Driving Diversity in Law & Leadership: Atlanta

Kenya C. Miller is a shareholder of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C. and the Managing Attorney of the Lancaster office. She concentrates her practice in the areas of workers’ compensation, church law, and insurance defense and is also Co-Chair of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Ms. Miller regularly conducts seminars regarding workers’ compensation law and claims investigation in South Carolina.

Prior to joining Dickie McCamey, Ms. Miller was a partner of Miller Lawrence, LLC, a law firm focused on the defense of South Carolina workers’ compensation claims.

Marla represents clients in the medical, semiconductor, power, networking and other high-tech industries in high-stakes commercial litigations, arbitrations and trials. She helps clients proactively take on commercial threats, monetize their patent assets and/or defend against lawsuits that threaten their businesses. She conducts critical early case evaluations to help clients quickly assess risk, which helps them predict important outcomes and see a fuller range of strategic options. Marla has developed a deep understanding of technology and is skilled at building and leading diverse teams of lawyers, scientists and economists, which enhances her ability to devise and implement successful litigation and trial strategies and to simplify complex technology concepts for judges, juries and arbitrators.

Marla is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only trial lawyer honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers who are selected based on effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.

Lindsey Lonergan currently services as the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Atrium Health Navicent, a multidisciplinary health system headquartered in Macon, Georgia.  In this role, she provides legal advice and services to the health system including Senior Leadership and Hospital Administrators on healthcare operational matters, regulatory and compliance matters, company transactions, and ongoing litigation. Lindsey is also responsible for development and oversight of system contracts for multiple business units and divisions as well as clinical service lines across the enterprise and oversees strategic enterprise risk identification, prevention and management including legal management of internal compliance investigations. Lindsey previously was an Associate at an international law firm and focused her practice on healthcare litigation including Federal and State False Claims Act litigation and OIG/DOJ investigations. In addition, she assisted healthcare providers in general regulatory matters, including fraud and abuse analysis, corporate compliance programs, and HIPAA privacy and security regulations.

Managing Attorney of the Charlotte office; and Co-Chair of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Ms. Eagle is licensed to practice in New York and North Carolina. She is an experienced litigator, practicing in the areas of employment and labor law, general liability, negligence, premises liability, professional malpractice, transportation law, and workers’ compensation, with a particular emphasis in civil litigation. She has served as lead counsel at all stages of litigation and administrative proceedings, from mediation through appeals. Ms. Eagle currently represents clients at all stages of litigation in both New York and North Carolina.

Ms. Eagle’s practice places a particular emphasis on client education and proactive litigation strategies. Over the years she has counseled clients and presented on topics such as risk management, labor law, claims investigation and claims handling procedures, and alternative dispute resolution.

Jennifer Guerra is an Atlanta-based Member whose clients look to her for advice and risk management services in commercial and business litigation. After almost a decade of general liability litigation, her practice evolved and now focuses on the counseling and representation of lawyers, accountants and other professionals who find themselves facing claims or grievances. She also handles product liability, insurance coverage and other substantial litigation matters.

Because Jennifer’s practice touches on so many different subjects, she gets to dive in and become a “mini- specialist” in fields such as real estate, trusts & estates, corporate governance, tax, audit and data privacy & security. She is honored to be asked regularly to speak and write on risk management issues and is a go-to resource for defense attorneys tackling the complexities of the tripartite (insurer-insured-lawyer) relationship and time-limited settlement demands.

Elizabeth concentrates her practice in the area of litigation. Her experience includes successfully litigating insurance coverage disputes in federal court through summary judgment, bringing declaratory judgment actions in federal court, defending insureds in personal injury and premises liability lawsuits in both state and federal court, and advising clients on complex coverage disputes. She has experience in arguing motions in state and federal court, deposing parties and non-party witnesses, defending depositions, and mediating.

Before joining Miller & Martin, she gained experience with her prior firm as a summer associate and, after graduating with a Juris Doctor in 2015, she practiced for three years as an associate attorney in Atlanta.

Beth focuses her environmental practice on the nuances of regulatory compliance and permitting and the environmental aspects of corporate and real estate transactions, enforcement defense, and litigation. In an effort to minimize risk, she works as an extension of her client’s business, understanding each party’s needs and moving everyone forward. Empathetic and accommodating, Beth is able to achieve dispute resolution while artfully navigating the complexity of FDA compliance, occupational safety, zoning, and land use issues.

Beth has extensive experience in counseling and litigation in all aspects of federal and state laws related to hazardous substances, hazardous waste, underground storage tanks, water, air, pesticides, and endangered species. Beth mitigates risk for developers and builders and is a part of citizen enforcement in these areas.

Beth counsels manufacturers, importers, and retailers regarding compliance with consumer product food, drug, and medical device safety requirements. She has published numerous articles and speaks frequently on issues associated with water, hazardous waste, air compliance, brownfield redevelopment, and other environmental issues associated with real estate transactions and development. Away from the office, Beth enjoys getting outdoors and loves hiking and kayaking.

Beth earned her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and her B.A. from Agnes Scott College.

Shannon Sprinkle is a Member in the Atlanta office where she handles a wide variety of litigation matters in state and federal courts. Shannon is frequently retained before litigation to help evaluate and control exposure to potential claims and also represents clients before various licensing and review agencies.

Shannon’s primary focus is on professional malpractice, real estate, and finance related claims. She has substantial experience defending legal malpractice claims arising out of litigation, family law, business organization, estate matters, real estate transactions, and commercial transactions. She also frequently defends accounting malpractice claims involving tax preparation, consulting, compilations, reviews, audits, and breach of fiduciary claims.

Shannon also defends law firms, lenders, and other businesses against individual and class-action claims for alleged violations of consumer protection statutes, such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and others. She also provides compliance and risk management advice in these areas, as well as data and privacy breach claims.

Shannon frequently advises clients on internal employment issues, employment contracts, and defends employment-related litigation.

Renuka Drummond is Chief Legal Officer at MediaKind. Renuka has 20 years’ experience representing public companies, private equity, hedge and sovereign wealth funds and portfolio management for domestics and global companies. 

Over the last 10 years she has specialized in Mergers & Acquisitions. In her previous role as Associate General Counsel at Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ: 100), she worked alongside the corporate development team, senior executives and various business teams to deliver its global M&A strategy. 

Before going in-house, Renuka held the role of Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP over a seven-year period. Prior to that, she held corporate positions at international law firm Baker Botts LLP.

She has a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, New York and a B.A. from Wellesley College, Massachusetts.

Melanie S. Taylor is a partner with Bendin, Sumrall & Ladner. Melanie’s representation includes corporations, business owners, hospitals and individual medical providers in complex litigation and medical malpractice matters. Melanie volunteers on the faculty of the National Business Institute to publish and teach national continuing education seminars throughout the year for attorneys and paralegals on the topics of medical malpractice defense, how the Affordable Care Act impacts malpractice litigation, best practices for discovery and trial, and defending premises liability cases.

As team lead for the firm’s Real Estate & Development practice group and co-chair of Husch Blackwell’s Retail Industry Sector Group, Wendy brings a creative mindset and a breadth of commercial and corporate real estate experience to her work for clients. 

Tala’s practice focuses primarily on general civil litigation in state and federal courts. She has experience representing clients ranging from individuals and small businesses to large corporations, manufacturers, construction companies, and national financial institutions in a variety of business disputes, including contract disputes, business torts, complex commercial litigation, financial services litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and real estate disputes. Tala has diverse experience litigating in Georgia’s state and federal courts, both at the trial and appellate level, and has successfully litigated in matters in other jurisdictions throughout the country. Tala’s practice involves multiple aspects of litigation, including discovery, e-discovery and document management, motion practice, and trial.

Tala also maintains an active pro bono practice through the firm’s pro bono initiative with the Health Law Partnership (“HeLP”), an interdisciplinary community collaboration between the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia State University College of Law, through which she regularly assists families with ill and/or disabled children in obtaining guardianships over minors and incapacitated adults. Tala also founded Burr & Forman’s partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (“KIND”), the leading organization providing assistance to the unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children who enter into the United States immigration system. With the help of volunteer attorneys, Burr helps ensure that these children do not appear in immigration court without representation. Tala also serves on the firm’s Recruiting Committee, focusing on Burr & Forman’s Atlanta office, and the firm’s Diversity Committee.

While at Georgia State University College of Law, Tala was a member and associate legislative editor of the Georgia State University Law Review and a member of the student bar association in Atlanta. Prior to law school, Tala graduated from the University of Georgia in political science and a minor in Spanish.

Rebecca chairs the Atlanta Litigation group and co-chairs the national Commercial Litigation practice group. She focuses on problem-solving and resolving disputes in ways that best support her clients’ business interests. Clients in pre-litigation disputes and extant litigation disputes turn to Rebecca for help with myriad complex contractual and business tort issues. She “majors” in three overlapping areas: real estate (joint ventures, residential and commercial leases, boundary lines, development agreements, and purchase and sale agreements), construction (design and construction defects, including in commercial and manufacturing settings), and insurance (advice and counseling regarding CGL, professional liability, errors and omissions, representations and warranties, D&O, and property coverage). Her 24 years of practice gives her broad, and deep, experience litigating other matters, too.

Rebecca counsels clients on litigation avoidance, maximizing pre-litigation positioning, and resolving disputes in a way that most benefits their business interests. Whether it’s in the pre- or post-litigation context, she helps clients resolve underlying or endemic challenges to help avoid repeat disputes.

In the litigation context, Rebecca uses a variety of Lean Solutions Litigation Tools—Early Case Assessment, Quantitative Decision Tree Analysis, a robust budgeting tool, and Lean Solutions staffing—to right-size the litigation for the exposure. She runs matters with a focus on the “litigation return on investment,” and collaborates with in-house counsel and their business partners to optimize the outcome. Rebecca actively manages litigation, keeping an eye open for exit ramps and settlement opportunities at every juncture. In her practice, she relies on deep thinking and analysis, persistence, and her strong “soft skills” to elevate her practice.

Rebecca is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer, and if resolution efforts have failed, she is a fierce, and eloquent, advocate for her clients. Judges and juries alike find her persuasive and trustworthy. Her people talents allow her to optimize the performance of her witnesses, from operators to experts to C-Suite executives. She is just at ease presenting a litigation or settlement strategy to a Board of Directors as she is donning PPP and climbing paper machines or silos to understand all the nuances of a case.

She is a trained personal coach, a Six Sigma Green Belt, and has strong people skills that help with clients, business partners, opposing counsel, experts, judges, and jurors. With significant internal mentoring and coaching responsibilities, she teaches younger attorneys smarter and more efficient ways to litigate.

LaChandra Pye is Corporate Senior Counsel and Government Contracts for the US Electrification Business Area at ABB Inc. where she guides and counsel stakeholders to ensure comprehension and implementation of the necessary legal measures and advises and represents the various Electrification Divisions’ interests regarding legal matters in their respective markets.  Prior to her work at ABB Inc., she was general counsel at Caduceus, a private federal contractor, and worked as a Senior Attorney at the City of Atlanta.  She has focused most of her career on government contracts, general corporate matters, and regulatory compliance with experience in-house, in private practice, and in the public sector. 

LaChandra obtained her B.A. from Dillard University in New Orleans, LA and a J.D. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law in Lincoln, Nebraska.  In her spare time, she enjoys inspiring others to be their best selves.

Christina Yates is currently the associate general counsel at Gemological Institute of America, Inc. (GIA) where she focuses on intellectual property, technology, litigation, working with GIA’s laboratory staff and law enforcement to return lost and stolen diamonds to their rightful owners.

Prior to joining GIA, Ms. Yates spent five years with DLA Piper in its Intellectual Property and Technology group counseling clients on trademark and copyright issues, and strategizing with clients and advising them on domestic and global trademark portfolios.  She also represented clients in state and federal court, as well as in USPTO actions.

Anissa Floyd is Senior Counsel for employment litigation at WestRock, with responsibility for litigation in states along the eastern seaboard (specifically Maine to South Carolina). Anissa is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta where she graduated with top honors.  She then attended Tulane Law School in New Orleans and clerked for a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Anissa has focused most of her career on labor and employment litigation, with experience both at big law firms as well as in-house.  Anissa is originally from Columbia, SC. In her spare time, she enjoys high-impact exercise and strength training.

Jessica Nguyen is the General Counsel of PayScale, a Seattle, Washington based technology company that provides and collects compensation data to help employees and employers make informed compensation decisions.  PayScale’s products enable organizations to take a transparent and data-driven approach to their compensation strategy and pay their employees fairly and equitably.  PayScale prides itself on being a thought leader on pay equity issues.  

Jessica built from the ground up a legal team and processes at PayScale.  Prior to PayScale, Jessica supported the growth, scalability, and risk mitigation of other organizations, including the Office 365 engineering teams at Microsoft, Avalara during its early stages, and was an attorney at Pacific Northwest law firms.  Jessica was also recognized as one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Honorees.  

Rachel Fox Weitz is Assistant General Counsel at Delta Air Lines.  Rachel handles commercial transactions for many departments across Delta, including Delta TechOps (the airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul organization), OnBoard Services (including catering), Information Technology, Marketing and Sponsorships, and more.  Prior to starting at Delta, Rachel was an attorney in the corporate department at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in Atlanta where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, business ventures and corporate governance for private, public and non-profit clients. 

Prior to law school, Rachel worked in Washington DC at a political media consulting firm where she managed paid media for campaigns across the country.  She also worked on several presidential campaigns and as a communications consultant at a public affairs firm.

Rachel has her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan and law degree from Emory University School of Law.

Rachel is the President of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation Junior Board, serves on the Board of Trustees of The Galloway School, and is the Chair of Habima Theatre. 

Rodney Miller is a Partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Atlanta office. He is a registered patent attorney who represents public and private companies in intellectual property matters, including due diligence, licensing and transactional work, IP monetization and portfolio valuation, patent office post-grant review, and litigation, including patent, trademark and trade secret disputes. He has litigated intellectual property cases across numerous industries, including telecommunication, semiconductors, Internet protocols, operating systems, hardware and software storage systems, user interface, and pharmaceuticals. Rodney earned a B.S.M.E degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center

Mary Ulmer Jones is a Senior Vice President/Associate General Counsel with Bank of America. In that role, Mary is responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to a global human resources department that supports over 180,000 employees worldwide. She is recognized as a subject matter expert on matters involving regulatory risks, federal, state and municipal laws and is responsible for giving guidance on strategies that reduce expenses, increase revenue and creates an award-winning environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work. Mary manages a staff of lawyers, paralegals, and business support managers and regularly collaborates with business leaders to advance both internal and external performance strategies and manage reputational, operational and legal risks. Mary also serves in a number of internal leadership roles wherein she provides enterprise level guidance regarding pro bono work, diversity and inclusion, domestic violence and disability advocacy strategies. Mary joined Bank of America in 1991, as an in house labor, employment and litigation legal counsel. In the community, Mary is passionate about empowerment and workforce development. Mary currently serves on the University of Kentucky Political Science Department Alumni Board and was recently asked to join the Year Up Financial Services Advisory Board. Mary previously served as a Board member of Theatrical Outfit of Atlanta, Pebbletossers and Year Up of Atlanta. She has worked tirelessly on domestic violence issues; disability empowerment issues; and diversity, equality and inclusion issues. In recognition of her leadership, Mary has been selected for membership in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and has received the Bank of America Global Diversity and Inclusion Award, the Georgia Leadership Conference Multicultural Leadership Award and recognition as the National Diversity Council Top 50 General Counsels. She has also been recognized for her community involvement by the National Charity League Buckhead Chapter and the Junior League of Atlanta. Mary is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Political Science. She also graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law where she served on the staff of the Kentucky Law Journal. Mary is married to Lewis and mother to four children. She and her family reside in Atlanta, GA

Sandra S. Cho was born and raised in Augusta, GA, and moved to Hilton Head Island, SC, during high school.  She is a graduate of Emory University and The Washington College of Law of the American University.  

She is the first Asian-American woman to make partner at Biglaw in Atlanta, and for 26 years, Ms. Cho has been at Drew Eckl & Farnham where her practice focuses solely on workers’-compensation defense before the State Board of Workers’ Compensation and in the superior and appellate courts.

She has served as the Hiring Partner, as well as the Chairs for the Hiring & Recruiting Committee, and the Diversity Committee. 

Ms. Cho is actively involved in GAPABA (Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association) and is Co-Chair of the Nominations Committee.

She is an avid traveler and a certified SCUBA diver. 

K. Martine Cumbermack is an experienced litigator with more than 20 years of legal experience. She has provided counsel and representation in workers’ compensation matters on behalf of employers, insurance companies, self-insureds and third-party administrators in both Florida and Georgia.

Martine has extensive experience in trial and appellate courts, including establishing a clearer precedent at the appellate level in defending death claims in Georgia. She has successfully litigated workers’ compensation cases at trial on various issues, including the Rycroft defense, notice and intoxication defenses.

A trusted adviser to her clients, Martine counsels them on the best way forward with their unique legal issues. She focuses on providing great accessibility to answer any questions or discuss ideas with clients, even when she is not working an active case with them, to ensure she is always available to troubleshoot problems or advise on issues they may be facing. Martine also assists clients with in-house training for employers to help mitigate risk ahead of issues in order to arm businesses with the knowledge to make smart decisions before incidents occur.

Martine holds a diversity and inclusion professionals certificate through Cornell University’s Institute of Labor & Relations. She serves as a co-chair for the firm’s Diversity Committee and represents the firm as a member of the Steering Committee of the State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program. Martine has also served on the firm’s Technology, Hiring, Marketing and Community Relations committees.

Before joining Swift Currie, Martine served as outside panel counsel and in-house counsel providing workers’ compensation defense for a major national insurance company. She has taught as an adjunct professor at the undergraduate and law school levels on subjects, including trusts and estates, workers’ compensation, criminal and civil procedure. She previously litigated cases as a public defender and served as a court-appointed Guardian Ad Litem.

Martine has become an industry leader, regularly writing and presenting locally and nationally on a wide variety of workers’ compensation topics ranging from employer affirmative defenses, light duty return to work issues, post-hire medical questionnaires, the role of aging employees in workers’ compensation and the impact of diversity on claims management, costs and results. 

Sarah serves as Associate General Counsel for CRH Americas, a global leader in the construction industry and North America’s largest building materials company.  In her role and since 2008, Sarah supports the operations of CRH and its numerous subsidiary businesses, including litigating disputes, managing claims, negotiating contracts, and performing proactive training on various topics ranging from antitrust to safety.  Sarah serves on the Safety Best Practices Committee at CRH.  Sarah also serves and has served on various boards in her community, including the Dunwoody Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, the Dunwoody Preservation Trust, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank.  Sarah obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Emory University in 2002, and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Georgia State University College of Law in 2005.  Outside of the office, Sarah enjoys time with her three children, running, working out, reading, and traveling.

LeeAnn Jones is a problem solver. As a trial lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience, she helps clients resolve complex litigation disputes in federal and state courts, multidistrict litigation (MDL), and arbitration proceedings throughout Georgia and nationwide. She gains an in-depth understanding of the client’s business and industry to develop and execute litigation strategies designed to achieve an optimal legal outcome consistent with the client’s business goals and objectives. She has used this approach to successfully represent companies of all sizes in commercial, personal injury, product liability, and pharmaceutical and medical device litigation and consumer class actions. Her cases frequently involve technical, scientific and medical issues, and she excels at mastering complex issues to communicate them simply and effectively to a judge or jury.

Ms. Jones has developed and implemented national and regional coordinating counsel programs to assist clients in efficiently managing and coordinating discovery and litigation arising in multiple similar cases around the country. She has led and served on coordinating counsel teams representing clients in the pest control, manufacturing, retail, automotive, pharmaceutical and health care industries.

Ms. Jones also has represented companies, community banks, and national/regional banks as both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of complex commercial, financial institution, and business litigation matters, including claims for breach of contract, lender liability, business torts, fraud, RICO, wrongful foreclosure and other business disputes.

Ms. Jones draws upon her experience as a trial lawyer and her problem-solving skills to assist in pre-litigation claim investigations, risk assessments and early case evaluations to achieve cost-effective outcomes for her clients. She has successfully resolved numerous cases through mediation and is a trained civil mediator registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.

Ms. Jones began practicing at a full-service law firm, where she was a partner from 1994-2008, and was counsel in the Atlanta office of an international law firm from 2009-2013.

She has been a frequent speaker and presenter on a variety of topics, including trial skills, expert witness issues, toxic tort developments, causation in personal injury litigation and workplace diversity issues.

Ms. Jones is an active community leader and volunteer, serving on the Boards of national and local non-profit organizations and is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2015. She is an avid sports fan and recreational runner who enjoys gardening, politics, music and outdoor activities.

In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Ashley has led Ogletree Deakins’ nationwide unemployment response team. In this role, Ashley tracks unemployment changes nationwide and provides counsel to clients on unemployment related issues. In addition, Ashley is the co-chair of the Ogletree Deakins COVID-19 Litigation Practice Group. COVID-19 litigation involves all areas of employment law as well as personal injury related claims. In this role, Ashley has been able to utilize her substantial past litigation experience that includes employment litigation, personal injury litigation, medical malpractice defense, and complex toxic tort defense.

Outside of COVID-19, Ashley represents and counsels companies on a wide range of labor and employment law issues—though a significant focus of her practice is on various state leave laws (counseling and litigation) and multi-state compliance. Ashley is a member of the OD Comply compliance solutions group and the shareholder – author of the OD: Comply: State Leave Law subscription materials. Ashley is also a member of the firm’s Trial Practice Group and is regularly involved in complex employment litigation. This includes defending employer claims against discrimination and wrongful discharge. Ashley also has a broader general litigation practice that has allowed her to defend clients in complex toxic tort actions, class actions, and asbestos personal injury.

Ashley is also actively involved in raising the profile of women in her own firm, in the legal community, and in her local community. Ashley is the former Chair of the Ogletree Deakins’ Women’s Initiative (ODWIN) and remains on the steering committee. In addition, Ashley is President of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and is Past-Chair of the Greenville YWCA.

Ms. Buchanan is currently VP & General Counsel at Relay Payments Inc., a fintech start-up offering electronic payment services to the trucking industry.  Prior to her position at Relay Payments, Ms. Buchanan was Associate General Counsel, Assistant Secretary, and Compliance Officer for Neenah, Inc., a publicly traded fine paper and filtration manufacturer.  Ms. Buchanan worked in private practice for large, global law firms for over ten years as an intellectual property and commercial business litigator.  Prior to her legal career, Ms. Buchanan obtained her BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University, and registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office while still a law student at Vanderbilt University.  Ms. Buchanan now focuses her in-house priorities on protecting business assets of all kinds and ensuring regulatory and ethical compliance by corporate stakeholders.  She resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ashley Lee graduated cum laude from Spelman College, in 2006, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In 2011, Ms. Lee earned a Juris Doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law (CWRU) located in Cleveland, Ohio. While in law school, Ms. Lee served as President of the Black Law Students Association—CWRU Chapter, a federal judicial extern for The Honorable Judge Benita Y. Pearson, a Gate City Bar Association summer intern, and a summer legal intern for The Coca-Cola Company.

Since joining The Coca-Cola System in 2013, Ms. Lee has attained diverse in-house counsel experiences with increasing responsibility. She has supported various aspects of the Coca-Cola North America Product Supply System, the National Product Supply Group, The Coca-Cola Company’s global trade sanctions and export compliance programs. Currently, Ms. Lee serves as Associate General Counsel for Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company (CCBSS). As Associate General Counsel for CCBSS, Ms. Lee negotiates complex multi-milliondollar contracts, serves as an integral member of the senior leadership team, and provides strategic as well as day-today legal advice to members of the executive leadership team. For continuously demonstrating accountability and ownership, CCBSS recognized Ms. Lee with awards of Excellence in Leadership in 2018 and 2019.

Ms. Lee is admitted to practice in Georgia and serves as a member of the Gate City Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Chair-Elect of the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (NBA YLD). She brings a diverse set of skills and talents to the practice of law including without limitation writing articles, serving on panels as a panel moderator and panelist and previously serving as the election protection chair for the NBA YLD and student program chair for The Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys, Inc.’s annual conference. Ms. Lee was recently selected as one of the National Bar Association’s 40 Under 40: Nation’s Best Advocates Award Recipients for 2021.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Lee is committed to philanthropic giving and an avid collector of Black Fine Art.

Yoon Ettinger joined Southern Company Gas f/k/a AGL Resources in 2014. Since that time, she has undertaken increasing responsibilities.  In her current role, she provides legal support in the areas of employee relations, litigation, and regulatory affairs.  In her most previous role as Chief Counsel, Litigation & Claims, Yoon managed tort and commercial litigation, oversaw the claims department, and provided risk mitigation advice to both utility and retail businesses of Southern Company Gas.  

Prior to joining Southern Company Gas, Ms. Ettinger represented companies in the construction, technology, and medical industries in tort and commercial disputes.  

Ms. Ettinger is active in the community. She is the current Vice-Chair of SOAR-GA, Southern Company Gas’ AAPI employee resource group. She is also currently serving on the Board of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, is a Co-Chair of the In-House Counsel Committee of the Korean American Bar Association of Georgia, and is on the Advisory Board of the newly formed AAPI Crime Victims and Education Fund. She previously served on the board of directors of the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network, which provides pro bono legal services to victims of human trafficking and asylum seekers.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor cum laude from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law.  Ms. Ettinger is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Order of Barristers.

She resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, two children and two dogs.  

As Assistant General Counsel, Compliance Matters, Samyra oversees Porsche’s formal compliance programs throughout North America. She is responsible for the implementation of compliance guidelines, including development and delivery of training materials and supporting the organization on various operational matters.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Samyra graduated from California State University with a degree in Spanish and earned her J.D. from Western State University. During her undergraduate and law school years, she worked for Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, CA. After law school she relocated to Atlanta and after practicing Alston & Bird LLP for three years, returned to her passion – the automotive industry. She spent three years with Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. and finally joined Porsche Cars North America, Inc. in September 2013.

Heryka is experienced in representing and advocating for clients in federal, state, and administrative courts. She has made court and administrative appearances on behalf of clients in all procedural phases, including dispositive motions, through trial. Heryka also advises on regulatory and enforcement trends affecting Limited English Proficiency consumers. She counsels clients on a variety of regulatory issues including state foreign-language disclosure laws, fair lending, and unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP). Heryka also maintains an active pro bono practice and has been recognized in her community for her dedication to pro bono service.

Deborah G. Solmor is the General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact in higher education. TCS’s institutions include the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Saybrook University, Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School, the Colleges of Law and the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Deborah leads the legal and compliance functions within this innovative model that focuses on supporting institutions whose missions are to provide student enrichment and community impact. Prior to joining TCS, she served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Litigation and Chief Compliance Officer at Perdoceo Education Corporation, a publicly traded provider of post-secondary education.  

In addition to being a highly adaptable and strategic business partner, Deborah is also a seasoned litigator.  Prior to moving in-house, she spent many years as Counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP where her practice focused on complex commercial and consumer litigation.  Deborah is a CCEP certified compliance professional and is often invited to speak on topics including best practices in regulatory and internal investigations as well as issues related to compliance and marketing in higher education.  In 2019 and again in 2021 Deborah was included as a Crain’s Chicago Business Notable General Counsel. She holds a Juris Doctor from the DePaul University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Northwestern University.

Deborah is passionate about supporting the networking and development of women lawyers.  Since 2014, she has co-chaired the in-house counsel committee of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Women’s General Counsel Network and the Advisory Board of the Centerforce Diversity in Law Conferences. In 2019, she founded a program called Ready Set GC which is focused on creating content and networking opportunities for women who are new to the general counsel role. To date, the program has made stops in Chicago and Atlanta.

As one of the leading toxic tort and product liability defense attorneys in the United States, Evelyn has tried, managed, and settled thousands of cases across the country. She has litigated complex cases involving toxic exposures, agriculture, transportation and general liability. Evelyn primarily practices at the state, federal, and appellate court levels in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. As national counsel to several corporations, she manages and coordinates litigation nationwide.

Evelyn thrives in dynamic and fast-paced environments, adapting quickly to the changing demands faced by her clients’ businesses. She is frequently called upon to undertake the most challenging and high-risk cases because of her successful case resolution and efficient case management. She has secured dismissals and cost-effective resolutions in an overwhelming majority of her cases before reaching verdict, despite preparing each to go all the way.

Elizabeth K. “Bess” Hinson is a privacy and cybersecurity attorney in Holland & Knight’s Atlanta office. Ms. Hinson focuses her practice on cyber and data risk management and governance, breach preparedness and response, crisis management and global data privacy compliance.

Ms. Hinson represents clients at all stages of incident response from investigation, notification, remediation, managing privacy class action risks, and defense of litigation and regulatory inquiry. She regularly counsels clients on cross-border data flows and navigating conflicts between foreign privacy laws and U.S. compliance obligations.

In addition, Ms. Hinson oversees and coordinates European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) compliance assessment and implementation programs for clients. She advises clients in various industries on privacy matters, including information governance and data management, online advertising and internal compliance policies as well as consumer policies, including website and mobile application policies, vendor management, blockchain, and privacy and security-related compliance strategies and programs. She also guides clients on risks and potential liabilities associated with privacy and data security practices in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and technology transactions.

Ms. Hinson previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Eugene E. Siler Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. During law school, Ms. Hinson served as the executive articles editor of the Michigan Journal of Race & Law. She also was a student attorney at the Human Trafficking Clinic.

Responsible for leadership, management, hiring, training and staff development of corporate legal teams of up to 100 attorneys and support staff covering a wide range of practice areas including litigation, commercial contracting, product development, employment law and corporate compliance. Legal department budget responsibility of over $5 million annually. Workflow management, auditing document reviews and project management. Implementation and training on corporate compliance policies, procedures and programs.

Strategic Partner to C-level executive leadership in identifying and mitigating risk across all business functions including Sales, Product Development, Finance, Internal Audit, Regulatory Affairs, Risk Management and Human Resources.

Experienced Corporate Counsel delivering comprehensive legal guidance to global organizations. Subject matter expert in drafting agreements, negotiating settlements, court appearances, mediations and hearings. Collaborative Communicator focused on building and strengthening relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive legal excellence while fostering growth.

Riane N. Sharp is a staff attorney on the Global Supply Chain, Innovation & Commercial Team at Starbucks Corporation.  

In this role, Riane primarily supports the Global Supply Chain Operations team on commercial matters, including the purchase and sale of goods and services, licensing of intellectual property, development of commercial products, and product distribution and transportation.

Riane came to Starbucks from Winter Capriola Zenner, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia where she was an Associate in the firm’s transactional practice group. While there, Riane worked closely with legal matters pertaining to community associations, real estate law and corporate law. 

Originally from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Riane returned to the metro Atlanta area after completing her studies. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and her Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business from Howard University in Washington, DC. After law school, Riane joined the University of Georgia Office of Legal Affairs before transitioning to Change Healthcare, a healthcare IT company, where she advised her clients on consumer protection matters related to TCPA, CAN-SPAM and the FTC Act as well as marketing related issues.

She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA). She also serves as a member of both the Representative Council and Board of Directors for the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division. When she is not working, Riane enjoys spending time with her 2-year-old dog son, Bolt.  

Sheldon S. Hughes focuses his practice on corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions.

During law school, Sheldon was a senior notes and comments editor for the Howard Law Journal and a Henry Ramsey Dean’s Fellow.

TaCara Harris is a partner in the Atlanta office of King & Spalding and a member of the firm’s Trial and Global Disputes practice area. Her practice concentrates on representing clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer products industries in nationwide product liability, mass tort, and personal injury litigation.  TaCara has experience handling all aspects of large-scale, high-stakes mass tort litigation, from early case assessment, through discovery, and on to trial or other exit strategies.  TaCara’s practice also focuses on pro-bono work, community service, and a commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. TaCara has successfully completed the International Association of Defense Counsel’s Trial Academy and actively participated on successful trial teams in six high-stakes jury trials.

Scarlett Nokes has extensive experience in Title IX and sexual assault investigations and is currently handling numerous civil and criminal matters related to sexual misconduct. Scarlett draws upon her deep experience as a federal prosecutor to represent clients in a range of matters related to internal investigations, internal risk analysis, government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, regulatory and compliance issues, civil litigation and enforcement actions. Her clients benefit from her wealth of government experience, which allows her to skillfully advocate and achieve favorable results.

For over 12 years Scarlett served as an Assistant United States Attorney working in three different offices – Birmingham, Nashville, and Savannah. During her time as a federal prosecutor, Scarlett led the investigation and prosecution of more than 200 cases involving a wide variety of crimes including fraud, money laundering, identity theft, tax offenses and RICO conspiracy. She also represented the government in over 20 trials, including the corruption trials of a sitting Birmingham mayor and a former Jefferson County Commissioner.

Most recently, as a criminal healthcare fraud coordinator, Scarlett was responsible for overseeing cases involving telemedicine, durable medical equipment suppliers, physician groups, transportation companies, pharmacies, and billing companies. Her unique government healthcare fraud experience, combined with her deep knowledge of the specialized issues facing the industry, helps Scarlett in her wide-ranging representation of clients in the healthcare sector.

Prior to her employment with the DOJ, Scarlett clerked for the Hon. Julia Smith Gibbons on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Memphis, Tennessee.

Since 2020 Neel Gupta has Associate Deputy General Counsel in the Corporate Law Section at Norfolk Southern Corporation in Atlanta. At NS, Neel assists the Sourcing team with contract development and negotiation, works with the finance and accounting teams on capital raising, and helps secure the company’s data by handling data privacy matters with the IT team. Prior to joining NS, for 14 years, Neel litigated product liability and catastrophic injury claims on behalf of automotive companies, trucking companies, and national insurers in state and federal courts. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Neel was an investment banker.