promote agreement. She has played a leading role in the introduction of private investment and finance in the infrastructure sector in North America, having advised on multiple, award-winning transactions, including ones that were first-of-their-kind. Dolly has also authored the World Bank’s contract guidance on PPP projects which provides a market tested reference point for governments all over the world who are contemplating this methodology for delivering their infrastructure projects.

Dolly is, without a doubt, one of the most widely respected and successful practitioners in her field. She is one of IFLR1000’s 2022 Market Leaders for US Project Finance and Project Development. Dolly is ranked Band 1: PPP Projects by both Chambers USA and Chambers Global and was recently placed on the Roll Call of Elite for Project Finance in Euromoney’s Best of the Best USA Expert Guide 2021. She has also been named among IFLR1000’s 2021 & 2022 Women Leaders for Project Finance and Project Development in the United States and awarded Global Leader status for both Project Finance and Government Contracts in Who’s Who Legal 2021.

Dolly received her LLM from Harvard Law School and her BA Jurisprudence from New College, Oxford.

Naveen Modi

Global Co-Chair of Intellectual Property & Partner,
Paul Hastings LLP

—

Naveen Modi is the Global Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property group at Paul Hastings, overseeing the firm’s Global Intellectual Property group consisting of more than 100 attorneys.

Mr. Modi’s practice covers all aspects of high stakes IP-related legal work, including litigation before federal district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and federal appeals courts; post-grant proceedings, interferences and derivation proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB); arbitrations; and due diligence and client counseling. He has led “bet-the-company cases” involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyright issues. He has represented both companies accused of infringement and those whose IP has been infringed in a wide range of technical areas, including electronics, software, business methods, medical devices, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

Mr. Modi has lectured nationally and internationally on IP law, including in Africa, India, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. He helped develop and has been teaching a course on Federal Circuit Practice at the George Mason University School of Law for over a decade. He clerked for the Honorable Alvin Anthony Schall at U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Modi graduated from George Mason University School of Law, magna cum laude, and also holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from George Mason University, with high distinction.

Mr. Modi has been widely recognized over the years for his significant and deep experience in IP law. IAM Patent 1000 has recognized Mr. Modi as “a top strategist, extremely articulate presenter and all-round thought leader.” It has noted that “[h]e’s just incredibly high quality – a hard worker with a wonderful temperament’” and that “[p]eople think the world of the ‘calm and collected’ Modi, ‘an incredibly thoughtful guy who presents great strategic options tailored to the business goals of his clients.’” Chambers USA has ranked him in Band 1, noting that “[h]e is very strategic and does an excellent job of mapping out a strategy that fully integrates substantive arguments with procedural nuances,” that “[h]e explains complex issues very well, and is very responsive to questions and requests,” and that “[h]e is an amazing litigator who presents very well.”

Mr. Modi has been especially recognized for his appellate experience. He has led over 100 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has been involved in all aspects of the appellate process, including briefing and oral argument. Law360 recognized him as an Intellectual Property MVP in 2019 for racking up nine wins at the Federal Circuit, having successfully represented clients such as Google and Samsung. The Legal 500 also has recognized Mr. Modi as a “key lawyer” for appeals.

In addition, Mr. Modi is one of the foremost experts in challenging and defending patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office under the America Invents Act, including its PTAB. He has been involved in well over 800 post-grant proceedings, including inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), covered business method (CBM) review, and ex parte and inter partes reexamination proceedings. He has been nationally recognized for his expertise in post-grant proceedings, including for having been involved in more PTAB proceedings than any other practitioner in the United States:

• Chambers USA recognized Mr. Modi as an expert in this area, noting that he “earns effusive praise from clients, who describe him as ‘a brilliant litigator.’ One source reports: ‘Naveen understands all of the rules and subtleties of IPR proceedings better than anyone I’ve ever worked with.’”
• Managing Intellectual Property recognized Mr. Modi as Outstanding IP Litigator of the Year for PTAB. It also named him as an IP Star, noting that he “has developed a significant reputation for his post-grant proceeding practice” and that “[a] top competitor said: ‘Naveen is probably the country’s leader in patent trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He is simply the most brilliant attorney I’ve worked with.’” One peer added he “would trust him with the crown jewels.”
• The Legal 500 noted that Mr. Modi is “by far the country’s leading expert on post-grant proceedings. Naveen’s even temperament is only exceeded by his thoughtful strategies and encyclopedic knowledge of practice before the PTAB.”
• Law360 recognized Mr. Modi as a “Legal Lion” and “IP MVP” for his work defending Acorda in the highly publicized IPRs filed by a hedge fund run by Kyle Bass. Financial Times has also “highly commended” his work in connection with these IPRs. Mr. Modi was also recognized as a “Legal Lion” for his work for Boehringer Ingelheim on IPRs where, as Law 360 noted, the PTAB “invalidated ‘a key patent’ for AbbVie Inc.’s top selling drug . . . Humira.” In addition, Mr. Modi was recognized by Law360 as a “Legal Lion” for his work for Google.
• LMG Life Sciences recognized Mr. Modi as an IP Star in addition to being awarded the Post Grant Proceedings Attorney of the Year at the LMG Life Sciences Awards.
• IAM Patent 1000 has named him as one of only six “highly recommended” individuals for post-grant proceedings. It has noted that “Modi is one of, if not the most prolific PTAB attorney in the country and knows just about all there is to know about challenging and defending patents under the AIA.”

RECOGNITIONS

• Lawdragon, 500 Leading Litigators in America (2022)
• Ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA
• The Legal 500’s Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property – Patents: Litigation
• The Legal 500’s Dispute Resolution – Appellate: Courts of Appeals
• The Legal 500’s Intellectual Property – Patents: Litigation (International Trade Commission)
• LMG Life Sciences Awards, Post Grant Proceedings Attorney of the Year
• LMG Life Sciences, IP Star
• Managing Intellectual Property, Outstanding IP Litigator of the Year – PTAB
• Managing Intellectual Property, IP Star
• Law360, IP MVP
• Law360, Legal Lion
• IAM Global Leaders
• IAM Patent 1000, Leading Patent Practitioner
• Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business
• Washington D.C. Super Lawyer

EDUCATION

• George Mason University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2001
• George Mason University, B.S., Electrical Engineering, with high distinction, 1998

Yvette Ostolaza

Chair, Management Committee,
Sidley Austin LLP

—

YVETTE OSTOLAZA is Sidley’s Management Committee Chair and an Executive Committee Member. Yvette is one of the world’s foremost business litigators, delivering winning results for clients at each stage of complex multijurisdictional commercial disputes and corporate investigations. Her litigation work and ability to solve her clients’ most difficult litigation problems have garnered her numerous accolades and recognitions, including Band 1 Chambers USA “Litigation: General Commercial” recognition and Benchmark Litigation “National Commercial Litigation Star.”

Yvette is admitted in New York and Texas and litigates trial and appellate matters in U.S. state and federal courts on behalf of global clients. She has significant experience in MDL, crisis management, activist defense, bankruptcy, arbitration, and securities litigation cases. She coordinates and tries proceedings in a variety of arbitration venues, serves on the Roster of Neutral Arbitrators for the AAA for commercial litigation matters, and sits on the CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals as an arbitrator for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution. She served as the vice chair, Ethics and Investigations Subcommittee of the ABA Corporate Governance Committee.

Yvette is highly experienced in providing on-point guidance to boards and senior-level executives during periods of corporate turbulence. Chambers Crisis & Risk Management recognized Yvette as a leader of the firm’s Band 1 Nationwide USA Crisis Management practice and as one of a very small number of notable practitioners nationwide in the area of crisis management. She routinely leads complex internal investigations on behalf of companies, board committees and individual directors, and she defends companies/directors in shareholder and securities class actions. Yvette currently serves on the board of directors of Lionsgate and has served on several nonprofit boards, as well as the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas.

Yvette’s practice range, experience, and results have earned her extensive recognition. Most recently, she was honored by the Hispanic National Bar Association with the Mari Carmen Aponte Award. Yvette is only the second recipient of this award, which recognizes a “Latina lawyer who is the first to break a glass ceiling.” The Hispanic National Bar Foundation also recently honored Yvette with the 2022 “Firm Leadership Award.” This annual award recognized her for her “outstanding achievement and her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.” Yvette was named as one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” in the United States by Benchmark Litigation since 2012. In 2021, Chambers USA ranked her Band 1 in Litigation, with one client describing her as “a tremendous asset to have on your side and a natural leader who has the ability to manage all the moving parts of a team.” From 2009–2020, Yvette was annually among the highest ranked lawyers in General Commercial Litigation by Chambers USA. For example, in 2020 the journal noted that clients call her “a force of nature” with “every arrow in her quiver that you would want,” who “doesn’t look for the usual cookie-cutter, classic legal responses,” who has particular “expertise in whistleblower and investigation matters,” and is “so dynamic, her command of a room and her ability to get what she needs for a client is unmatched.” In 2019, an enthusiastic client told Chambers USA: “She could seriously convince you that the sky is purple; she’s that good an advocate.”

Yvette has also been recognized by multiple national and regional publications. Recently, Latino Corporate Directors Association recognized Yvette as a “Most influential Latina 2021.” In 2021, The American Lawyer recognized Yvette as a “South Trailblazer” and BTI Consulting recognized her as a Client Service All-Star based on feedback from top legal in-house counsel. Yvette was selected as one of D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” 2016–2022 in the Business/Commercial Litigation category, 2018 in the Security Litigation/Enforcement category; she was featured on DCEO’s “Dallas 500” list from 2015–2022. She was named to the 2020 and 2021 “Texas Trailblazers” list by Texas Lawyer, as well as the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Yvette received the 2015 Texas Lawyer “Lifetime Achievement Award” and the “Thought Leadership” award from Corporate Counsel and Inside Counsel’s 2019 Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards. In 2013, she was named a “Rainmaker” by Diversity and The Bar magazine and honored in 2012 as one of the 20 “Most Powerful and Influential Women” in Texas by the Texas Diversity Council. Yvette has been recognized as one of “America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators”; she was listed in the inaugural Benchmark Labor & Employment guide in 2018 and was named a “National Practice Area Star” and a “Litigation Star” in both Commercial and Labor and Employment in Benchmark Litigation (2021–2023). She has also been selected as one of 20 “Women of Excellence” honored nationwide by Hispanic Business magazine. Yvette has been selected to appear in Latino Leaders Magazine as a “Top Latino Lawyer” (2018–2022) and is listed as one of the Most Powerful Latinas in Law.

Yvette’s significant experience managing multijurisdictional disputes — including class actions, business tort, securities/shareholder, consumer fraud, financial services, constitutional, contract, employment, fiduciary duty, advertising/sweepstakes, insurance, fraud, good faith and accounting malpractice litigation, arbitrations, simulations, and mediations — leads her to the top. Other aspects of her practice include counseling clients on reducing risks from consumer and advertising-related claims and representing clients in negotiations with state agencies on such claims, as well as advising private equity firms on litigation risks facing their portfolio companies. She is involved in the coordination and argument of appeals in courts across the United States, which includes the U.S. Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, and the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas.

Her clients include significant companies in the aviation, retail, hospitality, financial/insurance, energy, and manufacturing industries. These include Aspen Insurance, Arca Continental, MGM Resorts, Celanese, Deutsche Bank, Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment, Tuesday Morning Corporation, EnLink Midstream, Neiman Marcus, SM Energy, Sally Beauty, HMS Holdings, Michaels, Best Buy, Forterra, SAExploration, JPMorgan, McAfee, Inc., Darling Ingredients, Vistra Energy, Hunt Oil, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Flexi-Van, Kiromic, and Forescout Technologies.

Yvette is often called on to represent these clients in their most important litigation matters. She is highly experienced in all aspects of litigation and trial work and often leads teams of lawyers handling large-scale and high-profile litigation.

Chong Park

Partner, Litigation & Enforcement Practice Group,
Ropes & Gray

—

Chong is a seasoned trial lawyer with over 25 years experience serving as lead counsel in complex litigation and government investigations for companies and individuals. His practice focuses on antitrust, consumer protection, and complex/commercial litigation. He also actively participates in the data, privacy & cybersecurity group. Chong is a co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee and is a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

Based in Ropes & Gray’s Washington, D.C. and San Francisco offices, Chong is renowned for his experience as a litigator, having served five years as a senior trial attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, and previously as a Deputy City Attorney on the labor and employment and trial teams for the City and County of San Francisco.

Chong has first-chaired bench and jury trials in federal and state courts and has substantial experience in class action litigation and government enforcement actions. His practice focuses on high-stakes matters, representation in government regulatory proceedings and investigations, alternative dispute resolution, administrative litigation, and counseling. In proceedings initiated by government agencies, Chong has significant experience representing clients before the FTC, DOJ and the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition. He also has represented clients in proceedings initiated by various State Attorneys General.

Chong has represented companies in government investigations and as both plaintiffs and defendants in complex litigation. His clients come from diverse business sectors including technology, health care, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services, food and beverage, and oil and gas.

Chong also maintains an active pro bono docket. He has had substantial experience in handling criminal matters and appeals, immigration and asylum cases, disability and civil rights matters, and he was lead counsel for the American Bar Association and individual plaintiffs in the successful lawsuit challenging the Department of Education’s handling of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (“PSLF”). Chong also led a team that, in 2019, secured freedom for John Huffington, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 32 years in prison (10 on death row).

Chong is a triathlete, has a black belt in tae kwon do, and has competed on the local, state, and national levels in both disciplines.

Kevin Prussia

Partner,
WilmerHale

—

Kevin Prussia is a partner in the firm’s Litigation/Controversy Department, a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation and Trial Practice Groups, and a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Mr. Prussia is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer, with significant experience representing leading life sciences and technology companies in major disputes involving intellectual property and other commercial matters. Mr. Prussia has experience across every aspect of trial and appellate practice, including bench and jury federal trials, International Trade Commission investigations, Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, and appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. He is a true “stand-up” litigator who has handled challenging witness examinations and oral arguments for clients in high stakes litigations. He has successfully tried cases to verdict and has counseled numerous clients through complicated settlement discussions.

More than a litigator, Mr. Prussia’s practice also encompasses strategic advice and opinion work. He counsels clients regarding FDA issues, patent-portfolio evaluations, and licensing strategies.

Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Prussia is a prominent member of the community. He has served on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Massachusetts for ten years and currently serves as Chair of the Foundation. Mr. Prussia was previously President of the Board from 2015-2019. In addition, Mr. Prussia serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as the Dean’s Advisory Council of the College of Arts and Science at NYU. Mr. Prussia is also a part-time faculty member at Boston University School of Law, where he teaches Patent Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Prussia has a deep civil rights pro bono practice. He currently represents a class of individuals in a high profile immigration case against the Department of Homeland Security. He is also a monitor for one of the country’s oldest consent decrees governing the hiring practices of entry-level police and firefighters in communities across Massachusetts.

Byron Taylor

Partner and Co-Leader of Environmental Practice,
Sidley Austin LLP

—

BYRON TAYLOR is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and co-leader of Sidley’s Environmental practice group. His practice includes civil litigation, crisis response, compliance counseling, internal investigations, regulatory advocacy, and environmental aspects of transactions.

Byron assists clients and advises boards in high-stakes matters following major environmental incidents, including matters that involve both environmental regulatory issues and related tort claims. He also frequently provides key strategic advice on regulatory and permit matters and defends clients against alleged violations of a variety of federal and state environmental laws. Over the past several years, Byron has become well known for his work on complex Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act matters.

Byron was named the Litigation — Environmental law “Lawyer of the Year” in Chicago in the Best Lawyers’ 2013 edition. He also has been recognized as a leader in Chambers USA 2013–2022 in Environment: Litigation, which noted he “feels like a steady hand for clients in difficult negotiations.” Byron was named by Crain’s Chicago Business to its 2019 list of “Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting & Law” and its 2022 list of “Notable Black Leaders & Executives.”

Within the firm, Byron is a co-chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and serves on the Lawyer Training and Professional Development Committee and the Counsel Committee.

Recent Experience

• Representing a medical device sterilization company in regulatory litigation, permitting matters, and new rule development relating to ethylene oxide air emissions at multiple facilities across the country;
• Defending a manufacturer in a joint federal and state enforcement action concerning claims of NPDES permit violations and a related fish kill at a facility in the Midwest;
• Representing an oil pipeline company in enforcement litigation following a release of crude oil;
• Assisting a petroleum refining company in obtaining the air emission construction permit for a major expansion and negotiating an innovative agreement with an environmental citizen’s group concerning the project;
• Defending a petroleum refining company against claims of excess flaring and an upset event that included a release affecting a nearby neighborhood;
• Successfully negotiated a federal and state settlement agreement covering air emissions from a coke oven battery;
• Defending a manufacturing company in a RCRA 3008(h) correction action matter concerning a currently operating facility;
• Defended a Midwestern electric utility company in a Clean Air Act New Source Review enforcement matter that ultimately was dismissed by the federal court;
• Defended an electric generating station against an interstate claim that emissions from the plant violated the law in the neighboring state; and
• On a pro bono basis, advised the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee regarding environmental matters.

Wanji Walcott (Honorary Chair)

Former Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel,
Discover Financial Services

—

Wanji Walcott is Former Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Discover Financial Services, and a member of the company’s Executive Committee. She is a high-impact global financial services executive with a proven track record of building and leading diverse teams and fostering a culture of collaboration as a trusted advisor. Ms. Walcott was responsible for Discover’s Legal Organization, Government Relations, the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance Program and the Patent & Innovation Program.

With a passion for helping others, Ms. Walcott is committed to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) and serves as executive sponsor of HOLA, Discover’s Latinx Employee Resource Group. She leads the company’s DE&I Task Force and is an active participant in the Legal Organization’s pro bono program, which provides free, high-quality legal services to those in need.

Prior to joining Discover in 2019, Ms. Walcott was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at PayPal Holdings, Inc., where she provided counsel to senior management and the board of directors, was accountable for all areas of the global legal department and provided legal support to corporate affiliates, including a bank. She has also held senior positions at American Express, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, DSET Corporation and Lockheed Martin.

Ms. Walcott serves on the Board of Directors of Foresight II (NASDAQ: FACQU) and has served on a number of non-profit boards, including her current role as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Frederick Gunn School and the Chair of the Board of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the Chicago Club, the Chicago Network and the Economic Club of Chicago. During the past year, Ms. Walcott has received the following awards and recognition: Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers (2022); Diversity Woman Magazine’s Elite 100 (2022); Pro Bono Institute’s Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award (2021) and Crain’s Notable General Counsels recognition (2021).

Graham Allan

Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel – Strategic Programs & Legal Operations,
Cisco Systems

—

Graham Allan is Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at Cisco Systems – Strategic Programs & Legal Operations. Graham is responsible for the strategy and execution of Cisco Legal’s Early in Career, Law Firm Engagement and Management, Pro Bono and Learning & Development Programs and the Department’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives. The Legal Department’s Operations team also reports into Graham, including the teams responsible for Legal’s platforms, tools and applications, data analytics, e-discovery and forensics, knowledge and content management and training infrastructure.

During his twenty plus years at Cisco, Graham has led different teams in the Legal Department, including leading the European legal team, heading (twice) the global team supporting sales, marketing, Cisco financing function and channels; managing the legal team supporting engineering globally and running the legal group supporting Cisco’s Service Provider and IoT businesses (support for both the engineering and sales teams). He has also led the Legal team supporting Cisco’s acquisitions, divestitures, and investments and was Chief of Staff for both Cisco’s current and previous Chief Legal Officers.

Graham joined Cisco in 1999, in London, from law firm Baker & McKenzie. Graham worked for Baker & McKenzie from 1989-99, in their London and San Francisco/Palo Alto offices. During his time at Baker & McKenzie, Graham was a member of the intellectual property and information technology group and handled both litigation and commercial transactions. He was made a partner in 1998.

Graham has a law degree from the University of Manchester, UK, studied at the College of Law in Chester, UK and has a Diploma in IP Law from the University of Bristol.

Graham is on the Management Board for the Cisco Heritage Center and has served on the Board of the American Liver Foundation. After twenty years in the Bay Area in California, Graham and family moved to Portland Oregon in April 2022.

Diana Arredondo

Senior Corporate Counsel,
Amazon.com, Inc.

—

Diana is an attorney with over seventeen years of experience in Intellectual Property, Domain Names, Digital Media, Privacy and Data Protection, licensed to practice in Mexico and the United States. Diana is a Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon, where she leads the Digital Device and Advertising Trademark Team, and is responsible for developing and implementing global IP strategies. Diana also serves on Amazon’s Legal Diversity Leadership Team and leads multiple DEI initiatives, including the Day 1 Legal Academy program for law students of diverse backgrounds. Prior to joining Amazon, Diana was a Senior Counsel at Grupo Televisa, where she led the International IP Division.

Les Boswell

Counsel,
State Farm

—

Les Boswell is member of the State Counsel team for State Farm, currently responsible for government and regulatory affairs in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. He assumed the role of State Counsel in October 2018. He joined State Farm in 2013 as Counsel to the Investment Department, focusing on real estate finance, state and federal compliance issues, and other financial transactions involving State Farm and its affiliates. During his time with State Farm, Les has been extremely involved the Law Department’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, including serving in multiple leadership roles within the Diversity & Inclusion committee.

Prior to joining State Farm, Les practiced at Moore & Van Allen and Kirk Palmer & Thigpen in Charlotte, North Carolina where he focused on real estate, real estate finance and various corporate matters. He also worked in-house with Electrolux North America where he handled an array of commercial matters.

Les received his undergraduate and law degrees from The College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Les and his wife, Jennie, have three daughters, ages 10, 8, and 6.

Elizabeth “Liz” Davis

Partner, Co-Chair Financial Services Practice Group,
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

—

Liz Davis is the Co-Chair of the Financial Services practice group at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Liz advises and defends domestic and foreign companies and individuals in civil and criminal investigations, examinations, and litigation before the CFTC, DOJ, SEC, NFA, and exchanges, and also handles corporate internal investigations. Liz previously was a Chief Trial Attorney at the CFTC, where she led regulatory enforcement matters encompassing issues ranging from manipulation, virtual currencies, compliance, and trade practice issues. Liz was also a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and litigated numerous civil tax controversy matters in federal district and bankruptcy courts. She received her J.D. from Tulane University School of Law and B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Deneen Donnley

Senior Vice President & General Counsel,
Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc.

—

Deneen Donnley is senior vice president and general counsel of Consolidated Edison, Inc., the energy company serving the 10 million people of New York City, Westchester, Orange and Rockland counties.

Ms. Donnley previously served as chief legal officer, general counsel, and corporate secretary to USAA. She also previously served as the general counsel for USAA Bank.

Before joining USAA, Ms. Donnley worked as the senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at ING DIRECT. Prior to joining ING DIRECT, she served as an attorney for Pepper Hamilton LLP and a staff attorney with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Ms. Donnley serves on the Boards of Directors of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Girls Inc. of New York City, and Fordham Law Alumni Association. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, Athena Alliance, and the Direct Women Board Institute.

A Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania graduate with a Bachelor of Science in economics, Ms. Donnley also received her Juris Doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law in New York.

Mark Grider

Partner and Chair of the Crisis Management Litigation and Government Response Group​,
Brown Rudnick LLP

—

Background

Mark Grider is an executive leader and former Deputy Associate Attorney General with over 20 years of risk management and regulatory experience in Washington, D.C. Mark is currently a Senior Partner and Chair of the Crisis Management Litigation and Government Response Group at Brown Rudnick LLP.

Executive Leadership, Board Governance & ESG Expertise

Mark brings visionary leadership, business acumen, and an extensive regulatory background to company executives and their boards. Mark also provides deep corporate governance experience; Mark educates and advises executives and their board of directors on increasingly important environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) matters. Mark understands the magnitude of shareholder engagement and supports boards in their implementation of improved ESG practices to enhance long-term asset value. Mark has also worked closely with executives on matters related to shareholder activism.

Regulatory Leadership

As a former Deputy Compliance Officer for a Fortune 500 company, Mark has proven success with corporate compliance teambuilding and navigating regulatory hurdles; in his former role, Mark created and led multiple regulatory groups to identify and address potential risks to the company and was key in the enhancement of a compliance database. While Mark’s career has strong roots in regulatory compliance, he also understands business and stays current on the newest issues facing companies today. Mark recently obtained a Leading with Finance Certification from Harvard Business School.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Mark is a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and knows the steps boards must take to achieve their DEI targets to promote sustainability and deliver long-term value in this changing economy and business landscape. Mark is a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) and serves on the MCCA G-TEC Advisory Council for Technology where he addresses diversity and equity in the tech industry.

Cybersecurity and Privacy

Mark has worked on major cyber and privacy issues both in the federal government and for private companies and has a real understanding of the technology, cybersecurity and privacy issues facing companies today. Mark is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and is receiving his certificate in information privacy to better assist companies with the increasing risks surrounding companies and privacy.

Career Experience

Mark most recently served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Justice Department, where his portfolio included criminal matters relating to the Antitrust Division, Civil Division, the Consumer Protection Branch, Environment and Natural Resources Division and the Tax Division. Mark is a subject matter expert on the False Claims Act, healthcare fraud, the opioid crisis, and competition and consumer harm in the online marketplace. Mark liaised on policy initiatives relating to elder fraud and financial exploitation, criminal antitrust procurement collusion and COVID-19 pandemic issues. Between early 2019 and September 2020, Mark assisted on congressional oversight and investigations and coordinated responses to related litigation, FOIA requests, COVID-19 pandemic response matters, and Inspector General investigations.

Prior to this role, Mark served as Senior Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel, advising White House Counsel and senior administration officials on broad oversight and regulatory matters involving the White House, Health and Human Services, and federal agencies, contributing special expertise on health care regulatory and litigation matters and science and technology oversight and policy issues.

After his tenure as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark moved to the DOJ’s Office of the Deputy Attorney General, where he served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General and advised on operational and policy issues involving computer crime, intellectual property, health care fraud, pharmaceutical diversion, narcotics abuse and trafficking, death penalty review, and computer forensics matters. He also served as Special Counsel for Health Care Fraud and executive director of the DOJ’s Intellectual Property (IP) Task Force, where he developed strategic initiatives and metrics to monitor health care fraud, waste, and abuse efforts as well as corporate counterfeit and IP theft detection.

Mark has extensive congressional investigative experience on Capitol Hill in both the House and Senate. Mark was deputy general counsel for Chairman Trey Gowdy on a House Select Committee and was a legislative assistant to former Senator John Ashcroft from Mark’s home state of Missouri.

Mark served as the deputy general counsel to the Special Inspector General of Iraq Reconstruction, a role in which he oversaw civil and criminal litigation pertaining to procurement fraud and false claims act matters involving the more than $10 billion of government funds appropriated for Iraq reconstruction.

Education and Other Credentials

• Harvard Business School, Leading with Finance Online Certification
• University of Missouri School of Law, J.D.
  • Thurgood Marshall Scholar; CALI Excellence for the Future Award
• Truman State University, B.A.
  • Magna Cum Laude; Dean’s List; President’s Honorary Scholarship; NCAA Academic All- Conference Scholar
• Admitted to Practice: Supreme Court of the United States; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; Missouri Bar; D.C. Bar
• Active Security Clearances: Top Secret/SCI is renewable, if needed

Kevin Hall

Partner,
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

—

Kevin Hall is the Managing Partner of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP’s Columbia, South Carolina office, Chair of the Firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, and a member of the Firm Management Committee.

Kevin is a skilled commercial litigator and political law attorney. He has more than 30 years of experience in complex commercial litigation, administrative law, education law, and First Amendment law. Kevin’s practice includes representation of plaintiffs and defendants in regulatory and business disputes involving claims for breach of contract, business torts, unfair trade practices, unfair competition, commercial disparagement, antitrust, and related business claims. He has represented clients from a variety of industries including, but not limited to, construction, electric and gas, telecommunications, software, healthcare, infrastructure, legal services, accounting services, and financial services. He has obtained multi-million dollar verdicts or settlements in cases involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty, unfair trade practices, breach of contract, breach of contract accompanied by a fraudulent act, and other business torts.

As defense counsel, Kevin has successfully defended utilities, health care companies, telecommunications providers, and insurance companies in class actions, defeating class certification in some cases and achieving dismissal in others. He has represented a variety of businesses including law firms, securities dealers, utilities, retailers, finance companies, real estate companies, and pharmaceutical companies in business tort and commercial contract disputes, as well as in shareholder disputes and oppression claims asserted by minority shareholders. Kevin has represented securities brokers and dealers in civil investigations initiated by the South Carolina Attorney General.

Kevin also has represented multiple clients in constitutional challenges arising from state and federal campaign finance laws and state criminal domestic violence statutes. He served as successful amicus counsel for the South Carolina Equality Coalition in its challenge to the constitutionality of South Carolina’s criminal domestic violence statutes. Kevin also represented South Carolina students and LGBT advocacy organizations in a successful equal protection challenge of South Carolina’s anti-LGBT curriculum provisions included in the state’s Comprehensive Health Education Act of 1988. On the political law front, Kevin has successfully represented multiple statewide elected officials in cases in the original jurisdiction of the South Carolina Supreme Court, before legislative ethics committees, and in impeachment proceedings brought by the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Kevin is active in South Carolina politics and public policy. He has served as legal counsel to the South Carolina Republican Party, Governor Mark Sanford, Senator Lindsey Graham, Governor Nikki Haley, Senator Tim Scott, Senator Jim DeMint, and Representative Trey Gowdy, among others. Kevin served as co-chair of the Republican Party’s Victory 2008 Committee, and was elected as an alternate delegate in 2008 to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

JENNIFER IVAN

Associate General Counsel,
Microsoft Corporation

—

Jennifer Ivan is an Associate General Counsel for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington, where she leads Microsoft’s Windows and Devices legal team. In this role, she leads a team of legal professionals that provide legal support in all areas of the Windows + Devices business, including AI, privacy, intellectual property, compliance, competition, and commercial and consumer issues. Prior to that role, she led the team that supported all commercial sales in the United States and Canada, and government and community affairs for Canada. Prior to that role, Jennifer led the legal team for the M365 Security, Compliance, and Management (SCM) group.

She also previously led Diversity & Inclusion for Microsoft’s Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization. In this role, she led CELA’s efforts to build and sustain a diverse department that reflects the diversity of our global company, the communities in which we work, and the customers that we serve and to take full advantage of that diversity by creating and nurturing a culture of inclusion that allows individuals and teams to do their best work.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Jennifer was Legal Director for Dell Computer Corporation in Austin, Texas, where she supported the Dell Services organization.

Prior to joining Dell, Jennifer was a Staff Attorney for IBM in Austin, Texas, where she provided comprehensive legal support for IBM’s Server Group.

Jennifer graduated Cum Laude with Honors in Liberal Arts with a B.A. in Political Science and English from the Ohio State University in 1990. Jennifer received her J.D. Cum Laude from the Ohio State University School of Law in 1994. She has served for more than 15 years on the board of Youth Eastside Services (currently President), a non-profit that provides counseling and support programs for children and young adults who are dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, mental health issues, abuse and other difficult issues. She is also on the Next Generation Advisory Board for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her 19-year-old daughter (Olivia), her 25-year-old son (Parker) and her husband, Donnie.

She can be reached at jenivan@microsoft.com

Manish K. Jain

Counsel – Labor and Employment,
General Motors LLC

—

Manish Jain attended the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, he worked as an Auditor for KPMG and later as Policy Analyst in Education for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. After working for 4 years, he decided to attend law school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After taking a few courses in employment law, he found the subject matter incredibly interesting and accepted a job with a law firm named Ogletree Deakins in Minneapolis, MN, where he focused his practice on labor and employment issues. In 2015, he joined General Motors LLC in Detroit, MI, which has a workforce of over 100,000 employees, to practice in-house as a labor and employment attorney.

Marie Ma

Chief Legal Officer,
Articulate

—

Marie Ma is Chief Legal Officer at Articulate, the leader in creator tools for workplace learning loved by all the Fortune 100. Prior to Articulate, Marie served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Gap Inc. leading the Corporate Secretary’s Office, Corporate & Finance, Global Equity, Legal Operations and M&A teams where she advised on a wide range of corporate, securities, governance, disclosure, ESG, finance, executive compensation, transactional, compliance and nonprofit issues. She also served as division General Counsel for Banana Republic brand. Marie is a passionate advocate for increasing diversity among legal leadership across the profession having led the legal diversity efforts at her prior organization and is now creating the first ever legal diversity program at Articulate through recruiting and hiring practices, engagement with its law firm providers and partnership with key diversity organizations like the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). She previously served on the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area’s (AABA) Board and currently serves on AABA’s Law Foundation Board. Marie is a 2018 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow. In 2013, Marie was named a Rising Star by MCCA. Marie earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law where she attended the evening program while working full-time. She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Alexis Mendoza

Chief Compliance Officer,
Nokia

—

Alex leads Nokia’s global Ethics & Compliance function and is based in the New York City area. He joined Nokia in 2010 and has held various senior roles within Legal & Compliance including in the areas of Litigation, Compliance and Sales. Prior to assuming the role of Chief Compliance Officer in January 2022, Alex served as VP, Deputy CLO and Global General Counsel for its Cloud & Network Services business group and Customer Experience organization. Alex is active in the Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion space. He leads various internal and external initiatives devoted to the topic and collaborates frequently with the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”) on driving change within the legal community.

Joseph Moonjely

Assistant General Counsel, IP,
BASF Corporation

—

Joseph Moonjely is assistant general counsel, IP at BASF Corporation, based out of BASF’s headquarters in Florham Park, NJ. Mr. Moonjely has been with BASF since 2016. In his current role, Mr. Moonjely provides IP support for the catalyst and enzymes divisions of BASF, including, IP transactional support, IP opinions, patent portfolio management, M&A support and litigation support. He also chairs the DEI team for BASF NA’s legal and IP group. Mr. Moonjely earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University and his JD/MBA from Temple University and is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Oderah Nwaeze

Partner,
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

—

Oderah C. Nwaeze is a first-chair trial attorney who helps clients resolve complex corporate and commercial disputes. His practice includes matters involving shareholder rights; actions arising under Delaware General Corporation Law and Delaware common law; lawsuits stemming from mergers, acquisitions and other corporate transactions; and breach-of-contract matters. Given the influence of Delaware law on other states, Oderah handles similar matters in jurisdictions across the firm’s footprint.

Oderah also has experience representing clients in state and federal class actions involving securities laws, statutory and common law fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

He counsels financial institutions in consumer-related litigation, having developed an understanding of the legal and business sensitivities of banking clients through a secondment with TD Bank.

Oderah is a graduate of Emory University School of Law, where he was inducted into the Order of Emory Advocates, a member of Emory Mock Trial Society, president of the Student/Alumni Association and served on the Emory Law Honor Court. He is also a graduate of Wake Forest University, where he was a member of the Track & Field team and a recipient of the Joseph G. Gordon Merit Scholarship.

Angelique M. Okeke

Vice President, Global & NA Consumer Marketplace Counsel,
Nike, Inc.

—

Angelique M. Okeke is Vice President, Global & North America (NA) Consumer Marketplace Counsel at Nike, Inc. She is responsible for leading and managing the company’s legal team supporting Nike’s Global & North American consumer business. Okeke also serves as strategic business counsel on Nike’s NA Senior Executive Leadership Team. In this role, she advises on worldwide issues affecting Nike’s retail, e-commerce, digital partnerships, marketing, distribution, and other marketplace matters. 

Prior to joining Nike, Angelique was Corporate Counsel with Amazon Web Services. In that role, she served as business and legal advisor to the Sales and Marketing business team for AWS. While at Amazon, Angelique helped establish the legal support function to the newly formed AWS Professional Services business. Prior to joining Amazon, Angelique served as Vice President and General Counsel at Lotame, a data management platform company. As the company’s first in house attorney, Angelique counseled on Lotame’s business model transformation from an ad network to a data management platform and led the global legal team, strategy, and operations for the company. Okeke began her legal career as a corporate and mergers and acquisitions attorney with multinational law firms in Boston and Washington, D.C. 

Okeke serves and has served on the Board of Directors of a variety of civic and non-profit organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors of Girls, Inc., Pacific Northwest Chapter, the Classroom Law Project and the Board of Trustees of Seattle Repertory Theatre. She is also the executive sponsor for Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee for Nike’s Office of the General Counsel, spearheading Nike’s strategy to influence and change representation and retention of diverse attorneys in the legal industry. 

Okeke has received numerous industry awards and recognition for her work, including, the Nike Maxim Award, a global company award, for embodying Nike’s leadership values for her work on the global expansion of Nike.com into 26 new countries. Drawing on her expertise in commercial agreements and legal issues in the retail industry, Okeke is a frequent panelist, speaking on enterprise business counseling at various conferences focused on enhancing the personal and professional development of practicing and aspiring lawyers. 

As an adjunct Professor at Howard University School of Law, Angelique co-teaches a course on Sports & Social justice focusing on the power and consequences of professional athletes’ engagement in social justice activities. 

Okeke is graduate of Boston College, received her Masters in Public Communications, with distinction from American University and earned her law degree from Howard University School of Law. While in law school, Angelique served as President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Students Association and as Business Chair and lead advocate on the Charles Hamilton Houston Moot Court Team. 

Okeke resides in Seattle with her husband and two sons. 

Krista Palframan

Vice President and Lead Counsel,
LexisNexis Risk Solutions

—

Krista is Lead Counsel of the insurance business unit at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. She leads a global legal team that supports the strategic initiatives of the business in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and China. Krista is passionate about diversity and inclusion initiatives. She assisted with the development of a grassroots diversity and inclusion program within the broader LexisNexis Risk Solutions legal department, called Powered by People. Prior to her current role, Krista was Lead Counsel of the healthcare business unit at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Senior Counsel at First Advantage Corporation, and Associate Contract Director at TSYS.

Krista received her undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor, law degree from the University of Western Ontario and Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School. Krista is licensed to practice law in the United States and Canada.

CEDRIC POWELL

Partner,
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

—

Cedric Powell is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group in Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP’s Washington, D.C. office.

He is a seasoned private equity, M&A attorney with extensive experience in middle market M&A transactions, representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, strategic acquirers, and founders in both buy-side and sell-side transactions. Cedric’s experience spans various industries, including aerospace and defense, manufacturing, food and beverage, national security, government services, retail, technology, chemical distribution, consumer packaged goods, grocery, third-party logistics, and healthcare to name a few. Additionally, Cedric regularly represents clients in various other corporate and transactional matters, including equity financings, strategic investments, joint ventures, and corporate governance.

Cedric co-chairs the DC Office’s Diversity and Inclusion Office Working Group and Recruiting Committee. He also co-chairs the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Attorney Network (DIAN) and Black Lawyers Network.

Cedric was named a 2019 Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2021 MCCA Rising Star, 2023 Legal 500 M&A/Corporate and Commercial Recognized Lawyer, and 2024 US News Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch.”

Lauren Rothenberg

Senior Corporate Counsel,
Amazon.com, Inc.

—

Lauren is a Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon where she is the lead lawyer for the Books risk and content policy teams and Kindle Direct Publishing business. She previously managed commercial, product liability and personal injury litigation across Amazon’s businesses. Lauren serves on Amazon’s Diversity Leadership Team and leads Amazon’s Election Protection partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She is a former member of the Board of Directors for Bay Area women’s leadership incubator The CLUB and served on the leadership team for the Seattle chapter of Leading Women in Technology. Lauren is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School.

Rachael Vaughn Ray

Senior Counsel,
Google LLC

—

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Rachael studied mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan and attended law school at University of Houston while working as a patent agent for Shell Oil Company. After law school, she spent time working abroad in the Netherlands as a lawyer for the Shell IP department.

In 2012, she joined Microsoft as a licensing attorney in the OEM business and a product attorney supporting a variety of hardware projects including the Microsoft HoloLens, Microsoft Health, and the Microsoft Band. Rachael continued counseling clients developing new form factor devices at Google, where she was the lawyer for the Daydream AR/VR business. After a few years counseling in the AR/VR space, Rachael moved to the Payments legal team where she currently leads the product counsel team supporting Google Wallet.

During her free time, Rachael dabbles in video editing, practices yoga, and volunteers as a member of the legal committee for the Organization for Transformative Works. Her claim to fame: winning an international scavenger hunt known as GISHWHES with her awesome team known as the Vatican Cameos.

Dominique Ward

Assistant Vice President and Senior Counsel, Retirement Plan Services,
Lincoln Financial Group

—

Dominique B. E. Ward is an Assistant Vice President and Senior Counsel at Lincoln Financial Group in Retirement Plan Services based in Radnor, PA. In her current role, she primarily provides legal guidance to Lincoln’s business partners responsible for providing retirement plan products and services.

Prior to joining Lincoln Financial, Ms. Ward served as an Associate Attorney at Jennings Sigmond, P.C., a boutique law firm specializing in multiemployer benefit plans, and worked on an assortment of employee benefits and tax law issues. She also served as a Deputy City Solicitor in the Major Tax Unit at the City of Philadelphia Law Department, where she handled tax litigation regarding the Internal Revenue Code, City of Philadelphia Code, and associated regulations.

Ms. Ward has served as faculty for various professional training programs and continued learning education seminars on assorted topics ranging from “Tax Controversy” to “The Women, Diversity & Law: Awareness into Action Summit.”

Recently, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Community of College of Philadelphia and currently serves on several other boards, such as: the City of Philadelphia Labor Standards Board and Tax Review Board, the Foundation of the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division– Philadelphia Chapter, and as a Board of Director of Philadelphia VIP. Lastly, she is a former president of The Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, Inc., an organization founded to address the professional needs of Black lawyers in the City of Philadelphia, and past member of the Philadelphia Bar Association Judicial Commission and the Board of Governors.

Currently at Lincoln Financial Group, she serves as co-lead of the enterprise-wide African American Business Resource Group.

Previously, Ms. Ward was named as a 2020 Lawyer on the Fast Track by the Legal Intelligencer and as one of Philadelphia’s 2020 Most Influential Leaders by The Philadelphia Tribune.

Ms. Ward received her LL.M in Taxation and Certificate in Employee Benefits from Temple University Beasley College of Law, J.D. from Florida International University College of Law, and Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Miami, where she majored in International Finance and Marketing and minored in Accounting.

Jon Westlund

Senior Privacy Counsel,
Pfizer Inc.

—

JON WESTLUND is Senior Privacy Counsel in the Pfizer Global Privacy Organization (“GPO”) where he serves as a key member of the GPO team. Along with four other privacy attorneys and two non-attorney privacy professionals Jon reports to Chief Privacy Officer Patrice Ettinger. In 2006, Jon began his privacy counsel career with a European based company in the earlier stages of an emerging privacy law field providing him with invaluable insight and understanding. In 2015, while working at Wyndham, He led an internal team enabling compliance with an Order in the landmark cybersecurity case of FTC vs. Wyndham. Jon joined Pfizer’s GPO in the summer of 2018.

Jon has a track record of helping organizations develop and implement sophisticated individually tailored global privacy programs. He partners with senior management and other key stakeholders to develop and foster a vision for a company’s privacy and cybersecurity programs. As a seasoned Privacy attorney, Jon is well-versed in providing insightful risk-based advice in an emerging privacy field, often navigating clients through uncharted waters. He is focused on enabling desired business outcomes while being mindful of privacy compliance requirements.

Jon’s area of expertise now spans a wide variety of global privacy & cybersecurity related topics. He is currently responsible for privacy matters for Human Resources, Digital, Compliance, Internal Medicine, and Immunology & Inflammation. He also is responsible for internal data transfers, incident management and procurement contracts.

Jon is admitted to the New York State Bar and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional / United States – private sector by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He received his law degree from New York Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He is a frequent speaker at events sharing his expertise and insights related to various privacy matters. He is a member on the Pfizer Legal Division Diversity and Equity Committee. He serves as counsel and a board member for a non-profit organization providing transitional housing for recovering alcoholics and addicts and is a former White Plains Planning Board Member. He provides pro bono services to children seeking asylum or Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and has been a high school and middle school mock trial coach with a focus on disadvantaged minority students from the South Bronx. During his free time, he enjoys surfing, practicing yoga, skiing, snowboarding, hiking and most any outdoor activity. He has participated in election voter protection work helping ensure voting rights of individuals. He has taken his love of surfing and provided surf lessons to minority New York City high school students through Laru Beya Collective and Stoked.org as a surf mentor. He enjoys traveling to tropical destinations to surf warmer waters and better waves. He lives in Westchester, NY with his family.

Ursula Willie

Senior Attorney,
USAA

—

Ursula Willie is a senior attorney at USAA providing legal support to teams dedicated to accessibility compliance, and privacy and data protection. Ursula has 14 years of legal experience, with the last nine years representing and providing legal advice to major banks. Ursula also serves as the Lead for USAA’s Chief Legal Office’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Program and is responsible for leading a team of DE&I practitioners in the implementation of DE&I strategies. Prior to joining USAA, Ursula spent her career as in-house counsel at Citigroup and Fidelity National Title Insurance, and in private practice as a commercial litigator. Ursula received her B.A. from Texas A&M University, J.D. from Western Michigan University (cum laude), and Masters of Law (Taxation) from the University of Florida. In her spare time, Ursula enjoys traveling the world and spending time with her family.

Priya Aiyar

Chief Legal Officer,
American Airlines

—

Priya Aiyar is Chief Legal Officer and leads American’s Legal Affairs team and its legal strategies. This includes the company’s corporate governance, securities and corporate finance, commercial, litigation, competition and antitrust, compliance, privacy, environmental, labor and employment, and intellectual property legal issues and work. Priya joined American in 2019 and played a crucial role in the company’s navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to joining American, Priya served as a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, as Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and as Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. Earlier she held other senior legal roles within the federal government and was a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel PLLC. She began her legal career as a clerk to Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and to Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Priya holds a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, a master’s degree from the University of Oxford and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

Monica Howard Douglas

Senior Vice President and General Counsel,
The Coca-Cola Company

—

Monica Howard Douglas is senior vice president and general counsel of The Coca-Cola Company. In this role, she oversees the company’s global legal function, reporting to Chairman and CEO James Quincey.

Douglas was appointed to her role in April 2021. She previously served as chief compliance officer and associate general counsel for the North America operating unit.

Douglas joined Coca-Cola in 2004 as senior managing counsel. She went on to hold roles of increasing responsibility, including as legal director for Coca-Cola Southern and East Africa, before being named general counsel for Coca-Cola North America in 2018.

Prior to Coca-Cola, Douglas was an attorney with Equifax and an associate at Troutman Sanders LLP, now known as Troutman Pepper LLP, both in Atlanta.

She is member of the board of directors for VICI Properties Inc., Junior Achievement USA and Cool Girls Inc.

Douglas earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Stanford University.

Mike Jackson

Associate General Counsel/General Manager, Compliance & Ethics Governance, Training, and Culture​​,
Microsoft Corporation

—

Mike Jackson currently serves as Associate General Counsel and Head of Microsoft’s Compliance & Ethics Governance, Training, and Culture team. Mike’s team is responsible for advancing Microsoft’s culture of trust through several centers of excellence, including anti-corruption and regulatory compliance, compliance training, compliance communications, culture of compliance analytics, and global readiness which ensures that Microsoft’s products, goods, and marketing is localized, inclusive, and reflect the company’s values globally. Mike is a member of the Corporate, External, Legal Affairs (CELA) Leadership Team and has held other leadership roles within the department. Prior to joining Microsoft, Mike built and led teams at several Fortune 500 companies, including Target and The J.M. Smucker Company.

Mike is a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)’s N-Gen Advisory Board and previously served on the Board of Directors for the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Mike has also been recognized by Yahoo U.K. as part of its OUTstanding LGBTQ+ Role Model List. Mike and his husband, Chad, reside in the Seattle, Washington metro area.

Ann Miller

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer,
Nike, Inc.

—

Ann Miller joined Nike in 2007 and brings more than 20 years of legal and business expertise to her role. Ann serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer for NIKE, Inc. where she oversees all legal, compliance, government & public affairs, social & community impact, security, resilience, and investigation matters for the company.

For the past six years, she served as Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, and previously served as Converse’s General Counsel. Prior to joining Nike, Ann worked at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, received her JD from the University of Arizona where she finished second in her class, was selected for the Order of the Coif, and served as a member of the Law Review. As an undergraduate at Smith College, Ann was named NCAA Division III Basketball Player of the Year.

Ann serves on the Board of Directors of Dutch Bros., Inc. and is currently a member of the Association of General Counsel.

William Min

Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
LexisNexis Risk Solutions

—

William (Bill) Min is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for LexisNexis® Risk Solutions (“LNRS”) based in Alpharetta, Georgia. Bill is responsible for all legal, compliance, privacy, and regulatory matters at LNRS and leads a global team of approximately 100 legal professionals. LNRS is a portfolio of brands that provides its customers with information-based analytics and decision tools in multiple industries, including agriculture, aviation, chemicals and energy, commercial property, financial services, government and law enforcement agencies, healthcare, human resources, insurance, and tax.

Bill’s legal career spans more than thirty years. Prior to joining LNRS in 2019, Bill held in-house legal positions at Western Union, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Sara Lee Corporation, and Sunkyong America, Inc. He began his legal career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney at two New York City firms.

Bill is a champion for diversity and inclusion. At LNRS, Bill serves as the Executive Sponsor for the company’s Ethnically Diverse Group of Employees Employee Resource Group. He is also a member of LNRS’ Inclusion Council. Bill is a sponsor in the company’s Ignite and Accelerate program, a leadership development program that is currently focused on providing women with opportunities to move into senior leadership roles.

In 2023, Bill was honored by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Georgia Chapter in partnership with the Atlanta Business Chronicle as the General Counsel of the Year – Large Legal Department. Outside his work as a lawyer, Bill dedicates his life generously to serving his community. He has volunteered more than 7,000 hours as an Emergency Medical Technician. In 2016, Bill received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer service from President Barack Obama.

Bill holds a BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania, a MA in Liberal Studies from Stony Brook University, and a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

Jorge Martinez

Senior Assistant General Counsel,
Intuit Inc.

—

Jorge Martinez is Senior Assistant General Counsel, Platforms and AI at Intuit and the lead legal business partner for our Virtual Expert Platform. Prior to his current role, he was the lead marketing counsel for Intuit and lead legal business partner for Intuit’s professional tax group and live services products. Jorge is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion programs at Intuit and leads the effort in the Legal team for helping underrepresented minorities understand the opportunities in our profession. Jorge is a graduate of UCLA with a B.A. Cum Laude in English Literature and received his J.D. at Loyola Law School. He is a long time tennis player and lives in Los Angeles, California with his family. He is admitted to practice law in California.

Vandana Venkatesh

Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer,
Verizon

—

Vandana is EVP and Chief Legal Officer of Verizon, and is responsible and has oversight for all Legal and Corporate Security functions for the company.

Before assuming this role in October 2022, she was Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Verizon Consumer Group, which provides wireline voice, data, and TV products and services, and wireless connected experiences to more than 100 million consumers every day.

Previously, she was the General Counsel for Verizon’s Enterprise business unit which delivers business solutions to global enterprises and governments, including 99% of the Fortune 500. She has held other roles at Verizon leading the legal functions for Verizon’s IT and Sourcing & Procurement organizations, supporting transactions for all of Verizon’s spend as well as data security, outsourcing, and supply chain issues impacting Verizon.

Prior to joining Verizon, Vandana was a lawyer with Genuity, an internet start-up, and an Associate at the law firms of Morse, Barnes-Browne, & Pendleton and Bingham Dana where she was counsel to internet, high tech, and biotech startups. Before her career in the law, she was a Congressional Aide to Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA).

Vandana sits on the board of Bottom Line, a non-profit that seeks to improve college access and success for high school students who are first in their family to attend college. Vandana has a law degree from Georgetown University Law School, and a Master and Bachelor’s degree in History from UCLA.

Debbie Walters-Francique

Vice President & Assistant General Counsel, Chief Counsel, Pricing & Access,
Pfizer Inc.

—

Debbie Walters-Francique is a Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, and a member of the Legal Division Executive Team. She is the Chief Counsel for the Pricing and Access Legal Team (P&A Legal). P&A Legal provides legal support to key functions across the enterprise, including supporting day-to-day activities related to managed access, drug pricing and government reimbursement programs, patient access programs and innovative transactions with healthcare stakeholders globally. Mrs. Walters-Francique also provides expertise and counsel to a broad range of clients across the entire organization related to the federal and state Anti-Kickback laws, as well as provides key strategic counsel into the development and evolution of key commercial and medical roles and interactions.

Mrs. Walters-Francique has been with Pfizer since October 30, 2000.

Prior to joining Pfizer, Mrs. Walters-Francique was in private practice with the law firm of Shearman Sterling in their Mergers Acquisitions Group. Prior to law school Mrs. Walters-Francique worked for GTE (now Verizon) as an accountant in their financial group and prior to GTE as a Certified Public Accountant for Deloitte Touche.

Mrs. Walters-Francique received her undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and her law degree from Fordham University.

Michael Wu

Chief Legal Officer,
Bath & Body Works, Inc.

—

Michael Wu is chief legal officer of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE: BBWI), an international retailer with over 2000 stores and 90,000 employees worldwide. He joined the company (f/k/a L Brands, Inc.) in 2021 and led the successful spin-off of the Victoria’s Secret business into an independent, public company. Michael is responsible for legal, ethics and compliance, government affairs, regulatory and global trade compliance at Bath & Body Works.

Prior to Bath & Body Works, Michael was chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Madewell, where he drove the company’s preparation for an IPO and spin-off from J.Crew prior to the company’s bankruptcy proceeding and restructuring.

Prior to joining Madewell in 2019, Michael was senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of Carter’s (NYSE: CRI), a leading children’s apparel company. Michael joined Carter’s in 2014 and was responsible for all legal, government affairs, compliance, internal audit, risk management and corporate social responsibility at Carter’s.

Prior to Carter’s, Michael was general counsel of Rosetta Stone, an education technology software company. He joined Rosetta Stone in 2006 and established Rosetta Stone’s anti[1]piracy/anti-fraud enforcement program. Michael oversaw the company’s successful IPO on the NYSE, a secondary stock offering (private equity sponsor exit), and four acquisitions.

Before joining Rosetta Stone, Michael was vice president and general counsel of Teleglobe (Nasdaq: TLGB), an international telecommunications provider. Michael was a key member of the team responsible for restructuring Teleglobe in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings which led to the sale of the core business to Cerberus Capital Management. Michael became general counsel of Teleglobe upon the acquisition by Cerberus and led Teleglobe’s acquisition of ITXC Corp., the listing of Teleglobe on NASDAQ and the sale of Teleglobe to the Tata Group in 2006.

Prior to Teleglobe, Michael was a senior attorney in the Hong Kong office of Global One, an international JV between Sprint, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom. He was also associated with Baker Botts LLP in Houston, Texas and a firm in Washington, D.C. that merged into Morgan Lewis.

Heidi Yurkiw

Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel,
Bath & Body Works, Inc.

—

​Heidi Yurkiw is Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Bath & Body Works and leads the Litigation, Employment/Labor and Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability practice areas. Her work also includes oversight of the Affirmative Action program and government affairs.

Heidi joined the company in 2018. Previously, she served as Deputy General Counsel for Honda and led their labor and employment, litigation and immigration practice groups. She also practiced litigation with the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease in Columbus, Ohio and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph P. Kinneary in the Southern District of Ohio.

Heidi has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and a Juris Doctor from the Ohio State Moritz College of Law.

Heidi is the incoming Board Chair for the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden. She previously served on the Boards of BalletMet and the YWCA in Columbus, Ohio. She was also a guardian ad litem for CASA, which advocates for abused, neglected children.

David Zapolsky

Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy and General Counsel,
Amazon

—

As Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy & General Counsel, David Zapolsky manages a broad range of domestic and international legal, public policy, compliance, and regulatory affairs for the company. Before becoming General Counsel in 2012, he served for thirteen years as Associate General Counsel, leading Amazon’s Litigation and Regulatory group and advising on a variety of litigation, privacy, consumer protection, competition law, securities regulation, intellectual property, and labor and employment matters.

Prior to joining Amazon in 1999, Zapolsky was a litigation partner in the Seattle offices of Dorsey & Whitney and Bogle & Gates. He moved to Seattle in 1994 from New York, where he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, focusing primarily on sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence prosecutions, and an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he practiced securities litigation and white collar defense. He is a graduate of Berkeley Law and Columbia College.

In addition to his work at Amazon, Zapolsky is active in several civic, educational, and legal organizations that, among other things, seek to promote diversity and pro bono work in the legal profession. He has served as a Trustee of the King County Bar Foundation, a member of the Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) Washington State Advisory Committee, a corporate advisory member of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, a member of the Leaders Council for the Legal Services Corporation, and a Director of Seattle’s Alliance for Education, the Berkeley Law Alumni Association, and the University of Washington Foundation. In 2013, he founded the Amazon legal department’s pro bono initiative, also known as the Amazon Justice League, which encourages and enables Amazon attorneys and legal professionals around the world to donate thousands of hours of pro bono legal work each year.

Alyse I. Adamson

Principal,
Beveridge & Diamond, PC

—

Alyse uses her experience as a federal prosecutor to assist clients with compliance, enforcement, internal investigations, and white collar matters.

As a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Alyse offers firm clients strategic counsel on high-stakes enforcement and compliance matters, particularly in complex or large-scale white-collar litigation and internal investigations. Her strong background in criminal investigation, prosecution, and litigation complements the firm’s robust environmental and natural resource regulatory practices.

Highlights of her career include:

• Serving as the U.S. Attorney’s Office Deputy Chief of the Felony Trial Unit, capping a distinguished seven-year career at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in which she received multiple DOJ Special Achievement Awards in recognition of her trial and investigative work.
• Serving as the Early Case Assessment Section’s first Deputy Chief, supervising more than 20 attorneys involved in case screening, warrant review, and arraignment and detention hearings. She received the 2020 U.S. Attorney Team Award for her work in establishing this new section, which is responsible for all case initiation (except for sex offense and homicide) in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.
• Arraigning on local charges the first defendants arrested in the January 6th U.S. Capitol insurrection.
• Trying over 40 cases (15 of which were jury trials), consisting of various criminal offenses, with complex cases including counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy. She also served in the Appellate Division, where she authored appellate briefs and prepared oral arguments.
• Reviewing, investigating, and approving the highest level of warrants submitted to the section, to include complex long-term investigations, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, and high-profile local cases.
• Leading extensive criminal investigations on social media, telecommunications, transportation, and other tech companies, while working closely with the FBI, Secret Service, ATF, Capitol Police, and the DC Metropolitan Police Department on pending cases.
• Coordinating grand jury investigations, issuing subpoenas, questioning witnesses before the grand jury returned indictments for a variety of offenses.

Alyse is also a former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Associate Director of the Civic Legal Corps, a non-profit entity designed to close the gap to legal services.

Throughout her career, Alyse has participated in numerous diversity, equity & inclusion efforts in various capacities, including serving as Eastern Regional Director of the National Black Prosecutor’s Association, Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee of the DC Women’s Bar Association, and on the Diversity Committee in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. She also speaks frequently on the topic of diversity in the legal field.

Shahira D. Ali

Senior Director, Deputy General Counsel — Global Litigation and Cybersecurity Legal,
Workday Inc.

—

Shahira Ali is Director, Associate General Counsel of Litigation & Cybersecurity at Workday, Inc., where she leads Workday’s Litigation and Cybersecurity Legal teams.  Shahira represents Workday in a wide variety of commercial litigation, pre-litigation, and alternative dispute matters.  As Workday’s dedicated cybersecurity counsel, she also plays a key part in supporting and developing Workday’s ongoing efforts to ensure secure networks and products, and leads Workday’s cybersecurity legal strategy in alignment with evolving global cybersecurity laws and regulations.  Shahira received the Outstanding Contributor Award, a company-wide award that recognizes select employees who go above and beyond business as usual to inspire a brighter work day for all. 

Shahira is heavily involved in Workday’s DEI initiatives, serving as Co-Chair of the Legal Department’s Value Inclusion Belonging Equity (VIBE) Committee to lead DEI-focused efforts for pro bono services, recruiting & retention, learning, and outside counsel. In addition, Shahira has initiated multiple DEI programs for Workday’s legal department, serving as a critical stakeholder from inception to execution, including the Street Law Program and Legal Fellows Program. Through the Street Law Program, Shahira leads Workday’s efforts to bring exposure to the legal profession to a local high school with a large under-represented minority population, with the goal of increasing diversity and equity for the next generation of legal practitioners. As a Co-Chair of the Legal Fellows Program, Shahira has created a direct track from law school to an in-house career at Workday. The Legal Fellows Program highly values diversity and strongly encourages traditionally underrepresented law students to apply.

Shahira also serves as a Lecturer at Berkeley Law School, where she teaches Legal Research & Writing.  Before Workday, Shahira worked as an attorney at the New York office of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.  At Davis Polk, she represented clients in a broad range of matters in state and federal courts and government investigations, with specific experience involving antitrust, securities, fraud, and contract actions; cybersecurity and privacy issues; and FCPA, DOJ, SEC, and FCC investigations.  During her time at the firm, Shahira maintained an extensive pro bono practice related to immigration, civil rights, and criminal justice reform, and received The Legal Aid Society’s “Pro Bono Publico Award,” which recognizes outstanding pro bono services to the Legal Aid Society and its clients.  Prior to joining Davis Polk, Shahira clerked for Judge Barrington D. Parker, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Henry H. Kennedy, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  Shahira earned her J.D. at Harvard Law School, cum laude, where she served as Notes Editor on the Harvard Law Review.  Shahira also holds a master’s degree in business administration, summa cum laude, and a bachelor’s degree in management information systems, summa cum laude, from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Wesley Cheng

Senior Corporate Counsel,
Apple, Inc.

—

Wesley Cheng is a Corporate Counsel in Apple’s Global Security Investigations team responsible for internal investigations into leaks and theft of intellectual property, cyber intrusions, and insider threats. Additionally, Wesley contributes significant time to Apple’s pro bono and inclusion and diversity programs, serving as the volunteer lead for both AsianPacific@Apple and Legal & Global Security. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco where he teaches a course on electronic surveillance law.

He previously was an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as well as Director of the Criminal Prosecution Clinic at New York Law School. Wesley is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where he was selected as a recipient of the Inspire! Award for his demonstrated commitment to public service.

Michelle Park Chiu

Partner,
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

—

Michelle Park Chiu is a seasoned antitrust litigator, representing clients in all phases of antitrust litigation from trials to appeals, including cartel allegations, monopolization claims, and vertical restraint cases. She is also adept at defending clients facing complex civil litigation, including matters brought under California Business & Professions Code § 17200 (UCL), as well as representing clients in complex breach of contract disputes. She currently serves as the San Francisco office’s hiring partner.

Twice recognized in Best Lawyers (2023 and 2024) for her commercial litigation work and in Bloomberg Law’s inaugural “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40” in 2021, Michelle served as trial counsel for a global technology company in a jury trial in November 2023 and currently defends an international technology company against price-fixing claims in multiple markets for electronic components.

As lead counsel in another commercial litigation matter, she successfully obtained a $24 million judgment on behalf of a financial institution pursuant to an indemnification agreement relating to a data breach in the Southern District of Texas, which was affirmed by the Fifth Circuit. Additionally, she has successfully enforced arbitration clauses on behalf of financial institutions in multiple putative class action claims.

She also played a vital role on the team defending Intercontinental Exchange’s acquisition of Black Knight against an FTC challenge. It became one of the only technology deals the FTC challenged and then closed under the current FTC administration with the vision of making the mortgage origination process more affordable and accessible to all.

Michelle has an active pro bono practice representing individuals in immigration matters. She successfully defended a detained refugee in removal proceedings, resulting in the complete dismissal of all charges against the client during a multiyear representation that resulted in the client becoming a naturalized US citizen. Michelle also successfully obtained a U-Visa for a victim of criminal activity and secured asylum for a client from Syria. Michelle currently serves on the Morgan Lewis Foundation Board.

Melissa Colón-Bosolet

Partner,
Sidley Austin LLP

—

Melissa represents clients in high-risk business disputes in federal and state courts, arbitrations, and internal investigations. Her extensive litigation experience spans all aspects of pleadings, discovery, evidentiary hearings, and trial. Melissa’s engagements span numerous industries and legal claims, including those involving breach of contract, business torts, and securities claims. Melissa also represents companies and board committees in some of their most complex and sensitive enforcement and investigation-related issues.

Melissa’s litigation and leadership skills and reputation as a trusted business counselor, writer and speaker has earned her industry accolades. In 2023, Melissa co-authored “M&A Buyer’s Remorse: Fraud or Breach of Contract,” which was published in the New York Law Journal. In 2021, Melissa was named to Bloomberg Law’s inaugural edition of “They’ve Got Next: 40 Under 40.” In 2020, she was recognized in Crain’s New York Business’ “Notable Women in Law” and New York Law Journal’s “Rising Stars.” She has also been named a “Rising Star” for Business Litigation in New York City by Super Lawyers from 2014 through 2018. Additionally, Melissa is a recipient of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s 2017 “Top Lawyers Under 40” Award.

Jemar Daniel

Vice President & Senior Counsel,
Paramount Global

—

Jemar Daniel is currently a Vice President and Senior Counsel at Paramount Global. Jemar has been a member of Paramount Global’s Business and Legal Affairs department since 2014. He advises clients on various pre-production-related legal matters, including defamation. intellectual property. right of publicity. production transactions, marketing and promotions. and pre-litigation strategy. His clients include scripted, unscripted. digital. news, off-channel production teams and various ad-sales business units. Jemar also works closely with other Paramount law department teams to create legal guidelines and policies for integrated marketing business units that produce branded content for digital platforms.

Jemar is also a member of Paramount Global’s legal departments Diversity, Equity. and Inclusion Committee. As co-chair of the Partnering with Outside Counsel subcommittee, he leads initiatives and coordinates programs to foster a more diverse and inclusive field for minority and underrepresented legal practitioners.

Jemar is a frequent panelist and guest lecturer on First Amendment law, production legal matters, intellectual property, advertising Law, and general media law developments. He is also a Legal Council on Legal Diversity Fellow alumnus and was a Black In-House Counsel “Rise Up” executive leadership development program cohort member (2023).

Before joining Paramount Global. Jemar was a member of BET Networks’ Business and Legal Affairs department. He obtained his J.D. from The American University’s Washington College of Law and is admitted to practice in New York. He is a graduate of McDaniel College and a visiting member of its Board of Trustees.

Patrick S. Dorime

Corporate M&A Partner,
Ropes & Gray

—

Patrick Dorime (36, March 13, 1987) is a nimble and versatile deal lawyer who advises investment firms and their portfolio companies in corporate transactions, many involving companies in distressed and special situations. Patrick was elected to the partnership at Ropes & Gray in October of 2021 – the firm’s youngest partner at the time of his election. He leads clients across industries through mergers and acquisitions, structured equity investments and other bespoke corporate transactions, including special situations. Patrick also works closely with the firm’s restructuring group to offer a corporate perspective for clients undergoing in- and out-of-court restructurings and similar distressed transactions.

A natural problem solver, Patrick enjoys working with clients and counterparties to come up with creative solutions to complicated issues that arise in deal-making. He is also commended by clients and colleagues for his calming presence in negotiations and his exceptional ability to read the room. He brings these strengths to counseling clients in many industries, including health care, technology, energy and infrastructure, manufacturing, chemicals and industrial services.

As the son of two Haitian immigrants, Patrick is active in giving back to his community, representing Haitian immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. Patrick and his family also participate in periodic missions to his grandparent’s home in Arcahaie, Haiti, which they converted into a medical clinic after the couple was tragically killed by gunmen during a break-in. The medical clinic provides free medical services to the community in Arcahaie, Haiti through a non-profit organization established by his family, the Dorsainvil Foundation.

Avia M. Dunn

Partner,
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates

—

Avia Dunn provides bespoke and practical solutions to life sciences companies on matters related to the development, implementation and oversight of their health care compliance programs, both proactively and in connection with the negotiation of corporate integrity agreements.

Ms. Dunn advises clients on matters related to compliance with fraud and abuse laws, HIPAA privacy restrictions and industry codes related to product promotion and manufacturer interactions with providers and patients. She also counsels extensively on product support programs, providing strategic guidance on program structures, program tactics and policies and procedures. Additionally, Ms. Dunn regularly represents life sciences companies in government enforcement actions and internal investigations involving a full range of fraud and abuse issues. She also conducts pre- and post-transaction reviews in connection with transactions in the life sciences industry and has advised clients on more than 100 life sciences-related transactional matters.

Ms. Dunn was recently named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America. She is active with Skadden’s diversity leadership initiatives and serves on the firm ‘s Women and Diversity committees. Ms. Dunn also was recently named to the Lawyers of Color’s inaugural list of Wonderful Women, which recognizes dynamic women attorneys working in law firms, companies and government agencies across the U.S. who show promise in their careers and demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. In addition, she previously was a fellow in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Fellows Program, a yearlong leadership and professional development initiative.

Jaelyn Edwards Judelson

Partner,
Akin

—

Since joining the firm in 2012, and as described in more detail above, Jaelyn Edwards Judelson has built an impressive record as a go-to advocate for clients, deploying innovative solutions to solve complex issues. Her most successful accomplishments routinely involve navigating the intersection of international business and trade regulations, assisting clients in conducting global investigations and audits, and developing compliance programs and strategies spanning export controls, economic sanctions and anticorruption matters.

A decorated lawyer with several recognitions under her belt, Jaelyn was named among the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2023 Leaders of Influence: Thriving in Their 40s list. She has also been named among The Recorder’s 2022 “Lawyers on the Fast Track,” National Bar Association’s 2020-2021 Top 40 Under 40: Nation’s Best Advocates and The Network Journal’s 2019 40 Under Forty Achievers Award winners.

Jaelyn is an esteemed alumna of the University of Chicago, where she graduated with honors with an A.B. in Public Policy Studies and Georgetown University Law Center, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree.

Adrienne Gittens

Corporate Deputy General Counsel,
Comcast Corporation

—

Adrienne is an integral part of the Comcast Corporate Compliance team, which oversees and reports on the compliance programs across Comcast’s global subsidiaries: Xfinity, NBCUniversal and Sky.  Adrienne works closely with the legal teams and key business leaders of Comcast’s subsidiaries to ensure that the Company conducts business in compliance with existing and developing laws and regulations and agreements.  Adrienne also has led on key aspects of the Company’s compliance program, including managing the Company’s statements and strategic oversight of procedures related to human rights and anti-forced labor. 

In 2023, Adrienne was appointed and served as the Interim Chief Compliance Officer for Sky, Comcast’s UK-based subsidiary.  During this time, Adrienne led a team of more than 45 Compliance and Data Protection lawyers and legal professionals across Sky’s UK, Italy and Germany offices.  Adrienne oversaw and reported to Sky’s senior executives on all facets of the Company’s Compliance and Data Protection programs for Sky’s 34,000+ global employees including training, communications, due diligence and third-party risk management, complex investigations, and risk assessments. 

Adrienne’s impact is not limited to her compliance role.  She serves as the Chair of Comcast’s Law Firm Diversity Committee, in which she leads the Company’s efforts to improve DEI in the engagement and retention of diverse outside counsel and legal service providers.  She is also an active member of Comcast’s Legal DEI Committee and leads on the company’s strategic relationships with organizations such as the National Bar Association and Corporate Counsel Women of Color. 

Due to her outstanding work at Comcast, Adrienne was selected in 2021 as Comcast’s Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow.  Adrienne was also recognized as a “Next Generation Leader” by Legal Momentum, the nation’s first and oldest legal defense and education fund for women, and as a top 40 under 40 lawyer in Pennsylvania by National Black Lawyers.  Prior to joining Comcast, Adrienne was a senior associate at a global law firm, where she was named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by the Legal Intelligencer for her complex commercial litigation practice and extensive pro bono work. 

Adrienne graduated from Princeton University magna cum laude and received her juris doctorate from Harvard Law School.  Following law school, Adrienne clerked for the Honorable Robert B. Kugler for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. 

Mari Grace

Partner,
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

—

Mari Grace is a partner in Davis Polk’s Civil Litigation practice. She represents clients in a wide range of civil litigation matters, including complex commercial and contractual disputes, securities litigation, bankruptcy-related litigation and class actions.

Mari’s extensive clientele features major energy companies, telecommunications companies and financial institutions, among others, which she has advised on matters in both federal and state courts across the country. Most recently, this includes reaching a favorable resolution for Murphy Oil in a multi-million-dollar contract dispute, as well as helping telecommunications company BT Group win a putative class action over alleged securities fraud.

Outside of her full practice, Mari has a deep focus on supporting the next generation of associates through mentoring. She is an active member of the firm’s DPWomen, Asian/South Asian/Middle Eastern (ASAME), LGBTQ+, and First Generation Affinity Groups – which are a cornerstone of the firm’s culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. The various firmwide affinity groups have enabled Mari to network, mentor and take on leadership opportunities as well as further develop her robust career.

Additionally, Mari is an active member of the Asian American Bar Association and is actively involved with DirectWomen — an organization dedicated to increasing the representation of women lawyers on corporate boards. She’s also an active member of Women in Securities Litigation, an organization created to promote and support collaboration, networking, profile-raising, and mentoring among women who practice in or are associated with the field of securities litigation defense.

Widely recognized as a leader in her practice area, Mari was awarded Lawdragon 500 X’s “The Next Generation” award in 2023 as well as being named a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation. She was also selected as a fellow by Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and was awarded the Pro Bono Publico Award by Legal Aid Society.

Mari graduated from Fordham University School of Law in 2011. She has two additional master’s degrees from Fordham University and Columbia University in international political economy and development and social work, respectively. While at Davis Polk, Mari also briefly served as a public defender for Legal Aid Society in Manhattan.

LTC Corey P. Gray

Partner,
Boies Schiller Flexner LLP

—

Corey Gray is a commercial litigator with Boies Schiller Flexner, based in the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office, and he is also a board member on the firm’s diversity council. Corey specializes in high-stakes contract, antitrust, and energy litigation that often involves issues of first impression. With a mindset focused on serving the people, he’s also active in pro bono outreach.

Before becoming an attorney, Corey served as an Officer in the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division and was deployed twice to Iraq. It was during his second deployment, when his service included a counterinsurgency strategy course, that his moral compass pointed him toward law school. Today, Corey continues to serve as Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

Ravdeep Singh Grewal

Senior Counsel Global Employment Law,
Shutterfly, LLC

—

Rav Grewal is Senior Counsel, Global Employment Law at Shutterfly where he counsels and supports business partners throughout North America, EMEA, and APAC on all matters related to labor and employment law. Prior to joining Shutterfly, Rav led successfully 24 Hour Fitness’ Covid-Response Taskforce where he effectively helped convince numerous local and state governments to safely reopen gyms across the United States.

For almost the last decade, Rav has served on the Board of Directors for the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California (SABA-NC), and most recently, as its dynamic and accomplished President. During the past four SABA-NC galas, Rav’s fundraising efforts have raised more than a record-breaking $150,000 for charities and non-profits who operate in Northern California. In an unprecedented and remarkable evening at SABA-NC’s 2023 annual gala, Rav single-handedly raised almost $50,000 in 15 minutes on behalf of the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America to help create the very first South Asian Legal Defense Fund. For his selfless efforts and dedicated service to SABA, Rav is the inaugural recipient of SABA-NC’s Kohinoor Award. 

Upon graduating high school at the age of 16, Rav attended the University of California, Berkeley, where completed degrees in both Economics and Political Science within 3 ½ years. Shortly thereafter he earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis – King Hall.

Jackie Hamilton

Partner,
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

—

Jackie Hamilton is a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she is a member of themergers and acquisitions practice. Jackie has extensive transactional experience, having representedclients in both public and private mergers, stock purchases, asset acquisitions, tender and exchangeoffers, SPAC transactions, and other strategic corporate transactions. In addition, Jackie hascounseled privately and publicly held companies on general corporate governance and disclosurematters.

Prior to joining the firm, Jackie practiced at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Lisa Maria Harris

Partner – Labor & Employment,
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

—

Lisa Harris is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm’s Orange County and New York offices. Her practice focuses on Labor and Employment and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion counseling and compliance.

Areas of Practice

Lisa counsels and represents management in both employment and traditional labor matters. She regularly conducts and advises on high-level investigations and trains HR professionals on how to conduct such investigations internally. She also advises on diversity, equity and inclusion best practices. As a member of the firm’s ESG and Sustainability Industry Team, Lisa supports clients in addressing the social aspects of ESG through development and promotion of a healthy and equitable workplace. In addition to her experience as outside counsel, Lisa has several years of experience as in-house counsel both on a full-time and seconded basis. This experience gives her specific insight into the challenges and issues faced by in-house employment counsel and DE&I teams.

Employment Counseling. Lisa regularly counsels management in all aspects of California, New York and federal employment law, including employee hiring and discipline procedures, worker classification issues, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodations, wage and hour compliance, employee severance and termination procedures, and restrictive covenants. She has significant experience drafting all types of employment agreements and policies, including employee handbooks, sexual harassment policies, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, and severance agreements. 

Investigations. Lisa is an experienced investigator. She regularly assists employers with sensitive internal investigations. She has conducted several investigations into alleged misconduct by senior executives of sports teams, a publicly traded alternative investment advisor, a publicly traded utility, and a national communications firm. 

Training. Lisa conducts harassment prevention training for both supervisors and non-supervisors, which satisfies current state-mandated training requirements in both English and Spanish. She also conducts DE&I training for both employees and HR professionals addressing various topics, including implicit/unconscious bias, promoting an equitable workplace, bystander intervention, and allyship. Additionally, she trains HR professionals on wage and hour compliance, conducting internal investigations, managing leaves of absence and reasonable accommodations, and other employment matters. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Lisa assists clients with the development and roll-out of their employee resource groups, drafts DE&I policies, and advises on the implementation of DE&I initiatives within legal parameters.

Traditional Labor. Lisa counsels and represents management in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and regularly advises on labor disputes. Lisa frequently represents management in labor arbitrations involving both contract interpretation and employee discipline and termination matters. She also represents management before the National Labor Relations Board defending against unfair labor practice charges.

Employment Litigation. Lisa represents employers in single and multi-plaintiff harassment and discrimination claims. She also has extensive experience representing employers before administrative agencies and responding to complaints filed with those agencies alleging violations of federal and state employment laws.

Lisa earned her law degree from St. John’s University and graduated with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kyle Jason Hayes

Partner and Co-Chair, Hydrogen Practice,
Foley & Lardner LLP

—

Kyle Hayes is a partner and corporate lawyer in the New York office of Foley & Lardner LLP and serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Hydrogen practice. His practice focuses on all phases of renewable energy project development and M&A across a wide spectrum of assets and technologies, principally including solar, battery storage, wind, EV charging infrastructure, hydrogen and renewable fuels. Having previously served as a federal regulator and in-house counsel to one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the U.S., Kyle brings both deep industry connections and experience to clients within the renewables and energy transition space, having handled hundreds of transactions over more than a decade.

Kyle’s representation includes that of developers, sponsors, utilities, investors and corporate offtakers, with a focus on helping clients create both financeable and marketable renewable assets, as well as counseling buy-side clients in both corporate and project-level acquisitions. Kyle also counsels infrastructure-focused asset managers with respect to fund formation focused on renewables and energy transition assets.

Prior to entering private practice, Kyle served as an in-house counsel to Con Edison of New York, where he handled a variety of legal and commercial matters within the utility’s wholesale and retail energy markets. He began his legal career at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Kyle is an active thought leader and participant in the renewables industry, having provided analysis and perspective to major industry publications and media outlets, including, for example, on the role of RNG as an asset class and how to best mitigate the nature of equipment supply chain constraints. He currently serves as a member of Dynamo Energy Hub’s Board of Advisors.

Renny Hwang

Deputy General Counsel,
OpenAI

—

Renny Hwang is currently Deputy General Counsel at OpenAI as the head of all litigation and regulatory matters. Previously, Renny Hwang was Senior Director of Litigation for Google where he worked for nearly 14 years. In this role, Renny worked on the Oracle v. Google and Gonzalez v. Google, the only two cases where Google appeared before the Supreme Court, and secured victories for both. He managed a team of over 50 attorneys and technical advisors worldwide. He also successfully managed a docket of approximately 250 patent and other intellectual property matters. Renny advised on intellectual property issues related to open source, as well as complex licenses, acquisitions and transactions.

Previously, Renny practiced IP litigation in Los Angeles at a global law firm. He also has experience in product management and software development, leading product and engineering teams in building Internet software technologies.

Renny received his J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.S. in Computer Science and M.S. in Engineering Management from Stanford University.

Kail Jethmalani

Partner,
Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

—

Kail Jethmalani represents clients across industries in all areas of antitrust law, including high-stakes litigation, domestic and cross-border mergers, and investigations. As one of only three attorneys named “most highly regarded” Future Leaders in Competition in North America” by Who’s Who Legal in 2021 and 2022, clients rely on Kail’s pragmatic approach to advancing cohesive defense strategies as coordinating counsel in multidistrict litigation. His recent litigation experience includes multiple treble-damage class actions and State Attorney General litigations alleging industrywide conspiracies to raise the prices of broiler chicken and pork, and to suppress compensation to broiler chicken farmers.

Kail serves as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law’s Marketing Administrative Committee. His diverse pro bono practice includes helping immigrants obtain asylum in the U.S., representing a prison inmate in a civil rights case against government officials, and representing a class of restaurant workers to recover unpaid wages.

Prior to joining Axinn, Kail interned at the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He earned his JD from the University of Michigan Law School.

Vinita Kailasanath

Life Sciences & Tech Transactions Partner,
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

—

Vinita Kailasanath has extensive experience in strategic intellectual property and data-driven transactions in life sciences and technology, and particularly at their intersection. Vinita leads the MedTech practice at Freshfields and has represented life sciences companies, technology companies, healthcare companies and providers, and investors in connection with the execution of their cutting-edge MedTech and digital health strategies in addition to many of their other complex licenses and collaborations, strategic investments, and R&D and supply agreements. Vinita has advised clients on transactions involving medical devices (including SaMD), wearables, mobile apps, telemedicine, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), IoT, software, hardware, pharmaceutical products and biologics, and also routinely advises on the intellectual property aspects of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.

Vinita’s work across the life sciences and technology sectors makes her uniquely well-equipped to structure a wide variety of agreements to enable clients to develop, use, commercialize and protect innovative offerings. In doing so, she draws on her graduate degree in molecular and cellular biology and in-depth knowledge of intellectual property gained through a clerkship at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She is well-versed in the business, regulatory environment, and goals of the healthcare sector, while also being deeply familiar with Software as-a-Service (“SaaS”), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (“IaaS”) and Platform-as-a-Service (“PaaS”) arrangements as well as other cloud and technology-related considerations.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Vinita conducted graduate-level neuroendocrinology research; worked in the legal department of a leading alternative energy company specializing in the production of algal oils and bioproducts; and assisted pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies with product launches and other marketing and sales matters.

Vinita is the co-chair of the Freshfields Asian, Pacific, South Asian American Employee Resource Group and serves on the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors.

Colleen Lee

Counsel, M&A, Corporate Securities and Venture Capital,
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates

—

Colleen Lee is a counsel in the Palo Alto office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and startup investments, spin-offs, carve-outs and other corporate matters. Recognized as a “One to Watch” by Best Lawyers in 2023 and 2024, Colleen represents public and private buyers, sellers and target companies, and private equity firms in a variety of U.S. and cross-border acquisitions and dispositions, restructurings and minority strategic investments.

In addition to her corporate law practice, Colleen is a leader in Skadden’s award-winning Pro Bono Impact project “Know Your Rights and Know the Law: Sex, Bullying and Social Media,” which seeks to educate students on their legal rights in relation to cyber, hate and sex crimes.

She is an active member of Skadden Palo Alto’s Diversity Committee and Skadden’s Global API Committee.

Colleen received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and her law degree from New York University School of Law, receiving many awards and honors, including first in her major at Berkeley.

Winnie Ling

General Counsel, Head of Legal & People,
Blend Labs, Inc. (NYSE: BLND)

—

As the General Counsel and Head of Legal & People at Blend Labs, Inc. (NYSE: BLND), a technology company powering the future of banking by bringing simplicity and transparency to financial services, Winnie oversees all aspects of its Legal & Compliance functions, in addition to leading Human Resources and Strategic Operations.

Winnie is a trusted advisor, strategic partner and dynamic executive who helped steer Blend through a successful IPO and NYSE listing in 2021, the pinnacle of the company’s growth trajectory to date. She has a track record of guiding cross-functional teams towards operational excellence and financial improvements, including through times of intense organizational change and market volatility. Winnie’s leadership extends beyond legal expertise as she drives business success, navigates complex regulatory landscapes, and mitigates risks, all while fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture.

Prior to joining Blend, Winnie was a corporate attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, a prestigious law firm, where she advised financial institutions, technology companies, and other clients on a wide range of capital markets, financing, M&A and other strategic transactions as they expanded their impact and reach. As an Australian with extensive experience in New York and London, Winnie brings an international perspective and invaluable cross-border expertise when leading companies and teams through key opportunities and challenges.

Winnie was honored by NYC FinTech Women as an “Inspiring FinTech Female” in 2023, recognizing her impact, influence and advocacy efforts. 

Winnie graduated from Columbia Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and also holds a business degree and a law degree from the University of New South Wales.

Jesse Ryan Loffler

Member,
Cozen O’Connor

—

Jesse focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, including matters relating to real estate litigation, securities law, shareholder litigation, contract, governmental investigations, insurance, bankruptcy, and employment disputes. He has handled matters at all levels of the state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

In particular, Jesse has extensive experience in real estate litigation and has handled a wide range of complex real estate disputes in state and federal trial and appellate courts around the country, including but not limited to cases arising out of distressed assets and foreclosures; commercial mortgage-backed securities and trust issues; disputes between trustees, special and master servicers, lenders, and borrowers; disputes relating to purchase agreements, including options and rights of first refusal; complex landlord-tenant disputes, including the interplay between ground leases, subleases, and commercial financing; and multimillion-dollar cases involving damage and destruction to real property and its owners.

Jesse also has experience with significant shareholder and securities litigation, including actions involving breaches of fiduciary duties, squeeze outs of minority shareholders, joint venture and intra-corporate disputes, derivative lawsuits, securities fraud and 10b-5 actions, and disputes relating to convertible notes and other complex financing arrangements.

In addition, Jesse’s broad complex commercial practice ranges from constitutional law claims (including a victory before the U.S. Supreme Court in Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck, 139 S. Ct. 1921 (2019)) to corporate and governmental investigations, board and audit committee representations, adversary proceedings and other bankruptcy-related proceedings, and all manner of commercial contract disputes.

Before joining the firm, Jesse was a litigation associate at the New York headquarters of an international law firm. While there, he engaged in all aspects of complex commercial litigation at trial and appellate level in federal and state courts.

Jesse also serves as president of the board of directors of the National LGBT Bar Association. Jesse also maintains an extensive pro bono practice serving a diverse range of clients in impact litigation, including matters relating to LGBTQ and political asylum, voting rights, women’s access to health care, and transgender rights.

Jesse gained valuable business experience before attending law school.  He was co-founder and managing director of Magellan Publications, Inc. and manager of Research & Business Development for the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority (now Economic Development Regina, Inc.).

Jesse earned his undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard University, and earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he was head editor of the Cardozo Law Review and member of Order of the Coif. While attending law school, he was a research assistant to Professor Marci Hamilton, with whom he was a founding board member of CHILD USA, a nonprofit think tank dedicated to protecting children and preventing abuse.  Jesse was also an Alexander Fellow, acting in the capacity as junior clerk, to Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Lauren Moore

Partner,
WilmerHale LLP

—

Lauren Moore, 36, is a partner at WilmerHale LLP in Washington, D.C.

Lauren earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in political science and communications from the University of Southern California in 2009.  She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2012, where she served as articles editor of the Harvard Law and Policy Review and an executive board member of the Black Law Students Association.  She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Lauren began her career at WilmerHale in 2012 as an associate in the firm’s Litigation/Controversy Department.  As an associate, she participated in the work and life of the firm in ways that far surpassed her age and experience.  For instance, she provided meaningful contributions to help establish the firm’s Anti-Discrimination Practice.  She advised colleges and universities on Title IX matters; advised corporations and other entities on sensitive internal investigations; and helped respond to subpoenas and civil investigative demands from federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In 2018, Lauren left the firm to serve as deputy general counsel and then general counsel to then-Senator Kamala D. Harris on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.  In that role, she led the Senator’s work on judicial nominations and civil rights policy.  Lauren’s leadership qualities, maturity, and judgment put her in position to lead high-stakes hearings, including Supreme Court confirmation hearings and oversight hearings involving then-Attorney General William Barr, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and other senior Justice Department officials.

In 2021, Lauren was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to serve as associate counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office.  In that role, Lauren worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to respond to litigation challenging various federal programs—including provisions of COVID-19 relief funding that were focused on historically underserved populations.  She also advised the Domestic Policy Council on executive orders involving civil rights and equity issues, advised the Gender Policy Council on Title IX and reproductive health policies, and helped establish and lead policy initiatives relating to clemency and access to counsel.

Since returning to WilmerHale in 2022, Lauren’s practice has grown rapidly to support clients on matters at the intersection of law, government, media, and public policy. She is currently leading civil rights reviews for corporate clients; assisting clients with reverse discrimination lawsuits and demand letters; representing clients in congressional investigations; and representing major technology companies in False Claims Act litigation.  Lauren also has an active pro bono practice, where she has advised nonprofit organizations on racial equity and DEI initiatives after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC. 

Juan Morado Jr.

Partner and National Co-Chair of DEI Committee,
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff

—

Benesch Partner and National Co-Chair of the firm’s national Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Juan Morado Jr. is a seasoned health care regulatory and policy attorney with a history of public service and mentorship of young Latinx attorneys throughout the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. Juan has extensive experience working with state and federal agencies, and provides strategic counsel to private and public corporations, organizations, and individuals. He also serves as a critical point of communication between state regulators and members of the community when new health care facilities are planned and built.

At Benesch, Juan advises hospitals, health systems, physician groups, pharmacies, cannabis businesses, and other clients, helping them to ensure compliance while navigating complex regulatory requirements and the implementation of industry best practices.

Juan has risen in the ranks quickly at Benesch. In 2021, Juan was named an equity partner after just four years at the firm. Juan also serves as the relationship partner for several client matters and leads attorney teams for clients NANI, Advanced Orthopedic and Spine Center, Resilience Healthcare, Rush University System for Health, Dialysis Care Centers, Insight Hospital and Medical Center, Humboldt Park Health, Ignite Resorts, Tampico Beverages, and The Jellyvision Labs.

In his health care practice, Juan is one of the leading Certificate of Need (CON) attorneys in Illinois, a marquee skill set valued by clients that sets him apart from his peers. In Illinois, hospitals and health services operators seeking to open or significantly expand facilities must receive a CON from the state, confirming that there is, in fact, a need for their services in the area where they wish to locate. Juan guides clients through the process of establishing new hospitals, surgery centers, and nursing homes, and obtaining regulatory approval for complex multimillion-dollar facility changes of ownership.

Juan also works with a wide range of clients dealing with both internal and government investigations, issues involving disadvantaged business enterprises, litigation related to government procurement, and property tax exemption appeals. In addition, Juan assists clients through the federal, state, county, and city Minority-Owned Business and Women-Owned Business certification and appeal processes.

Throughout his career, Juan has honed his ability to work within the complexity of Illinois’ health care regulatory laws. Prior to joining Benesch, Juan was general counsel for the Health Facilities and Services Review Board of the State of Illinois. He provided strategic counsel on a wide range of legal matters having statewide ramifications, developed administrative rules governing the CON process, and managed the Board’s Long-Term Care Advisory Subcommittee.

Juan also served in the Office of the Illinois Governor from 2013-2015 as a Deputy Chief of Staff and Associate General Counsel. During that time, Juan acted as the Governor’s Senior Advisor on Transportation and Infrastructure Policy. Juan was also appointed by the Governor to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Board. Juan began his legal career as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, where he focused on land use and zoning issues, and municipal code compliance.

Juan’s continued ascension, both at the firm and in the broader community, has earned him many recognitions and accolades. In 2020 and 2021 Juan was listed as a Chambers USA Leading Lawyer in Healthcare and was named by Crain’s Chicago Business as a “Notable Leader in DEI.” From 2018-2022 he was named to the “Most Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting and Law” list by Crain’s Chicago Business. He was also named to the 40 under 40 lists by Chicago Lawyer Magazine and Chicago Daily Bulletin, and Negocios Now.

Juan is a graduate of DePaul University, where he majored in American Political Systems, and the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Josh Morales

Associate General Counsel, Reality Labs,
Meta

—

Josh Morales leads product counseling for virtual reality devices and related accessories at Meta’s Reality Labs. In this role, he advises on all legal and regulatory aspects of Meta’s VR hardware development roadmap and has served as cross-functional legal team leader for Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3, and all other VR headsets currently in development at Meta. He has also counseled Reality Labs researchers, scientists, engineers, and business leaders on matters impacting research and development, including the negotiation of IP and other technology driven transactions.

Prior to joining Meta, Josh honed his technology and IP transactional expertise in private practice. He began his career at Kirkland & Ellis LLP where he represented private equity funds and their affiliates in structuring and negotiating domestic and international M&A transactions and other corporate matters.

Josh credits his subsequent experience at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP with igniting his passion for the intersection between law and technology and what would become his ultimate focus on building the metaverse. At Parker Poe, Josh represented companies engaged in IP and technology driven transactions in various industries, including consumer electronics, education, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and software/information technology. He regularly advised clients on the preparation and negotiation of a variety of commercial agreements, including IP licensing and assignment agreements as well as purchase, supply, distribution, services, employment, and consulting arrangements. He also frequently counseled clients regarding their trademark, copyright, domain name, and other proprietary rights, including in connection with acquisitions, divestitures, licensing, and the clearance, adoption, registration, and protection of new brands.

Josh has championed diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the various stops in his career, often in leadership roles focused on amplifying LatinX voices in legal practice. He has served as regional deputy president of the Hispanic National Bar Association, mentored Miami-area LatinX youth through starting their careers in the law, and provided pro bono legal services for Female and BIPOC owned and operated businesses for over a decade.

Josh grew up in Miami, Florida and received a BBA in Legal Studies (Business Law) from the University of Miami in 2008. He received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2011. Today, he resides in Seattle, WA with his wife, Rebecca, their 13-month-old daughter, Amelia, and a vintage guitar collection he has been building since he was 10 years old.

Robert Niles-Weed

Partner,
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

—

Robert B. Niles-Weed is a partner in Weil’s Complex Commercial Litigation and Appeals and Strategic Counseling practices, where he focuses on various commercial disputes at all phases of trial court litigation, as well as appeals in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Robert’s work mainly involves developing case strategy, drafting and arguing dispositive motions and appeals, and serving as appellate counsel at trial in cases addressing high-stakes and cutting-edge legal issues. His practice encompasses a variety of subject matters and disciplines, including bankruptcy, intellectual property, antitrust, securities and M&A, constitutional and administrative law, and other complex commercial litigation.

Robert’s notable recent experience on Weil teams includes:

Bankruptcy

Securing a unanimous win for the respondent in the U.S. Supreme Court in Bartenwerfer v. Buckley, a case involving the Bankruptcy Code’s fraud exception to discharge.

Representing Westinghouse Electric Company in a successful certified interlocutory appeal before the Third Circuit on a first-impression issue of bankruptcy claims administration. (Robert’s successful oral argument can be heard here.)

Winning significant appellate victories in the Second Circuit in multi-hundred million dollar cases arising out of the bankruptcies of Sears and Lehman Brothers.

Intellectual Property

Drafting an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of small and medium biotechnology companies in Amgen v. Sanofi on the standard for patent enablement.

Securing pre-verdict judgment as a matter of law of non-infringement for Comcast in a $150M+ patent infringement case initiated by WhereverTV, Inc. in the Middle District of Florida related to Comcast’s X1 interactive guide.

Antitrust

Representing Microsoft in litigation arising from its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc., a leading publisher of popular PC, console and mobile games.

Representing Regeneron in connection with a monopolization claim in Delaware federal court against Amgen for leveraging sales of Otezla and Embrel to boost sales of Amgen’s drug, Repatha.

Securities and M&A

Winning a significant victory in Delaware Chancery Court on behalf of Carlyle Group in a seminal business litigation arising out of the triggering of a material adverse effects clause in a deal negotiation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Representing Sasol Ltd., a South African energy and chemical company, and senior executives in a securities class action in the Southern District of New York relating to the construction of a multi-billion dollar chemical plant in Louisiana.

Constitutional and Administrative Law

Successfully bringing and arguing a landmark First Amendment case for Upsolve Inc. in the Southern District of New York to empower non-attorney justice advocates to provide legal advice to expand access to justice for low-income defendants in debt collection lawsuits. The case was featured in the New York Times and described by Law360 as one of “the cases that most affected access to justice in 2022.”

Winning a significant victory against the Small Business Administration in a case under the Administrative Procedure Act that helped to obtain loan forgiveness for small business owners with prior criminal history struggling with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

Complex Commercial Litigation

Representing NBA #1 draft pick Zion Williamson in high-profile multi-jurisdictional litigation, including several appeals in Florida state court and North Carolina federal court arising out of a dispute with a marketing agency, with asserted claims of more than $100M in potential damages.

Prior to joining Weil, Robert clerked for Justice Elena Kagan of the United States Supreme Court. He also previously served as a law clerk for Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge J. Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Robert graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College.

Philip I. Person

Labor & Employment Shareholder,
Greenberg Traurig, LLP

—

Philip I. Person serves as the Co-Lead of the firm’s California Wage & Hour Taskforce. Philip focuses his practice on representing employers in wage and hour, wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, trade secret misappropriation, non-competition, non-solicitation, and whistleblower claims. He is an experienced litigator, having defended employers against single-plaintiff and class action litigation in both federal and state courts. He also represents employers in labor and employment arbitrations.

Philip coordinates with executives and management to develop and implement plans to mitigate the employer’s risk. He often counsels and advises his clients on employment issues pertaining to leaves of absence, disciplinary actions, terminations, restructurings, reductions in force, employee classifications, handbooks, and policies.

Philip is also a recognized thought-leader in the area of employment law. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Corporate Counsel, and Law360 Pulse; is the Co-Editor and Co-Author of PLI’s Employment Law Yearbook, an annually updated treatise on employment law issues; and is the Co-Host of The Performance Review, a California labor and employment podcast available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Philip is Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Due Diligence Subgroup, the firm’s Co-Chair of the Greenberg Traurig African American Inclusion Network, and a member of the firm’s Justice Initiative.

Experience

Labor & Employment Litigation

• Co-chaired a 3.5-week jury trial regarding professional negligence and negligent misrepresentation against insurance brokers for their failure to provide employee health care plans and health reimbursement accounts compliant with San Francisco health care ordinances. The jury awarded a $2,335,008.21 verdict in favor of the client. Thereafter, first-chaired the appeal, where the appellate court affirmed the judgment in its entirety.
• First-chaired a labor arbitration involving a large casino’s decision to terminate an employee for possessing marijuana on casino property. The arbitrator declined to award the employee any back pay, reinstatement, or any other requested remedy.
• Co-chaired an employment arbitration involving 24 causes of action asserted by a former employee of a large cruises and events company. The arbitrator declined to award the employee any recovery against the individual respondents or on 22 of the 24 causes of action. The arbitrator only granted $4,500 on the remaining two causes of action.
• Represented executives and investors of a medical device and equipment company in an arbitration against claims from a terminated executive for defamation, intentional misrepresentation, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and conspiracy. The arbitrator granted a motion to dismiss and subsequent motion for summary disposition in favor of our clients, thereby dismissing the clients entirely from the arbitration.
• Represented a large cruise and events company in an audit by a local employment government agency. The government agency initially found that the company was required to provide certain health care plans and make health care expenditures to employees. At the conclusion of the audit, the local agency reduced the assessment against the company by more than $11 million.
• Represented an international company in a lawsuit by a former employee claiming that he was entitled to stock options. The California Superior Court sustained a partial demurrer in favor of the employer on the grounds that stock options are not wages. The parties settled soon thereafter.
• Represented an insurance provider against its former officer’s whistleblower retaliation claims. The California Superior Court sustained a partial demurrer in favor of the employer on the grounds that an associational retaliation cause of action does not exist under the California Labor Code. The parties settled soon thereafter.
• Represented one of the largest healthcare systems in the nation against a doctor’s claim for age discrimination.

Employment Counseling

• Advised and counseled an out-of-state health information management and technology systems company as it opened its first California office. Drafted California-specific addendums to the company’s handbook and policies.
• Advised startup as it retained an independent contractor to establish its national marketing program. Drafted independent contractor agreement to significantly minimize risk of litigation.
• Revised a renewable energy education center’s employee handbook as to comply with state and local employment laws.

Labor & Employment Due Diligence

• In connection with SemiFive’s acquisition of Analog Bits, Inc.
• In connection with Aveanna Healthcare, LLC’s acquisition of Dunn & Berger, Inc. dba Accredited Nursing Services, for a base purchase price of $180 million, plus up to $45 million subject to satisfaction of certain 2021 volume targets.
• In connection with IF&P Food Holdings Company, LLC’s (a portfolio company of Rotunda Capital Partners) acquisition of Get Fresh Produce, LLC.

Adam Reinke

Partner,
King & Spalding LLP

—

Adam Reinke defends class actions and high-stakes product liability lawsuits involving automobiles, medical devices, and consumer goods in federal and state courts throughout the United States.

Adam represents product manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in all phases of class actions and other complex cases.  In addition to his experience as a litigator, Adam has written chapters in several practitioner treatises, including a chapter on class actions in Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy (2d ed.) and a chapter on food and drug litigation in Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts (4th ed.)  

Adam graduated first in his class from Emory University School of Law.  While in law school, Adam served as the Executive Articles Editor of the Emory Law Journal.  After law school, Adam clerked for the Honorable Edward E. Carnes, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Joe Santiesteban

Partner, Cybersecurity,
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

—

Joe Santiesteban is a trusted cybersecurity lawyer and strategic advisor, who regularly steers clients through data breaches as a partner in crisis management.

He brings significant experience advising companies – from one of the largest telecommunications providers to leading entertainment companies to startups on the cutting-edge of AI and more – on the full cycle of an incident. Joe also advises clients regarding regulatory investigations, class actions, and contract disputes that frequently flow from privacy and cybersecurity incidents.

His goal is to help clients respond quickly and with integrity to protect their brand, build trust and mitigate legal risk. Joe is highly adept at directing incident investigations, analyzing potential claims and defenses, examining potential notification obligations and advising on communications strategies that build trust and engagement.

Joe is committed to using these experiences to find creative and engaging strategies to help companies proactively prepare for an incident and mitigate cybersecurity legal risk. This includes helping to build and improve incident response programs through incident response plans, simulated incidents, threat workshops, and training. It also includes assisting clients with practically evaluating the legal risk of security decisions in a variety of transactions and across the product lifecycle.

He also provides strategic advice to cybersecurity companies, including those looking to push technological and defense boundaries in cyber defense, incident response, and threat intelligence. This includes helping companies maximize their security offerings by navigating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), and the Federal Wiretap Act, as well as state law analogs.

Joe serves on Orrick’s Pro Bono Committee. A leader and advocate for diversity and inclusion initiatives, Joe is the co-head of the Latinx affinity group at Orrick and served as a fellow for the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity. He is also a member of the Washington Latino Bar Association and the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Brian P. Sylvester

Partner,
Perkins Coie LLP

—

Brian Sylvester, a partner in Perkins Coie’s Washington, D.C., office, focuses his practice on food and beverage regulatory matters before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and analogous state regulatory bodies. He is a leading authority on food tech regulation and serves as a trusted advisor to global brands, startups, life science companies, investors, and trade associations.

His practice also extends beyond food and beverage to include cosmetics, OTC drugs and other consumer products and, across all these regulated product categories, spans enforcement actions, audits and investigations, regulatory compliance, labeling and advertising, import and export, due diligence, consumer litigation, comment preparation, public policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, and new product development.

Brian has particular and extensive experience in developing regulatory strategies to commercialize a range of food tech innovations, including transgenic crops and alternative proteins like cultivated meat, among others. He leverages his experience as a former regulator at USDA to counsel clients on strategic considerations around engagement with and advocacy before USDA and FDA on numerous complex issues, including those of first impression. For example, within the past year, Brian obtained a greenlight from FDA for a leading Israel-based precision fermentation startup to commercialize a proprietary milk protein produced without cows.

Brian is a prolific author and frequent speaker at industry-leading events in the United States, Asia, the European Union, Israel, and other parts of the world.  Examples from the past year include: (1) In February 2024, Brian was a featured speaker in Barcelona, Spain at the Meat Evolution Leaders Summit (MEVO); (2) this past November 2023, he presented in Beijing, China at the China International Food Safety & Quality (CIFSQ) Conference; and (3) last summer, Brian presented a session on US food tech regulation to MassChallenge Israel in Jerusalem, Israel.

Sean Spence

Partner,
Proskauer

—

Sean Spence is a partner in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Funds Group. He advises asset managers in connection with private equity fund formations, internal governance and ongoing fund operations.

As a US-qualified lawyer based in London, Sean maintains a global practice covering multiple fund jurisdictions across several strategies, including buyout, energy and infrastructure, real estate, credit and emerging markets funds.

Sean also advises a diverse group of institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds in connection with their global alternative investment strategies, including negotiating investments in primary and secondary transactions across a variety of vehicles and asset classes.

Sean has received several awards for his contributions to the Firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, including for his tenure as chair of the Black Lawyer Affinity Group and having launched the Firm’s A Path Forward speaker series on racial equity. He has also served as a key member on the Firm’s Hiring and Summer Program Committees.

Sean was previously based in the Firm’s New York office and, prior to joining Proskauer, was an associate in the investment funds group at White & Case.

Other Distinctions
Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch 2023-2024
National Bar Association: “40 Under 40”
The Legal 500 United Kingdom: Investment Fund Formation & Management: Private Funds 2024

Allison Brooke Tomlinson

Principal, Regional Counsel,
Gensler

—

As the Northeast (and formerly, Latin American) Regional Legal Counsel, Allison is responsible for multiple offices across the region. She developed the firm’s first compliance program, which acts as the foundational guide for Gensler’s business practices. She also is a Strategic Legal Advisor to various practice areas and communities, including Product Design, Digital Experience Design and the Global Design Realization leaders. Additionally, Allison is a co-Chair of Gensler’s Global Race and Diversity Committee.

In 2017, Allison was recognized by Engineering News-Record as a “Top Young Professional” for her impact in the design industry, as well as being named to the GC Powerlist U.S. Latin American Specialists list. In 2019 and 2020, she was named as a Lawyer of Distinction in the In-House Counsel category. In 2021, she was listed in the National Black Lawyers Top 100 List. And in 2022, she was selected as one of Crain’s New York Business Notable Black Leaders. She was the Co-Vice President of the NY Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, and is a member of The Fourth Floor, a networking community for women in leadership. She is a former board member of the Greater NY Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, and Co-Chair of the ACC’s Long Island Chapter, and former member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, where she served on the annual gala committee. She currently is on the board for the Center for Architecture and is active in the scholarship committee. Allison holds a Bachelors in Architecture from University California Berkeley, a Masters in Urban Planning from Columbia University, and a Doctorate in Law from Hofstra University.

LeDeidre S. Turner

Assistant General Counsel,
Exelon

—

LeDeidre S. Turner is an Assistant General Counsel in the regulatory litigation department of Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd). In this role she represents ComEd in regulatory proceedings and other relevant litigation as well as advises clients with respect to all legal matters. During her time with ComEd, LeDeidre has been an active member of her company’s Legal’s DEI Committee Community and Pipeline Subcommittee as well as volunteered with her colleagues to create wills for veterans and first responders and complete expungement documents for those seeking to move forward in life.

Prior to joining ComEd, LeDeidre served as a Commissioner on the Illinois Human Rights Commission (IHRC) where she also served as the vice-chair. In this role, she resolved complaints of discrimination filed under the Illinois Human Rights Act. Prior to joining the IHRC, she was an Assistant Commissioner of Prosecution and Adjudication for Business Affairs and Consumer Protection with the City of Chicago. In this role she provided guidance, direction, and training to attorneys and law clerks in the division. She also co-managed labor relations for the department and assisted all divisions with labor-management issues. Prior to joining the City, LeDeidre was an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO). She began her career there in the Child Support Enforcement Division. From there, she moved to the Juvenile Justice Bureau, Child Protection Division. She was also assigned to the Juvenile Justice Bureau, Delinquency Division where she reviewed and prosecuted misdemeanor and felony offenses committed by juveniles. She ended her career with CCSAO in the Felony Review Unit where she reviewed cases presented by law enforcement and made ultimate charging decisions for felony cases in Cook County.

LeDeidre currently serves as the Vice President of Education and Information for the Cook County Bar Association, as well as the Co-Chair of its annual Minority Law Student Job Fair, the largest of its kind in the Midwest. She is also a member of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago. LeDeidre serves as a Board Member for Legal Aid Chicago and Foster Progress. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Lambda Tau Omega Chapter. LeDeidre received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology Spelman College and a Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School now known as UIC School of Law.

Onika K. Williams

Of Counsel,
Steptoe LLP

—

Onika K. Williams is Of Counsel in Steptoe LLP’s Transportation practice in Washington, DC. Onika advises clients on compliance and enforcement before Surface Transportation Board (STB), the economic regulator of the railroads. Clients benefit from her experience as a legal advisor in the STB’s Office of Proceedings. While there, she advised the Board in proceedings arising under the ICC Termination Act of 1995, involving questions of statutory, administrative, and constitutional law.

Prior to the STB, Onika served as a Law Clerk at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission where she advised and assisted three judge boards in adjudicating cases under the Atomic Energy Act, regarding nuclear safety, security, and the environment.

Outside of private practice, Onika is involved with various bar associations on the local and national levels. For instance, Onika served as the 2020-21 Chair for the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Onika’s leadership, the NBA YLD led or co-sponsored almost 70 virtual programs and was named the 2021 Division of the Year by the NBA President. She has volunteered as a writer with the American Bar Association’s Litigation News publication and has published over 30 legal articles.

Onika is also an avid volunteer within the Washington, D.C. community and serves through several organizations, including the Junior League of Washington (JLW), where she previously served as a Presidential Appointee for the Junior League for Washington’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Task Force. In her prior role as Assistant Council Director for the JLW’s Community Affairs Council, Onika helped to oversee five committees that are responsible for bringing JLW’s focus on literacy to the forefront of the League’s programming in the community, provided increased opportunity for hands-on work for JLW members, and forged new literacy-focused partnerships and collaborations. Onika also serves as DC Social Action Coordinator for her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In this role, she leads DC-wide social action activities for the organization’s local chapters to assist DC’s most vulnerable communities with voting registration and education efforts and other outreach efforts. She also assists in organizing the organization’s local advocacy efforts in meetings with our U.S. Congressional delegate and DC councilmembers.

A member of the Florida Bar and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, Onika was named a 2023 Law360 Rising Star in Transportation; 2023 Rising Star in Transport: Rail & Road – Litigation & Regulation by Legal 500 US; 2021 Kim M. Keenan Advocacy & Leadership Award Recipient by the Washington Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (WBA YLD); a 2020 Rising Star Award Recipient by the Greater Washington Area Chapter, Women Lawyers Division, National Bar Association (GWAC); a 2019 Young Lawyer of the Year by the WBA YLD; a 2019 “Nation’s Best Advocates” 40 under 40 Honoree by the National Bar Association; and “Top 40 Under 40” of Washington, D.C. by The National Black Lawyers in 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.

Kenneth Trujillo-Jamison

Co-Managing Partner,
Willenken LLP

—

Kenneth Trujillo-Jamison uses his sharply honed analytical and strategic skills to efficiently handle his clients’ most complex and challenging matters. Having spent time on secondment, Kenneth knows the importance of aligning litigation strategy with his clients’ business objectives. Kenneth has been recognized as “One to Watch” in the 2021 and 2022 editions of Best Lawyers and a SuperLawyers Rising Star for 2021, and has been selected to The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 List.

Kenneth’s successes in the courtroom abound. As but one example, as a member of AbbVie’s 100%-diverse trial team in “one of the five big healthcare lawsuits” of 2020, Kenneth helped convince the Delaware Chancery Court to find Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. liable for breach of contract. At trial, Kenneth examined and defended multiple expert witnesses.

Kenneth also has deep experience litigating entertainment matters. Kenneth is currently defending Disney and Pixar in a copyright infringement case involving the film “Moana,” and a prominent portrait photographer in a right-of-publicity case brought by the rapper Jay-Z. He also helped convince two other district court judges to dismiss on the pleadings copyright infringement claims involving motion pictures, ending those matters before discovery.

Kenneth also is experienced defending technology companies in litigation about users and user-generated content posted on their platforms. As but one example, he successfully obtained dismissal, on Communications Decency Act grounds, of an action seeking to hold a social media company liable for claims arising from the suspension of a user from its platform.

Kenneth also has experience in consumer class actions. He has, for example, represented Procter & Gamble in a dispute involving claims of unfair and deceptive labelling for a popular body wash product, and Mattel and Fisher-Price in false advertising cases involving a popular infant product. Kenneth also has experience counseling Southern California Gas Company on regulatory issues before the California Public Utilities Commission.

Aside from his practice, Kenneth is a leader in the Los Angeles legal community. Kenneth is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the Los Angeles Copyright Society, a members-only organization of attorneys who practice in copyright, trademark, communications, and related areas that meets monthly to hear speakers present on varied topics of vital and current interest to practitioners. He is also the President of the Board of the Inner City Law Center, which works towards ending the homelessness crisis by providing free legal services to the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Los Angeles, and is also a past president and current board member of the Housing Rights Center, Los Angeles’ largest public interest law organization dedicated to enforcing fair housing laws.

Kenneth is also active in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal community. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Minority Counsel Program and the past Chair of California Minority Counsel Program’s Ambassadors Council. He also served on California Minority Counsel Program’s 2019 Annual Business Conference Planning Committee. Finally, Kenneth is also a 2022 Fellow and a 2018 Pathfinder in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity program.

Prior to joining Willenken, Kenneth practiced at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. He also served as a law clerk for The Honorable Judge Paul J. Watford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In his time away from the law, Kenneth enjoys listening to podcasts and spending time with his wife and his two young children.