Driving Diversity in Law & Leadership: Washington D.C.

Veronica is a creative, innovative national litigation defense leader and strategist. She partners with executives and subject matter leaders in the corporate setting to optimize business results by employing proactive, preventive legal strategies. Her more than 17 years as an attorney spans a career of multiple achievements and advancements, including serving as managing counsel in litigation and tort for global retailer Walmart. In this role, Veronica supervised one of the largest tort litigation portfolios in the nation and led one of Walmart’s largest legal teams to protect the reputation and financial spend of the corporation.

Soumya Dayananda is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation Department, where she is a member of the Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement Practice. She is based in Willkie’s Washington, DC office.

Soumya has over 20 years of public service experience, including handling complex government investigations, crisis management, and congressional oversight. She represents private companies, public entities, and individuals facing scrutiny by the federal government, including the DOJ, State Attorney Generals, and Congress.

CARRIE VALIANT is a Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice in the Washington, DC office and co-chairs the firm’s health care fraud group. She is also Chair of the firm’s Diversity and Professional Development Committee.

Ms. Valiant writes and lectures extensively on health law fraud topics and is a co-author of Legal Issues in Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Navigating the Uncertainties, 4th ed., published by the American Health Lawyers Association in June 2012. She has been included on Nightingale’s Healthcare News’2004 and 2009 lists of Outstanding Healthcare Fraud and Compliance Lawyers, selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© (2006 to 2019) in the field of Health Care Law, named to the Washington DC Super Lawyers list (2007 to 2011, 2013 to 2019) in the area of Health Care, ranked by Chambers USA as one of America’s leading Healthcare lawyers (2007 to 2019), and recommended by The Legal 500 United States(2016) in the Health Insurers and Healthcare: Service Providers categories. In 1997, the National Law Journal selected Ms. Valiant as one of “40 Health Care Lawyers Who Have Made Their Mark” in the area of white-collar crime.

Ms. Valiant founded and is President of the Health Care Industry Access Initiative, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to promoting collaborative action across the health care industry to improve access to health care coverage and services in the United States.

Ms. Offitt is an employment attorney representing internal clients at Bridgestone in a myriad of employment-related matters. She provides advice and counsel on all areas of labor and employment law, including noncompetition agreements, reductions-in-force, discrimination laws, wage and hour laws, performance management, severance, mergers and acquisitions and other employment matters. She also manages litigation and compliance for all California operations. Ms. Offitt also leads various DE&I initiatives for Bridgestone’s Law Department and serves as secretary to Bridgestone Americas Board DE&I Committee. 

Omnicom Health Group’s General Counsel, Jennifer Schatzman, guides the world’s largest healthcare and marketing group through the legal complexities of its business while focusing on its core values and strategic direction. Jennifer has 20+  years of experience counseling advertising and marketing industry leaders, both as in-house counsel at Omnicom Health Group’s corporate parent, and as outside counsel. Throughout her career, she has developed and conducted in-house trainings for employees on matters ranging from employment issues to restrictive covenants to contract negotiation and data privacy issues. She is a member of the Senior Leadership Team of OHG, a mentor to women and BIPOC employees, and works closely with OHG’s Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. In 2020, Jennifer founded the non-profit Racism Has No Home Here (www.racismhasnohomehere.org), which has been featured on GMA3.  She is a proud mom of a 7-year-old (who really runs the show).  She is also a member of the 4A’s Legal Affairs Committee and the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and a graduate of Boston University School of Law and Penn State University.

Jenna Dmuchowski is a Talent Consultant at Bridgestone Americas where she supports the creation and deployment of their talent management strategy within specific groups and functions.  Jenna partners with HR Business Partners and leaders to integrate talent strategies, processes, and programs to ensure the organization has the right visibility to talent and a comprehensive understanding of how to deploy that talent to address unique business needs.  Prior to being a Talent Consultant, Jenna spent 6 years as a strategic HR Business Partner for Bridgestone Americas where she partnered with different groups and functions in all areas of HR, including Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.  With over 12 years of HR experience, Jenna has acted as a trusted partner to business leaders and has supported many initiatives and projects that have positively impacted organizational culture and employee experience.   

Shaila Lakhani Ohri is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Uplight, a software and technology partner for energy providers to accelerate the clean energy ecosystem, advising the company and leading the legal team on issues of risk, strategic and commercial transactions, data privacy, IP and innovation, branding, corporate governance and compliance. Shaila spent 14 years in the energy industry both at Exelon and Pepco Holdings (now an Exelon company) providing legal advice and strategic counsel in the areas of innovation, emerging technology, software and IP licensing, commercial and corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, financing and restructuring, corporate governance, securities, procurement, and litigation. Prior to joining Exelon, Shaila was in-house at CapitalSource Finance where she was responsible for corporate and financing transactions as well as employment and immigration work. Shaila began her legal career as a clerk to the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon at the D.C. Superior Court, and as an associate at a law firm. She received her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and her B.A. from the American University. Shaila is focused on diversity in the law and was a 2018 LCLD Fellow, and received the 2021 MCCA Rising Star award and the 2022 NAWL Rising List award. She remains involved in a number of affinity bar associations including as Board Member and Co-Chair of the In-House Counsel Committee of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the District of Columbia and a co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Network for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She is also an active volunteer in her community. 

Crystal works for NBCUniversal within the Regulatory Affairs office in DC. She advises the company’s network-owned broadcast television stations, cable networks, and digital properties on a wide range of FCC regulatory compliance issues including children’s programming, sponsor ID, EEO, and accessibility. She received her law degree from the American University, Washington College of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami where she majored in broadcast journalism and political science. She is a native of and currently resides in Arlington, Virginia with her fiancé, Michael and cavapoo, Archie.  

Tania Medina Bryant is an energetic, collaborative, problem solver and attorney with a MS in Cybersecurity and aMA in Management. She has more than 15 years experience advising executives, managers, attorneys, and federal agents on law and policy interpretations, evolving network and data security concerns, risk and mitigation practices, compliance, and technology adoption. She’s an empathetic leader, a team encourager, and a cheerful colleague.

With a focus on cybersecurity law, data security, computer crimes, national security investigations, and ethics, Tania launched her legal career as an Air Force JAG officer where she trained ~300 military personnel, prosecuted computer-related crimes, advised federal agents on investigative techniques, and worked with the military’s forensic labs to recover digital evidence.Following the Air Force, Tania advised on national security investigations at the Department of Justice and served as in-house counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. At DHS, Tania was one of 15 lawyers charged with advising and opining on oversight audits, inspections, and investigations concerning 22 DHS agencies with 240,000+ employees.

In 2018, Tania joined the FDIC where she advised executives and senior leaders on cybersecurity regulations, managed a cross-functional team, served as project sponsor for systems development efforts, and advocated for technology solutions. In 2022, Tania joined the private sector as Senior Counsel at Dell Technologies where she provides strategic legal guidance on security policies and regulatory reporting requirements, contract security negotiations, cybersecurity and data protection laws and regulations, and security frameworks and industry certifications.

Tania’s a firm believer in relentlessly pursuing your dreams and goals no matter the odds. Her favorite quote is: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog” by Mark Twain. Tania is a trail-blazing Latina hoping to pave a way for minorities and women in the fields of law and technology through representation, mentorship, and advocacy.

Matt is a Director & Associate General Counsel at Meta, where he leads a team responsible for counseling business groups on compliance with global anti-corruption laws and administering Meta’s anti-corruption compliance program. Matt joined Meta from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he worked as a Director & Managing Counsel, Anti-Corruption in HPE’s Ethics & Compliance Office. Before moving to the private sector, Matt served as an Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and for over ten years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, where he investigated and prosecuted dozens of cases in the District of Columbia.

Darcy Osta is an experienced litigator focusing on aviation litigation, regulatory compliance and enforcement and commercial litigation.  She represents aviation entities, including airlines and operators, MRO facilities, and ground handling companies in state and federal courts nationwide.  Darcy handles FAA, DOJ, DOT and NTSB investigations and enforcement matters, and counsels clients on regulatory compliance.  Darcy also handles commercial cases involving personal injury, products liability, premises liability, property damage, breach of contract and/or warranty, fraud and discrimination claims.  Darcy is dedicated to inclusion efforts at Eckert Seamans, committed to working with clients and colleagues focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and is a member of the International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA). 

With 20 years of experience litigating a broad range of complex business disputes, Victoria is known for being a responsive, organized and tenacious advocate for her clients. She has handled every stage of civil litigation through trial and appeal in state and federal court around the country, and regularly counsels clients on issues involving reputation management and corporate social responsibility.

Among Victoria’s clients are multinational companies in the financial services, insurance, insurance brokerage, and commercial lending industries. She has represented major US retailers, manufacturers, and insurers in a variety of business disputes involving breach of contract, fraud, professional malpractice, deceptive trade practices and discrimination.

Dr. Emelyne Calimoutou is a legal counsel and a gender specialist at the World Bank working on legal reforms aiming at empowering women and adolescent girls, improving access to quality maternal and child health services and family planning, and reducing gender inequality to positively impact the Sahel region’s demographic dividend. She received her Ph.D. in law from Montpellier University in France, her LL.M in International Legal Studies from the Washington College of Law, American University and her M.B.A from H.E.C Paris. She is currently an MPH candidate at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.

Through her work experience at the World Bank, she developed an expertise on Ending Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) programming. In this capacity, she conducted legal research on of the legal frameworks across beneficiaries’ countries of the Sahel Women’s Empowerment Demographic Dividend regional project (SWEDD) in three areas (i) continued schooling of girls, including in the case of pregnancy (ii) age of marriage and (iii) female genital mutilation (FGM). She prepared materials and facilitated with clients and partners, a constructive peer-to-peer consultation between parliamentarians, lawyers and judges from the seven project countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger). She expanded the World Bank legal research agenda on harmful traditional practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation. She is the lead author of two Compendia on International and National Frameworks on Child Marriage Laws and Female Genital Laws that she has presented in several international conferences. She recently presented the results of her research on child marriage laws at the African Summit on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriage (CM) in Dakar with distinguished panelists, including both Ministers of Justice from the Gambia and Senegal.

Emelyne is passionate about early childhood development and she is the Founder of Happy Childhood, a parent and educator’s resource for joyful learning experiences aiming at creating a safe and inclusive environment to empowering children and help them to express their full potential.

Krystal Durham focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, white collar defense and investigations, criminal defense, and professional liability matters.  Krystal has represented corporations, professional firms, and individuals in disputes spanning a wide variety of issues including professional malpractice, breach of contract, defamation, antitrust, employment, and First Amendment disputes.  Krystal has also represented clients in investigations by, and litigation against, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and other government agencies.  Krystal has represented clients at all stages of litigation and has been a member of several trial teams.

Born and raised in northern Virginia, Krystal earned a B.A. in History, with high distinction, from the University of Virginia. Krystal then received her J.D. from Columbia Law School where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.  While in law school, Krystal served as a Staff Editor on the Columbia Journal of Race and Law and as a judicial extern for Judge Robert P. Patterson Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  Before joining Williams & Connolly in 2015, Krystal worked at a major New York law firm.

Krystal serves as a member of the firm’s Hiring Committee.

Jennifer N. Jones is Managing Counsel in the Labor and Employment group at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (“TMNA”). Jennifer is responsible for providing legal advice and counsel to TMNA Headquarters HR Operations – Product Support Division.  She is also responsible for supporting Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi’s (“TMMMS”) HR Operations. Jennifer also assists with labor relations matters across all of Toyota’s North American Manufacturing Facilities and is the internal subject matter expert on trade secret protection and related confidentiality issues.

Prior to joining Toyota in 2016, Jennifer worked as a labor and employment attorney with Hunton & Williams, LLP and later as Counsel with FordHarrison, LLP, providing advice and representation to employers regarding labor and employment law matters, including discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, harassment, worker’s compensation, wage and hour disputes, and union avoidance. 

Jennifer earned a BA in Criminal Justice from Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX) and received her juris doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (Dallas, TX).  

During undergrad, she became a member of Alpha Phi Sigma – the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. While in law school, she served on the executive board of SMU’s Black Law Student’s Association.

Jennifer has been recognized as a 2014 Lawyers of Color Hot List Honoree, and in 2015, she was named by the National Black Lawyers Association as one of the Top 40 attorneys Under 40. In 2018, she was selected as a finalist in the D CEO Corporate Counsel Awards, and in 2019, was selected to participate in the Dallas Bar Association’s WE LEAD Program, a program about Women Empowered to Lead in the Legal Profession.

Her favorite quote is: “To whom much is given, much is required.”

Rizzy represents corporations and individuals facing difficult legal and reputational crises in government investigations, criminal and regulatory proceedings, and related civil litigation. A seasoned trial lawyer and accomplished litigator, Rizzy has tried over 30 cases and has successfully represented clients facing complex investigations with the Department of Justice and other domestic and international regulators.

Ashlei is Corporate Counsel at Microsoft, in the Corporate, External and Legal Affairs group (CELA), where she conducts and reviews workplace investigations. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ashlei served the citizens and employees in the District of Columbia Government as Assistant General Counsel at the Office of Administrative Hearings and as a Human Rights Officer at the Office of Human Rights. Ashlei is a graduate of the University of Florida and Florida A&M University College of Law. Ashlei is a member of the Greater Washington Chapter of the Women’s Law Division of the National Bar Association (GWAC), the Washington Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the University of Florida Association of Black Alumni. Ashlei is a recipient of GWAC’s 2021 Rising Star Award and a participant in the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Sources of Success Program, where she is also Co-Chair of her cohort class. Originally from Miami, FL, Ashlei lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and daughter.

Adrienne currently serves as a Senior Manager at Capital One supporting the entire corporate footprint of Capital One’s Branches and Cafés. She is tasked with providing strategic guidance to her business partners on a variety of issues including rolling out new products, managing customer interactions, and ensuring compliance with changes in laws and regulations. In addition to her work as business counsel, Adrienne is an active participant in the Legal Department’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee serving as one of the sub-committee co-chairs. She also volunteers with the department’s pro bono program. 

 Prior to her career at Capital One, Adrienne was an attorney with the District of Columbia Government’s Office of Risk Management, supporting the District’s Public Sector Workers Compensation Program. Adrienne began her career at Levine, Daniels & Allnutt PLLC practicing in the area of creditor’s rights.

 Adrienne attended law school at American University and received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. 

Lesley Marlin is an experienced, senior in-house attorney with a specialty in labor and employment law. She works for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as their Associate General Counsel for Labor and Employment. FINRA is a not-for-profit organization, overseen by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through the regulation of brokerage firms doing business with the public in the United States.

 Ms. Marlin speaks frequently on various workplace issues, including labor and employment law topics, culture and psychological safety, diversity and inclusion, resilience, and career development.  Beyond her professional engagements, Ms. Marlin is committed to giving back to her community.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing.

Heather Capell Bramble is Vice President of Global Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance for Mattel, Inc. She is a senior executive and seasoned attorney with more than 25 years of compliance, legal and management experience in corporations, government, private law firms, and politics. Prior to working at Mattel, Heather was Senior Corporate Counsel for Global Product and Food Safety & Compliance at Amazon.com. Previously, Heather was Chief Counsel to Commissioner Robinson at the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as a trial attorney in the Division of Enforcement at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She has also spent significant time as regulatory and compliance attorney and as a litigator at private law firms and was senior campaign staff on national political campaigns.

Throughout her career, Heather has spent much time mentoring women and diverse mentees. She was very involved in the women’s groups at her employers and has initiated many networking activities for younger professionals, lawyers and law students over the years. She is currently serves as a board member for two nonprofits: (1) The New Agenda, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls by bringing about systemic change in the media, at the workplace, at school and at home; and (20 Sela Public Charter School, a charter school that was founded to help tackle educational inequity, racial segregation and cultural isolation – to create a place students would be celebrated as they begin their global citizenship journey.  Both organizations are committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion and creating positive future change.

Heather received her J.D. from The University of Texas Law School and her B.A. with Highest Honors from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She also studied overseas at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She lives with her spouse, Jocelyn, and their two children in Washington, D.C.

Jessica Leinwand serves as General Counsel of UNICEF USA, overseeing all legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance matters on behalf of the organization. Prior to joining UNICEF USA, Jessica served as Strategic Counsel to the Chief Legal Officer of Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly Facebook), where she assisted in overseeing a global legal organization and managed legal, regulatory and compliance matters for the company. At Meta and in private practice with a global law firm, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP, Jessica’s legal practice has focused on regulatory compliance, litigation, and enforcement matters. Jessica also has served in several senior roles in government at the Department of Justice and the White House Counsel’s Office (2009-2014). Jessica serves on the Next Generation Board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and as an agent of the Dartmouth College Fund. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004 and from Columbia Law School in 2009.

Sara Alpert Lawson represents businesses and individuals in high-stakes government investigations and commercial litigation. Her clients include a major health system, health care organizations and providers, Chief Executive Officers and other senior leaders from a diverse range of industries.

Before entering private practice, Sara was in-house general Corporate Counsel for a multinational chemical distributor and manufacturer. 

Sara earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, where she served as an Editor for the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class. She received her B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University.

Suzanne joined General Dynamics in 2018.  She provides broad legal support for corporate International Trade Compliance, Data Privacy, Government Relations, Environmental and certain Corporate Governance and Mergers & Acquisitions matters. 

Prior to joining General Dynamics, Suzanne served as Counsel in Northrop Grumman’s Law Department, supporting the Export/Import and International practice groupsand, later, as Northrop’s Director of Global Trade Compliance.  Before moving in-house, Suzanne was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Vinson & Elkins, LLP, in the Government Contracts, Export Controls and Economic Sanctions practice group. 

Prior to entering legal practice, Suzanne was a contracting officer for the General Services Administration, where she negotiated, drafted, awarded, and administered real estate contracts for leasehold interest and purchase.

Suzanne graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University, with a BA in International Relations and History.  She graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School.  She is a current sustaining member and past president of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and a past board member of the Women’s Bar Association Foundation of the District of Columbia. 

Elana Nightingale Dawson represents market-leading companies at the intersection of digital content, technology, and copyright.

Ms. Nightingale Dawson leverages a sophisticated understanding of her clients’ objectives and a pragmatic approach to risk mitigation to help companies, including social media companies, online gaming platforms, and technology companies, navigate:

– All stages of copyright litigation, from trial to appeal, including before the US Supreme Court
– A broad spectrum of questions about legal risks related to user-generated content and new technology, with a particular focus on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
– New product development in light of copyright law

She skillfully identifies potential areas of exposure and works with clients to craft commercially viable solutions that allow them to achieve their business objectives. Through the lens of her comprehensive knowledge of copyright law, Ms. Nightingale Dawson also advises clients on adjacent intellectual property law needs under federal and state law.

Fiona Moran is a partner in the White Collar Defense & Investigations practice group at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. Fiona’s practice focuses on highly sensitive government investigations and enforcement actions. She also represents clients in connection with confidential internal investigations and advises companies on corporate governance and compliance matters, including the design of strategies, policies and procedures to mitigate risk.

Her matters have involved allegations of securities fraud, insider trading, foreign corrupt practices, money laundering, antitrust and other financial crimes. Her clients have included major financial institutions, regulated entities, cryptocurrency developers, public companies, senior executives and former government officials. Fiona actively advises a number of entities in the digital asset space in connection with various government investigations.

The National Law Journal named Fiona one of its “D.C. Rising Stars” for 2021.

Samantha is currently Chief of Staff at Spark Therapeutics, the dedicated gene therapy subsidiary of Roche Holdings AG (NASDAQ: RHHBY), serving as a key partner for the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Team to help drive the overall corporate strategy and agenda, focus on enhancing operating efficiency, governance, process efficiency and effectiveness.  Having joined Spark in August 2020, Samantha previously served as Associate General Counsel, leading legal support for the corporate functions, including Human Resources, Real Estate & Corporate Facilities, Finance, Information Technology and Corporate Communications.  Prior to joining Spark, Samantha served as Executive Director, Corporate Counsel at Incyte (NASDAQ: INCY), helping the S&P 500 Component biopharmaceutical company build and execute strategies required to take the company global, enter new markets, double its annual revenue to ~$2 billion, and increase its headcount to 1,400.  Her previous experience also includes more than a decade at GlaxoSmithKline (NASDAQ: GSK), where she concentrated her practice in the area of pharmaceutical product development, manufacturing, and supply chain operations, advising on legal and compliance issues associated with complex supply networks comprised of large internal systems and extensive contract manufacturing operations with annual operating budgets in excess of $10 billion. A strategic advisor, business partner, senior leadership team member, corporate generalist, and prior business unit general counsel, Samantha helps executive teams make and execute key decisions across the organization.

 She received her J.D. and LL.M. in Health Law from Widener University School of Law, and dual bachelor’s degrees in international Area Studies and Political Science from Drexel University, as well as an Executive M.B.A. from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.

 Additionally, Samantha is a tireless supporter of corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring initiatives. She is the founder of Jewels Advancing, Nurturing & Empowering (JANE), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Black and brown students and professionals achieve career success through mentoring and coaching.  She is also President of the Board of Trustees for KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools, a regional network of career and college preparedness charter schools in underserved local communities.   

 In all that she does, Samantha emphasizes integrity, equity, fairness, and humility.

Olivia Fines, Esq. is a Federal government contracts (govcon) attorney for Parsons Corporation based out of Centreville, Virginia.  Olivia received her BA in Political Science from Virginia Tech, and graduated from the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia in 2008, with a specialization in International Business Law.  Before joining Parsons, Olivia was General Counsel for a small govcon, Golden Key Group, LLC and a larger govcon, PRO-telligent, LLC a Tetra Tech Company.  From 2008-2011, she also served as an adjunct law professor at the law schools of Ludwig Maximillian Universitat of Munich, Germany, and University of Augsburg in Augsburg Germany.  Olivia is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion initiatives.  She and her passion project partner have launched www.privilegeandprejudice.com to undertake the privilege projects – a program designed to promote awareness and education on racism in America, and what you can do about it!

With a focus on appellate litigation and representing clients in the health care industry, Johnjerica Hodge helps her clients navigate difficult issues as they arise, whether in litigation or otherwise. Johnjerica is an emerging leader in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) space, where she provides counsel to companies across industries on evaluating and incorporating ESG values into their internal and external operations. In addition to teaching one of the first law school courses focusing on the role of racial equity audits in the ESG movement, she is co-authoring a book on ESG slated for publication by mid-2023.

Possess 15+ years of experience as Acting General Counsel, Deputy Counsel, Senior Director Assistant General Counsel. J.D. degree. Licensed to practice law in the State of Virginia; Qualified to Waive into Washington, D.C. Successes include drafting and negotiation of complex agreements, mergers and acquisitions, government contracting, compliance program development, business development/expansion initiatives, and litigation wins. Award-winner.

Highly skilled Counsel with advanced analytical, strategic, legal research, writing, and advocacy skills. Provide sound legal advice and build solid relationships at all levels of an organization. Relish challenges and excel in resolving complex issues. Extensive international background, with a rich understanding of cultural protocols and practices in the Middle East region; verbal fluency in Farsi/Dari and Hindi/Urdu.

Juris Doctorate, 2007 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, Washington, D.C. Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, 2001 GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, Fairfax, VA / Honor’s Program in General Education Certifications/Licenses Licensed to Practice Law in the State of Virginia; Qualified to Waive into Washington, D.C.

Kirsten Burmester is a Member in Caplin & Drysdale’s Washington, D.C., office. She joined the firm in 2005, after earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago and conducted economic analysis for a litigation consulting firm prior to law school.