The Women, Diversity & Change Summit: New York

Gabrielle Guzman joined Amex in March 2018 and is a member of the Cybersecurity legal team. She has global responsibility for cybersecurity legal issues. In her role, Gabrielle supports the technology and information security teams to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, respond to cyber related regulatory examinations, review and develop information security policies and procedures, including the Cyber Crisis Response Plan (CCRP), and engage in breach preparedness planning. Gabrielle is also a point of contact for the Enterprise Incident Response Program (EIRP), where she assists in investigations of data security incidents and decisions of whether regulatory or consumer notifications are required. In October 2018, Gabrielle also gained responsibility for legal issues related to Amex’s Third Party Lifecycle Management program. She supports negotiations of information security contractual provisions and provides legal review for process improvements implemented to meet emerging global regulations related to third party. Gabrielle also, works closely with the Government Affairs team on lobbying efforts related to cybersecurity and third party legislation and the Finance team for cybersecurity insurance issues.  

Prior to joining Amex, Gabrielle was the lead contact for Vendor Governance at Prudential Group Insurance. She had primary oversight for the third party inventory and developed new processes for managing third party compliance with state and federal regulations, including regulations related to privacy and data security. Gabrielle worked closely with business stakeholders and information security experts to ensure third party risks were identified, properly mitigated, and that third party contracts reflected language necessary to clearly define expectations for safeguarding personal and proprietary information. 

Gabrielle earned her J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She enjoys going to museums, concerts and has a love for comic books and sci-fi/ fantasy movies. 

Meg Ferrero is Vice President, Assistant General Counsel for ADP’s Major Accounts Division in Parsippany, New Jersey. Ms. Ferrero leads the Legal and Compliance teams for the Major Accounts Division and Canada. Prior to joining ADP in 2009, Ms. Ferrero practiced law at the largest Hispanic-owned community bank in the US and with law firms in Miami, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has exclusively represented management in all areas of employment law, contracts negotiations, real estate matters, and general management. Ms. Ferrero has extensive experience providing compliance guidance, business training and advice on HR, benefits, payroll and Health Care Reform compliance. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and her law and MBA degrees from Stetson University College of Law.

Keji Ayorinde serves as Associate General Counsel at Facebook, Inc.  As Associate General Counsel, Keji is part of the Global Employment Law team responsible for advising Facebook on all labor and employment matters, including those relating to wage and hour issues, workplace investigations, reductions-in-force and post-employment restrictive covenants.   

Prior to joining Facebook, Keji served as Assistant General Counsel at The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (“IPG”), a fortune 500 global marketing and advertising company.  Keji began her career as an Associate at Proskauer Rose, in the firm’s Labor & Employment group in New York City.  As an Associate, Keji served as the co-chair of the firm’s Associate’s Council and its Black Lawyer Affinity Group. 

Keji is currently a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel-NYC, and has had the pleasure and honor to participate as a panelist facilitating discussions on trending labor and employment issues.  Keji obtained her JD from Pace Law School and served as a Symposium Editor for the Pace Law Review.  Prior to that, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from The College of New Jersey.

Ellen Hochberg is the General Counsel of Aaptiv Inc. where she is responsible for all aspects of the startup’s legal affairs.

With 15 years of experience, Ellen has advised companies across various industries on how best to minimize legal risk, while advancing the company's business objectives. Prior to joining Aaptiv, Ellen was General Counsel of The Princeton Review. Before that she held various positions at Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. Ellen received her J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

Yalonda is a litigator and relationship partner whose focus is on the life sciences industry. Yalonda frequently assembles cross-functional teams to meet her clients’ needs and has successfully fostered a collaborative approach to counsel several publicly traded and early-stage life sciences and biotechnology companies on an array of matters. Yalonda and her team also specialize in conducting comprehensive product risk and compliance assessments for clients, and she is national counsel in product liability cases for publicly traded life sciences companies.

Yalonda specializes in complex tort and product liability litigation.

Yalonda currently serves as national counsel in product liability litigation for two publically traded companies and advises with respect to potential commercial and product liability litigation relating to various products, including biologic therapies and assay development. Yalonda also has expertise in alternative billing models, budgeting, and efficient case management of complex cases. She has represented clients in state and federal courts and appeared pro hac in many states. She is a member of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the United States District Court, and United States Court of Appeals for the First, Second and Third Circuit. Yalonda is a member of bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Yalonda also served on a number of Mintz's internal committees, including the firm’s Hiring Committee and its Diversity Committee. She is also director of Mintz’s pro bono initiative in conjunction with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Valerie is co-head of our global financial institutions sector group and co-head of our global capital markets practice.

Valerie focuses on capital raising, including both debt and equity in the public and private markets, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. She also counsels corporations on corporate governance and securities regulation.

Before joining Freshfields, Valerie was the Chairperson at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.

She is a frequent contributor to legal and other periodicals on securities laws and financing topics. Valerie is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, IFLR, The Legal 500 United States and Best Lawyers.

Valerie co-led the Freshfields team that was honored as Transatlantic Private Equity Team of the Year by Legal Week and The American Lawyer for its cross-border work advising Formula One (F1) and CVC Capital Partners on the sale of F1 to Liberty Media. She was named to the Law Dragon 500 Hall of Fame in 2017. She was also honored as a Woman Worth Watching in the 2016 issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal and the 2017 Expert Guide to Women in Business Law, a peer-ranked list of female experts in various divisions of business law.

Described by clients as “a legend in the business,” Valerie was named Finance Lawyer of the Year at Chambers USA’s 2012 Women in Law Awards.

She also is a member of The Committee of 200 (C200), an invitation-only membership organization of the world’s most successful women business leaders. IFLR 1000 recently named Valerie a Leading Lawyer.

Margaret Dale is a versatile first-chair litigator and handles complex business disputes for clients across a wide variety of industries.

While her practice covers the spectrum of commercial disputes, Margaret regularly handles privacy and data security matters, including regulatory investigations and class action lawsuits stemming from data breaches. She also focuses on intellectual property, where she represents individual artists and arts-related organizations and museums. Margaret’s practice also includes matters involving securities, corporate governance, asset management, bankruptcy and insolvency.

Margaret maintains an active pro bono practice focusing on issues relating to women, children and veterans. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Family Representation, and as a member of the Board of Directors of VLA (Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts).

At Proskauer, Margaret also serves as the Vice-Chair for the Litigation Department, and heads the Litigation Department’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group.

In addition, Margaret is the lead editor of Proskauer’s blog on business litigation, Minding Your Business.

Margaret is an author of the chapter titled “Admissibility Issues in Commercial Cases” in the treatise Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts (Haig, ed). Margaret also authored the chapter, Data Breach Litigation in Proskauer on Privacy.

Michelle is Manager & Counsel serving the Global Merchant Services ("GMS") Group at American Express Company supporting the Accertify, Inc. and InAuth, Inc. Business Units. Prior to joining the American Express General Counsel's Organization ("GCO"), Michelle served as Director of Legal Affairs for the Famous Dave’s restaurant  chain. She was the sole legal counsel for the company, addressing  a broad range of legal matters including contract negotiations and IT and IP matters. Previously, Michelle handled complex contract negotiations for National Express Corp. in the transportation industry, Heartland Food Corp. a Burger King Franchisee where she also served as the sole legal internal counsel and McDonald’s Corp. both in the in QSR/fast food industry, The Rewards Network in the financial and marketing services industry and Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. in the financial services  &  risk  industry.  Michelle  has  earned  international law certificates from the University of Toronto and Oxford University.

Inna Jackson is an SVP & Associate General Counsel, serving as the Regional Legal Head for North America, GLCM at HSBC. In this role, Inna leads a team supporting the liquidity, payments and cash management products and services offered to HSBC’s Global Banking and Commercial Banking customers.  Prior to joining HSBC in mid-October 2019, Inna spent 9 years at American Express, most recently as member of the Digital and Data Partnerships legal group.  In that role, Inna led a key team that supported the launch and expansion of numerous strategic partnerships with Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook and PayPal and served as a key thought leader and contributor in the development and evolution of Amex’s data strategy framework.  Prior to Amex, Inna spent 7 years in private practice as an M&A lawyer.  Inna continues to be passionate about evolution of banking, changing role of FinTechs globally and developments in the payments, privacy and data space. 

Claudia Cantarella is General Counsel at Broadway Technology, LLC. She is responsible for Broadway's worldwide legal operations, including intellectual property, technology, commercial, compliance and employment legal matters. Prior to joining Broadway in 2013, Claudia was a Partner and Co-Chair of the US Intellectual Property Group at Salans LLP. Previously, Claudia practiced law at several firms including Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Fried, Frank, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. In 2006, she was named a Super Lawyer in the field of Intellectual Property and in 2012 she was appointed Vice-Chair of the International Law Privacy, E-Commerce and Data Security Committee of the American Bar Association. Claudia holds a BS in Speech from Northwestern University and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Jessica Golden Cortes is a partner in the Labor & Employment Practice Group of Davis & Gilbert. Ms. Cortes regularly counsels and actively litigates on behalf of her clients in all aspects of employment law, and frequently conducts employment trainings across the country, educating her clients in subjects such as respect in the workplace, unconscious bias and manager best practices. Representative counseling services include:

• Conducting internal company investigations of discrimination complaints;
• Advising clients on:
  - Hiring, terminations and reductions in force
  - Restrictive covenants
  - Wage and hour issues
  - Federal and state family and medical leave laws
• Drafting employment policies, handbooks and employment and separation agreements.

In addition, Ms. Cortes represents employers in federal and state courts, federal, state and local administrative agencies and in arbitrations and mediations nationwide in the areas of race, sex, age, disability, failure to hire and other discrimination claims, and in breach of contract disputes arising primarily from alleged breaches of continuing post-employment obligations and for cause terminations.  She has successfully defended several of the firm’s clients against claims of discrimination before the EEOC and state agencies in multiple states, including New York, Connecticut, California, Ohio and Michigan.

Ms. Cortes has been recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of labor and employment: workplace and employment counseling area for seven consecutive years (2013-2019). She has also been recognized as a leading lawyer for labor & employment law by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2012-2016). In addition, she has been selected as a Super Lawyer (2018 and 2019) and Rising Star (2013-2016) by New York Metro Super Lawyers, and named a winner in the Esquire Industry Practice category for SmartCEO’s 2015 CPA & ESQ Awards. Before joining Davis & Gilbert, Ms. Cortes was a litigation attorney at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP.

Melissa Osipoff is a partner in the firm's New York office. She represents employers in all aspects of employment-related litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Her practice focuses on representing employers in single and multi-plaintiff cases under the anti-discrimination laws, as well as defending employers in wage and hour litigation arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and various state laws. Melissa also represents employers on matters involving wrongful termination, whistleblower claims, employment contracts, restrictive covenants and trade secrets. She also advises and counsels clients on a wide variety of employment law matters.

Prior to joining Fisher Phillips, Melissa was an associate at Ogletree Deakins in New York City. Before that she served as an associate in the litigation department at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, in 2006 from St. John's University School of Law, where she served as a member of the St. John's Law Review. Additionally, she graduated with distinction from University of Virginia, where she received a B.A. in Sociology.

Raquel S. Lord focuses her practice on employment matters. She represents an array of clients, including those from the health care, financial services, package delivery, and retail industries. Raquel assists clients with hiring and termination procedures, performance management, employee discipline, responding to complaints of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, disability accommodations, employee leave issues, wage and hour compliance, restrictive covenants, and social media issues, and regularly appears in federal and state court on behalf of clients in connection with litigation. She also has experience counseling clients on and litigating joint employer issues and franchise matters. Raquel routinely represents employers before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state agencies.

Jen Esser is the Deputy General Counsel at Bohler Engineering, a civil engineering firm based in Warren, N.J. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, from which she also received a law degree, magna cum laude.

Michelle Torres is Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs for the NBC Sports Group providing legal expertise to the NBC Sports digital properties in the areas of intellectual property, technology, commercial, privacy, advertising and marketing. 

Michelle also supports Telemundo Deportes, the NBCUniversal-owned network, in its advertising, marketing, and digital initiatives as it relates to major events that air on Telemundo. She was an integral legal partner during Telemundo Deportes’ first-time ever coverage of the FIFA Men’s World Cup held in Russia this past summer and will continue this partnership throughout the upcoming 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France™ and 2019 CONMEBOL Copa America soccer tournaments. 

Prior to her time at the NBC Sports Group, Michelle was Associate Counsel at 360i, an award-winning integrated media and creative digital marketing agency, and Corporate Counsel at PulsePoint, a programmatic ad:tech and digital media solutions business. 

Nancy Del Pizzo is a member of Rivkin Radler’s Commercial Litigation; Intellectual Property; and Privacy, Data & Cyber Law Practice Groups. She resolves commercial disputes, including intellectual property matters such as trademark, trade dress, copyright and patent infringement, restrictive covenants and domain name disputes, misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition, false advertising, defamation and trade libel.

Janice Mac Avoy is a member of the Real Estate Department and the Litigation Department, co-head of the Real Estate Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Firm's Pro Bono Committee. 

Ms. Mac Avoy concentrates her practice in complex real estate-related transactions and disputes, commercial litigation and arbitration, complex commercial landlord tenant disputes and commercial fair market rent arbitrations.  She also has extensive experience in creditor's rights, including complex commercial real estate mortgage foreclosures and UCC foreclosures, workouts and restructuring of real estate secured debt.  Ms. Mac Avoy works with the Firm's Real Estate Department on transactions in order to resolve issues without resorting to litigation.

Anne Cortina Perry guides clients facing governmental or regulatory investigations, conducts internal investigations with and without parallel governmental investigations, and advises her clients on developing and improving effective, risk-based compliance programs.  Her substantive experience spans a variety of areas including financial crime, antitrust, corruption and employment.  She is a member of the firm’s following practices: Investigations, Compliance and Defense; Litigation; and Trademark, Advertising and Unfair Competition.

Ms. Perry represents, defends, and advises corporations and individuals in federal and state criminal cases, civil litigations and investigations conducted by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.  Ms. Perry conducts internal investigations of companies in a variety of industries including financial services, manufacturing, and energy.  She also advises clients on compliance issues, including ethics, anti-corruption, and employment matters.  Ms. Perry has previous experience in criminal, administrative, and transactional tax matters. 

Ilona Logvinova is a graduate of Columbia University (where she was a joint major in Economics and Philosophy) and received her BA in 2007, and of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where she was a Dean’s Merit Scholar and received her J.D. in 2011. During law school, Ilona worked within the in house legal groups at COACH, CHANEL and JPMorgan Chase. Following law school, Ilona started her career as an Investment Bank Legal & Compliance Associate at JPMorgan Chase, and then moved to private practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, followed by 4 years as a corporate associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP (specializing in leveraged finance). Ilona is currently Senior Counsel within the Enterprise Partnerships group at Mastercard. 

Denise Sharperson is Assistant General Counsel and Director of Diversity Initiatives for the New Jersey State Bar Association (the “Association”). The Association has more than 18,000 members and is the largest bar association in the State of New Jersey.

In her role as Assistant General Counsel, she provides legal services to the Association. She also serves as the staff liaison for various NJSBA Sections and Committees providing legal counsel, electoral guidance and bylaw interpretation.

As the Association’s first Director of Diversity Initiatives, Mrs. Sharperson has engaged in wide-spread outreach with the New Jersey diverse bar organizations and actively listens and acts upon their concerns in an effort to make the Association more inclusive for diverse attorneys. She also works collaboratively with the other senior staff members of the Association to ensure that diversity and inclusion remains a priority for all aspects of the Association.

Under her direction, the first statewide full-day Diversity Summit was planned and
over 200 people attended the event. A few of her other notable accomplishments include the creation and implementation of several new and innovative Diversity initiatives such as the Distinguished Speaker Series entitled “Diverse Voices”, a Diversity newsletter, and a database of diverse speakers to assist ICLE with the identification and selection of diverse bar members to serve as panelists for ICLE programs. She also developed a hugely successful webinar on lawyers with disabilities, assisted in the formation of an In-house counsel committee, instituted a professional career development series for law students and new lawyers and hosted a free legal employment fair. She also organizes several educational pipeline programs each year throughout the State of New Jersey for teenagers.

Mrs. Sharperson received her Juris Doctor in 1994 from Seton Hall University School of Law and her Bachelor’s degree in 1991 from Hampton University. She is also a nationally certified Diversity Professional.

Mrs. Sharperson served as the 13th President of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, Inc. and remains a member of the organization. She is also a member of the Garden State Bar Association, Morris County Bar Association, New Jersey Women’s Lawyers Association, and American Bar Association. She attends Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, New Jersey and is also a proud Diamond life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a member of the Morris County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is a past recipient of the Association’s Young Lawyers Division Community Service Award, 2016 Oliver Randolph Award, and 2016 Women Worth Watching Award.

Ms. Barnett is currently Head Counsel for L’OREAL RESEARCH & INNOVATION, CLAIMS SUBSTANTIATION AMERICAS leading a team of 13. The focus has been on building a globally oriented and performance based claims substantiation team that provides value-added partnership with senior executive leadership on issues related to claims in terms of company responses, positions and policy.

She is a strategic legal advisor with progressive leadership, international and U.S. marketing, promotion, regulatory and trademark law experience in diverse, complex, and change intensive organizations with unique legal and regulatory considerations. Her industry experience spans across Personal Care / Cosmetics, Food & Beverage, Wine & Spirits, and Consumer Packaged Goods for market leading companies that include L’Oreal, Danone, and Pernod Ricard.

Ms Barnett is considered a highly responsive, influential and collaborative legal partner with keen judgment and insight. She has a deep understanding of the interplay between legal and business issues recommending creative solutions to legal challenges that support growth while mitigating risk and protecting corporate equity.

Ms. Barnett is committed to building high performance teams and mentoring professionals to their highest potential and fostering a work culture of growth, achievement and success.

Jackie Yecies leads the firm’s funds litigation initiative, a cross-practice group of lawyers representing clients from fund formation to maturity. The team provides investment funds, including hedge, sovereign wealth and endowment funds, and private equity firm clients with compliance advice, representation in investment-related civil litigation and trials, and guidance through regulatory proceedings.

Jackie regularly represents institutional clients, including investment funds, private equity firms and international banks, as well as individual clients, in U.S. and cross-border investigations. On behalf of her clients, Jackie has presented to various U.S. civil and criminal regulatory agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice. She also represents clients in investigations by Asian and European banking and commercial regulators.

In her global practice, Jackie consistently manages key client relationships on multibillion-dollar litigations, and she has led multiple trial teams to victory, including in federal court in the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.) and in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. Jackie has also led arbitrations and mediations, run significant investigations and presented to senior regulatory agencies.

Ms. Velazquez works with clients in the securities, capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions arenas. She has worked with domestic and international companies in the international marine and energy offshore industries and leading international investment banks. Ms. Velazquez also represents publicly traded master limited partnerships (MLPs) in private and public equity and debt offerings. She also works with client's partnership formations, general corporate matters and mergers and acquisitions.

Ms. Finnerty is a commercial litigator with a varied practice, with an emphasis on assisting corporate and nonprofit policyholders as they navigate disputes with their insurance companies. Ms. Finnerty also has significant experience assisting companies in products liability and construction accident litigation. She has represented companies in fields such as energy, finance, construction, manufacturing and retail in commercial litigation disputes, and regularly serves as a sounding board for manufacturing clients on a wide variety of legal issues including, insurance losses, risk management, contractual indemnity, employee theft and collection issues.

Additionally, Ms. Finnerty analyzes available insurance coverage for her clients under environmental, boiler & machinery, professional, D&O, EPLI and commercial general liability policies when a company suffers a loss or is named as a defendant in litigation

In addition to her trial work, Ms. Finnerty is well-versed in appellate practice, and has argued in front of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court.

Natalie Krodel is currently practicing law in the Global Technology and Operations group at A&E Networks in NYC.  Prior to that, she was the General Counsel of Wenner Media, owner of brands such as Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Men’s Journal, where she saw that company through to its sale to Penske Media.  She likes coffee so much that she took 9 years off from law firm practice to open and run her own espresso bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, before returning to full time legal life as Associate General Counsel of Wenner Media in 2012.  

Natasha is a trusted strategic advisor and business partner, focused on delivering innovative solutions for complex issues of first-impression that directly drive revenue. She is a leader of a sophisticated, cross-functional, global team opening up new industries for Mastercard and transforming how businesses, governments and people interact.

Faiza Javaid is the Assistant Counsel, Digital at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Prior to joining The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Faiza worked at Dentsu Aegis Network and Forbes Media. She received her J.D. from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center. 

Amelia R. Choyne’s practice is dedicated to trial litigation of high-exposure medical malpractice matters for major metropolitan area hospital systems and medical practices and general liability, liability consulting and health law/compliance investigation. Ms. Choyne has a proven track record of success and brings a deep understanding of and sensitivity to the challenges and cost considerations her clients face.  In her role as advisor and advocate, she works in close partnership with clients to achieve the most favorable resolution of a case, while also effectively protecting their best interests and bottom line. 

Ms. Choyne is admitted to practice in the State of New York as well as in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. She is a member of the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, and the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. As a member of Aaronson Rappaport’s Executive Committee, she is an advocate for diversity and inclusion initiatives for women and minorities. She has been invited to speak at numerous conferences dedicated to advancing women in law and leadership. 

Ms. Choyne received a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from Emory University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law.

Temitope specializes in government enforcement and white collar criminal defense, labor and employment, and complex litigation. She advises clients under investigation by the DOJ, SEC and New York County District Attorney’s Office. Tope conducts global investigations pertaining to US law including the FCPA, FIRREA, and False Claims Act.

Andowah Newton is Vice President, Legal Affairs at LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Inc., where she manages a variety of legal disputes, litigations, and other legal matters for approximately 30 luxury brands including Dior, Fendi, Bulgari, Céline, Domaine Chandon, Benefit Cosmetics, Givenchy, Guerlain, Hublot, Loro Piana, Rimowa, Make Up For Ever, TAG Heuer, and Thomas Pink.  Ms. Newton directs legal strategy and advises C-suite level executives and other senior management located in the United States, Europe, and Asia on matters involving intellectual property, consumer class actions, advertising and marketing, product liability, environmental claims, breach of contract, personal injury, regulatory and internal investigations, and debt recovery.  

Before joining LVMH, Ms. Newton litigated complex commercial cases, including successfully arguing motions and appeals, at top law firms in New York City.  She began her legal career as a judicial clerk for the First Vice President Judge of the International Criminal Court in The Netherlands.  Before becoming a lawyer, Ms. Newton earned her CPA and worked for four years as an auditor at PwC, where her main clients included Viacom, Sony Music, Thomson Reuters, and Ziff Davis Media, and as an analyst at The Estée Lauder Companies where she performed internal control reviews on brands such as MAC, Aveda, Origins, and Stila.  

Ms. Newton earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, where she majored in Business Administration and minored in French.  She possesses dual law degrees in U.S. and French law from Cornell Law School and The Sorbonne.  Ms. Newton is fluent in French and proficient in Spanish.  She is an avid international traveler, having traveled to over almost 50 countries and lived in six.  Ms. Newton is also a Soprano I in the NY Choral Society and has served on its Board of Trustees.  For the past twelve years, she has served as a mentor and legal debate coach and judge for high school and law school students in the Legal Outreach and Inroads programs.

Anta Cissé-Green is Associate General Counsel at NYU Langone Health with primary responsibility for advising the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs on a variety of fundraising and tax-related legal matters including drafting and negotiating agreements for gifts and bequests, administration of bequests from trusts and estates, not-for-profit legal and taxation issues and general contracting for fundraising events and activities for NYU Langone Hospitals and the NYU School of Medicine.

Anta received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, summa cum laude, and her L.L.M. in Tax from NYU School of Law.  Immediately prior to joining NYU Langone Health in 2016, Anta was Senior Counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in the firm’s private client services section of the tax group where she advised wealthy individuals on the development of tax efficient vehicles for the transfer of wealth, complex estate and trust administration issues, charitable planning strategies and the formation and governance of tax exempt organizations.  Previously, Anta was an associate with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and law clerk to the Honorable Lois Bloom, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York.

Anta has been awarded a number of accolades and honors in connection with her work in the legal profession.  In addition to being named as an honoree in the Crain’s 2019 Notable Women of Law, Anta has also been honored by the New York Law Journal as a “Lawyer Who Leads By Example”, in recognition of her many years of commitment to providing pro bono legal services to underrepresented New Yorkers; named to the National Black Lawyers Top 100 Attorneys; and as a New York Metro Area Rising Star by Superlawyers in the area of tax and estate planning.

Anta is an active member of her community in her roles as President-Elect for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association; member of the attorney advisory panel for the Planning and Estates Law Project for the City Bar Justice Center of the New York City Bar Association; and a member of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Law Center, a New York based nonprofit organization that advocates for children by providing them with a strong and effective voice in legal proceedings that have a critical impact on their lives.

Sapna Palla is a Partner in Wiggin and Dana’s Litigation Department and Intellectual Property Practice Group. Sapna has spent nearly two decades representing clients in patent, trademark, copyright, and complex commercial matters, including successfully litigating disputes in a range of jurisdictions. She is on the Diversity and Women’s Committees at Wiggin.

Pamela Bruzzese-Szczygiel focuses her practice on corporate and banking law matters.  Pamela was selected for inclusion in the 2013-2016 New York Metro Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars lists, issued by Thomson Reuters.  Pamela advises leading financial institutions on domestic and cross-border financing transactions in a variety of industries.

Pamela represents major financial institutions acting as corporate trustees, administrative agents, collateral agents and escrow agents in a wide variety of capital markets transactions, including issuances of new debt, securitizations, restructurings, defaults and bankruptcies.  She advises trustees in connection with the issuance by major foreign and domestic corporations of new securities, including standard notes, bonds and debentures, and in complex transactions involving trust preferred securities and equity units.

Through the wide network of institutions that she represents, Pamela is able to assist trustees in locating successors and effectuate smooth transitions when resignations are necessary due to conflicts.  When issuers default on their securities, Pamela represents trustees in connection with such issues as noteholder committees, restructuring transactions and bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings in the United States and abroad, including Mexico, Germany, Canada, England and Luxembourg.

Clients value Pamela’s proven ability to create synergy among even the most varied deal participants.  Pamela is known for her aptitude in translating complex arrangements into workable plans, and is appreciated for her skill in analyzing and executing complicated and sophisticated transactions.  Pamela’s clients depend on her to consistently clarify and explain even the most elaborate laws and deal structures in a way that is straightforward and actionable.

Eileen Libutti, managing partner of Lewis Johs’ New York City location not only successfully manages the office but has proven to be a strong litigator representing physicians, other health care providers and hospitals for claims of malpractice. She also represents corporate entities and handles cases involving claims of general negligence.  Eileen has taught CLE’s and has lectured at industry events including; the American Trial Lawyers Association, New York State Trial Lawyers, Long Island’s Women’s Symposium.

Sara Madavo is a senior counsel and litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and has represented large companies, small businesses, and individual clients across a wide range of industries, through all phases of litigation. Sara is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice, Labor & Employment Practice, and Health Care Industry Team.

Jodi Golinsky is a Director and Associate General Counsel at Shopify.  She manages all legal, regulatory, and compliance issues relating to payments, lending, and financial services.  She is a senior executive (Director) and a member of both the Financial Services and the Legal Leadership Teams at Shopify.  Jodi has worked in-house in financial services for more than fifteen years at both Fortune 50 Companies as well as startups.  She has extensive regulatory, policy, corporate, and Board experience.

Prior to joining Shopify, Jodi was the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary at FS Card Inc., a credit card startup providing mainstream credit cards to underserved populations in the U.S. Before FS Card, she was the Deputy U.S. General Counsel for Wonga U.S.,  Inc., helping Wonga UK expand into the U.S. small business online lending market.

Before Wonga, Jodi was Chief Prepaid Counsel at American Express where she led a ten-person team with a multi-million dollar budget and oversaw approximately fifteen new prepaid product launches. She also managed Amex's money transmitter licensing function, maintaining two complete sets of money transmitter licenses for American Express corporate entities in 47 states. She also served on the executive leadership team for the Global Prepaid business unit.

Prior to joining American Express, Jodi was Vice President, U.S. Regulatory & Public Policy Counsel for MasterCard Worldwide, where she was responsible for managing all U.S. regulatory affairs and public policy matters.

Jodi began her legal career clerking first for the Honorable Denny Chin in the Southern District of New York and then for the Honorable Ralph K. Winter, who was then the Chief Judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell thereafter concentrating on regulatory investigations and securities fraud litigation. She is admitted to practice in New York State,  the Southern District of New York, and the Eastern District of New York.

Anna-Lisa Corrales joined Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. She leads the Legal Department for the company’s North America business, working closely also with Jaguar Land Rover’s headquarters in the United Kingdom. When Anna-Lisa joined the company, the global sale of the business by Ford Motor Company to Tata Motors Limited had just been completed, and the Jaguar Land Rover legal department in North America needed to be started from the ground up. Since then she has grown her department into a diverse team that advises all areas of the business. In 2014, Anna-Lisa was recognized for her contributions to the industry by being named to Automotive News’ 40-Under-40 list among automakers.

Before serving as Jaguar Land Rover’s General Counsel, Anna-Lisa practiced advertising and branded entertainment law at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, and before that, commercial litigation at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York where she earned an award for her pro bono service to battered women. She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald L. Ellis in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She also spent time working at the Hague Conference on Private International Law in the Netherlands.

Anna-Lisa earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Duke University and her J.D. from New York University. She has been honored to serve as a keynote speaker for the Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys and for the Diversity Committee of the Georgia State Bar. Recently she was honored with a 2018 National Women in Law Award by Corporate Counsel and InsideCounsel.

As head of the firm’s Insurance Law practice group, Cynthia brings three decades of knowledge and insight to the firm and her clients. She provides quality legal advice relating to property-casualty and life, annuity and health, managed care, disability insurance and reinsurance matters, with particular emphasis on insolvency regulation.

As a Principal in the firm’s Insurance practice group, Cynthia has advised clients and handled contested issues in insurance related matters for most of her career, including insurance and reinsurance transactions, mergers, acquisitions and other holding company transactions, contractual, employment and other business disputes, enforcement proceedings, filings, rate hearings and appeals of administrative actions.

Cynthia's practice focuses on regulation and compliance for insurers, brokers and trade associations in the property/casualty and life and health areas. She has appeared in court regularly on behalf of clients in many significant and precedential cases. Cynthia’s clients seek her counsel in matters affecting the corporate regulatory and enforcement aspects of insurance law. She has experience in advising clients in matters involving holding company regulation, corporate restructuring, market distribution and regulation of sales practices, product design, anti-trust and restrictive covenants in the insurance arena, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as well as implementing regulations.

Cynthia is also a member of Bressler's Senior and Vulnerable Investor Group. The lawyers in this group have a shared interest in providing counsel to corporate clients who confront issues affecting seniors.

Cynthia provides meaningful value to the legal community with her body of published work, including articles and book chapters about insurance and healthcare law. She is also very active in the legal community. She is Vice President of the Federation of Regulatory Counsel, most recent past Chairman of the Board of Directors, and chairs the Admissions Committee. Cynthia also chairs the Legal Committee of the National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds.

Cynthia's thought leadership is widely recognized with frequent invitations to speak publicly, participate in panels and lecture at Rutgers Law School. She participates in the Defense Research Institute's symposium on Diversity for Success. She is also a past chair of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and previously served on the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Sonia Bain is a transactional commercial real estate lawyer who represents developers, retail companies, hotel groups, landlords and tenants, and family offices with acquisitions, dispositions, development, ground and space leases, financing and leasing of numerous types of commercial real estate assets including mixed-use, residential, retail, hotel and industrial properties in New York City and also across the country. Clients engage Sonia for her killer legal prowess, but they value her for her thoughtful guidance, counsel and partnership. Often coming to her to think through strategies and help them make decisions that are best for their business, Sonia is there for her clients for more than just their real estate legal needs.

Carolyn is chair of the firm’s Hospitality Practice Group and former co-chair of the Labor and Employment Department. Her practice largely consists of representing and counseling employers in the hospitality industry, specifically restaurants, hotels, caterers, night clubs, lounges and fitness centers. In particular, Carolyn has extensive experience litigating wage and hour class actions, restrictive covenants and employment discrimination cases. She also counsels clients extensively with respect to workplace issues such as the hiring process, diversity awareness training, union avoidance, employee handbooks and other policy initiatives.

Carolyn is also counsel to a number of employers in the retail, financial services, healthcare and manufacturing industries. She frequently provides union avoidance and sexual harassment training, and represents employers before a variety of state and federal agencies.

In 2019, Cornell University’s ILR School awarded Carolyn the Judge William B. Groat prize, the school’s highest honor.

Increasingly, Carolyn is called upon by her peers in the legal community to mediate difficult disputes in the wage and hour and discrimination areas. The respect she enjoys on both sides of the bar and her deep understanding of the legal issues and needs of all parties for practical solutions has made her a sought-after mediator.

Advises clients on international trademark, design patent, copyright, unfair competition and appellation of origin/geographic indication issues, including the EU Community Trademark, International Registrations under the Madrid Union (Trademarks) and the Hague Treaty (Industrial Designs), TRIPs, the Paris Convention and the Berne Convention. Develops strategies for acquiring, enforcing, maintaining and assigning intellectual property rights with an emphasis on foreign laws and international treaties, and litigates international and multi-country conflicts. Advises clients on related IP transactional issues in the context of IP portfolio audits, due diligence for acquisitions or divestitures, and agreements for related corporate IP transactions, including IP holding companies. Conducts global trademark clearance projects including analysis and evaluation of search data and related risk analysis, investigations and negotiations vis-a-vis prior third party rights, and implementing global filing strategies. Focuses on the retail apparel and accessories, cosmetics, watch, personal and household care products, housewares, pharmaceutical, retail store, restaurant and hotel, entertainment and financial services industries.

Nerissa Coyle McGinn’s practice focuses on matters involving the convergence of advertising and promotions, emerging media, technology, privacy and intellectual property law. She has particular experience advising on matters involving the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU).

Nerissa works with many of the best-known brands in the country, including H&R Block and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. and its confection brands. Embracing a business-minded approach, she helps clients develop new brand assets and assists them in promoting and advertising their brands and products.

Clients — including Turner Broadcasting and its programming properties, for which she handles trademark clearances for new shows, web properties, interstitials and sweepstakes — regularly turn to Nerissa for trademark counseling services.

“I try to anticipate issues and provide innovative, effective solutions expeditiously for my clients.”

In the advertising and promotions facet of her practice, she works with clients on sweepstakes review, copy review, and promotion design and fulfillment, with an emphasis on internet and interactive advertising and promotions.

Her diverse roster of clients includes advertising agencies, large corporations, and professional sports teams including the New York Giants, the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Red Wings.

Nerissa also provides legal services for digital companies and app developers, handling a variety of IP matters and privacy policies and practices relating to websites and mobile applications.

As a thought leader in her industry, Nerissa frequently speaks at events and conferences. She also serves as the firm’s first chief diversity partner and co-chair of the Diversity Committee, overseeing and revamping diversity policies and initiatives.

Tiff Moseley is a former federal prosecutor with nearly 20 years of experience representing both private- and public-sector clients in corporate investigations, criminal enforcement matters and complex commercial litigation. Her practice focuses on managing significant cross-border litigation, investigations and compliance solutions for clients in the life science industry, and developing sophisticated and efficient litigation strategies for public-sector clients facing challenges due to local laws and regulations.

"She knew the facts backwards and forwards and was great at conveying and explaining them … She’s an excellent lawyer with excellent strategic sense." Chambers USA (client commentary)

Tiff enjoys working closely with clients to understand their business mechanics and objectives in order to advise on the unique litigation, regulatory and compliance risks they face. She has particular interest in and experience evaluating, creating and implementing compliance programs to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies mitigate cross-border risks related to anti-corruption laws and trade sanction regulations. She is also adept at developing solutions to cross-border data privacy challenges and global cyber-related litigation risks.

In her public-sector practice, she currently represents the state of Delaware in an original jurisdiction proceeding before the U.S. Supreme Court over interpretation of unclaimed property laws. She has also represented the Port of the City of Los Angeles in high-profile litigation matters.

Tiff has appeared before the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys’ offices, the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, among other federal and state regulators and courts. She was previously an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of California, where she investigated and prosecuted federal criminal cases involving fraud, immigration offenses, narcotics trafficking and other import/export border-related crimes.

A mother of three, Tiff spends her free time cheering on Little League games.

Danielle C. Lesser serves as the Chair of the Business Litigation Department at Morrison Cohen LLP. Danielle is an experienced trial attorney whose diverse practice involves all phases of litigation, from pleading through verdict and appeal. Danielle’s practice includes both litigating and advising transactional clients with respect to litigation risk and litigation avoidance strategies. Danielle is a committed advocate for providing opportunity for women and minorities in the law. 

Anjli Garg currently serves as Director, Associate General Counsel in the legal department of Citibank, N.A., where she counsels the global B2B card payments business, working with Citi’s largest global institutional clients.  She is part of Citi Legal’s Global Diversity Council and Vice Chair of the ABA SIL Wellness Taskforce. Before joining Citibank, she served as V.P. and Senior Counsel in the General Counsel's Office of American Express, supporting the global commercial card and interactive businesses. In her in-house roles, she practices in a variety of legal disciplines, including privacy and data security, internet/e-commerce, intellectual property, bank regulatory, securities and bankruptcy. Before moving in-house, she was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, engaged primarily in securities and project finance transactions.  Anjli has also spoken at conferences and published articles on privacy and data security.  She has 20 years of experience as a corporate transactional attorney, and obtained her J.D. from NYU School of Law.  Anjli is also an Energy Leadership Index – Master Practitioner, and in the process of becoming a Certified Professional Coach through iPEC, which is an ICF accredited coach training program.

At Drift Marketplace (a venture-backed renewable energy start-up) Lena is involved with all aspects of power operations and market entry, from working on partnership projects with multinational energy corporations to licensing and ongoing compliance. Previously, Lena was an Associate Attorney with Feller Law Group, a boutique law firm specializing in retail energy.  Lena graduated cum laude from Washington & Lee School of Law in 2010, and received an MSc. in Environmental Management, with a focus on renewable energy in developing countries, in 2011. Lena is a Vice-Chair with the American Bar Association’s Energy, Infrastructure, Siting & Reliability Committee, a 2014 graduate and Board Member of the New York Environmental Law Leadership Institute (NYCELLI), and an active member of the New York City Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee.

Jo Davaris joined Mercer as its first Global Chief Privacy Officer in 2016.  She is responsible for developing and overseeing a privacy program for Mercer that provides appropriate controls and risk mitigation around the use of data while enabling business growth, innovation and opportunity.

Prior to joining Mercer, Jo was the Global Head of Privacy Policy and Program Development and Privacy Leader for the Institutional & Network businesses at American Express.  She also held a variety of other legal and business development roles during her tenure at American Express.

Prior to American Express, Jo was an attorney for the Administration for Children’s Services in NYC, where she prosecuted parents that abused and neglected their children

Jo is a former co-chair of the NY IAPP KnowledgeNet.  She is currently serving on the Education Advisory Board of the IAPP, as well as the Advisory Board of the Women, Influence and Power in the Law event.  She additionally serves on the Board of Directors of Rising Ground, a NYC social services non-profit organization.

She received both her JD and her BA from Fordham University.