Women in Law & Leadership Summit: NYC

Avery Pollard is Counsel at Verizon in Washington, D.C., where she manages litigation matters and government investigations. Previously, she was a litigation associate at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, focusing on white-collar criminal defense, securities litigation, and government investigations on behalf of businesses and senior executives. Her notable representations include negotiating a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ on behalf of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou and securing the SEC’s dismissal of fraud charges against a public company executive. Before law school, Ms. Pollard worked as a legal and political correspondent for Courthouse News Service and as an environmental and business reporter for Bloomberg BNA. She clerked for the Honorable Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.

Shushana Jachobov is Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at The New York Times, where she serves as a senior business affairs and legal affairs executive advising on strategic commercial transactions, technology, media, and revenue-generating business models.

Her work spans complex deals involving artificial intelligence and generative AI, multimedia content creation and distribution, licensing, ecommerce, global product development counseling, compliance programs, governance, and enterprise risk management. She also leads multidisciplinary teams supporting technology platforms, subscription models, and other business initiatives across the organization.

Shushana earned her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and her B.A. from Yeshiva University, and is admitted to practice in New York.

Margaret Munnelly is General Counsel at ProducePay, where she leads the company’s legal function and serves as a strategic advisor on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, transactional matters, and risk mitigation in support of the company’s mission to modernize the fresh produce supply chain. In this role, she partners with executives and cross-functional teams to align legal strategy with business priorities and sustainable growth objectives.

Munnelly is a highly experienced legal executive with more than 25 years of experience in general counsel and strategic advisory roles, encompassing executive leadership, M&A and due diligence, human capital strategy, and enterprise risk management. Her background reflects a blend of legal acumen and business-oriented leadership in dynamic commercial environments.

Based in Houston, Texas, she is recognized for her ability to navigate complex legal landscapes while enabling operational agility and strong corporate governance frameworks.

Evette Stair is Senior Counsel, Consumer Solutions/Network and Digital Payment Services at Mastercard, where she advises on intellectual property, technology transactions, commercial contracts, product counseling, and business-focused legal strategy.

A technology-focused attorney and legal leader, Evette brings experience supporting complex commercial initiatives, digital products, and strategic business objectives across highly regulated and innovation-driven environments. Her background includes work in intellectual property, technology transfers, marketing, brand protection, and commercial legal support for corporate clients and in-house teams.

Evette earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her M.B.A. from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management. She previously served as a Technology Associate at Venable LLP and has held senior in-house legal roles, including Deputy General Counsel at Schrödinger.

Josephine Belli is Head of Legal and Compliance at Avrio Health L.P., where she advises on legal, regulatory, compliance, and commercial matters in the consumer health sector.

A senior legal and compliance executive, Josephine brings deep experience counseling businesses operating in highly regulated environments, with a focus on FDA and FTC regulatory issues, commercialization strategy, product and marketing compliance, business counseling, and risk management. Her background includes advising on consumer products, personal care, healthcare, life sciences, advertising, international business, and corporate matters.

Josephine is a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law and is admitted to practice in New York.

Tracy Baran is General Counsel of Ocean State Job Lot, a regional retailer that sells brand name, first quality products at closeout prices.  Ocean State Job Lot started with a single store in 1977 and has now grown to more than 160 stores in 11 states throughout New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.  Prior to joining Ocean State Job Lot in 2011, Tracy was a partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, a Providence, Rhode Island based business law firm, at which she focused on commercial real estate and commercial lending.

She has been announced as one of the OnCon Top 50 and Top 100 Corporate Counsel Awards, was also named as an In-House Leader, Leaders in the Law by Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly, and a previous recipient of the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association Ada Sayer award.

Tracy is active in her community, including serving on several committees in her church, Central Congregational Church, a past President and current member of The Junior League of Rhode Island, Inc., regular volunteer at and former Board member of Amos House, youth mentor with Foster Forward, and founder of DAMES Mentoring, which mentors teenage girls in residential housing, and mentoring foster youth, among other things.

In her spare time, Tracy enjoys reading, golfing, traveling and spending time with her family.  Tracy lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her two children.

Krystin Kopen, an accomplished legal professional and trusted advisor, currently serves as VP, Assistant General Counsel – Cybersecurity & Global Security at JPMorgan Chase & Co. In her role as a member of the Emerging Technology Legal team, Krystin works at the cutting edge of technology and finance, providing strategic legal counsel on a spectrum of innovative technologies such as blockchain, tokenization of assets, artificial intelligence, and immersive tech.

Beyond her corporate endeavors, Krystin is committed to making a lasting impact. As an active member of the Women’s Bond Club, she serves on the Marketing and Charitable Giving committees, advancing the organization’s mission of supporting women through education, mentorship, and professional development. Krystin was honored with the 2022 Women’s Bond Club Rising Star Award, recognizing her achievements as an emerging woman leader in the financial services industry. Krystin’s influence extends to the academic realm as an active member of the Villanova Law Women’s Network, where she serves as a member of the Board of Advisors.

Not confined to the legal arena, Krystin’s intellectual tapestry is woven with diverse threads. Krystin is an artist, pianist, bibliophile, francophone, Francophile, gastronome, cultural explorer, futurist, adventurer, and lifelong learner with a BA in English and French from Washington University in St. Louis, an MA in French from Middlebury College, a JD from Villanova University, and an LL.M. in French and European Law from the Sorbonne.

Tara Johnson is a transactional and regulatory healthcare leader with experience across health systems, national insurers, and benefits administrators. She is Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at Westchester Medical Center Health Network, one of New York’s top healthcare systems.

Previously, Tara served as General Counsel of Northwell Direct, a Northwell Health subsidiary offering wellness services, benefits administration solutions, and provider network access for employers that self-fund employee health benefits. She also served as General Counsel at Centivo, a third-party administrator startup, where she led legal, compliance, and privacy.

Earlier in her career, Tara was Senior Associate General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs at UnitedHealthcare, supporting the Northeast commercial business and serving as regulatory lead counsel for Connecticut. Her work included contracting and benefit administration; product, marketing, and regulatory filings; market conduct exams and consumer complaints; payment integrity and fraud, waste, and abuse matters; and government relations.

Tara also served as Legal Counsel and later Chief of Staff to the Chief Information Officer at a BlueCross BlueShield plan in Western New York, with responsibilities spanning litigation and vendor management, contracting, and portfolio and capital budget management. She began her legal career as an assistant district attorney.

A frequent speaker and mentor, Tara presents on career strategy, outside counsel management, and emerging healthcare trends. She is a member of The Links, Incorporated, one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations, and a Fellow alum of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Tara earned a B.A. in English and a J.D. from the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York.

Christine is a seasoned Fortune 100 executive with CEO experience and deep expertise in the transportation, logistics, supply chain and e-commerce areas. She has lived, worked and led teams in Europe and Asia in addition to North America.

Christine is currently Interim Chief Executive Officer of Foremost Group, a privately owned international shipping company. She assumed this role in February 2024. The eco-friendly, modern fleet is approximately 5 million metric tons deadweight, transporting more than 20 million tons of goods annually and chartered to blue chip companies such as Bunge, Cargill, Louis-Dreyfus, MOL and NYK who together with each of their Fortune 500 clients and other leading international companies determine which dry-bulk products Foremost vessels transport. She has been responsible for all operations, finances and general health and strength of the company, including all employees worldwide. Prior to stepping in as Interim CEO, Christine had been General Counsel of Foremost Group. As General Counsel, she has been instrumental in quadrupling the number of assets and tripling the number of employees by setting strategy, managing risk and problem solving; she is responsible for all legal, compliance and regulatory matters.

Christine has extensive corporate and commercial law experience having worked in senior legal positions for three Fortune 200 companies: GE, Federal Express and Ultramar Corporation. At Ultramar, she worked on Board matters as well as all corporate public company matters. She gained additional significant global experience when she worked with FedEx, Managing Director/Regional General Counsel, initially in Hong Kong (where FedEx executed its first ever joint venture) and subsequently in the United Kingdom. She was actively involved in a diverse array of governmental affairs, compliance, regulatory and legal matters and was awarded FedEx’s Five Star Award, bestowed upon less than 0.25 of FedEx’s top performing employees (approximately 295,000 at the time). Upon repatriation, Christine joined GE and worked on a broad range of transportation transactions before becoming General Counsel at Foremost Group.

Christine has extensive nonprofit Board experience including serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for her alma mater Colgate University, a leading liberal arts university with an undergraduate population of over 3300 students and an annual operating budget of nearly $300mn. She holds a BA from Colgate and a JD from Columbia University, School of Law. She is conversational in Mandarin Chinese and is a dual US/UK citizen.

Sharanya Mitchell is Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory and International Legal at Cohen & Steers, a publicly listed global asset manager with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. Based in New York, she leads the firm’s regulatory strategy across global markets, with responsibility for international corporate and fund governance, cross-border distribution, ESG and sustainability matters, data privacy, and legal oversight of international affiliates and funds. She also serves on the board of the Cohen & Steers’ UCITS funds.

Prior to joining Cohen & Steers, she practiced at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and was counsel at the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to her time in New York, she spent time in London advising on financial regulation during the financial crisis at Banque AIG, the investment bank, and contributed to policy development at Her Majesty’s Courts Service in the UK Ministry of Justice.

She holds a Master of Laws from Columbia Law School (with honors), a Bachelor of Laws (Honors) from the University of London, an Executive Education Diploma in Capital Markets Regulation and Compliance from Henley Business School and FINRA International, and a Bachelor of Psychology (Honors) from the University of New South Wales. She is an active member of the Investment Company Institute, the Institutional Investors Legal Forum, and the New York City Bar Association, where she serves on both the Compliance Committee and the Foreign & Comparative Law Committee.

Katie Dugan is the VP, Employment Law, Ethics & Compliance at Match Group which is the global leader in online dating with brands including Match, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, The League, and more. Prior to Match, Katie had in-house roles at both Yext, Inc. and Mattel, Inc. At Yext, she led the global labor and employment function. At Mattel, she worked in various roles in the global employment, ethics & compliance function.

Before going in-house, Katie worked in litigation and advice & counsel roles in the employment law department at regional law firms as well as a boutique management-side labor and employment firm. She began her career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Robert Polifroni, P.J.Cv. in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Jennifer Schatzman is the Global Chief Integration Officer at global healthcare communications network, Publicis Health, where she leads the unification of talent, processes, and culture across agencies to strengthen organizational alignment and accelerate growth.

A former General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer, Jennifer brings a rare blend of legal expertise, people leadership, and strategic business insight. Over her career, she has built cross-functional frameworks, guided organizations through complex change, and served as a trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating transformation.

Beyond her executive role, Jennifer is deeply committed to advancing equity and inclusion. She has founded and led nonprofit initiatives, facilitated anti-bias workshops, and mentored emerging leaders across industries.

She is known for her collaborative approach, her ability to bring diverse teams together, and her passion for creating environments where people and ideas can thrive.

Faiza Javaid is VP, Deputy General Counsel at Real Chemistry, where she advises on legal, commercial, and strategic matters for a healthcare experience group operating at the intersection of science, technology, marketing, communications, and AI-driven audience engagement.

A senior legal executive with deep experience across media, advertising, digital platforms, healthcare communications, and consumer-facing businesses, Faiza brings a business-minded approach to complex legal issues involving commercial transactions, digital media, marketing, content, data, compliance, and corporate risk. Her background includes advising organizations through evolving technology, revenue, and content models while supporting cross-functional teams and business growth.

Faiza earned her law degree from Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University.

Nora Schmitt is Assistant General Counsel, Privacy & Cybersecurity at GRAIL, where she advises on privacy, cybersecurity, health data, and legal risk matters for a healthcare company focused on early cancer detection.

A privacy and healthcare legal leader, Nora brings experience counseling life sciences, healthcare, research, and technology-driven organizations on complex regulatory and data governance issues. Her background includes advising on clinical research, health information privacy, genetic privacy, HIPAA, HITECH, state privacy laws, research contracting, data use, and compliance matters involving biopharma, medical device, and healthcare organizations.

Nora earned her J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Amherst College.

Kim Jessum is Chief IP Counsel, Associate General Counsel, and Secretary at Heraeus Incorporated in Yardley, Pennsylvania and VP, Legal at Heraeus Medevio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Heraeus is a Fortune Global 500 portfolio company specializing in precious metals, materials, sensors, biomaterials, and medical products, as well as quartz glass and specialty light sources. Kim is responsible for providing intellectual property and general legal advice for various business units in the United States and worldwide. She received her bachelors degree in chemical engineering and applied science from Lehigh University and her masters degree in biopharmaceuticals from the University of Pennsylvania. Kim was awarded her law degree and Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She served as the Chair of the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section 2021-22 and is currently Chair of the ABA Section Officers Conference

Galit Kierkut is a seasoned litigator and advisor with over 30 year of experience representing national and international clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device, financial services, hospitality, real estate, technology, food services, packaged goods and health care industries, among others. She also takes on the role of outside general counsel for many of her start-up and growth-stage clients, assembling and leading teams of professionals to seamlessly address her clients’ legal needs.

Galit is also a key member of Greenberg Traurig’s Israel Practice, providing employment counsel to Israeli start up and growth stage clients in their U.S. operations.

Galit practices in the areas of trade secret and non-compete counseling and litigation, employment law, and complex commercial litigation. She is a skilled litigator who is never afraid to champion her client’s rights but also works to reach non-litigation solutions when possible. She trains and counsels employers in all employment compliance areas, including protecting trade secrets and confidential information, reasonable accommodations, and anti-harassment and is a frequent writer and speaker on these topics.

Galit has been honored by numerous organizations for her leadership and advocacy for women in the law and has received an award from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law in conjunction with the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. Galit is a past President of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and serves as the chair of the Trial Practices Committee of the Executive Committee of the Employment Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Galit is active in the greater New Jersey community, serving on the Boards of NJ LEEP and the NJ Ballet.

Monica K. Loseman is a co-chair of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Securities Litigation Practice Group. Monica focuses her practice in corporate and securities litigation, investment advisor and fund litigation and investigations, financial reporting, accounting and related investigations, and accountant defense. She is a first chair trial lawyer, with trials in the Delaware Court of Chancery, bench and jury trials across the country, private arbitrations, and several trials before SEC administrative law judges.

Michele Paoli is Assistant General Counsel & Director, US Corporate Secretary at National Grid, where she advises on legal, governance, and corporate secretary matters for a major energy company.

With more than two decades of experience in litigation, employment, and labor law, Michele brings a practical and strategic perspective to legal leadership, risk management, workplace issues, and organizational governance. Her background includes advising complex organizations through legal and operational challenges while supporting sound decision-making at the enterprise level.

Michele is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey. Her legal education is listed as Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

Carolyn McNerney is Associate General Counsel, Director at LG Electronics, where she advises on a broad range of corporate legal, commercial, labor and employment, regulatory, and business matters.

A senior in-house counsel with deep experience supporting complex corporate organizations, Carolyn brings a practical, business-focused perspective to legal leadership, risk management, commercial transactions, employment issues, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory compliance. Her background includes serving as legal counsel for North America human resources, audit, vehicle components, and mobile communications matters at LG Electronics USA, as well as prior experience in commercial transactions, sales support, and regulatory compliance.

Carolyn earned her J.D. and M.B.A. from Fordham.

Adesola K. Adegbesan is an Associate at Greenberg Traurig, where she advises clients on labor and employment, litigation, and regulatory matters across a range of industries.

Her work includes counseling employers on workplace investigations, EEOC proceedings, retaliation, discrimination and harassment claims, employee handbooks, employment policies and agreements, and multi-state compliance issues. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Adesola served as Assistant General Counsel at PECO Energy Company, an Exelon company, where she handled administrative and legal proceedings in the regulated energy sector and advised internal stakeholders on compliance, business risk, regulatory matters, and investigations.

Adesola earned her J.D. from Widener University Delaware Law School and her B.B.A. from Temple University’s Fox School of Business. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and District of New Jersey, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Kristen Prinz is an employment lawyer, business counselor, and founder of The Prinz Law Firm. She focuses on providing clients with strategic and cost-effective legal and business planning solutions to assist business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals in building and realizing their potential.

Ms. Prinz empowers business owners to launch, grow, and thrive in their businesses by developing policies that advance their business needs, creating agreements that protect their client and employee relationships, and advising businesses on utilizing employment practices that foster a positive workplace culture. Her pragmatic approach helps clients limit risk in recruiting, hiring, onboarding, assessing, and separating employees.

Ms. Prinz is also a strong advocate for employees, including a variety of executives and physicians. She helps negotiate employment contracts and severance packages for professionals, and has litigated complex claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, as well as contract disputes, wage claims, and whistleblower claims.

Jennifer Kennedy Park’s practice focuses on white-collar defense, enforcement actions, crisis management, and complex disputes.

She has handled some of the most complicated matters affecting corporate entities in the past few years, including representing companies in litigation and investigations related to the Volkswagen emissions matters, the benchmark rates antitrust cases, and financial crises litigation.

Jennifer advises global corporations and financial institutions on interactions with regulators and authorities, including regularly interacting with DOJ, FRB, OCC, CFTC, SEC, DFS, FINRA, OFAC, state attorney generals, European Commission, UK FCA, SFO, and other authorities around the world. Given her experience, she is also knowledgeable about issues of privacy and confidentiality, cross border conflicts of law, and complex matter management.

Jennifer joined the firm in 2003 and became a partner in 2012.

Ann Marie partners with clients to develop and implement employment policies, practices, and solutions that meet their business needs and effectively manage legal risk.

Sherry Xie is a partner in the Tax practice and is based in the firm’s New York office. Sherry advises U.S. and international clients, both public and private, on a broad range of tax matters, including the tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and other complex business transactions. She routinely represents leading public corporations and private equity firms and their portfolio companies across multiple industries, including consumer products, technology, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services.

Sarita Pillai is VP & Associate General Counsel at MetLife, where she advises on legal, business, and risk matters for a leading global financial services company.

A senior in-house counsel with experience across litigation, insurance, project finance, corporate finance, and complex commercial matters, Sarita brings a practical and strategic perspective to legal leadership, risk management, and business decision-making. Her background reflects deep experience navigating sophisticated legal issues in highly regulated financial and corporate environments.

Sarita earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.S. in Public Health from Rutgers University.

Allison Sherrier guides middle market, private companies in M&A and corporate reorganization transactions. With extensive experience in both domestic and cross-border M&A, Allison represents buyers and sellers in M&A transactions across many industries including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and retail.​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍​‌​‌‌​‌‍‌‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‌​‍‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‍​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‍‌​​​‌‍​‌‍‌​​‍‌​‍​​​‍​​‌‌‍​​‍‌​‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌​​‍​‍‌‌‍​​​‌‍‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌‍​​​​​‌‍​‌‌​‌​​​​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍​​​​‍​‌‍‌​​​‍‌‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​​‍​‌​‌​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍​‌​‌‌​‌‍‌‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‌​‍‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‍​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍​‍‌​​​‌‍​‌‍‌​​‍‌​‍​​​‍​​‌‌‍​​‍‌​‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌​​‍​‍‌‌‍​​​‌‍‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌‍​​​​​‌‍​‌‌​‌​​​​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍​​​​‍​‌‍‌​​​‍‌‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​​‍​‌​‌​‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

Lauren Davis is a Principal at Offit Kurman, advising employers, executives, and organizations on complex employment and workplace law matters. She represents clients ranging from startups and nonprofits to multinational companies across industries including financial services, insurance, real estate, luxury goods, and the arts. Her practice spans litigation and counseling, with a focus on restrictive covenants, trade secret disputes, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour claims, and whistleblower matters.

In addition to her litigation work, Lauren provides day-to-day strategic guidance on hiring, terminations, compliance, executive agreements, and workplace policies, and regularly leads internal investigations. She practices across New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., and appears before federal and state courts and agencies. A certified New Jersey court-trained mediator, she began her career clerking in the New Jersey Superior Court and remains actively involved in the arts as a founding board member of a nonprofit supporting women in creative fields.

Lisa Gora is a Shareholder at Baker Donelson, where she advises clients on regulatory compliance, corporate transactions, and emerging legal frameworks. Her practice focuses on health care, cannabis, and psychedelic law, guiding providers, investors, and operators through complex federal and state regulatory environments. She represents a broad range of clients including hospitals, physician groups, academic medical centers, and multi-state operators, with work spanning licensing, reimbursement, fraud and abuse compliance, and transactional structuring.

In addition to her regulatory work, Lisa counsels clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and ownership structures within highly regulated industries, with particular depth in evolving sectors such as cannabis and psychedelics. She regularly navigates statutes including the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, and state False Claims Acts, and is recognized for her leadership in emerging policy areas, including serving in bar association roles related to psychedelic law

Katherine Speegle is a partner at Duane Morris LLP, where she focuses on complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and unfair competition matters. She represents companies across a range of industries in high-stakes disputes involving employee mobility, proprietary information, and business competition.

Katherine regularly advises clients on protecting confidential information and enforcing post-employment restrictions, as well as navigating disputes involving misappropriation and competitive practices. She has experience in both trial and appellate courts and works closely with clients to align litigation strategy with broader business objectives.

She received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a member of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Bates College.

Jennifer Polovetsky is a seasoned attorney with more than two decades of both litigation and transactional real estate experience, with a focus in eminent domain law. She strives to provide every client of the firm with outstanding legal services, personalized attention, and the utmost respect. Ms. Polovetsky litigates in various New York and New Jersey state courts, with a focus on representing clients in all stages of eminent domain proceedings. She also represents clients in transactional real estate matters with a focus on multi-family and commercial real properties.

Ms. Polovetsky has represented various religious organizations and not-for-profits before the New York State Attorney General Charities Bureau. She has also been involved in various complex real estate transactions involving the New York City Departments of Social Services, Homeless Services and Housing Preservation and Development.

Ms. Polovetsky began her career as an assistant corporation counsel at the New York City Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel, Tax & Bankruptcy Litigation Division (formerly the Tax & Condemnation Division). While working at the NYC Law Department, she represented the City of New York in all matters concerning eminent domain and property taxes.

Ms. Polovetsky is a 2000 graduate of New York Law School and a graduate of Lafayette College.

Akiko Yamahara is General Counsel, Citi Global Wealth at Citi, where she serves as Global General Counsel for the Wealth business and a member of Citi’s Legal Management Committee.

With more than 30 years of experience across global financial services, Akiko brings deep expertise in legal strategy, corporate governance, regulatory matters, securities, banking, investigations, and cross-border business leadership. Her career has spanned senior roles in New York, London, and Tokyo, including legal leadership across Citi’s global private bank, consumer banking, investment banking, and wealth businesses.

Akiko leads a global legal team supporting Citi’s Wealth business and is also active in talent development, employee engagement, pro bono initiatives, and leadership programming across Citi Legal. Prior to Citi, she practiced at Davis Polk & Wardwell and Shearman & Sterling. She earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.S. in Finance and International Business from NYU Stern School of Business.

Erin N. Mackin is a Partner at Gerber Ciano focusing on the defense of corporations, municipalities, retailers, and transportation companies in a wide range of civil liability matters, including construction, premises liability, property damage, and motor vehicle claims. She represents clients in both federal and New York state courts and has handled all phases of litigation—from discovery through trial and appeal—briefing cases before the First and Second Departments of the New York Appellate Division.

Her practice is grounded in hands-on litigation experience, including complex investigations, evidence development, and motion practice, as well as federal civil rights defense under Section 1983. Prior work in claims analysis for a multi-billion-dollar environmental fund informs her approach to risk, internal protocols, and client strategy, allowing her to align legal defense with operational realities while effectively advocating through trial and appellate proceedings.

Amoy Chambers is SVP, Managing Associate General Counsel at HSBC, where she advises on legal, transactional, regulatory, and strategic matters within the financial services industry.

A senior legal executive and strategic advisor, Amoy brings deep experience across trade finance, consumer finance, payments, digital technology, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, litigation management, M&A, and complex commercial transactions. Her background includes counseling financial institutions and business teams on product development, risk management, structuring, distribution, and business-focused legal strategy in highly regulated environments.

Amoy earned her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and her B.A. from Binghamton University.

Mala Ahuja Harker is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.  She represents individuals and corporations in the financial services, pharmaceutical, and other industries in connection with white collar, securities, employment, and complex commercial litigation matters.

Prior to rejoining Friedman Kaplan, where she was formerly a partner, Ms. Harker served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2011 through 2017. In this role, Ms. Harker investigated and prosecuted cases involving sophisticated financial frauds, insider trading, securities violations, mortgage and bank fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, public corruption, identity theft and cybercrime, as well as violent crime and drug offenses, among others.

Ms. Harker’s work for the U.S. Attorney’s office included a long term investigation involving corruption at the Newark Watershed Conservation & Development Corporation, which resulted in the conviction of several high ranking employees and outside contractors of the agency.

Melissa Oliver is Deputy General Counsel at Airbnb, where she advises on legal, business, and risk matters for one of the world’s leading travel and hospitality platforms.

A senior in-house legal leader with experience across major technology and consumer brands, Melissa brings a practical, business-minded approach to complex legal issues involving product counseling, platform risk, privacy, marketing, litigation, and commercial strategy. Before joining Airbnb, she held legal roles at Google, bringing additional depth in product, technology, and platform-based business models.

Melissa earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law and is admitted to practice in New York and California.

Maryann C. Stallone is a partner and commercial litigator at Tannenbaum Helpern with over 15 years of experience handling complex business disputes in New York and New Jersey courts and arbitration. She represents companies and individuals across a wide range of matters, including trade secrets, restrictive covenants, unfair competition, and trusts and estates litigation.

Anya Hodes is a partner in Proskauer’s Corporate Department and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group.

Anya advises a wide range of clients on complex mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs, tender and exchange offers, joint ventures and other significant transactions. Her practice spans public and private company mergers, take-private transactions and cross-border acquisitions. She also has extensive expertise in corporate governance, shareholder activism and special committee representation, having advised boards and management teams through contested transactions and proxy contests.

Anya is a trusted advisor to companies, private equity sponsors, and financial institutions across a diverse range of industries, including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, infrastructure and consumer goods.

Shannon T. O’Connor is a Partner at Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLP, where she focuses her practice on employment law, municipal law, commercial litigation, and insurance defense. With more than 14 years of litigation experience, she represents public and private sector clients in employment, civil rights, constitutional, and workplace compliance matters. Shannon is a Local Government Fellow of the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA), serves as IMLA’s New York State Co-Chair, and has been recognized with the IMLA Amicus Service Award and Marvin J. Glink Award.

Layne A. Feldman is a partner in the Firm’s litigation department. Her practice spans a range of complex commercial and civil litigation matters, including commercial lease disputes, Consumer Fraud Act claims, corporate/shareholder disputes, and secured property actions. Ms. Feldman also has experience in the litigation of products liability and property damage claims, and experience representing Condominium Associations and Cooperatives.

Ms. Feldman also represents employees and employers in all aspects of employment law.  She routinely prepares and reviews severance agreements, employee handbooks, and policies.  She also defends her clients against claims and charges brought by current and former employees alleging discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour violations, breach of contract, violation of restrictive covenant obligations, and misappropriation of confidential information claims.

She received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, where she was a member of the Seton Hall Circuit Review and a semi-finalist in the Eugene Gressman Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Competition. Following law school, Ms. Feldman clerked for the Honorable Lawrence M. Maron, J.S.C., in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Passaic County.

Rose Marie Glazer is Executive Vice President and General Counsel at AIG, where she oversees the company’s legal, compliance, regulatory and government affairs functions, as well as Global Security and the Sustainability Office.

A senior C-suite legal executive with more than 30 years of experience across global companies and industries, Rose Marie brings deep expertise in corporate governance, securities disclosure, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory matters, compliance, enterprise risk, human capital management, sustainability, and legal leadership at scale. Since joining AIG in 2017, she has held senior roles including Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Deputy General Counsel, and served as Chief Human Resources Officer from January 2022 through May 2024.

Before joining AIG, Rose Marie held multiple legal leadership roles at Siemens AG, including Senior Vice President and General Counsel — Americas, following earlier in-house roles at Telvista, Allied Riser Communications, and American Airlines. She began her legal career at Jones Day in Dallas.

Rose Marie earned her law degree, cum laude, from Southern Methodist University School of Law. She also holds a B.B.A. in Accounting and a B.A. in Spanish, both summa cum laude, from Southern Methodist University, and is admitted to the State Bar of Texas.

Ariadne Clinton is a partner at Spencer West US LLP who specializes in securities, fund, M&A and fintech regulatory counsel, advising investment advisers, private fund sponsors and financial technology companies on U.S. regulatory and transactional matters. With over twenty years of experience, including as senior attorney in the SEC’s enforcement division and having held a position at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Ari’s practice sits at the intersection of financial institutions, regulation and market activity.

In addition to her fund and regulatory practice, Ari advises emerging companies and founders on corporate structuring, financings and strategic transactions. She has particular experience advising fintech and digital asset clients on product structuring, regulatory perimeter analysis and compliance frameworks, including digital payment solutions and tokenized asset structures.

Adam Schoen advises life science and medical device companies regarding implementation of a patent strategy to further business objectives and business goals. Adam’ practice encompasses patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio development, product clearance, freedom to operate analysis and intellectual property due diligence. Adam works with public and private companies, investors, and academic institutions. He manages patent portfolios of all sizes and develops strategies to maximize and protect intellectual property rights in both the United States and foreign jurisdictions.

Crystal Banse is a partner at Spencer West US LLP in New York. She represents employers and executives across the full spectrum of employment and labor law, from workforce compliance, employee handbooks, executive compensation, and restrictive covenants, through investigations, severance, and separation negotiations, to dispute resolution and full-service litigation defense when necessary.

Crystal brings more than 15 years of experience across government service, military law, and private practice. She served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps, advising senior leadership on HR, investigations, and compliance matters and overseeing a legal assistance program for service members. As an Assistant Attorney General, she advised state agencies on risk management and compliance and litigated complex civil rights, constitutional, and administrative matters in state and federal courts, including before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She later founded her own litigation and advisory practice before joining an AmLaw 200 firm, where she served as a corporate and tax attorney for domestic and international private equity clients.

She earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Amanda K. Pooler is a partner in Akerman LLP’s Litigation Practice Group and represents public and private companies, financial institutions, and their directors and officers in complex disputes. Her practice focuses on high-stakes corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring-related litigation, including fiduciary duty claims, contested transactions, and securities actions. Amanda has litigated numerous matters in the Delaware Court of Chancery, including expedited proceedings, stockholder class actions, busted deal litigation, and contests for corporate control. She has also been involved in notable appeals before the Delaware Supreme Court that have shaped key aspects of corporate law.

Prior to joining Akerman, Amanda spent more than a decade practicing in New York at a leading international law firm and later at a prominent Delaware firm. In addition to her practice, Amanda has contributed to legal education as a Lecturing Fellow at Duke University School of Law, where she co-taught a seminar on M&A litigation.

Tammy Mercer is a partner in Akerman LLP’s Litigation Practice Group and a nationally recognized Delaware corporate litigator with more than 19 years of experience advising boards of directors, private equity sponsors, and corporate stakeholders on complex governance and high-stakes disputes.

Her practice is concentrated in the Delaware Court of Chancery and Delaware Superior Court, where she handles sophisticated matters involving mergers and acquisitions, going-private transactions, proxy contests, valuation and appraisal proceedings, and directors’ and officers’ liability.

Tammy is also widely respected for her work on indemnification and advancement proceedings, stockholder books-and-records demands, and governance disputes involving alternative entities, including LLCs, limited partnerships, and master limited partnerships. In addition, she represents clients in non-competition and trade secret matters.

Before joining Akerman, Tammy served as chair of the Corporate Litigation and Counseling Group at a leading Delaware law firm, where she built a reputation as a trusted advisor in some of the most complex and consequential corporate disputes.

Tammy is ranked by Chambers for her work in the Delaware Chancery space and is recognized by her peers for her practical judgment, strategic insight, and strong client advocacy.

A frequent speaker on corporate governance, fiduciary duties, and Delaware law developments, Tammy is actively involved in the American Bar Association and Delaware State Bar Association.

Mikaela Whitman is a partner in McGuireWoods’ Insurance Recovery Practice, where she represents policyholders in complex insurance coverage matters. Splitting her time between the firm’s Los Angeles and New York offices, Mikaela advises clients on disputes involving D&O, E&O, builder’s risk, property, general liability, media liability, product liability, employment practices liability, pollution liability, event cancellation, and reps and warranties insurance.

She previously spent two years seconded to AECOM, a Fortune 500 multinational infrastructure consulting firm, where she advised the risk management group and corporate legal team on insurance coverage issues, disputes, and risk mitigation strategies across the company’s global portfolio. Mikaela is also a frequent writer and speaker on insurance coverage matters and is the author of PLI’s A Policyholder’s Primer on Insurance.