The Women in Legal & Corporate Leadership Summit: New York

Anamika Samanta is Senior Counsel at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, where she provides legal and regulatory advice to the U.S. capital markets team and is responsible for supporting products provided by the bank and its U.S. broker-dealer.  Anamika partners closely with bankers, traders, and sales to support new initiatives and structure innovative financing services, with greater focus on prime brokerage and commodity services. Anamika advocates for diversity and inclusion at CIBC by co-leading the bank’s Asian employee network and supporting other similar initiatives.  Anamika began her career at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and was most recently counsel Hess Corporation.  Ms. Samanta received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in Sociology with High Honors from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

Nishat Ruiter is General Counsel of TED conferences, a non profit organization that believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. Through creativity, and a deep respect for TED's mission, Nishat's work is centered on ensuring that TED's legal requirements are met through a combination of practical and creative solutions that meets its needs, while still retaining the authentic TED voice across every area where possible. She manages the legal issues with respect to TED's licensing, partnerships, TM, brand protection, TED's code of conduct, data privacy, copyright, transactions and all corporate legal matters. Prior to TED, she worked as Associate General Counsel where she spent ten years in a variety of roles including managing legal issues on all marketing and advertising, M&A integration, and led the North American legal team responsible for the legal review of $1B/year in licensing transactions at CA Technologies. She also worked as Managing Counsel at LivePerson, provided in house counsel legal support to Chubb Insurance, Binary Tree.com and Capco. She is a visiting guest lecturer at Fordham Law School (New York) since 2013, faculty for the Practicing Law Institute, and has served for over ten years on the Editorial Board of the International In-house Counsel Journal (London). Inspired by a Bahá’í perspective on things, she loves resolving the most complex problems with an elegant solution, but always with coffee on hand. She enjoys music, tennis, hosting Spiritual Cafes in her community to foster meaningful conversations, and finding connectedness with people from all walks of life. She is happily married to her better half and mother of two teenagers. You can follow her on twitter @nishatruiter.

 Judy Estes is Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Data & Services at Mastercard International Incorporated.  She is responsible for leading a global legal team for Data & Services, Mastercard’s professional services arm, which provides value-added solutions driven by analytics, data-driven consulting, marketing services solutions, and loyalty solutions to help customers solve business problems from end to end.  Ms. Estes also serves on executive management teams in the business units and the law department to help set and deliver on the groups’ strategic initiatives as well as day-to-day operational goals.

Prior to the current position, Ms. Estes managed a legal team that provides transactional expertise and other general support that drive revenue, strategic initiatives and general matters in the US Markets.  Prior to this role, Ms. Estes held a few positions at Mastercard supporting key customer relationships and other strategic transactions, including managing the then-newly formed Strategic Transactions Group, a legal team that provides support to Mastercard’s mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures and global initiatives.

Prior to joining Mastercard, Ms. Estes was a corporate associate with the law firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and managed clients and handled various complex transactions in connection with mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, project finance, private and public financings and general corporate matters.

Ms. Estes graduated from Fordham University School of Law and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Binghamton University, School of Management, with a double concentration in Finance and Management Information Systems.

A partner at New York-based litigation boutique Holwell Shuster & Goldberg, Blair Kaminsky has a wide-ranging practice focused on complex commercial litigation, representing both individuals and corporations in litigation and investigatory matters frequently touching on large-scale transactions and the financial services industry. She represents Visa in putative nationwide class actions and dozens of individual antitrust actions brought by some of the largest retail merchants in the world, including Target and Amazon. She has also represented HSBC, U.S. Bank, and BNY Mellon in cutting-edge RMBS “putback” cases, which are resolving billions in liability stemming from the bursting of the housing bubble.

Ms. Kaminsky is an equally passionate advocate for pro bono clients. She oversees HSG’s relationship with Her Justice, and organized two HSG-Visa clinics for Her Justice clients seeking uncontested divorces. In an unrelated matter, she advised a college freshman survivor of sexual assault on her rights and remedies under Title IX, guiding her through her University’s investigatory process and preparing submissions to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

She is a member of HSG’s Diversity Committee and The American Lawyer’s first-ever Young Lawyer Editorial Board.Blair received Euromoney Legal Media Group’s 2019 Rising Star Award for Best in Litigation: General Commercial, has been named to Benchmark Litigation’s Under 40 Hot List since 2017, and has been recognized as one of Super Lawyers’ Top Women Attorneys in the New York Metro Area and as a Rising Star. She was also named to Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2016 Women Worth Watching list.

Ms. Kaminsky clerked for the Honorable Judith Rogers of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and previously practiced at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where she represented JPMorgan in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy litigation and NYSE Euronext in litigation over a contemplated $10 billion merger that would have created the world’s largest stock market. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was Supervising Editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Lorie Almon is a complex and high profile employment litigation attorney who is recognized as a leader in her field.  Both Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Legal 500 identify her as a leading lawyer for Labor and Employment.  Ms. Almon was named in 2018 as one of the Nation’s 100 Most Powerful Employment Lawyers by HR Executive.  In past years, she was selected by The American Lawyer as one of the top "45 Under 45" women lawyers in The Am Law 200, and was named to the NACD Directorship’s “Directorship 100” list of “the most influential directors, officers, professionals and institutions” in corporate America. In recent years, she has also been named one of the nation’s “Fab Fifty” litigators by The American Lawyer, recognized as one of the top “40 Under 40” lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal and picked as one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America” by Lawdragon.  Ms. Almon serves as Co-Managing Partner of the firm's New York office, is a member of the firm’s Trial Team and also is vice chair of Seyfarth Shaw's national Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group.  Ms. Almon is also a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee and Compensation Committee.

Ms. Almon’s practice is focused on employment litigation, with an emphasis on complex litigation, high profile disputes, collective and/or class proceedings. She serves as lead counsel in discrimination class actions and multi-district cases, chairing teams of attorneys across the country.  She also manages teams defending wage and hour claims, regularly representing Fortune 500 companies in litigation brought pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage payment laws. Her considerable trial experience includes numerous jury and bench trials in federal courts, state courts and before FINRA arbitration panels.

Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw, Ms. Almon was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York.  In 1995, her first full year of practice, Ms. Almon was formally honored by New York City as "Legal Rookie of the Year" for her exceptional commitment and dedication to her work.

Ms. Almon is a member of the National Board of Directors of Jumpstart, one of the nation's fastest growing and most respected non-profit organizations in the field of early childhood education.  She serves as a member of the Board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Ms. Almon was awarded Seyfarth Shaw's “Inspirational Leadership Award” in recognition of her commitment to Jumpstart, and to involving those around her in making a difference in the community.

Terri L. Adler is the Firm's Managing Partner, Chair of the Firm’s Real Estate Department, and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.  Ms. Adler is one of the most talented and creative attorneys in real estate and was recently named as one of the top 100 female lawyers in New York City in Crains New York’s 2018 inaugural list which recognizes women for distinguished careers and exceptional civic and philanthropic activities.

Ms. Adler is an unmatched powerhouse in corporate real estate transactions requiring complicated bespoke structuring, which plays to her strength of being innovative.  Ms. Adler’s success is achieved largely by understanding the business goals of her clients and assisting them in achieving those goals while helping to build their businesses.

Romy Horn is General Counsel at W2O Group, a healthcare-focused, analytics driven, marketing communications agency.  She currently leads the agency’s Legal and Business Affairs team and works hand in hand with the entire infrastructure group on a daily basis.  Romy is fluent in global operations US, EMEA, and APAC with a heavy strength focus in IP, Digital and integration across OpCo practices and departments. She leads the company’s legal strategy and execution which includes the responsibility to oversee M&A, streamline services, and improve relations with procurement departments to better meet client needs.

Prior to joining W2O, Romy was General Counsel at 360i for 7 years where she closely partnered with the Senior Leadership team to deliver a strong mix of risk prevention and protection and bring a true Value to add across the network.  Romy has over 14 years of litigation and arbitration experience and a broad knowledge of the key intricate legal issues that surface in an evolving digital arena. She has shared her knowledge and experience at many legal conferences including, NYSBA on Native Advertising, ACI’s Annual Summit on Digital Advertising Compliance and Corporate Counsel’s Annual IP Trademark, Copyright & Licensing Counsel Forum. 

Romy is a Brooklyn resident, graduate of Adelphi University (BA History and Dance) along with a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.  She spends her limited free time with infuriating multi-piece puzzles and has cultivated strong but well-informed opinions on the best Chinese noodles in NYC. 

Christine J Chao is the General Counsel of The Foremost Group, an international shipping company where she provides general corporate legal advice.   Christine has extensive corporate and commercial law experience having worked in senior legal positions for three Fortune 100 companies:   GE (Stamford, CT), Federal Express (Hong Kong and London) and Ultramar Corporation (Greenwich, CT).  Christine began her legal career with the Wall Street law firm of Dewey Ballantine.

Christine lived abroad for nearly ten years – five years in Asia and five years in Europe before repatriating to Greenwich, CT.   

Christine currently serves as a Trustee for Colgate University and the Foremost Foundation, which strives to help young people access higher education and greater opportunities generally.  Christine also serves on the Boards of LitWorld, an organization devoted to promoting literacy around the world, and The One Love Foundation, which is committed to educating our young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships. 

Christine received her BA from Colgate University, majoring in English and her JD from Columbia Law School.  She is married to Jos Shaver, and they have two sons, Ben (Babson ’22) and Tyler (Stanford ’22).

Donald LeGower is the Senior Counsel, Litigation at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to working in this role he was a Partner at Dechert LLP. Donald acquired his law degree from The University of Virginia School of Law.

Serena Skala is a Partner with Clausen Miller P.C. in its professional liability department. Her practice is focused primarily on the areas of casualty/liability defense, construction litigation, legal malpractice, employment law, real estate, premises liability, products liability, professional negligence and personal injury matters. These areas involve the defense of a variety of professionals in both the State and Federal Courts, including attorneys, business owners, accountants, real estate management companies, architects, engineers, contractors, developers, directors and officers.

Serena is currently admitted to practice before New York and New Jersey State Courts as well as the U.S. District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey. She is also a certified mediator, with experience mediating disputes in cases pending in both the New York State and New Jersey Court systems.

Prior to joining Clausen Miller P.C., Serena was a litigation associate with a national insurance defense law firm, where her practice also focused on defending claims against a variety of professionals, focusing mainly on attorneys. Serena began her legal career as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Thomas J. LaConte, J.S.C. in the Superior Court of New Jersey, County of Passaic. In this capacity, Serena assisted in writing decisions and opinions, many of which were later upheld by the New Jersey Appellate Court.

Serena received her undergraduate Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from the Pennsylvania State University. Serena received her Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law. During her time at Seton Hall, Serena was a member of the Civil Litigation Clinic where she represented home owners who were victims of fraudulent mortgage lending schemes. In this capacity, Serena assisted in obtaining dismissal of many of these actions.

Theresa O'Neal is a brand-building professional with over 25 years of experience in brand-building, communications, development, and fundraising. She has worked with organizations such as Mount Sinai Health Systems, The American Cancer Society, Viacom, Spence-Chapin, Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and a host of other non-profits, organizations, and entrepreneurs.  O’Neal is President and CEO of Global Spectrum Group which represents well established clients such as Grammy-Award winner Jeff Redd.

O’Neal’s career path has been diverse but her focus remains simple: helping those who help others. After decades of professional and personal experience, she realized she could align her network of resources to advance one thing, the common good. Her interests were peaked early on, in her work as a Public Affairs Director where she contributed to well-known pro-social initiatives. She departed from MTVN in 2004 and began a full-time career in marketing, public relations and business development. She soon joined forces with her protégé Brian Dodson, a successful fundraiser who has raised millions for non-profits worldwide. Together they grew Bee Season Consulting which focuses on furthering the fundraising advancements of organizations, especially during challenging economic climates. 

O’Neal’s roster of clients include doctors, restaurateurs, authors, performing artists, actors, comedians, clergy, designers and entrepreneurs. She and her clients have been featured on The Today Show, MSNBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News as well as featured many publications such as O Magazine, The Network Journal, The New York Times, Daily News, New York, Post, Essence and Black Enterprise Magazine.

The Brooklyn, New York native is the proud mother of two sons, Calvin and Christian.

Lisa LeCointe-Cephas is the head of the Global Investigations organization for Merck.  Lisa manages a team of lawyers around the world who are responsible for conducting internal investigations related to breaches of Merck’s policies, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, international anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and False Claims Act cases.  Lisa also leads the company’s response to government and regulatory proceedings around the world.  She provides counsel to the company with respect to cybersecurity threats and data loss protections, and proudly serves as the international pro-bono coordinator for Merck.

Lisa joined Merck in February 2018 from Bristol-Myers Squibb Corp. (“BMS”), where Lisa served as the lead Government Investigations counsel.  Prior to BMS, Lisa was a partner in the Government Investigations and White-Collar Defense practice of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, NY.

Lisa received her BA from Yale University and received her JD from Columbia Law School.

Narges has an active and varied commercial litigation practice. She handles an extensive range of matters, including those involving securities and other financial services litigation, insurance and risk management, corporate governance, legal ethics, and big data. Clients in the financial services and professional services sectors rely on her assistance with administrative, trial, and appellate cases and arbitrations before domestic and international panels. In particular, her practice focuses on complex business disputes, with expertise in securities litigation, contracts, corporate governance, executive protection, insurance coverage and risk management. Throughout her career, Narges has generated practical solutions to complex legal and business problems. She has represented clients at the administrative, trial, and appellate levels, as well as in domestic and international arbitration.

Narges also advises clients on a number of issues including insurance and risk management, employment matters and non-competes, legal ethics, attorney-client privilege, and the risks, security and management of big data.

Her firm leadership roles include serving as Ombudsperson and Vice-Chair of Mintz’s pro bono practice. Narges received the Human Rights First Pro Bono Star Award for Excellence in Legal Advocacy in 2013.

Tim is a Partner based in Chicago in the PwC’s Forensic Services, Advisory practice. He has more than 20 years of experience in information risk management and governance, intellectual property and contract disputes, complex data analysis, digital forensics, eDiscovery readiness, data analysis, forensic accounting, and fraud investigations. Tim’s expertise includes helping government and major public and private corporations across various industries worldwide prepare for and respond to unplanned events with a legal, regulatory, or compliance element.

He has led numerous global large -scale eDiscovery, information risk management, and complex data analysis projects in matters involving Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Department of Justice investigations, litigation matters, data breach, incident response, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, money laundering, anti-bribery and anti-corruption(ABAC), Foreign  Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Prevention of Bribery Act, disputes, and various corporate investigations. He also works closely with law enforcement and government entities to assist with complex investigations and sensitive matters.

Prior to joining PwC, Tim served as a Corporate Auditor for Sony Corporation of America performing licensee, royalty, financial, operational, and compliance reviews as well as special investigations for all divisions of Sony in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA from Oral Roberts University as well as several certifications, including the EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), New Technologies (NTI) Computer Forensics Methodoly Certification and he is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Tim has presented numerous times on the topics of digital forensics, eDiscovery, integrated investigations, information risk management, and detecting and managing fraud risk. He has also served as a Judicial College and litigation forum faculty for digital forensics, eDiscovery and electronic evidence investigations.

Keisha-Ann G. Gray is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department, and serves as co-chair of the Policies, Handbooks and Training Practice Group, and is the former co-chair of the Employment Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group. She is a distinguished trial lawyer who has secured significant victories in both federal and state courts (jury trial and otherwise) for companies facing “bet the company” sensitive litigation issues.

The breadth of her experience and background in government, first as a federal law clerk, and then as an Assistant United States Attorney, coupled with her tenure in private practice as a Big Law partner and employment litigator, gives Keisha-Ann the unique ability to meaningfully connect with diverse populations, and to thereby advocate effectively and successfully for her clients. As a result, Keisha-Ann is frequently called upon to litigate high-profile workplace misconduct claims and to conduct highly sensitive and confidential internal investigations. She regularly advises well-known companies, brands and individuals on high-reaching, high-level, reputational risk, workplace misconduct matters. Because of the sensitive nature of Keisha-Ann’s practice, many of her matters have successfully resulted in non-public resolutions and remain confidential – precisely the mandate required by her clients.

Counseling is another cornerstone of her practice. As a seasoned trial counsel and litigator, Keisha-Ann draws from her experiences in the courtroom before juries to help inform her clients, including many Fortune 500 companies, on issues pertinent to employment law and complaint prevention.

Tiffani Figueroa is an associate in the Litigation Department of Morrison & Foerster’s New York Office. Her practice focuses on complex litigation, with an emphasis on class action and financial services litigation. Ms. Figueroa’s experience includes matters involving federal and state contract and antitrust laws, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), as well as state unfair and deceptive practices statutes.

Ms. Figueroa also maintains an active pro bono practice. She has been involved in defending against a condominium board in a foreclosure action, as well as defending against an apartment complex in a housing discrimination matter.

Ms. Figueroa received her B.A. from Georgetown University. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Hofstra University School of Law, where she was a notes and comments editor for the Hofstra Law Review. While in law school, Ms. Figueroa was a judicial intern for the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She served as law clerk to the Honorable LaShann DeArcy Hall of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York from April 2017 – April 2018.

As Ampersand's Chief Privacy Officer and General Counsel, Noga Rosenthal is responsible for guiding the company's privacy and legal initiatives; she holds deep expertise in the development and implementation of comprehensive privacy programs. 

Noga previously served as Chief Privacy Officer at Epsilon where she led the company’s worldwide privacy, compliance and regulatory activities. Prior to Epsilon, she served as General Counsel and Vice President for Compliance and Policy for the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), helping craft industry standards around the responsible collection and use of data for digital advertising, running its compliance program and ensuring that member companies delivered on the promise of self-regulation for interest-based advertising. Furthermore, she also led global legal affairs for WPP’s Xaxis, a pioneering programmatic digital media business, as SVP and General Counsel. 

Noga is a member of the Women Leading Privacy Advisory Board of the International Association of Privacy Professional (IAPP). She is currently a member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Public Policy Group, State Privacy Working Group and Legal Affairs Committee.

She has also served on the IAPP’s Education Advisory Board and was an active member of the UK Data Protection Network, providing guidance on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Noga also sat on the Advisory Board of the Digital Advertising Alliance and the Data Standards Committee of the Data and Marketing Association. Bureau. She also served as co-chair of the Privacy Committee of the Mobile Marketing Association. 

Noga received her bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from Rutgers and a J.D. from Fordham Law School.

As General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Buzzfeed, Inc., Rhonda Powell leads a team of professional and administrative staff that supports all areas of the company’s rapidly growing digital media business. In her role, Rhonda provides both strategic and legal guidance to the organization on corporate and commercial transactional matters, compliance, employment and labor relations,  risk management and intellectual property use and protection.  Ms. Powell joined Buzzfeed in September 2018 from Complex Networks, where she previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary.after twelve (12) years in various roles at Scripps Networks.

Ms. Powell is graduate of Harvard University (magna cum laude w/ summa honors in major) and The University of Michigan School of Law, where she was named a Clarence Darrow Merit Scholar.   Ms. Powell serves on the Boards of Directors of  PowerMyLearning, which has as its core mission the use of technology and creation of partnerships among parents, teachers and children to enhance and enrich the learning experience and the Food Education Fund, which supports Food and Finance High School, the only New York City public school providing students with a comprehensive culinary education. She is a mentor to several young women and men throughout the New York metropolitan area, including high school, college and law school students, as well as junior lawyers and has taken an active role in efforts to celebrate and enhance diversity in the corporate workplace and workforce.

Jim Van Hoof is the VP of Growth & Innovation, President of Intregrated Solutions & the VP of Tax at Hubbell Incorporated. He is an analytical, adaptive, and collaborative executive with 20+ years of progressive leadership experience directing operations in Finance, Law, and Management within billion-dollar organizations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. As a strategic and creative thinker, he possess an innate ability to diagnose highly complex processes and transactions proposing and executing short, medium, and long-term solutions. Jim is known as a “fixer” with success leading turnaround of underperforming organizations and developing groundbreaking innovations, corporate strategies, and M&A penetrating new markets, optimizing tax strategy, and building sustainable operations within fast-paced, high-growth environments. 

Jim acquired his law degree from The Western New England University School of Law.

Anjanette is a skilled trial lawyer with vast experience representing Fortune 500 and other clients in various industries against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and denial of employee benefits before federal and state courts and administrative agencies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Ohio. She has successfully tried employment cases to verdict, negotiated settlements, and briefed and argued appeals before the Third Circuit, and New York and New Jersey state appellate courts. Given her litigation experience, clients regularly call on her for advice on compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, as well as to conduct sensitive workplace investigations.

Prior to her employment law practice, Anjanette was a New York State Prosecutor where she tried narcotics and domestic violence cases. Anjanette also drafted and argued appeals before the Second Department.  Anjanette also clerked for the Honorable Shelby Highsmith in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. 

Dorit Ungar Black, an Israeli/Austrian immigrant, was just 35 years old when asked to co-found Holwell Shuster & Goldberg with former federal judge Richard Holwell and two partners with whom she had practiced at White & Case. Despite her youth, Ms. Black was a natural selection to co-found a new firm. In little more than a decade of practicing in the U.S., she had gained a reputation as a tenacious lawyer, representing clients like Comcast Corporation, Mitsubishi, and Eurofins.

Since then, Ms. Black has been involved in several high-profile matters. For example, she single-handedly put on a multibillion-dollar damages case in a recent trial against Lehman Brothers over its massive securitizations of toxic mortgages. The trial, which addressed Lehman’s pivotal role in causing the 2008 financial collapse, resulted in a $2.4 billion damages award for investors—the largest single trial verdict resulting from the housing crisis. In the past year, Ms. Black has pivoted to another cutting-edge area of law, becoming a pioneer in innovative “cost of insurance” litigation.

Beyond her litigation success, Ms. Black’s most notable accomplishment may be her role as a founding partner and leader of the firm. In the seven years since it opened, HSG has grown from its four founding partners to approximately 60 lawyers and has been named Benchmark Litigation’s New York Law Firm of the Year, among many other honors. Ms. Black has been instrumental in mentoring many of the firm’s younger lawyers and has been an advocate for women at the firm.

Among her many accolades, she was recognized on Benchmark Litigation’s inaugural Under 40 Hot List, and has been named a Female Powerbroker by Law360, a Rising Star by the New York Law Journal, Boutique Lawyer of the Year by Lawyer Monthly, a Woman Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal, and a Top Woman Attorney in the New York Metro Area by Super Lawyers. Ms. Black previously was a partner in the New York office of Kasowitz, Benson, and before that was an associate at White & Case and at one of Austria’s most prestigious law firms, Wolf Theiss & Partners.

Mirlande focuses her practice on representing banks, private equity funds and other investors in a variety of complex debt financing transactions, including secured and unsecured, syndicated and bilateral, revolving and term credit facilities.

Her lending experience consists of representation of clients in connection with leveraged financings, including leveraged buyouts, as well as investment grade financings. She counsels clients who lend to, or invest in, companies in a broad range of industries, with a focus in the healthcare, manufacturing, technology and retail sectors.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods LLP, Mirlande practiced in the corporate department of a New York-based international law firm, where she represented leading investment banks and other institutional investors in corporate financing transactions involving high yield debt and equity offerings, as well as mezzanine financings.

Monsurat Adebanjo’s personal and professional life has been dedicated to the promotion and protection of the arts, advocating for diversity and empowering underrepresented people. Monsurat is a practicing attorney and the founder of Brown Girl For The Arts Media; The Urban Culturist, a tech startup; and Brown Girl Artists. Brown Girl For The Arts Media is committed to broadening the sluggishly changing narrative of the Diaspora through representation in the media. The Urban Culturist utilizes its digital space to promote diversity, access and exposure within the art world and share new and diverse opportunities to appreciate art and culture.  Brown Girl Artists, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering girls of color to envision their futures as artists, professionals and world changers by connecting them with positive, relatable and accomplished role models of color.

Anushree Bagrodia, Vice President, is the lead lawyer for Transformation of the Law Department at Mastercard. She is responsible for the strategy and execution, including change management across global legal functions and departments. Prior to this, Anushree held number of roles at Mastercard in London and New York where she guided senior management on complex global deal structures, provided counsel on creative solutions for product implementation, advised on risk assessment and negotiated multifaceted commercial agreements. Before joining Mastercard, Anushree worked with Sidley Austin in London, advising global clients from multiple industries on mergers and acquisitions and commercial transactions. Anushree chaired the UK Chapter of Women’s ERG at Mastercard. Currently she is an active member of AABANY and sits on the Finance Committee of Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Graduate of Oxford University, Anushree has a diverse professional portfolio and has experience of working in India, UK and the US.

Janet Abrams is Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs at Viacom Media Networks.   She has been with the company since 2010.  Janet negotiates a variety of commercial agreements and advises on digital and general business matters, working mainly with the advertising sales, social impact, corporate social responsibility, marketing strategy, culture and business development groups at Viacom.  Janet also develops social media use policies for the VMN brands and advises such brands and in-house lawyers on general business and legal concerns related to social media platforms.

Prior to joining Viacom, Janet was Director of Legal Affairs at NBCUniversal, where she supported digital teams, including iVillage and NBC Local Media.  Janet is a graduate of New York Law School and the State University of New York at Albany. She also studied abroad in London as an undergraduate.  Janet is a member of the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Legal Affairs Council on behalf of Viacom, and outside of her position at Viacom, she advises the anti-violence organization, V-Day, on a pro bono basis.

Kirsten L. Molloy is an experienced litigation attorney who concentrates her practice in the construction industry, commercial litigation, as well as complex insurance coverage and defense.  Her practice focuses on disputes arising out of construction accidents and New York Labor Law, as well as matters involving general and commercial liability, professional malpractice, construction defects, copyright infringement,  employment, insurance coverage, as well as general litigation matters.

Prior to joining Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley, Ms. Molloy has handled a broad range of complex business and commercial litigation involving contract disputes, bankruptcy matters, as well as products liability.

Ms. Molloy is admitted to practice in State Courts in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as in the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Ms. Molloy was born in Korea and grew up in New Zealand.  She graduated from the University of Auckland in New Zealand where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree, and subsequently received her Master of Arts degree in International Politics from Ewha Womans University Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul, Korea.  Ms. Molloy graduated from Rutgers University School of Law and received her law degree in 2008, where she was a recipient of Dean’s Academic Excellence Scholarship and was on the Dean’s List.

Courtney Statfeld has extensive experience handling complex commercial disputes. She is particularly skilled in crafting creative and strategic solutions for disputes arising out of structured finance, complex financial products, securities, and intellectual property matters, which have helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for her clients.  Courtney has litigated in state and federal courts across the country. Her clients include leading hedge funds, private equity firms, investment advisors, institutional investors, international banks, and Fortune 500 companies. 

For nearly a decade, Courtney has focused on litigation involving complex financial products, including residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). Her experience includes working on the preeminent case in the RMBS arena and obtaining a series of rulings, including at summary judgment, that set the basic framework for RMBS litigation nationwide. She has handled complex cases from inception to settlement, including on behalf of monoline insurers and several large financial institutions, as trustees and investors, in numerous federal and state court actions alleging fraud, breach of contract, and misrepresentations concerning pools of mortgage loans that underlie residential mortgage-backed securities that were securitized and sold to investors. She also handles motion practice, document and deposition discovery, expert discovery, trial preparation, and appellate briefing. She litigates aggressively for her clients such that many of her cases settle favorably in the middle of discovery.  

Courtney is known for her tireless dedication to client service, and building close, long-term relationships that enable her to proactively identify and address her clients’ needs. Her courtroom achievements have earned her recognition as a “rising star” by both Super Lawyers and Benchmark Litigation.

Stacie E. Trott focuses her practice on highly-structured corporate and commercial real estate transactions, with an emphasis on European and Asian cross-border matters. She specializes in advising institutional private equity firms, global investment managers and real estate investment funds in complex joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions and financings of office, hotel, multi-family and retail assets.

Stacie has in-depth experience throughout the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Korea and Australia.

While in law school, Stacie served as the managing editor for the Fordham Environmental Law Review.

Michelle Moosally is the General Counsel of Commercial Banking and Corporate & Investment Banking for Santander US.  The businesses that Michelle supports operate across Santander Bank, N.A., Santander Investment Securities Inc. and the New York Branch of Banco Santander, S.A.  Michelle also serves as the U.S. leader of Santander’s Women’s Employee Network.  She joined Santander in December 2016 from JPMorgan Chase & Co. where she was Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel, serving the J.P. Morgan Investment Bank.   Before JPMorgan Chase, Michelle was Managing Director Principal for Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. and a Capital Markets Associate at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP.  Michelle earned her J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law and her B.A. from Dickinson College.  Michelle also holds a Masters in Economics and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies.  She serves on the board of City Year New York and resides in New York City with her two sons, Alessandro and Matteo.

Patricia (Trish) Preston is senior vice president of Business Transformation, for the Law, Franchise and Integrity (LFI) organization at Mastercard. In this role she leads a team focused on building efficient and scalable processes through technology, training and a shared service center for routine work, while finding better ways of working to meet future demand.

Prior to her current position, Trish was senior vice president, Product Management Excellence, where she was responsible for establishing and maintaining a culture of product management excellence, driving a change management agenda to advance skills and mindsets of employees accountable for product development and management, defining critical best practices and providing thought leadership. 

Before that, Trish led Mastercard debit product management in the Americas.  She oversaw strategy development and execution, new product development and sales development supporting Mastercard debit offerings. 

Trish brings more than 20 years of financial services experience, ranging from retail banking to treasury management and payment services.  Prior to joining Mastercard, she served as senior vice president of JPMorgan Chase’s Treasury Service Division, responsible for managing the development and growth of a prepaid/stored value business.  Trish led a large transportation payment project that formed the backbone of the E-Z Pass toll system.  She was also an architect of a cashless card solution for navy ships known as Navy Cash.

Trish, earned a Bachelor of Science from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. She also earned a Master of Business Administration from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and is a graduate of the Bank Administration Institute School of Banking.

Carmita is a member of Fragomen’s Executive Committee and a Partner at the firm’s New York office. She practices corporate immigration law and represents top global financial services organizations and leading law firms. Carmita has significant experience in helping international businesses manage and better understand international assignments and the employment of professionals on both a temporary and permanent basis in the United States. She works with companies to decrease the burden on human resources personnel while implementing cost-effective strategies for management of large-scale foreign national employee populations while ensuring compliance with immigration laws, Department of Labor regulations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services programs. 

Carmita earned her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Providence College. Carmita speaks English and Spanish.

Jessie Gabriel works smartly and tirelessly to resolve investment disputes for her clients, which include private investment funds, public issuers, boards of directors and C-level executives. She also counsels her clients on ways to reduce regulatory and litigation exposure through well-crafted compliance programs, investor agreements, insurance policies and corporate documents. Jessie is a frequent commentator on the changing landscape of securities litigation and private fund compliance, and how companies benefit from an industry-based approach to legal services. She leads the firm's Investment Funds team.

Jessie believes that management skills are just as important as substantive legal knowledge. Drawing from her previous career in economics, she demands strong project management and efficient, cost-effective utilization of resources in all her cases. In her representation of Irving H. Picard, the Trustee for the global liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, Jessie has managed the Trustee's claims against Madoff's largest hedge fund investor and his primary banker. Jessie formerly chaired the Women’s Committee for the New York office and is currently Vice-chair of the Board of Directors of New Destiny Housing, a non-profit organization that develops housing for families victimized by domestic violence.

Amy S. Leder serves as the executive partner of Holland & Knight's New York office and as co-leader of the firm's Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Group in the Northeast region. Ms. Leder advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, strategic alliances, capital-raising transactions and general corporate matters. She handles transactions such as the representation of underwriters and issuers in public offerings of equity and debt, divestitures, strategic investments and joint ventures. Ms. Leder works with clients ranging from financial institutions and startups to U.S. and international public companies.

Felice Kemp is the first-ever Senior Vice President and Global General Counsel of Cyient, a publicly-traded company that is a leading provider of technology services and solutions. She is an international in-house lawyer; an expert in customer contracts, including intellectual property, employer agreements, compliance, and regulatory issues.

Before joining Cyient, Felice was Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Unicorns LLC, a firm she founded to support start-ups and private equity-owned businesses. She has also held global leadership positions at multinational companies such as United Technologies Corporation (now Raytheon Technologies), Honeywell International, and LEGO.

Felice holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and a graduate degree in taxation from Boston University School of Law. She completed her bachelor's degree in English at Yale University. Throughout her career, she has received recognition as a legal and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) thought leader as well as for service to the state of Connecticut. In 2017, she was honored by the Urban League of Southern Connecticut with the Woman of Power Award. The Connecticut Governor appointed Felice to the Board of Regents for Higher Education.

Manisha Lalwani is Director and Senior Legal Counsel for Bank of Montreal.  She is an experienced attorney advising BMO on a broad range of regulatory reforms, and advising on US securities law and broker-dealer issues for the Trading Products business.  She advises on equities, credit, fixed income and FX derivatives, listed and bilateral options, futures, commodities, securities lending, margin loan and repo transactions for the Trading Products business.  She also advises on regulatory examinations of BMO Capital Markets Corp, their US registered broker dealer. Prior to joining BMO, she was a Director and Counsel for Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC advising on credit, fixed income and FX derivatives and the Emerging Markets business.  She represented Credit Suisse on the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee and lead Credit Suisse’s global implementation of the Dodd Frank business conduct rules, focusing on electronic trading platforms and swap execution facilities.  Prior to Credit Suisse, Manisha was Counsel to Morgan Stanley’s corporate secretarial group advising on corporate governance, SEC reporting and compliance activities for the parent bank holding company. Much of Manisha’s legal experience builds on the securities law skills acquired as an Associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, LLP. 

Kerri Ann Law is an experienced trial lawyer and counselor with a diverse practice representing clients, including Fortune 500 companies, in complex commercial litigation in both state and federal courts, as well as in domestic and international arbitration forums. She also represents companies and individuals in connection with sensitive and high-profile criminal and regulatory matters, and related civil matters. On behalf of her clients, Kerri Ann regularly interacts with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and other governmental agencies.

Among her more notable representations, Kerri Ann secured a multimillion-dollar jury victory for a manufacturing company in an unfair competition case. The jury found that the defendant had stolen trade secrets relating to unique and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes that the plaintiff had developed over decades. Kerri Ann represented Bear Stearns in several shareholder derivative actions and class actions arising out of the collapse of two hedge funds in 2007. She also represented an individual in a putative class action alleging manipulation of the platinum and palladium markets, including the trading of futures contracts, in violation of the Commodity Exchange Act, the Sherman Antitrust Act, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Kerri Ann has litigated numerous false advertising matters for pharmaceutical and other companies. Legal 500, which ranked Kramer Levin’s advertising practice “in the top tier,” designated Kerri Ann as a “highly recommended” counsel in this area. Among other representations, Kerri Ann successfully defended AstraZeneca in a false advertising suit related to the company’s Nexium product.

Legal 500 also designated Kerri Ann as a “recommended” counsel for her employment litigation practice, which includes representing and advising companies in employment disputes alleging discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation, and violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as those arising from employment contracts. Kerri Ann successfully defended several subsidiaries of one of the world’s largest financial services companies in an arbitration commenced by a former manager, who asserted a breach of contract claim in connection with her termination. Kerri Ann also achieved a favorable settlement of allegations of wage and hour violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York’s Labor Law for a client in the travel industry.

Kerri Ann undertakes many pro bono matters, with a particular focus on human rights. She successfully obtained asylum for a woman who had been repeatedly persecuted in Kosovo and Montenegro because of her nationality and her religious and political opinions.

Kerri Ann serves on the firm’s Executive Committee, Planning Committee, Branding Committee and Women’s Initiative Committee, and as chair of the firm’s Hiring Committee. Kerri Ann has also regularly served on the firm’s Compensation Committee.

Margot Weisberg is an associate at Aaronson Rappaport, LLP.  Her practice is dedicated to the defense of high-exposure medical malpractice litigation for the top hospitals and physicians in New York City.  She believes it is a privilege to represent our city’s medical providers.  She is a zealous advocate whether she is in Court, at a deposition, or engaging in motion practice.  Ms. Weisberg was named a NY-Metro Rising Star for 2019.  She is also passionate about equality and representation in the legal field.  While earning her J.D. at George Washington University Law School, she helped draft the re-authorized Violence Against Women Act with the National Center Against Domestic Violence and worked with various groups to ensure it was more inclusive.  Ms. Weisberg also worked with a non-profit to ensure Title IX Compliance on College Campuses.  She earned a B.A. in Women’s Studies from Barnard College. 

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.

Heather N. Bowen, Esq. is a results-driven, solutions-oriented, problem-solving attorney who focuses her practice on domestic and international trademark, copyright, licensing, technology, new media, data privacy, and business law matters. She has experience serving as corporate counsel to global companies in both the media & entertainment and healthcare technology spaces. Heather has also helped over 125 startup businesses in New York avoid pitfalls as they navigated from newly-commenced startups to established and successful corporate entities. She continues to be a thought leader in the intellectual property and technology fields through frequent publications in the legal press as well as her effective involvement in multiple bar association committees.

Lisa has been practicing law for twenty-five (25) years and has expertise as in-house counsel for companies in the manufacturing, food service, international banking, and real estate industries and in private practice at two law firms in Connecticut. Practice areas include procurement, mortgage lending, commercial real estate, corporate law, contracts, regulatory compliance, and probate law. She is currently Senior Corporate Counsel at Compass Group USA, Inc. where she handles contract matters for Chartwells School Dining, Canteen Vending, Wolfgang Puck Catering, Restaurant Associates and Eurest Corporate Dining. Prior to Compass, Lisa was Of Counsel to a law firm specializing in the mortgage banking industry, served as Assistant General Counsel at Lanxess Corporation, and as Assistant Counsel to former New York State Comptroller H. Carl McCall. 

Lisa has served as a director on two non-profit boards. Other affiliations include  Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, FEMA Disaster Legal Aid, the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys, The New York County Lawyers Association, the Southbury Training School and the Southbury Film Commission. She created and managed a law student internship program with NYC area law schools. As a member of the National Association of Women Lawyers, she chaired membership and planning committees. She created the Women’s Literature Program, a signature annual event for the National Association of Italian American Women. Lisa is the recipient of a leadership award from her undergraduate alma mater and an employee recognition award from Comptroller McCall.

Lisa earned a B.S. degree from a women’s college, an experience that led to her lifelong interest in recruiting, fundraising and advocating for single-sex education. She earned a J. D. from the Duquesne University School of Law where she was a member of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. 

Felecia Ettenberg is the VP & Assistant General Counsel of Global Compliance & Legal at Bristol-Myers Squibb. She is an experienced Pharmaceutical Leader with a broad range of experience in legal, regulatory, compliance and commercial in the US and globally.

Felecia acquired her law degree from The Boston University School of Law.

Marie A. Francois has been a practicing attorney for 20 years.  Marie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and goodwill, gained from years of representing a diverse array of companies.  Marie currently serves as General Counsel of FORD MODELS, INC. She joined FORD in September, 2013.  In her role as chief legal officer, she is responsible for overseeing FORD’s worldwide legal affairs including corporate, litigation, intellectual property, regulatory and employment matters.

Prior to joining FORD, Marie served as Resident Outside Counsel to FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation for 5 years where she acted as the contact attorney for FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc., the world's leading provider of inkjet printheads for commercial and industrial printing.   There she ensured that all the legal needs of the company were met, including driving commercial growth by negotiating agreements with customers and managing risk.  Prior to that, for 3 years, Marie was Counsel to specialty consumer finance company, Delta Funding Corp., concentrating in general corporate, real estate, securities and employment law matters.

Marie was also previously an Associate in Farrell Fritz, P.C.’s Corporate Department where, for 5 years, she represented a wide array of clients on the local, regional and national levels. These include state and national banks, universities, hospitals, and public and private companies.

Marie graduated from Albany Law School in 1999 where she served as Associate Editor of Albany Law’s Law Review. In 1996, Marie graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York College at Brockport with a Bachelor of Science in History.

Gena Usenheimer is a Partner in the Labor & Employment department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP's New York office.   Ms. Usenheimer regularly defends employers in single and multi-plaintiff cases, as well as in complex class and collective action litigations.  In addition, Ms. Usenheimer has also defended employers in class and individual arbitrations.

Ms. Usenheimer has significant litigation experience in both state and federal courts and has successfully defended claims of discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation arising under federal, state and municipal laws.  Ms. Usenheimer’s practice also includes defending employers in wage and hour class and collective actions.

In addition to her litigation experience, Ms. Usenheimer regularly defends employers in administrative proceedings before various agencies, such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state fair employment practices agencies, (such as the New York State Division of Human Rights) where she assists clients in navigating through responsive statements, document production and agency fact-finding investigations.  In addition, Ms. Usenheimer has represented employers in wage and hour audits as well as independent contractor misclassification audits before the U.S. Department of Labor and the various state investigative agencies.

Based on her extensive experience, Ms. Usenheimer conducts training and counsels clients on a host of employment related matters, from wage payment and other wage and hour issues to best practices with respect to creating an inclusive workplace, compliance with recent legislation, internal investigations, employee discipline, preparation of employee handbooks and employee terminations.

Moreover, Ms. Usenheimer frequently represents companies in labor and employment transactional due diligence, including providing advice and counsel on matters such as employee transfers, risks associated with possible joint employer relationships, wage and hour liability, the use of contingent workers including temporary employees and independent contractors, high-risk employment litigation, government audits and investigations, and potential WARN based issues arising from mass terminations and plant closings.

Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw, Ms. Usenheimer worked at a prominent Labor and Employment law firm in New York City.  Prior to that, she defended the MTA New York City Transit Authority in employment disputes and served as a liaison to the employee benefits group to ensure agency-wide compliance with federal and state privacy laws.

Carmen Hunt is the Director of Trademark Enforcement at Major League Baseball.  She is also a decisive, engaging and articulate trademark professional and team leader with 20+ years of experience. Carmen has directed all aspects of worldwide trademark portfolio management, brand enforcement and trademark maintenance for leading domestic and global brands and organizations, including MLB and the NBA.

Molly Pease is a Managing Director at Curiam Capital LLC, a private investment firm that provides financing for high-value commercial litigation.  Ms. Pease leads the day-to-day operations of the firm, while also underwriting and monitoring Curiam’s investments and supporting the firm’s business development efforts.  Previously, Ms. Pease worked as Executive Director and General Counsel at two boutique law firms where she developed and implemented long-term business strategies in all aspects of firm management including financial analysis and reporting, business development and marketing, human resource recruitment and management, legal project management, and office operations.  Ms. Pease began her career as a litigator with a focus on complex commercial and securities disputes on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants.

Ms. Pease received her law degree from New York University School of Law and her undergraduate degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. 

Megan Bell is a Partner in the Firm's Tax-Exempt Organizations department. Ms. Bell represents tax-exempt organizations in a wide range of matters, including formation and restructuring, tax compliance, governance, fundraising and gifts, and investment activities. Her clients consist of private foundations and public charities, including donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, and company foundations with both domestic and international operations, as well as social welfare organizations, business leagues and trade associations, and agricultural organizations. Ms. Bell also represents individuals and for-profit entities in structuring and managing their relationships and affiliations with tax-exempt organizations.

Ms. Bell’s practice includes advising on governance and tax matters, complex gifts and collaborative funding structures, lobbying and political campaign activities, joint ventures and other affiliations with for-profit and noncharitable tax-exempt organizations, program-related investments, unrelated business income taxes, compensation matters, and internal reviews. In addition, Ms. Bell represents a variety of tax-exempt organizations in connection with Internal Revenue Service audits and Attorney General inquiries and investigations.

Ms. Bell speaks at conferences for and about non-profit organizations on a range of topics. Most recently, Ms. Bell has spoken about investment governance, nonprofit matters, and complex public support issues.

Jill focuses on handling health care issues for the full spectrum of health care providers, investors, and lenders. She is an appointed member of the Steering Committee for the firm’s Women’s Leadership Development Initiative.

Jill has particular experience in representing health care providers, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, long-term care hospitals, hospices, home health agencies, continuing care retirement communities, ambulatory surgery centers, durable medical equipment providers, pharmacies, therapy companies, and vaccine providers. She has extensive experience in managing the regulatory aspects involved in health care transactions, ranging from single facility deals to some of the industry’s largest multistate transactions across multiple business lines. She also advises clients on health care regulatory issues involved in bankruptcies.

In recent years, Jill has overseen the health care regulatory aspects of several complex acquisitions by long-term care and senior living companies. Jill also spends a substantial portion of her practice advising providers and lenders in health care financing transactions. In the course of her representation of health care clients, she advises clients on issues such as licensing, certificate of need, fraud and abuse, health privacy, contracting, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, compliance, bankruptcy, and successor liability issues.

Prior to joining Arent Fox, Jill served as of counsel to Harris Beach, LLP’s business transactions and health regulatory practice groups.

Jill is an active member of the American Health Lawyers Association.

Emily R. Pidot is a partner in the Employment Law Department of Paul Hastings in New York.

Ms. Pidot’s practice includes defending employers in a broad array of employment matters, including claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; whistleblower matters; executive compensation disputes; and wage-and-hour class and collective actions. She regularly counsels clients on human resources policies and employee relations to prevent litigation, and also has extensive experience providing anti-harassment training to clients’ workforces.

Carmen is Manager & Counsel in the General Counsel’s Organization at American Express. She forms a part of the Digital & Data Partnerships Team (DDPT) where she provides an array of legal support and guidance to business teams within the Enterprise Digital & Analytics (EDA) Center of Excellence. Specifically, within EDA, Carmen works closely with the Global Commercial & Merchant Analytics team which supports needs across the enterprise that involve merchant information, including through the Customer Relevant Merchant Data database. She also supports the Enterprise Digital Member Experiences – Smart Offer Partnerships team whose remit includes providing data sharing models to third parties for card-linking and transaction sharing enabling such third parties to run offers and loyalty programs to Amex cardmembers. Carmen also provides legal support to the US Merchant Marketing team in connection with Amex Offers and merchant marketing campaigns.

Prior to joining the DDPT, Carmen worked within the Global Merchant Services (GMS) Practice Group for three years. Within GMS, she supported the Global Client Group’s Car Rental and Online merchant business units where she provided legal support and assistance on several global merchant card acceptance agreement negotiations and advised client managers on a variety of merchant matters. 

Carmen currently serves on the GCO Pro Bono Committee and was also a part of the American Express GCO 2019 High School Legal Internship Planning Committee. 

Carmen earned her J.D. from New York Law School and is admitted to practice under the New York State Bar, Second Department. She holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Adelphi University, Pi Sigma Alpha. She resides in Seaford, NY with her husband, Angel, and two children, Eliza and Ryan.