Modern Counsel #43

RAISE YOUR VOICE

How six women in law turn their passion into mentorship, opening doors for those left out and forging new legacies P24

THE EMPOWERED ISSUE

Strategic Partner

In business, the law is everywhere you look. And everywhere you don’t. So business leaders rely on counsel they can trust: Vinson & Elkins.

Drawing on deep knowledge and experience, we advise leading companies on complex matters in the industries driving the global economy. Every step of the way, we engage closely with our clients, delivering forward-thinking advice that positions them to achieve their goals.

Businesses around the world count on our firm to serve as their strategic partner. Find us online to learn how we can serve as yours.

Vinson & Elkins LLP Attorneys at Law

THE EMPOWERED ISSUE

From mentorship to self-advocacy, six leaders use their legal careers to ensure other women and minorities have opportunities to thrive P24

Implement

Chia-Hao La helps define the burgeoning autonomous driving industry at Waymo P17

How Gina Capua drives impactful change in the legal team and beyond at Clarience Technologies

Kendra Stevens, associate general counsel at EverCommerce, pushes her team members to excel at work and truly unplug to do what they love in life

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After overcoming doubts on and off the field, Division I athlete turned litigator Tiana Towns manages legal for Gilbane Building Company’s western division

After decades of nationally recognized success in personal injury law, Johnpatrick O’Brien is spending the final chapter of his career winning cases on his own P74

Emily Gordon has leaned in to saying yes, which has made her especially effective in-house at the Estée Lauder Companies

Technologies (Capua), Sharon Lewis (Stevens), Nancy Elizabeth Hill (O’Brien)

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Pivot

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Throughout his career, Ron Peppe of FabSouth has found excitement by reinventing himself and expanding what it means to lead from the legal seat

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Natalie LaPorta left Walgreens to get the firm experience she wanted. She came back to built out the privacy legal function and today is the company’s chief privacy officer.

Focus

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Neena Reddy performs due diligence and leads integrations to help Blue Owl grow without sacrificing the character that makes it a destination workplace

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An early aptitude for law led Hinh Tran down a path that allowed him to make a meaningful impact at Ramp

Evaluate

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An unexpected opportunity catapulted Elizabeth Poole’s career. She shares how she is supporting integration and automation leader Boomi as its general counsel.

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Vivek Ganti learns to think about IP differently after going in-house at Applied Materials

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Creative

Editorial Director

Frannie Sprouls

Managing Editor

Melaina Cecilia de la Cruz

Contributing Editors

Megan Bungeroth

Rhiannon Root

Kristen Tatroe

Hana Yoo

Contributing Writers

Zach Baliva

Lucy Cavanagh

Frank DiMaria

Noah Johnson

Keith Loria

Joseph Stark

Billy Yost

Art Director

Anastasia Andronachi

Designer, Modern Counsel

Rebecca Kang

Designer Arturo Magallanes

Photo Manager & Video Director

Cass Davis

Contributing Photo Editor

Sarah Joyce

Corporate

CEO & Publisher

Pedro A. Guerrero

Chief of Staff

Jaclyn Gaughan

SALES

Managing Director, Inside Sales

Hannah Tanchon

Director, Sales

Samantha Hershman

Senior Director, Corporate

Partnerships & DEI Solutions

Krista Horbenko

Lead Recruiter

Haylee Himel

Senior Talent Acquisition Manager

Jordyn Gauger

Content & Advertising Managers

Megan Apfelbach

Amanda Matuszewski

Megan Noyes

Katie O’Brien Kara Thomas Aleksander Tomalski

Stuart Ziarnik

AUDIENCE & ENGAGEMENT

VP, Hispanic Division

Head of Audience & Engagement

Vianni Lubus

Director, Events

Jill Ortiz

Community Engagement & Communications Manager

Cristina Merrill

Social Media Coordinator

Rodrigo Cortés

OPERATIONS

Chief Operating Officer

Tere Pérez Lobatón

VP, Finance

David Martinez

Director, Circulation

Stacy Liedl

Head Developer

Jose Reinaldo Montoya

Senior Director, Client Operations

Cheyenne Eiswald

Manager, Client Services

Andrew Evangelista

Editor’s Letter

As the legal landscape grows more complex,

the voices shaping the future of law must be stronger, more visionary, and more committed to advancing justice than ever. This issue celebrates empowerment at every level of the legal field, especially through the stories of six remarkable women who not only have achieved executive leadership but also are redefining it. They bring an unwavering commitment to helping others succeed. Through mentorship and advocacy, they’re dismantling old barriers and offering a road map to a more inclusive profession. Their stories in our annual Empowerment issue offer insight into their journeys, strategies, and, most importantly, their visions for a future in which equality is a given and not a goal.

This issue also explores the unique intersections between law and technology with our focus section on in-house fintech counsel. In a world increasingly shaped by digital transformation, fintech represents one of the most dynamic, challenging, and potentially disruptive arenas in the industry. Legal experts within these companies face the evolving task of balancing innovation with regulation, often laying the groundwork for policies that ensure financial inclusivity and security. These leaders operate on the cutting edge, defining what compliance, privacy, and ethics look like in the digital age.

While you read these stories, I invite you to reflect on your own journey and what empowerment means to you. Maybe it’s the determination to break new ground, the strength to help others navigate their path, the courage to stay true to your values, or something else entirely.

We dedicate this issue to all who drive the legal field forward by making space for diverse perspectives and fostering work environments where everyone’s voice matters.

Melaina

Cecilia de la Cruz Managing Editor

Open the door to diverse audience reach, business leaders, and talent pools with Guerrero.

Share in Our Mission

Implement

Celebrating legal leaders’ latest efforts and achievements, including transactions, expansions, negotiations, and inclusion initiatives

Toni Tsvetanova is a world-class M&A lawyer helping Altria diversify its product portfolio

By Billy Yost

Toni Tsvetanova on Altria and How They’re

“Moving Beyond Smoking”

TONI TSVETANOVA JOINED ONE OF the world’s largest producers of tobacco and nicotine alternatives inspired by the drive for change she saw happening inside the organization.

“Altria has created a real vision of helping transition adult smokers to a smoke-free future,” says the current assistant general counsel. “This organization stands behind that vision, working to find and create alternative products and reduce harm for adult smokers. My M&A background allows me to help achieve that future. It’s inspiring for me to be part of that mission.”

Tsvetanova brings a wealth of skills and distinctions to Altria. The Harvard Law School graduate speaks several languages. As an undergrad, she received the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which took her to France, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, India, and Uganda to conduct field research on social entrepreneurship. In private practice, Tsvetanova worked on M&A deals ranging from the low millions to several billion dollars.

That multitude of M&A experience proved a perfect primer for going in-house because of how many stakeholders Tsvetanova interacted with on a regular basis.

“You’re like a quarterback, coordinating between your clients and a number of specialists, including IP, tax, employee benefits, and labor and employment specialists, not to mention the other party,” Tsvetanova explains. “You have to understand the contract and merger agreements, and because you’re client facing, you have to translate that information just as skillfully as you execute it.”

Fortunately, Tsvetanova enjoys and excels at client interaction. The lawyer loves learning and the fast pace of M&A work, but she wanted to be part of a longer-term vision. That’s why she wanted to go in-house.

But even with that prep, the transition wasn’t seamless.

Toni Tsvetanova Assistant General Counsel Altria Client Services LLC

“There is a steep learning curve when you go in-house as you learn what’s expected of you,” Tsvetanova says. “Your clients want practical solutions, not long emails explaining the language of the law and what could hypothetically happen. Sometimes, you don’t have a solution on hand and need to find that information and get back to them. I’ve come to love that kind of partnership and collaboration, but developing the necessary skill set to be an effective in-house counsel was an adjustment.”

Since coming to Altria in 2022 in a senior counsel role, Tsvetanova’s promotion to AGC has come on the heels of some large acquisitions and joint partnerships. In 2023, Altria acquired

NJOY Holdings, a $2.75 billion deal that brought the electronic cigarette and vaping company into the Altria fold. According to Altria, the transaction was part of the company’s pledge to continue “Moving Beyond Smoking,” and Tsvetanova was instrumental to closing the deal.

At the end of 2022, Altria entered a “global smoke-free” partnership with JT Group to accelerate harm reduction and, more specifically, a joint venture for the US marketing and commercialization of heated tobacco sticks (HTS). The joint venture is working to submit a premarket tobacco product application for the latest version of Ploom HTS products, which are not currently commercialized in the US.

“The idea here is for two large companies to collaborate to bring new products to market,” Tsvetanova explains. “In this case, it’s two organizations working to bring more cigarette alternatives to adult consumers. Joint ventures are an interesting transaction from an M&A point of view, and both [this deal and the NJOY] deals have been fascinating to be part of.”

The tobacco industry itself has been an education for the AGC. Tsvetanova says Altria exemplifies a company that goes above and beyond to ensure that its products and marketing are compliant and aligned to seek that world “beyond smoking.”

“I understand how some people may see the tobacco industry, but I came here and met this incredible group of people who are working proactively on tobacco harm reduction,” Tsvetanova says. “It’s impressive and refreshing how thoughtful and responsible the people here are. I feel lucky to be here.”

Altria’s outside counsel have been impressed by Tsvetanova’s legal prowess

and enthusiasm for her work. “Toni is an exceptionally diligent and knowledgeable corporate counsel,” says Kristen Rohr, partner at White & Case. “Toni consistently prioritizes Altria’s best interests and has shown time and time again that she has the expertise and dedication to execute complex projects with excellence.”

Outside of work, Tsvetanova has continued to pledge her time to organizations like the Florida Bar Association. As a past chair of the association’s corporation, securities, and financial services committee, she has been helping review and evolve Florida’s notfor-profit statute.

The lawyer is also on the board for Junior Achievement of Greater Miami. The nonprofit offers classes to underserved students from elementary to high school age that cover financial literacy, entrepreneurship, work readiness, and other life skills they may not be getting at school.

The social impact portion of this work is in line with Tsvetanova’s early interest in driving social change through both government intervention and social entrepreneurship. In another life, Tsvetanova may have devoted her entire career to pursuing this interest. But finding a public sector job straight out of law school was incredibly difficult, given Tsvetanova’s immigrant status and need for visa sponsorship. That’s why she remains so committed, off the clock, to organizations driving meaningful change in her community.

The Front Lines of IP Innovation

By

Chia-Hao La helps define the burgeoning autonomous driving industry at Waymo

Billy Yost

YOU MIGHT KNOW WAYMO BY A different name. In 2009, Google launched the Google Self-Driving Car Project. In 2016, the project was renamed Waymo and spun out from Google under its parent company, Alphabet. At present, the company operates robotaxi services in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where they now serve more than 100,000 trips each week to riders via the Waymo One app, with service scheduled to go online soon in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.

There is no shortage of discourse about the risks and rewards of autonomous vehicles, but one thing is certain—they’re part of the future. Waymo’s operations on the absolute front lines of transportation technology make it an ideal location for any in-house attorney looking to answer the toughest questions under the most scrutiny with the smallest amount of precedent possible. Lawyers like managing counsel and head of intellectual property Chia-Hao La.

La, who has two decades of IP experience, spent nearly a decade on Google’s patent team before joining Waymo. At Google, he worked on patents for products such as Android, Play, Chrome, and Google Photos. La spent the early years of his career (law school at Fordham, following undergrad and grad school at MIT) earning his IP stripes at law firm Ropes & Gray.

The lawyer’s undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science are

critical at a company like Waymo, where La’s purview can range from customdeveloped sensors to advanced AI.

“Understanding Waymo’s technology helps me set an IP legal strategy that takes our strong IP portfolio into account,” La explains. “That portfolio has been built up over the course of fifteen-plus years of cutting-edge R&D. I draw heavily on my technical background.”

La’s previous experience at Google also prepared him well for life at Waymo. At Google, the attorney’s tasks ranged from pure patent acquisitions and licenses to commercial deals that included significant IP components. It was, he says, a master class in understanding the different ways that IP can impact an ecosystem, how it can incentivize or disincentivize stakeholders, and what it means to be on the front lines of negotiating complex, high-impact deals.

“My time at Google has paid dividends when I think about how Waymo’s leading IP portfolio can add business value,” La says.

Google also gave La the chance to lead people. As a manager on Google’s patent team, La learned how to lead a team of talented employees and think more holistically about IP portfolio management. At Waymo, he leads a team of experienced IP professionals who are helping shape the fully autonomous driving industry.

La’s leadership emphasizes empathy and communication. He strives to understand what each team member

“Being a good leader doesn’t always mean that you’re universally well liked. It means that you do the right thing, while also taking into account the needs and the goals of everyone involved.”

Chia-Hao La Managing Counsel and Head of IP Waymo

brings to their work, their short- and long-term goals, and how he can maximize shared outcomes for his people.

“One skill I’ve had to work hard to develop is the willingness and ability to disagree with others cross-functionally and deliver unwelcome messages,” La says. “That is simply part of leadership, and being a good leader doesn’t always mean that you’re universally well liked. It means that you do the right thing, while also taking into account the needs and the goals of everyone involved.”

La’s role as a father may shape his leadership style—or perhaps his leadership at work is influencing how he parents his kids. Regardless, the attorney says that both he and his wife endeavor to show their children that “a good life” is more multifaceted than just career success. For instance, La recently joined the board of the Bay Area Tutoring Association, a nonprofit that offers academic assistance to disadvantaged youth in his community.

At work, La is incredibly proud of what he and his team are building. “I love working for a company that aims to make it safer, more accessible, and more sustainable to get around,” he says. “Autonomous technology will improve cities and individual lives in transformative ways.”

Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP:

“Chia has an innate instinct for understanding how legal issues will implicate business concerns, and he excels at collaborating with outside counsel to craft effective legal strategies that can achieve the desired result without losing sight of the big picture affecting the overall business.”

—Rachael Meny, Partner

Change Agent Gina Capua:

How the GC drives impactful change in the legal team and beyond at Clarience Technologies

By Frank DiMaria

WHEN GINA CAPUA CAME TO Clarience Technologies as its executive vice president and general counsel in 2020, she knew she was joining a company with a robust appetite for growth. Clarience Technologies, a global leader in visibility and safety technologies for transportation, has acquired five companies during Capua’s tenure. Its most recent acquisition, Safe Fleet, brought in over twenty unique brands, doubling the company’s size. “That’s massive, massive growth … [which] presents its own set of challenges and opportunities and puts us on a very steep learning curve,” Capua says.

Capua’s primary role is adding value as a trusted and knowledgeable legal advisor and partner to the business. It’s something she can only accomplish if she immerses herself in understanding all aspects of the business—a guiding principle of her twenty-year legal career. Figuring out how to add value in the Safe Fleet acquisition presented several challenges, chief among them simply finding the time to learn about the many businesses to effectively assist them.

One of the ways that Capua and the team add value is by helping the Clarience businesses make better decisions by assisting with identifying and man-

aging risks. “There are some risks we simply won’t take. For example, if the risk may involve breaking the law, that’s a no-brainer,” Capua explains. “For other decisions, we help the business think through the associated risks and rewards and work to understand where we, as a legal group, can provide value.

“We are a small legal group in a big company. We must be strategic about how we spend our time,” she continues. “Understanding the risk and reward profile of decisions helps us do that. We simply can’t afford to spend an outsized amount of time helping manage inconsequential risks.”

Clarience Technologies, founded only five years ago, is all about growth, which has informed Capua’s leadership approach since she joined. “I had to figure out how to make the legal function scalable and sustainable so that resources can easily be made available to companies that we acquire. That has driven a lot of the work that we’ve done,” Capua says.

When Capua arrived at Clarience Technologies, it was in acquisition mode. One of her immediate priorities was a corporate-wide compliance program, which included a common code of conduct and business ethics,

policies, and a global ethics line. Even after those were established, an essential element of an effective compliance program was missing: a common set of principles to establish expectations regarding conduct and a corporate-wide vision. Capua viewed these principles as essential because they would ensure that new employees and newly acquired businesses would understand who Clarience Technologies is, what it’s trying to accomplish, and its expectations.

After discussions with the CEO and executive team, she was tasked with helping develop and roll out a corporate vision and a set of business principles—a role not typically assigned to legal. These principles currently drive the culture at Clarience. “It’s been helpful in setting the groundwork for what we’re trying to do together and setting expectations of behavior for employees,” Capua says.

Before landing at Clarience Technologies, Capua spent nearly nine years as assistant general counsel at Guardian Industries, a former client from her sixyear tenure at Dykema, a law firm. “I had only worked at law firms where, in the M&A world, there are limited ways to use that business-specific knowledge learned over the course of the deal

Gina Capua EVP and General Counsel

Expertise Spotlight

Flaster Greenberg, established in 1972, is a leading full-service commercial law firm serving diverse, sophisticated national and international clientele. Our client-centered approach has fueled our growth, enabling us to deliver efficient yet high-quality legal services. Our robust intellectual property group combines a deep bench with industryspecific insight to provide Fortune 500 companies, privately held businesses, and entrepreneurs with tailored strategies for protecting their products of intellect.

Our trademark and patent practices play a vital role in the firm and seamlessly integrate with other service areas, including insurance coverage, corporate, tax, employment, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, real estate, transportation, and more.

The trademark practice provides comprehensive services, including trademark clearance, registration, portfolio management, enforcement, and litigation. Our experienced attorneys help clients navigate the complexities of protecting their brands domestically and internationally.

Our patent attorneys assist clients in securing patent protection, conducting due diligence, and managing portfolios to protect their assets and maximize intellectual property value. With technical backgrounds in biotechnology, computer software, telecommunications, mechanical systems, and more, our accomplished patent team is the firm’s largest service group. We represent our international client base in patent disputes in district courts across the US, before the International Trade Commission, and the US Patent and Trademark Office.

postclosing,” Capua says. “When I went in-house, I enjoyed constantly learning something new about the business and building my knowledge, which I could use to help solve real-world problems every day. I found that very rewarding. I was hooked.”

Toward the end of her time at Guardian, Capua worked closely with the sales group, helping drive its commercial excellence initiative by ensuring they understood the levers in its sales agreements and how to use them. “I enjoyed my time there,” Capua says. “It informed how I function as an effective in-house counsel. Being at Guardian helped show me how that’s done well.”

One of the most important pieces of advice Capua received at Guardian was that the legal group needs to be approachable and not seen as separate from the rest of the teams that comprise the business. One suggestion she received was to dispense with typical lawyer attire, like wearing suits.

“Our goal is to be visible in the organization and make it easy for people to come talk to us—so that every time they hear from legal, they don’t think that they’re in trouble, but if something does go wrong, they know we are here to assist,” Capua says. To put people at ease, lawyers should eliminate cues that may be intimidating. “When it comes down to it, in-house lawyers are team members like everyone else and are there to help the company succeed,” Capua explains.

“Gina has a talent for pinpointing the core issues and delivering successful outcomes. We have collaborated with her on several complex litigations, where she has driven the strategy to achieve positive results for the business,” says Michael Bonella, a shareholder at Flaster Greenberg PC.

When Capua advises young lawyers, she draws on the advice she was given, telling them to be helpful, approachable,

“Our goal is to be visible in the organization and make it easy for people to come talk to us—so that every time they hear from legal ... they know we are here to assist.”

and genuine. To be helpful, they must learn about the business and then apply that knowledge to their work, which must be excellent. In her view, if you are not approachable and don’t work to eliminate barriers that discourage colleagues from seeking legal counsel, you are likely missing out on valuable conversations.

“A big part of in-house legal work is knowing what is going on in the business and helping to solve problems,” Capua says. “You also must lead through influence. If people are hesitant to talk to you or they tune you out, that makes the job of solving problems and helping the company more difficult,”

She believes that being genuine goes hand in hand with approachability, because people can see through a facade. “As a lawyer, particularly when working in-house where you see your clients day in and day out, you have to find a way be all of the things that in-house lawyers need to be, whether that’s delivering hard news, negotiating with a counterparty, or giving training to colleagues, while still being yourself,” she says.

Capua’s team is composed of three lawyers, one paralegal, and a professional in environment, health, and safety. As a leader, Capua values auton-

omy and gives her team the leeway to do good work. “I hire good people, then give them freedom and autonomy to do their work. I don’t get in their way. I try to help them clear hurdles,” Capua says.

Capua’s leadership has gone beyond managing legal risks to helping shape a unified culture that supports Clarience Technologies’ rapid growth. By implementing a common vision and set of principles, she has helped strengthen the company’s foundation for future success. Her approachable, collaborative style has made the legal team a trusted partner in the business across the organization.

“Gina is a true professional and great partner—she’s smart and savvy and has a unique ability to cut through the noise and focus on the key issues. Her deep industry knowledge, breadth of experience, and collegiality have enabled a dynamic partnership. The entire Weil team is elated to see her recognized,” attest Craig Adas and Mei Dan, partners at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

As Clarience Technologies expands, Capua’s influence will continue to guide strategic decisions and cultural growth, ensuring the company advances with purpose and a firm ethical compass.

Your work as EVP and GC of Clarience Technologies is inspiring, and we’re thrilled to see your achievements highlighted in such a prestigious publication. It’s a privilege to work alongside you and be a part of your journey.

Sincerely, Your Colleagues at Flaster Greenberg

Flaster Greenberg’s IP attorneys are dedicated to protecting and enhancing the value of intellectual property across industries. Flaster Greenberg offers a comprehensive range of transaction and litigation services for patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters.

Jordan

Weil, Gotshal & Manges congratulates Gina Capua for her leadership of the Clarience Technologies legal team and recognition in Modern Counsel.

Strategic business partners. Innovative solutions. Service focused.

THE ISSUE EMPOWERED

From mentorship to self-advocacy, six leaders use their legal careers to ensure other women and minorities have opportunities to thrive

26

KENDRA STEVENS EverCommerce

STACIA MARIE JONES SUSY MENDOZA lululemon

NACENTE SEABURY Cummins

EMILY FITZGERALD Archer Daniels Midland

TIANA TOWNS Gilbane Building Company

WORK HARD

Kendra Stevens, associate general counsel at EverCommerce, pushes her team members to excel at work and truly unplug to do what they love in life

BY LUCY CAVANAGH

KENDRA STEVENS Associate General Counsel

quote I try to live by is ‘Work double time part-time to have full-time fun time,’” says Kendra Stevens, associate general counsel of EverCommerce. For Stevens, work/life balance transcends a personal approach to work. She evangelizes the importance of work boundaries to any professional, but especially to her teammates.

When they decide to use the company’s flexible time off policy, Stevens practically forbids them from checking in at work to ensure that they can fully disconnect and recharge. “It’s important for them to know they have a team that they can rely on,” Stevens explains. “Nothing is going to burn down, and no one is going to die, and everything will still be there bubbling right along without you. It takes a leap of faith, but it does wonders for your mental health.”

Lisa Storey, chief legal officer of EverCommerce who has worked with Stevens for over five years, says, “Kendra has done an amazing job leading the team and getting the right people, processes, and systems in place so that the team doesn’t miss a beat, even when people are taking time off.”

Like many attorneys, Stevens’s interest in law was sparked when she was very young and began watching legal procedural dramas and movies. As she went through college and law school, her eyes were opened to the variety that the field has to offer and she discovered that she was better suited for law that could help leverage business, and not as suited for criminal law.

Even prior to her education, Stevens joined the workforce in her teens and built up her experience in sales, which developed the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to serve her today. “Experience in sales changes your communication

Experience in sales changes your communication style and the psychology of how you approach people. You think about customer service, and you kind of feel the push and pull in those interactions.”

style and the psychology of how you approach people. You think about customer service, and you kind of feel the push and pull in those interactions,” Stevens shares. “Through my experience, I saw that the customer side experience of the transaction could just be a whole lot better. That's been a driver for how I practice and how I advise clients.”

That entrepreneurial spirit drew Stevens to EverCommerce in 2019. The company offers software as a service solutions to help businesses market their services, streamline day-to-day operations, and modernize customer engagement. “I always wondered what you could do if you took a lawyer, an HR person, and an accountant, made them a full back office, and then offered those services to small to midsize businesses,” Stevens says. “The people who get into business for themselves, these entrepreneurs, are passionate about what they do and oftentimes they just need someone to take that other stuff off their plate. ‘Empowering the lives of small business owners’ is what drew me to EverCommerce.”

Stevens and her team see everything in their work. The team of five addresses all the legal needs of the company, which deals with over half a billion dollars a year in revenue, two thousand employees, and nearly fifty solutions that form the company’s global footprint.

With that kind of variety, Stevens and the rest of the legal team need to be mindful about how each member of the team can contribute a different strength to fill any of the needs that arise legally. “When we go about hiring someone new it’s never ‘I

need a new lawyer,’” Stevens says. “It's always based on figuring out the things that we really need to address better or address more of and then building out to that title.”

Strengths and qualifications are important, but so is a candidate’s personality and chemistry with the team. Stevens knows that a good portion of our lives are spent at work, so it’s vital that the team truly enjoys one another’s company. “I often think of it in terms of, ‘Do I want to be stuck with this person at the deal table at three o'clock in the morning? Would I want to grab a drink with this person? Would I spend time with them outside of work?’” Stevens says. “We dive pretty deep on both personality and skills. That will always be a driving tenet of our hiring strategy.”

Stevens keeps candidate interviews to just thirty minutes, testing whether they can fill that time with good conversation. She also likes to make a point of asking candidates qualitative questions, especially asking them to share a time that something went wrong. She wants to know if a person is self-aware and humble enough to admit a mistake. For Stevens, it’s neither a “live to work” nor “work to live” mentality. Work should not feel like a place you have to escape from, but it also should not be the end-all be-all. And she knows that fully disconnected time off allows us to get the most out of life and do even more of what we love. For Stevens, on any given weekend, this might mean skydiving. Stevens jokes, “You can call me on the weekends, but I don't put my phone in my pocket because it's liable to fall out!”

Building CHANGE Is Possible

BY BILLY YOST

f you want to see what true commitment to equity looks like, you might have to look in the mirror. Lululemon is an organization where more than 70 percent of employees, senior leaders, and people leaders are women. Its board of directors is more than 50 percent women.

In 2021, lululemon launched its People Networks (employee resource groups), which now includes eleven communities for minority or underrepresented groups. The company’s IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and action) initiatives continue to focus on creating systemic change across the globe.

Stacia Marie Jones (VP, global head of IDEA, employee relations, and employment policy and compliance) and Susy Mendoza (VP and deputy general counsel for compliance, technology, and legal operations) are crucial contributors, advocates, and members of lululemon’s IDEA efforts, People Networks, and Women Of programs. Their mission is to make a profound impact on the professional journeys of all members and to address the bias and discrimination

that women, particularly women of color, face in the workplace.

A brief scroll through Jones’s LinkedIn profile reveals the breadth of these efforts, which include countless meetings, trainings, and celebrations for employees worldwide. The smiles and connections are real, and the organization’s unwavering equity and inclusion efforts—despite a cultural and legislative environment that has clashed hard with organizations trying to change the state of the world—are a beacon to the rest of the fashion, retail, and business world.

Jones began her piece “lululemon: Centering People and Planet on our Impact Journey” for Savoy with the following:

“Corporations bear a significant responsibility to scale solutions to systemic issues that limit us all, across an evolving spectrum of social and environmental concerns. An elevated approach is required to address the complexities of today’s challenges, balancing a broad scope of environmental, social, and governance investments, alongside growing the bottom line.”

Stacia Marie Jones and Susy Mendoza reflect on how lululemon is “doubling down” on its mission of equity and inclusion

STACIA MARIE JONES VP and Global Head of IDEA, Employee Relations, and Employment Policy & Compliance lululemon

SUSY MENDOZA VP and Deputy General Counsel of Compliance, Technology & Legal Operations lululemon

But Jones is also aware of the challenges.

“In 2022 and 2023, the positions most likely to have layoffs were D&I roles,” the IDEA head explains. “There are a lot of amazing folks who don’t have jobs anymore. Countless women of color were let go, including women in CEO positions, and the legislative environment hasn’t done enough to help matters. But here, at lululemon, we continue to double down .”

Consider the Women Of program. At present, more than two hundred women have gone through the leadership training. Mendoza remembers when she heard about the new group for the first time.

“I was immediately excited for the people inside the organization who I knew would find it inspiring,” the DGC says. “I knew so many people who would want to participate, ask tough questions, commiserate, and share real experiences.”

As one of the group’s leaders, Mendoza has seen firsthand how meaningful the group has been for its members. The group has welcomed them in and affirmed their experiences and ambitions. She has also personally found the experience rewarding, given her passion for encouraging women in STEM.

“Women of color in STEM are a minority within a minority,” Mendoza says. “I knew I should take on the role so I could be a voice for other women of color.”

Jones says groups like Women Of are critical to helping women understand that the way things have been doesn’t need—and in many cases shouldn’t be—the way forward.

“What women, and particularly women of color, have found is that the ‘traditional’ set of tools people in the workplace use to advance their careers haven’t worked for us,” Jones explains. “We do not have to go about business in the same way business has been done in the past, like mowing others down in our wake, to climb. It’s important for women to get into our professions, find

Niffer Calderwood

We must know that we can be enough just the way we are.”

STACIA MARIE JONES

I knew so many people who would want to participate [in the Women Of ERG], ask tough questions, commiserate, and share real experiences.”

SUSY MENDOZA

our confidence, and not compare ourselves to others with significant intergenerational advantages. We must know that we can be enough just the way we are.”

Jones was the first college graduate in her family. Mendoza is a first-generation American and was the first woman in her family to earn a college degree. By getting where they are, they are examples for millions of women, demonstrating what kind of a world we can create through connection, education, and empowerment.

Jones has helmed legal and DEI positions at Microsoft and Abercrombie & Fitch, and she spent eight years in private practice. She’s also a current affiliate instructor at the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. DEI is just one part of Jones’s wide purview. At present, she leads global compliance, employment policies, employee relations, and workplace investigations. She believes these roles and expanded opportunities offer her more chances to embed the work of IDEA even deeper in the company.

For Jones, the impact she hopes to make at lululemon is directly transferable to what’s happening at home.

“I think about my daughter, who is in her last year of high school,” the lawyer says. “I see a lot of myself in her. I want to send this confident, bold woman off to college next year.”

Prior to coming to lululemon, Mendoza spent nine years at Nordstrom as a corporate generalist, then moved on to operations and business roles at Washington Vintners and REI. She returned to the law with marketing technology company TUNE, as

corporate counsel tasked with developing its B2B privacy program and enterprise contract management for the marketing technology company. The lawyer continues to operate at the intersection of law and retail while acting as a valued business partner, currently leading lululemon’s global compliance and privacy, legal operations, and technology functions. And when she’s able, she and her husband are likely planning a new trip abroad down to the last detail.

As lululemon continues on its well-defined mission to create change, the external pressures, while staggering, aren’t the only story. You have to consider the lives and journeys of everyone who has found a home within the organization—and how the sharing of those stories is reverberating across the industry. Women like Jones and Mendoza are creating advocates and empowering individuals with every conversation and training session.

Equity seems possible when an organization is willing to put its money where its mouth is and to source leaders willing to build the change.

DLA Piper is proud to work alongside lululemon, Susy Mendoza and Stacia Jones in their work as legal thought leaders.

DLA Piper:

“Among the things we admire the most about Susy and Stacia is their dedication to diversity, inclusion, and innovation. We are proud of everything their team does to create a more thoughtful environment with varied perspectives.”

—Stefanie Fogel, Partner

Stefanie Fogel | MRKT0017770 ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

Nacente Seabury has built a career on advocacy, growth, and resilience. Now she uses her lived experience and legal expertise to help Cummins tackle global challenges without sacrificing her values.

BY ZACH BALIVA

uring the hot, humid summer of 2014, Nacente Seabury was busy studying for the bar exam in Kansas City, Missouri. It was August, just days after police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed teenager named Michael Brown in Ferguson, twelve miles northwest of St. Louis. The killing ignited protests that Seabury first heard about on social media from friends and family in St. Louis.

The aftermath of the incident—and the cries of the people gathering and organizing—were haunting, Seabury says. The ambitious law school graduate was already hoping to use her degree to fight for equality, justice, and progress. The Ferguson protests only strengthened her resolve, spurring her to work with two other women to plan a peaceful rally in Kansas City. More than a thousand people attended the rally, which aimed to honor Michael Brown and demand change.

“I watched these protests unfold, and I saw lawyers working to protect the rights of those involved,” she explains. “I started to see it as my duty and obligation to orient my work so I could be a true advocate for those who don’t have a voice.”

It doesn’t hurt that Seabury likes to argue—a characteristic that emerged at an early age. Seabury’s parents still joke about her ability to successfully argue for juice over water before her fourth birthday.

Seabury was born and raised in Sedalia, Missouri, a town whose population of approximately twenty thousand includes a vibrant history encompassing ragtime, railroads, agricultural and industrial foundations, and close-knit neighborhoods and communities. The median household income in Sedalia is under $48,500 per year, and nearly one in five Sedalians live below the poverty line.

The town is part of a larger historic river region known as Little Dixie, where early settlers used slave labor to grow crops like cotton and tobacco on large plantations. Seabury’s family, like most remaining in Little Dixie, has lived there for many generations.

Seabury, who majored in history at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, still carries the heritage and legacy of Little Dixie with her today as she works as corporate counsel at Cummins. “My professional life is both humbling and a source of pride. My people came here in bondage, but look what has been born out of it,” she says. “The resilience of

My people came here in bondage, but look what has been born out of it. The resilience of my ancestors has left its imprint on me, and I carry that resilience with me in my practice.”

my ancestors has left its imprint on me, and I carry that resilience with me in my practice.”

That perspective has motivated all of Seabury’s career choices. She spent her 1L summer and an entire semester her 3L year working with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), an international human rights NGO, with offices in West Africa, including Accra, Ghana. FIDA holds the Ghanaian government accountable for its obligations regarding laws that impact women, children, the poor, and other vulnerable people.

When Seabury started her career, she wanted to be a labor and employ -

ment attorney. But she was placed into the environmental law practice group at Polsinelli and became an environmental litigator instead. While the learning curve was steep, Seabury benefited from the mentorship of a young environmental partner, Adam Troutwine.

This turn of events taught her the importance of staying flexible and openminded. “I found an opportunity in an unexpected place and wrote my own story after that. You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react,” she says.

After several career stops, including a move from Kansas City to Chicago to

join Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, Seabury joined Cummins in 2022 as the engine manufacturer’s corporate counsel of litigation. In that role, she manages and supports active legal issues, including warranty claims, contract disputes, sophisticated commercial litigation, prelitigation matters, and environmental litigation and policy.

One major initiative requiring Seabury’s time and attention is Destination Zero, the Cummins plan to reach zero emissions by 2050. While the finish line is twenty-five years away, the company is making rapid progress with quantifiable goals for 2030. Its internal

NACENTE SEABURY Corporate Counsel, Litigation Cummins

Courtesy of Nacente Seabury

combustion engine technologies, for example, will focus on employing advanced diesel, gas, and hydrogen technologies to lower emissions from newly sold products by 25 percent over the next six years.

Additionally, Cummins has introduced Accelera. The new brand offers a broad portfolio of zeroemissions alternatives, such as battery electric and fuel cell electric solutions. Cummins has already reduced the greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities by over 30 percent.

Nearly three-fourths of the Cummins workforce participates in its official community engagement program. The legal department, however, has another opportunity to make an impact. In the wake of the racially motivated political unrest of 2020, departmental leaders created the Cummins CARE Initiative. The initiative pools time, money, and other resources to support Black and Latinx communities, with an emphasis on providing pro bono legal services.

For Seabury, who became a lawyer to fight for the vulnerable and marginalized, the initiative was a welcome development. “I was worried I might have to give up volunteering while in an in-house position, but Cummins jumped at the chance to support pro bono work,” she says. “I get the best of both worlds: the chance to get involved in cutting-edge litigation with a company that values making a difference in the lives of others and impacting society as a whole.”

Simply put, Cummins allows Seabury to be herself. As a mentor to many associates and young attorneys, she encourages those following in her footsteps to seek out the same kind of environment. “You can’t hide,” she says. “Refuse to conceal the things you think others may not accept. Find a place where you can live your truth, because that’s how we grow as people, move a business forward, and evolve as a profession.”

Foley & Lardner LLP:

“Nacente is a talented lawyer and true partner to her internal clients. She also is a passionate advocate for associate mentoring and encourages outside counsel to provide junior attorneys with opportunities and client engagement.”

—–Lauren Loew, Partner

Emily Fitzgerald’s early love of reading helps Archer Daniels Midland achieve its goals and manage risk

BY FRANK DIMARIA

mily Fitzgerald, senior counsel, ag services and oilseeds at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), has built her legal career on a love of reading. “That skill set develops into critical thinking and strategic analysis. I find that to be the foundation of legal skills, whether you’re in a courtroom or in a corporate setting,” she says. “People react to words.”

Just as authors use words in storytelling, lawyers use words to persuade through rhetoric. “It’s a way to convey something and move everyone from one point to another, whether it’s getting an agreement done or persuading someone to change their way of thinking,” Fitzger -

ald says. “Knowing how words fit is the foundation of being persuasive.”

Fitzgerald uses her love of language to advocate for and work with legal teams of ADM’s downstream customers, suppliers, and farmers. “We act as a liaison and explain and interpret things that perhaps the other partner has not worked with before,” Fitzgerald says. The legal department partners with ADM’s business teams, helping them achieve their goals while managing risk. “Our role is to be the supporting cast,” Fitzgerald explains. “We’re there for advice and counsel and to be a sounding board.”

She counsels several areas of ADM’s businesses, including working closely

EMILY FITZGERALD Senior Counsel, Ag Services & Oilseeds

Daniels Midland

with the company’s regenerative agriculture program, which focuses on sustainability efforts like fertilizer efficiency, no-till practices, and growing cover crops to maintain a soil’s living root system. “This means incentives on the farm level for better environmental outcomes,” Fitzgerald says. “Every year, our teams aim to enroll more acres into this [program] to encourage more environmentally friendly farming practices.”

After earning a BA from Notre Dame and a JD from the University of Illinois College of Law, Fitzgerald landed a position at Swanson, Martin & Bell in Chicago, where she lives today. Originally hired as a summer associate, she

Archer

I found mentorship outside of industries perhaps just as important because you have somebody with a clear vision.”

was eventually voted in as a partner. During her first two months as an attorney at Swanson, she was arguing trial motions as a second and third chair.

“This is very unusual for such a young attorney,” Fitzgerald says. She attributes her meteoric rise to mentors who advocated for her and provided her with “a lot of hand-to-hand combat at a young age.”

This on-the-job-training, coupled with Chicago’s legal scene, taught her how to think quickly. “I still feel these skills coming through today,” Fitzgerald says. “You get asked questions that you maybe don’t know the answer to, but you know how to get where you need to go from the training you had coming up,”

Fitzgerald remained at Swanson for over twelve years. Although she loved litigation and liked her role there, her passion for counseling clients led her to ADM in 2022, which appealed to her because of its size and visibility. The fact

that the position was based in Chicago was a bonus.

“The type of legal work available at a company like ADM is unmatched,” she enthuses. “We’re doing everything from ensuring that there’s compliance with food safety to issues on vessels and everything in the middle. It’s interesting and varied.”

When she’s not counseling at ADM, Fitzgerald is active with the American Cancer Society. She has occupied a seat on its board for the past fourteen years and served as president of its associate board for three. It’s in that role that she flexes her leadership muscles. On her first day as president, she tore up the antiquated org chart with its traditional vertical levels and started from scratch.

“We pulled out a pen and drew a new org chart as a circle, demonstrating to each of the directors the interconnected nature of each of the teams,” Fitzgerald says. The new org chart made team

members feel valued and resulted in a significant rise in fundraising dollars year after year.

Her first word of advice to anyone starting a law career is to seek out mentorship, both in law and beyond. “I found mentorship outside of industries perhaps just as important because you have somebody with a clear vision,” Fitzgerald says. She’s found mentors through various boards and within Chicago’s group of professionals.

As a wife and mother of three, Fitzgerald tries to achieve work/life balance. “Does anyone have a true balance? I don’t know the answer to that,” Fitzgerald says with a laugh. Her kids are “wonderfully accepting” of the many nights Mom misses the bedtime ritual while in meetings. “They’ll just see me in the morning,” she says.

Having a passion outside work and family is also essential, she says. Fitzgerald’s avocational passions include racing in triathlons, playing pickup soccer, paddle tennis, and pickleball. “Athletics keep me grounded and moving and take my mind off everything else,” she says. And, of course, she still makes time for reading.

Bennett Jones LLP:

“I’m consistently impressed by Emily’s dedication and invaluable counsel across a diverse range of matters. Her exceptional ability to blend deep industry insight and practical experience makes her guidance invaluable.”

—Kevin Myson, Partner

McGlinchey Stafford:

“Emily is fastidious, practical, and has a knack for balancing business interests with legal strategy. She asks the right questions, and her ability to communicate effectively make her an absolute asset to ADM’s legal team.”

—Marcelle P. Mouledoux, Member and Morgan Kelley, Associate

Congratulations, Emily Fitzgerald

Bennett Jones is proud to recognize Emily Fitzgerald for her exemplary leadership and achievements as Senior Counsel Ag Services & Oilseeds at ADM.

Congratulations on this well-deserved feature.

Clients in Canada and around the world trust Bennett Jones to solve their most complex legal matters.

Safe at Home

After overcoming doubts on and off the field, Division I athlete turned litigator Tiana Towns manages legal for Gilbane Building Company’s western division

BY ZACH BALIVA

The easiest way to get Tiana Towns to do something is to tell her she can’t. After a high school teacher incorrectly predicted that Towns would never pass AP English, she became class valedictorian. When a guidance counselor told her she wasn’t good enough to play Division I softball, she joined the UC Riverside Highlanders and notched a hit in her first start. She finished her Highlanders career as the tenth best in slugging percentage in the university’s history. Towns has earned a reputation for proving her doubters wrong.

Today, Towns continues to defy expectations as senior legal counsel at Gilbane Building Company. Despite gaining experience in real estate and construction litigation at an AmLaw 100 firm, Towns’s academic degree from UC Riverside is in psychology, not engineering and construction. While some doubted her ability to excel as in-house attorney at a national construction and real estate development company, Towns maintains an unwavering confidence and determination in her ability to push herself beyond expectations.

“I approach life with a competitive attitude that motivates me to challenge myself to do a little better every day,” she says. “Can I run a faster mile, beat my daily step goals, or do one more push-up?” That mindset makes Towns fearless.

Again and again, Towns has turned a student-athlete background and desire to continuously learn and grow into one of her biggest assets.

Towns was torn between several law school choices before she sat in on a class

TIANA TOWNS Senior Legal Counsel

Gilbane Building Company

I’m a double minority as a Black woman, which means I always wonder how people perceive me, especially

in the legal profession …

At Howard, I had the rare chance to just be a student, not the Black student or the minority.”

Cass Davis/Made in collaboration with AI

at Howard University School of Law. Watching Black students from various backgrounds engage in a rigorous dialogue was unlike anything Towns had ever seen. Inspired, she walked away knowing that she could thrive at the historically Black university.

“I’m a double minority as a Black woman, which means I always wonder how people perceive me, especially in the legal profession,” Towns says. “I saw Howard as a place where I could be me without thinking and worrying about being an other or the only, because finally I wasn’t. At Howard, I had the rare chance to just be a student, not the Black student or the minority.” She had found a place where she could focus on learning the foundations of law.

As Towns started her career, she discovered that many partners and senior associates were willing to provide both assistance and mentorship. She was just a third-year attorney at the Minneapolis firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP when a partner invited her to argue a motion for a summary judgment in district court.

While the event boosted her confidence, others humbled and challenged her. Towns recalls several clients and colleagues who, upon meeting her faceto-face for the first time, assumed she was an assistant—and in one encounter, a high school intern. Some even asked

her to fetch coffee while they waited for the lawyer to arrive, unaware that she in fact was the lawyer they scheduled to meet. “People underestimate me all the time, but I want people to take me seriously because I’ve proven myself time and time again,” Towns says.

After a stint as corporate counsel at Clark Construction Group, Towns joined Gilbane Building Company in 2023. She provides legal support, including both crafting strategy for and managing litigation, and negotiating all contracts for projects and business units in the Western division.

Her growth mindset has been instrumental in helping her navigate complex topics and develop essential skills. Towns spent her first months at Gilbane reading construction textbooks, interviewing company and operations managers, and soliciting advice, effectively giving herself a crash course in the business of construction management. She is well on her way to mastering the intricacies of her role.

Like Howard, Gilbane provides an environment in which Towns and her colleagues can present their most authentic selves and thrive. “I’m always seeking environments where I can be myself, because that’s when I am at my best, and Gilbane is one of those places,” she explains. Gilbane, founded in 1870,

is one of the oldest and largest familyowned construction and real estate development firms in the nation. Its values include caring, integrity, teamwork, and tenacity.

Gilbane’s employee resource groups (ERGs) serve as important hubs where individuals from various demographics (and their allies) can network and support one another. Current ERGs include groups for women, Hispanics, African Americans, military members, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, young professionals, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Gilbane takes diversity and inclusion seriously. Company leaders take feedback from various internal groups to inform their decisions regarding recruitment, work processes, and community engagement. Gilbane has also committed to economic inclusion to create a more equitable construction landscape by setting a goal of generating $4 billion in project awards to certified diverseowned and small businesses over the next several years.

In late 2023, Gilbane announced it would manage a $5 billion renovation over six years at the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester, Minnesota. The contractor plans to upgrade site buildings and provide the infrastructure to support future growth. Two new nine-story

clinical facilities will account for much of the project’s 2.4 million square feet of construction. This is one of the biggest projects Gilbane has ever constructed, and Towns was named as project counsel, charged with managing all legal issues related to the job.

A decade into her career, Towns is thriving. She attributes her success to a desire to constantly learn and improve, being prepared, and listening to feedback and making necessary adjustments—the same characteristics that helped her flourish on the softball diamond. The similarities are not lost on her.

“You work in the offseason to get yourself ready. If you ask the coach to put you in the game, you better not squander the opportunity that comes your way,” Towns says. “And when you’re up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, be ready to hit with the game on the line. I approach my career in a similar manner. I try to stay prepared and ready to deliver when my team is counting on me.”

Construction Discovery Experts:

“Tiana is a forward-thinking, energetic leader who navigates the industry with authenticity and drive. Her hard work and innovative spirit continue to leave a lasting impact, and she truly inspires all of us.”

—Lauren Abeyta, COO

Peckar & Abramson P.C.:

“Tiana is dedicated and invested in her work, always striving to bring considered and insightful guidance to help Gilbane succeed in whatever project they are working on. Her extensive knowledge of construction law and passion for getting it right are always evident.”

—Elaine Lee, Partner

Peckar & Abramson, P.C.

Lead

Portraits of today’s top legal executives, the remarkable careers they have cultivated, and the management strategies and best practices they employ to succeed both individually and collaboratively

Paying the Emotional Toll

Lenor Marquis-Segal is the ideal version of herself at Hitachi Energy

By Joseph Stark

LENOR MARQUIS-SEGAL CAN’T REMEMBER what life was like before the legal profession was a part of it. She grew up with a criminal defense attorney father, who treated his clients like family, and a mother, who also studied the law. Throughout her formative years, both parents encouraged her to follow a similar path. But for a long time, she was against it.

“After seeing the style of practice my dad had, I just didn’t want to deal with it,” she says. “He was always chasing clients, and everything was so emotional and high stakes. If you didn’t get your client off, they had serious consequences. He was one of those lawyers that really internalized everything.”

Marquis-Segal wasn’t sure whether she’d be willing to pay the emotional toll that kind of work required. While she decided to pursue law school after getting her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, she thought that she’d focus on “unemotional law,” drawn to the idea of solely working on corporate or transactional matters. However, things didn’t go according to plan. When she wasn’t studying at New York University, she worked at its Immigration Rights Clinic and found herself becoming deeply invested in the outcome of cases. Other pro bono and volunteer work brought on similar feelings of compassion and a drive for advocacy. As Marquis-Segal started her career as a litigation associate at Heller Ehrman LLP and Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, she realized that corporate law wasn’t as “unemotional” as she originally thought, either.

In many ways, she was still like her father.

“In law school, I thought I didn’t want to go into anything involving families or people and that I’d go into the kind of law where it was just about money,” Marquis-Segal says. “But I was too young to realize that it’s never just about money, even in corporate law. [There are] still people and emotions involved, and you still need to build relationships. At the same time, I’m someone that likes to help people and was raised to do that.”

“We’re all mortal, seconds away from a potential big change, and that put some things into perspective on a day-to-day basis.”

From there, Marquis-Segal embraced her passion for people as she journeyed through her career. For over a decade, she handled labor and employment, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, and more while balancing those responsibilities with pro bono efforts outside of work. In 2017, she began her in-house journey at ABB, a technology leader in electrification and automation. The transition was a learning curve, she admits.

“When you’re external counsel, you can have a misperception that you have a good view of what’s happening with your client when really you have one little piece of the puzzle. Coming in-house, you realize there’s an entire universe, and it’s eye-opening,” she says. “While I needed to get [used] to the new environment, I quickly decided that I’d never go back to private practice. I like the freedom of having one client and of working for a company that makes things that have an impact. It’s more fulfilling.”

For the next five years, MarquisSegal thrived, gaining increased responsibilities and exposure to the business. She went from serving as a commercial litigation counsel to becoming a senior counsel for global litigation. When the Power Grids business of ABB transitioned to Hitachi Energy, leaders called on her to bring her expertise with it to support the vision of a sustainable energy future.

But the journey wasn’t without its unexpected challenges. At forty-five years old, Marquis-Segal had a stroke. While she went on to have an excellent recovery, the leader says the experience served as an important reminder.

“We’re all mortal, seconds away from a potential big change, and that put some things into perspective on a day-to-day basis,” she says. “It’s not like, ‘A few years from now, I’ll be the kind of person or lawyer I want to be.’ Just wake up and be that person right now. And just be that ideal version of yourself.”

Marquis-Segal aspires to do just that in her current role as senior counsel of North American litigation, which includes the US, Canada, and Mexico. She spends most of her days minimizing risk, resolving disputes, solving problems, finding middle ground, and working compromises. In that capacity, she believes her biggest accomplishment has been gaining trust and having “the ability to resolve things while we still have control over situations.”

“When you go into proceedings of any kind, you give up some control, and you’re letting other entities, bodies, or decision-makers influence what happens,” she says. “For me, in these last few years, the focus has been about building relationships so we can work through things without escalating them.”

“I have had the privilege of working with Lenor Marquis-Segal for many

years and have been impressed not only with her intense focus on her company’s interests, but also with her meticulous attention to detail, which ensures accuracy and operational excellence,” says Al Farnell, account executive for CT Corp at Wolters Kluwer. “Lenor is a consummate professional and a valuable asset to Hitachi Energy!”

Outside of Hitachi, Marquis-Segal continues to dedicate her time to pro bono work whenever she can. Recently, she participated in a North Carolina Bar Association event, where she helped residents solve random problems.

“People could call in with questions and we got a chance to answer them, point them in the right direction, and spot additional issues for them. I was probably one of the lawyers who took too long with each caller, but for me, it was a chance to talk people through a problem and give them concrete steps,” Marquis-Segal says. “That’s what you do when you’re in-house anyway, and it’s so rewarding, exhilarating, exhausting, and worthwhile.”

Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP:

“I have worked with Lenor for many years on major litigation. Lenor is intelligent, experienced, has sound judgment, and is great to work with. We look forward to continuing our professional relationship with Lenor and Hitachi Energy.”

—Jim Figliulo, Partner

After decades of nationally recognized success in personal injury law, Johnpatrick O’Brien is spending the final chapter of his career winning cases on his own

By Billy Yost

All Hail the Underdog

Nancy Elizabeth Hill

JOHNPATRICK O’BRIEN UNDERSTANDS

why many lawyers hesitate to hang out their own shingles. But the career personal injury lawyer also knows that opening a solo practice was the best decision he ever made.

“It was scary at first,” O’Brien says. “But it’s amazing how it starts to flow. I tell other lawyers that you have to have good people around you: a great accountant, a good paralegal. I’m not the only one who can do this, and after a year, I can tell you that it was worth the effort.”

Before going solo, O’Brien had a distinguished career that earned him multiple accolades. His honors include a Top 100 trial lawyer designation by the National Trial Lawyers Association, a Top 10 attorneys for client satisfaction nod from the American Institute of Personal Injury Lawyers, and ranking among the top 1 percent of attorneys from the National Association of Distinguished Counsels.

“I love personal injury law because it is always David versus Goliath,” O’Brien explains. “You’re going up against insurance companies that have unlimited amounts of time, experts, and money. On the other side, it’s just me and my clients. But their experiences are what give me the courage to keep fighting harder and harder in a situation where, statistically, it’s so hard to win. I just love being the underdog.”

Many law students who think they’ll spend their careers in courtrooms ultimately opt for different paths. But the first case O’Brien argued in court was all the affirmation he needed that it’s where he belonged. A well-known personal injury lawyer recruited O’Brien away from his clerkship, gave him two weeks, and handed him a case file. O’Brien selected his first jury, tried his first case, and secured a favorable verdict.

As the trial concluded, the judge let the jury know that it was O’Brien’s first-ever case. The jury was surprised. The young man before them had argued confidently, even when the chips seemed down. He didn’t appear self-conscious or unsure, and he’d thoroughly convinced them of the merit of his client’s case.

“During the course of the trial, even if I lost certain ones or arguments, I’d acted as if I’d won, like I’d always won,” O’Brien remembers. “I needed to do that so the jury always felt that I was in control of the courtroom.”

He adds, “I learned very quickly that this was what I was born to do.”

Even as a young attorney, O’Brien had a knack for making the right move at the right time. He jokes that he probably holds records for shortest clerkship and shortest associate tenure because his instincts drew him to the courtroom. There are lawyers who spend a

Johnpatrick O’Brien Founder Law Offices of Johnpatrick O’Brien

decade figuring out exactly what they don’t want to do, but O’Brien found it almost immediately.

So what prompted a trial lawyer recognized by a dozen different organizations and periodicals to leave the firm environment that he loved so much? O’Brien spent decades in midsize firms because he loved the camaraderie and community of a fine-tuned firm executing at the highest level. The lawyer had grown accustomed to associates watching his trials—and later breaking down key moments with them.

“As I started getting into my fifties, I guess I just stopped wanting to share all of my toys,” O’Brien says, laughing. “I felt like I was giving more than I was getting, and while that’s important at certain points of your career, I wanted to spend the last

ten or fifteen years of my practice on my own.”

O’Brien is middle-aged, but when he talks about a case, he may as well be a teenager. The attorney has a wellearned reputation for selecting a jury. He once had a case move straight to settlement after the opposing counsel watched him dismiss jurors as if he knew them inside and out.

That’s the experience, tenacity, and vibrancy O’Brien now brings to his clients. O’Brien, whose parents both worked multiple jobs to pay for their three sons’ private education, has always been the underdog. But he knows how much it can mean to have people in your corner who believe in and support you. That’s what he offers his clients. O’Brien is an underdog off the chain, and he’s never been happier.

Nancy Elizabeth Hill

The Right Time to Pause

Keri Matthews’s decision to pause after her first year of law school ultimately guided the rest of her incredible legal career

By Billy Yost

AS A TEENAGER, KERI MATTHEWS stood out among her friends. While they frolicked by the pool, Matthews pored over the New York Times spread out in front of her. She read aloud to her friends, who couldn’t understand why Matthews was so invested in Supreme Court decisions and issues that seemed as far away as adulthood.

“I was a geek,” the current principal and deputy general counsel at Vanguard recalls. “I was concerned about some decisions that were coming out, and that was where my interest in the law began.”

A Wise Pause

Despite her clear interest in law, Matthews made a decision immediately after

“As I’ve been asked to take over teams, it’s a case of understanding: How much proficiency do I need to lead and manage these teams to do their best work?”

her first year of law school that, while disappointing her parents, turned out to be the best she could have made: She took a year off. She’d quickly figured out that the environmental law career she thought she wanted wasn’t right for her and she didn’t want to sprint through law school without a clear goal in mind.

Matthews had the luxury of getting an internship in a corporate legal department. On her first day dealing with employment matters, the future lawyer fell in love with the field.

Later on, Matthews witnessed a difficult situation where an employee had to speak to the company’s in-house counsel about a pending sexual harassment claim. The employee explained the horror of having to go home and explain to their spouse what was happening.

“It made the practice of law so real and so personal in that moment,” Matthews recalls. “It showed me that you could make a real difference in a person’s life in-house. You don’t have to be a civil rights advocate. That’s when I knew employment law is what I wanted to do.”

Getting a Higher View

Matthews would go on to practice employment law, which eventually led her to diversity and inclusion work. She spent fourteen years at Deutsche Bank (including as a managing director in

the employment law team), served as senior vice president and deputy general counsel as well as head of employment law at Fifth Third Bank, and joined Vanguard in 2018.

“Keri is one of the most astute issue spotters and strategic thinkers with whom we work,” says Robert Stern, a securities litigation partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. “Even when presented with novel legal issues in disparate areas of the law, Keri displays tremendous instincts and judgment. She is quick to comprehend the issues, evaluate the available options, and synthesize it all into sound decisions.”

While Matthews began as Vanguard’s head of employment law, she quickly moved into litigation and investigations. She now heads enterprise legal services, covering areas including employment, litigation, enforcement, IT, privacy, and IP. That inundation of extended responsibilities has not come without some reservations on Matthews’s part, but she’s up to the challenge.

“There are new parts of my job where I’m clearly not an expert and don’t pretend to be,” Matthews explains. “As I’ve been asked to take over teams, it’s a case of understanding: How much proficiency do I need to lead and manage these teams to do their best work?”

Keri Matthews Deputy General Counsel of Enterprise Legal Services (Employment Law, Litigation, Enforcement, IT, Privacy, IP) Vanguard

“I try to show up as a learner, getting into the mix, and asking questions that, I admit, may drive people a little mad.”

That doesn’t mean that Matthews shies away from tough questions. In fact, she admits that the number of questions she peppers her team with can be, well, a lot. But she does not have the kind of ego that prevents her from asking questions, no matter how rudimentary they may seem.

“If I can’t cement these matters in my head and work my way through them, I’m never going to be helpful to the organization, to you, or to my team,” the principal explains. “I try to show up as a learner, getting into the mix, and asking questions that, I admit, may drive people a little mad.”

Part of that curiosity, the lawyer admits, is part of her own process of learning to let go. As she’s moved up, team management has become a more critical part of her responsibilities, which means less time spent in the weeds. She’s worked hard to create space for her highly qualified team to do their best work. That doesn’t mean she won’t have a healthy list of questions, but it does mean empowering her people to work their own way.

The X-Factors of In-House Professionals

One of the significant contributions Matthews has made to Vanguard is focusing on communication and

breaking down the silos often found in legal departments. Her team provides sound counsel, enabling informed decision-making across the company.

“People who move from law firms to in-house positions don’t always appreciate the number of stakeholders and parties who have a view or say,” the deputy GC says. “You’re not taught how to manage these kinds of issues in a law firm. You’re not taught how to deliver tough messages or get your twenty-minute discussion piece across in an elevator ride. None of what I just mentioned is the law, but success is how you marry those skills with good lawyering.”

That wider outlook is Matthews’s superpower. As a working mother, Matthews says her daughter has helped grow her own empathy and interpersonal skills exponentially. Her daughter is on the autism spectrum, and Matthews says a series of very hard years have given way to some incredible ones.

Raising a child on the spectrum, Matthews says it’s critically important for parents to interact, share with each other, and hopefully better understand that they are not alone. Being open fostered her own growth and ultimately made her a better lawyer, a better boss, and a better mother.

Strategic business partners. Innovative solutions. Service focused.

It is Weil’s honor to collaborate with Keri Matthews and Vanguard to devise business-oriented solutions to complex legal issues.

Cooking Up Legal Success

KATE COOK’S PATH TO BECOMING assistant general counsel of the Jacobs Engineering Group wasn’t a traditional one. After high school, she couldn’t afford to go straight to college. Instead, she spent several years managing a small local chain restaurant, saving money, and taking night classes toward a business management degree.

A business law class at Suffolk University altered her career trajectory, she says. She changed her major to prelaw and eventually went on to the Massachusetts School of Law.

Kate Cook had a unique journey to becoming assistant general counsel of the Jacobs Engineering Group

By Keith Loria

All through law school, Cook worked as a paralegal at GE, which paid for her education. After earning her degree, she joined GE’s in-house legal team and spent seven years focusing on product liability.

“I found it beneficial to be an in-house lawyer and just have to worry about one client,” Cook enthuses.

In 2021, amid the uncertainties brought on by COVID-19 and GE’s restructuring into three separate companies, Cook received a LinkedIn message about a possible position at Jacobs. Although she wasn’t familiar with Jacobs or actively looking for a

job, the company’s work to improve water treatment, transportation, and infrastructure around the world intrigued her.

Her interview went well and Jacobs offered her a position managing personal injury matters, including the company’s toxic tort litigation. Cook has since added complex construction disputes to her responsibilities. She still feels she’s learning something new every day.

She’s also using her strategic expertise from her time at GE to benefit Jacobs. “At the time I was with GE, there was a pretty well-oiled machine in the legal department,” Cook shares. “I brought quite a bit of technical skills and process orientation with me to the legal department here to guide some of the things we want to move through.”

For example, Cook introduced a negotiation approach to toxic tort cases from GE that bundles settlements to secure dismissal agreements in related cases. This strategy has more than doubled Jacobs’ dismissals rate since her arrival.

In addition to her litigation work, Cook leads process management projects, DEI initiatives, and a crosscollaboration between litigation attorneys and operations attorneys. She also cochairs Jacobs’ corporate counsel externship program with Southern Methodist University, now in its third year.

“I have guided and mentored some brilliant 3L students,” Cook says. “This is something we have to do as lawyers. It’s up to us to shape the next generations.”

Kate Cook Assistant General Counsel Jacobs Engineering Group

KATE KATE COOK COOK

One piece of advice she regularly gives externs is that “pedigree alone will not get you where you want to go; you need to show results.” Jacobs exposes its externs to all the tools and technology the company uses because so many jobs now require “significant technical prowess,” Cook says. Having those skills on their résumés “will help them when there are thousands of people looking for a job.”

Cook also provides young law students with practical experience, whether that’s participating in mediation or a session to prepare a witness for a deposition. She wants them to know the ins and outs of what happens every day in the legal department.

Reflecting on her restaurant experience, Cook believes her time in the industry taught her the importance of developing her soft skills.

“Managing in a restaurant environment with personnel of all different backgrounds and personalities—and aligning people with their skill sets as best as you can—helped me be a better people person,” she explains. “It also helped me help them move to the next level. I use that skill when I do annual reviews now, looking at how I can stretch this person and help them grow.”

Foley Mansfield:

“Kate

—Dennis Vega, Partner

Baron

T. Oursler of FleetPride

is the GC who gets calm when everyone else is losing their cool

Calm and Chaos

By Billy Yost

BY

THE TIME YOU READ THIS PROFILE,

Baron T. Oursler’s two sons will be in the world. Scheduling time with the senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary at FleetPride required a bit of finagling. The week of his interview with Modern Counsel , Oursler’s wife went into the hospital on bed rest, trying to delay the premature birth of their twins for as long as possible.

The Steady Hand

At the same time, Oursler was taking care of their other two children, one of whom had to visit the emergency

room. All the while, he was on standby, expecting a call to rush to the hospital for the arrival of the twins.

Most people would have postponed the interview. Oursler did not. He jokes that he may be slightly annoying to his wife in calmer times, but in a crisis Oursler comes alive. With sheepish pride, he shares that his wife told him she’d never been more impressed with his ability to take care of his family than this past week.

“That meant a lot to me,” Oursler says upon reflection. “In moments when it would be easy for panic to take hold or to

give up, something in me gets calm and focused and I just power through. Make no mistake, at the onset I feel panic just like the best of them, but another feeling and focus inevitably takes over.”

Oursler grew up in what he describes as “a loving home that was a bit turbulent at times.” The baby of the family with four older sisters and whose parents were separated, he smiles as he recalls, “Let’s just say that there was a lot going on.”

“And growing up that way got me used to noise,” Oursler adds. “I was a bit of a child of chaos, and I learned to find clarity in it and thrive.”

Baron T. Oursler SVP, General Counsel, and Secretary

BeenaZ Photography

“I would not be where I am today were it not for a number of folks who stepped into my life at various points, inflection points one could say, and offered me the gift of their mentorship.”

Right to Repair

That doesn’t mean Oursler is a fireball or loose cannon. Quite the opposite. He is steady, dependable, and pragmatic.

Beyond his primary function and responsibilities as head of legal affairs, the SVP has spent the last year and change making regular visits to Capitol Hill and working with members of Congress and other stakeholders on federal right to repair legislation. This legislation would require vehicle manufacturers to provide to the owner or their designee the data for diagnostics, repair, and service. It would preserve access to high quality, affordable vehicle repair by ensuring that vehicle owners and their repairer of choice have equal access to repair and maintenance tools, components, and data.

“During these hyperpartisan times, it’s encouraging and refreshing to see so many Republicans and Democrats

come together to support a practical and commonsense solution,” Oursler says of the legislation. “We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress on the issue and look forward to pushing this important piece of legislation across the finish line.

“And I would be remiss if I didn’t say how extremely grateful I am for Congressman Neal Dunn [R-FL], for his leadership in introducing and championing H.R. 906, known more colloquially as the REPAIR Act, the fifty-six members of Congress who joined as cosponsors, including Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez [D-WA], as well as Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers [R-WA], who as chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee for the US House of Representatives helped shepherd this legislation at the Committee level in the months leading up to her retirement.

“I can’t thank those folks and their staff enough for keeping attention on this issue, which will help protect America’s supply chain, speed up vehicle repair times, and bring down prices at a time when people need that relief,” Oursler says.

The Right Mentor Oursler tends to speak highly of others before speaking of himself, offering, “There’s a Bob Proctor quote I love: ‘A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.’ I would not be where I am today were it not for a number of folks who stepped into my life at various points, inflection points one could say, and offered me the gift of their mentorship.”

One of the people who helped make him who he is, the late Richard G. Munzinger, was a trial lawyer at ScottHulse, the firm where Oursler had the privilege of beginning his career. A man who Oursler recalls now Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht characterizing as “erudite,” Munzinger’s endless fascination for his chosen profession and his dedication to learning left a lasting impression on Oursler.

“There’s a moment that has stuck with me,” Oursler says. “We had a client in an antitrust case, and we went to learn about the relevant market and how the product at issue was made. We pull up to this plant in West Texas, and Mr. Munzinger is smiling ear to ear. He looks at me and says, ‘Can you believe they pay us to do this?’ But that was Mr. Munzinger, a zealous advocate and lover of learning. That’s stayed with me all these years.”

Baron Oursler

Munzinger comes up a lot with Oursler. He only worked under the late attorney for three years and was one of many lawyers mentored by him, but it clearly made an enduring impact. “Mr. Munzinger challenged me to achieve excellence in my undertakings, both professionally and personally, stressing the importance of one’s dedication to career and family,” Oursler recalls.

Another person who helped shape Oursler as he transitioned into the role of general counsel of a large company is US District Judge Karen Gren Scholer of the Northern District of Texas.

“I had the privilege of working alongside Judge Scholer in years prior to her becoming a federal judge. She was never more than a phone call away and always happy to talk through an issue, helping refine my thinking around potential courses of action and any immediate and longer-term ramifications,” Oursler says. “It was an iterative process that helped me grow. Fast forward to her investiture, and the thing that struck me was that, of the hundreds of people in attendance, many—and I mean many—shared similar experiences of her mentorship over the years.”

He adds, “What I have found to be common among the likes of mentors such as Judge Scholer and Mr. Munzinger is that beyond their own dedication to excellence in their careers and families, there exists an unyielding and selfless commitment to the betterment of those around them.”

Despite the influence of peers and the organization’s stakeholders, Oursler dismisses any compar-

ison of himself to these individuals whom he holds in such high regard. But it remains clear that he seeks to impart his own experiences upon those in his orbit, hoping they too may benefit from the lessons he’s learned—or at least get a laugh from a self-deprecating anecdote.

Munzinger instilled a commitment to learning in Oursler and an appreciation that the pursuit of knowledge must be unrelenting and is every bit of a lifelong journey. Maybe that’s why Oursler’s purview has run so wide, including commercial transactions, IP, real estate, M&A, labor and employment, immigration, litigation, risk mitigation, competition and antitrust, trade and customs, and compliance matters. That sheer variety is what Oursler loves about his role with the nation’s largest independent distributor of aftermarket commercial truck parts and service, FleetPride. With an internal legal team comprising himself and a highly skilled and tenured paralegal, the SVP never knows what kind of matter he’ll be handling next—and that’s just how he likes it.

There are a lot of people, too many to mention, in Oursler’s life whom he cites as life-changing and to whom he attributes his accomplishments and success. But at the moment, Oursler isn’t focused on much else than welcoming his two new sons to the world.

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Judi Otteson Is the GC Who Will Take You Public

Judi Otteson has carved out an incredible niche for herself over twenty-four years in-house, including in her current role at Gatik AI Inc.

By Billy Yost

IF JUDI OTTESON DOES HER JOB right, then a company’s name is likely to appear outside the New York Stock Exchange or in Times Square at NASDAQ. The in-house expert with over two decades of experience has carved out a niche for herself that many might find inherently stressful. Not so, however, for Otteson. You call her if you want to build a legal department from the ground up or take your company public.

Otteson has thus far assisted three different Silicon Valley companies through the IPO process, most recently

the de-SPAC for Matterport Inc., where she served as general counsel for three years. Now at autonomous transportation company Gatik AI Inc., the GC has spent the last two years building the legal function at the company, which is at the forefront of the autonomous transportation industry.

While milestones like achieving an IPO or creating industry-leading legal teams is her goal, that doesn’t mean she takes her eye off the short-term goals; she’s also laser-focused on the difference she can make now.

Michael Hawk

General Counsel

AI Inc.

“I love being a GC for a smaller company that is looking to do big things,” Otteson says. “After a company goes public, it’s a huge moment for not just me, but the entire team. I’ve been lucky enough to develop a reputation for helping startups and other dynamic organizations through certain parts of their journeys. It’s my favorite part, pushing them to do more and do it better, and I love what I do.”

The GC is known for her ability to create and drive what she calls “a kinder, gentler legal organization.” She believes that startups, whose survival is never guaranteed, benefit when employees aren’t afraid to reach out to the legal department. A compassionate legal function doesn’t ensure a company’s success,

but it fosters a culture of transparency and accountability that’s crucial for longterm stability.

Otteson is selective about which companies she works with. She makes sure her philosophy meshes well with the leadership team of her prospective employer. Joining Gatik involved a lengthy courtship—particularly because she wasn’t looking for a job when the company came calling.

“I wasn’t in the market for a new job,” the attorney says. “But a recruiter reached out and made it clear Gatik wanted a conversation. I didn’t even have a résumé, but CEO and Cofounder Gautam Narang was intrigued by my LinkedIn profile.”

Slowly, Otteson met with more and more members of the Gatik team. After a

Hawk

Judi Otteson

Gatik

series of discussions, she understood that her skills would be a great fit for the organization.

Walmart, Kroger, and Tyson Foods have used Gatik’s Level 4 autonomous delivery vehicles. As pioneers in a relatively new space, Gatik’s innovations come with a level of uncertainty that would send some risk-averse attorneys screaming in the opposite direction, but not Otteson.

“The most important thing is to make sure that the business folks and I are aligned,” the GC explains. “I’m going to make sure they understand risk, and we’re going to make an informed decision together. I don’t decide for the company. My job is to

provide informed guidance so they can make the best decisions possible.”

While Otteson’s timeline with employers varies, she always focuses on company milestones, whether that’s going public or reaching the next growth phase. Success requires hard work and laying a strong foundation as you walk it—areas where Otteson excels.

With the hindsight of the last twenty-four years, Otteson says there aren’t any worthwhile shortcuts that don’t include a great deal of hard work. She pivoted several times early in her career. Before law school, she got her master’s degree in social work. After realizing it wasn’t the career path she wanted, she went to law school intending to become a public defender. But her heart couldn’t leave the work at work.

Although she wouldn’t change her journey, she hopes more young female attorneys will find more confidence earlier in their careers. It took Otteson time to feel comfortable in her own skin, and she’s only recently realized how good she is at her job.

“You know what you need to know, and that doesn’t mean that you know everything,” the GC says. “I will be the first person to tell you I don’t know something, but I’ll also be the first person to find out the information. You figure it out. Don’t worry so much and have some trust in yourself and your skills.”

Ahmann

Kloke LLP:

“We congratulate Judi on her well-deserved recognition for her accomplishments, professionalism, and dedication!”

—Daniel Kloke, Partner

Leaders in IP, Patent, and Transaction Legal Services

IP and Technology

Every patent and IP asset must have business value and protect the markets that drive customers. We dedicate ourselves to understanding our clients to provide legal counsel, extend business value, and discover new opportunities.

Unlike many lawyers, we enjoy working with new, sophisticated technologies. In fact, working with the most complex technologies and exciting companies is what drove us to be IP lawyers in the rst place.

We have a broad background in IP, litigation, and technology transactions to help our clients realize their business strategies and vision. We help anticipate issues, overcome challenges, and nd opportunities to make business happen.

The Specific Expertise of Being a Generalist

Emily Gordon has leaned in to saying yes, which has made her especially effective inhouse at the Estée Lauder Companies

By Billy Yost

AS LAW SCHOOLS PUSH FOR earlier specialization, Emily Gordon is proof that a generalist can still be exactly the in-house talent companies need. The famed cosmetics and beauty organization’s counsel for litigation and global product regulatory has worked throughout her career to maximize her exposure to different kinds of legal matters—a practice that is paying off at the Estée Lauder Companies.

Gordon began her legal career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where she gained experience in a broad array of litigation and investigations matters, including breach of contract, securities,

healthcare, and intellectual property. Her goal was to be the kind of counsel clients felt comfortable coming to, no matter the issue. Gordon brought this depth of experience and client-focused attitude with her to Estée Lauder to help build out the company’s litigation team.

“When I joined, my boss had already spent over a year building a new litigation and product regulatory function. My goal was to help her continue to grow the function and its capabilities,” Gordon explains. “The team already included three brilliant women when I arrived, so I wanted to support what they were already building while

Emily Gordon Counsel of Litigation & Global Product Regulatory

The Estée Lauder Companies

continuing to add value by bringing more work in-house, further developing our processes, and advancing existing partnerships with the business and other legal functions.”

There was only one catch to ensuring a strong team dynamic: Gordon is completely remote. She works from Denver, where she lives with her husband and two children. She meets with her colleagues in New York multiple times a year, but most of her work relies on building strong relationships remotely.

Gordon says that finding success in a remote role requires work and investment, but it’s very possible with the right attitude and approach. As a new hire, Gordon went out of her way to listen in on calls and meetings to get a feel for the business, the people, and what it means to be an Estée Lauder employee.

“Look, there are certainly things I miss by not being in the office or by the water cooler. That’s unavoidable,” Gordon says. “But that’s why it’s so important to me to get as much exposure to our work and my colleagues as possible—whether I am dealing with the business, outside counsel, or opposing counsel, I always want to make sure I understand the issue and the back-

“When I joined, my boss had already spent over a year building a new litigation and product regulatory function. My goal was to help her continue to grow the function and its capabilities.”

ground, who the key players are, and how best to tackle the problem.

“Sometimes that means joining negotiations my boss is leading to learn from her approach, and sometimes that just means meeting with business or legal stakeholders to learn more about the company and its operations. I try to get as many touch points as I can.”

When Gordon meets with colleagues, she acts like a sponge, absorbing as much as she can. That not only means learning about the business, but also about the people behind the business.

“It’s a very fast-paced environment, so I’m in constant communication with my team throughout the day. We’re talking about the work, of course, but we also find time to talk about what’s happening outside of work. We’re colleagues, but we’re people first. And I think teams function much more effectively when you make those personal connections a priority,” Gordon explains. “I also give a ton of credit to my team for making this part easy—it’s a special group.”

Gordon’s day-to-day work at a wellknown, consumer-facing company with

“Whether I am dealing with the business, outside counsel, or opposing counsel, I always want to make sure I understand the issue and the background, who the key players are, and how best to tackle the problem.”

both physical and online retail outlets is varied and engaging. At any given moment, Gordon might be working on an employment-class action, a privacy litigation, a routine premises liability case, a false advertising threat, or even a securities matter. This variety is what Gordon loves about her work and why she was drawn to a generalist firm in the first place. The influx of new and interesting work allows her to interact with passionate business and legal experts who have a deep understanding of the company.

Gordon says one of the keys to practicing as a generalist is to be up for anything. She has a long track record of raising her hand for work outside her areas of expertise to bolster her skill set. She credits her training at Cravath with giving her the confidence to tackle whatever questions come across her desk, and she is always

willing to ask questions of those who are more knowledgeable.

“There are a million different things going on and demanding your attention at any given time, so it’s critical to triage your work and shift focus quickly when needs change,” Gordon explains. “You have to leverage available resources and utilize new technologies where practical. For example, we recently onboarded new software to help us better manage our matters and improve our data reporting.”

One assignment Gordon has down pat is being a mom. The balance can be hard, she says, but she’s learned to “shift modes” quickly, especially while working from home. “It’s important to me that my children see me as someone who loves her job and also loves being a mom.” She feels she has the best of both worlds right now, and she aims to keep it that way.

Pivot

Showcasing prominent in-house attorneys who capably adapt to changes in their companies, industries, and personal and professional lives to carve out new paths through imagination and reinvention change in their

The Learning Evolution

Ron Peppe VP and General Counsel

Jamie Turner

FabSouth

Throughout his career, Ron Peppe of FabSouth has found excitement by reinventing himself and expanding what it means to lead from the legal seat

By Frannie Sprouls

RON PEPPE DOESN’T DO DOWNTIME.

Throughout his nearly forty-year legal career, Peppe has added one experience after another. It started with financial transactions, bond deals, and international banking at Kutak Rock. Then mortgage-backed securities, which fed his passion for computers, at Prudential Financial.

From Prudential, Peppe moved on to Canam Steel Corporation, where he spent twenty-eight years. Plus, there were two years at the Association of Corporate Counsel as well as chairing school boards in two states and serving on city council.

These varied experiences taught him that he thrives on trying new things. “You keep reinventing yourself and learning more,” he says. “That keeps it exciting.”

After nearly thirty years at Canam, Peppe is now the vice president and general counsel at FabSouth, a construction company based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In his July 2024 interview with Modern Counsel , he reflected on how he has built his wideranging legal expertise, how his leadership style has evolved, and what’s next for him.

Environmental Law

Peppe credits his work at the Department of the Interior with helping him secure his initial role at Canam. He joined Canam knowing a little bit about environmental law, but his first couple years at the company allowed him to grow into an expert. He even spoke at conferences about

Jamie Turner

“It’s fulfilling when you get notes from frontline employees you don’t even know. Little things like that made you realize it was about more than just getting the product out the door.”

air and stormwater permitting and regulation.

During this time, changes from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 were rolling out. Canam faced conflicting information across the states where it operated plants. Ahead of building a new plant in California, Peppe worked with the company’s environmental engineer.

“We figured out that if we followed the state rules, we’d make more pollution than if we did it the way we wanted to,” he recalls. “So we spent four years getting the laws changed, which was a win-win. It would pollute less, and we could still produce and get the permit.”

Though a recession hit and the California plant was not built, the experience served as a model for the other environmental work Peppe completed while at Canam.

Reporting for Admin Duty

Human resources had always been part of Peppe’s legal roles from a compliance perspective. But it was his return to Canam from the Association of Corporate Counsel that granted him a new appreciation for the softer side of HR.

He managed compensation, benefits, payroll, and the whole HR team—all during a time of standardization. Though it was a challenge because the company operates in all fifty states, this aspect of

Peppe’s last Canam role became his favorite.

“We were affecting people, and it’s fulfilling when you get notes from frontline employees you don’t even know,” he says. “Little things like that made you realize it was about more than just getting the product out the door.”

In 2017, Canam went from a publicly traded firm to a private company, which required a reorganization. Peppe added risk management to his repertoire, alongside safety, environmental law, and compliance.

Creating a new corporate structure can be daunting, but for Peppe, it was one of the most exciting times. There were new systems to purchase and implement, new teams and departments to build out, and training and development programs to put in place.

“That’s how I ended up with my final title of executive vice president of shared services, because I was covering so many areas,” he explains. “It was all the behindthe-scenes administration that a company needs.”

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

The reorganization, with all its challenges, taught Peppe a vital lesson: delegate.

He was training new groups of folks who, unlike him, hadn’t done everything and didn’t know where

everything was after all the changes. As the go-to person for answers, he realized he needed to pass on his knowledge.

“I said, ‘We need to create systems so if I get hit by a bus, everything still functions, and we have a team of people who know what they’re doing and where to find things,’” he says.

It was a moment of growth for Peppe. At the beginning of his career, he tended to be a perfectionist. Learning to let go and let people make mistakes, he explains, is often how they will learn and figure out what’s not working.

“A lot of places say they like to give people permission to fail, but then they don’t follow through on it,” he says. “I try to do that.”

The Next Chapter

Peppe still doesn’t do downtime. He notes that he likes to help organize and run things, whether it’s a student government organization or Canam’s restructuring. He wants to have a foot in the nonprofit world, if the situation fits.

He still has a passion for education. He helped start the first charter school in the notso-charter-friendly state of Maryland. And he’s very proud that his daughter became a teacher.

“It’s a little odd for me, talking about things I’ve done, because I’m always thinking about, ‘Well, what haven’t I done?’” he says.

With a new role at FabSouth, only time will tell.

Interview conducted by Noah Johnson.

Frantz Ward: “Frantz Ward is proud to work with Ron Peppe and Canam Steel to achieve sophisticated solutions to complex problems. Ron’s creativity and experience across all facets of operations, including HR, compliance, contracts, and litigation, as well as his composure under pressure, have been truly exceptional.”

—Ian

Frank, Chair, Construction Practice Group

Leave to Return

Natalie LaPorta left Walgreens to get the firm experience she wanted. She came back to built out the privacy legal function and today is the company’s chief privacy officer.

By Billy Yost

NATALIE LAPORTA HAD TO LEAVE

Walgreens and ultimately prove herself so invaluable as outside counsel that the organization saw fit to take on privacy lawyers internally—and hire her back for good.

The current chief privacy officer (CPO) at Walgreens spent the first four years of her career in a nonlegal position despite having her JD.

After graduating from law school, she spent three years in a privacy compliance role at Walgreens. While she loved working for Walgreens, she wanted to practice law. LaPorta knew she needed more experience. This is where the story gets especially interesting.

LaPorta reached out to a recruiter who told her, in no uncertain terms, that because she didn’t have a degree from

Harvard or Yale, the recruiter couldn’t do much for her. Still, the recruiter asked if she would be willing to be introduced to another lawyer at Walgreens who might have some ideas.

LaPorta didn’t hang up or spew rancor at the recruiter, who was uncharacteristically blunt in their assessment.

“I welcomed the honesty,” LaPorta remembers. “If that was the reality, I was grateful they weren’t going to waste my time. And so I agreed to meet the other lawyer.”

Through that connection, LaPorta learned that Dentons’ healthcare practice was looking for an associate with privacy experience, and she went on to join the firm. There, she practiced privacy law in addition to other healthcare transactions, regulatory, and finance matters. She made

Natalie LaPorta Chief Privacy Officer, Managing Counsel Walgreens

herself so indispensable to the Walgreens legal team that Walgreens hired her as outside counsel.

“I was fortunate to benefit from good timing and a strong relationship built with the lawyer who asked to take over the privacy function at Walgreens,” LaPorta says. “I wound up doing a lot of work as outside counsel, and two years later, I was asked to return and start building out the privacy legal function. It was a hard decision to leave private practice, but I knew that the in-house experience was where I was looking to spend the bulk of my career.”

LaPorta came back to Walgreens, hired two attorneys who still work for her today, and began building out the

function from scratch. Well, not from scratch, exactly, because LaPorta knew so much about the company.

“I’ve watched this organization run a retail and specialty pharmacy, retail, healthcare clinics, and websites and mobile applications,” the CPO says. “If you’re going to make privacy work for the business as well as the customer and patient, you have to know what each part of that looks like. Privacy as a theory doesn’t matter at all if you can’t put it into practice.”

What LaPorta didn’t want to do as she was building the function was to break down any of the strong relationships she had built across the legal division. She knew showing up in a

“If you’re going to make privacy work for the business as well as the customer and patient, you have to know what each part of that looks like. Privacy as a theory doesn’t matter at all if you can’t put it into practice.”

department and telling them her team was functionally taking over all privacy concerns would ruffle more feathers than build relationships.

Instead, LaPorta and her people showed up asking if they could take over the heavy lifting of privacy responsibilities. They emphasized that the privacy team was in no way trying to take over anyone’s functions or other concerns. They wanted to support and collaborate with their hard-working legal colleagues.

Her recognition of how to handle internal communications and relationships is telling and perhaps part of the reason she was most recently appointed as the company’s chief privacy officer. It’s because of that approach that she’s now the regular first call for people across the Walgreens organization. LaPorta also thinks it’s the reason the two attorneys she’s hired have stayed with her all these years.

“Our privacy team wants to enable the business. A project team will come to us and tell us they want to do X, Y, and Z,” LaPorta explains. “That’s when we start asking questions. What are you looking to accomplish? What does great versus good look like to you here? That’s where we start, and that allows us to

work through potential alternatives if X, Y, and Z might need to look a little different. We understand we are a support function, and we’re there to ultimately get the business where it wants to go.”

“In our role as Natalie’s trusted advisor, we have seen firsthand how she delivers on the value of creating strong, transparent relationships,” says Vickie B. Ahlers, partner and chair of the healthcare practice group at Baird Holm LLP. “This approach puts Natalie and her team at the table for critical conversations and keeps privacy at the forefront of key initiatives. It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and committed leader.”

The chief privacy officer says a critical piece of being a good business partner is communication. She holds cross-functional weekly working groups and monthly steering committee meetings on privacy that allow the organization to hear both from the privacy and government relations team about best practices and expectations. She also facilitates breakout sessions where people can talk through specific projects or ideas.

Those sessions also give the representatives from cross-functional teams some idea of what may be coming down

Expertise Spotlight

Baird Holm is trusted counsel for clients across all industries that are innovating in technology and data-driven business solutions. Our attorneys have deep expertise in ever-evolving federal and state privacy and security regulations, guiding clients through development and implementation of compliant data protection mechanisms as well as preparation of incident response plans. When incidents occur, we have specialized knowledge and experience in conducting appropriate investigations and forensic analysis to assess impact, managing the notification process, and responding to government inquiry or private action claims.

We are also side by side with our clients helping to build legal strategies for implementing cutting-edge digital technology including artificial intelligence, digital currencies, and payment products.

But we don’t stop there. From technology and data protection, to litigation, real estate, employment, corporate law, and beyond, our deep bench strength and keen sense of the business needs of our clients allow us to provide excellent service from one cohesive team of specialized attorneys.

Baird Holm does this with cost-effective strategies and a client-first approach that ensures we are responsive, solutionoriented, and timely.

Our attorneys have an unwavering shared objective: to be the best at what we do and deliver exceptional value to our clients.

“We think of worstcase scenario environments, how we could respond, and how we can keep our patients’ and customers’ data secure while keeping the business humming along.”

the pike, how new legislation and laws might affect their plans, and what the “now vs. later” approach concerning that legislation might require in evolution and planning. What’s built right now may need to evolve as different privacy legislation goes into effect or is adopted in different geographies.

“It’s a chance for us to meet with IT and our digital marketing teams and think about the future,” LaPorta explains. “We think of worstcase scenario environments, how we could respond, and how we can keep our patients’ and customers’ data secure while keeping the business humming along.”

LaPorta’s commitment to enabling business, not stifling it, is simply a part of her practice. She’s absorbed so much of Walgreens into her approach to the business that it’s almost second nature. As she continues to look out for consumer and patient privacy, she’ll be taking on new challenges—like the constantly evolving definition of what constitutes AI—while keeping her internal clients happy. It’s a lot to balance, but LaPorta knows Walgreens inside and out.

Brick

by Brick

GATX Corporation Senior Counsel of Litigation Dave Hutchinson on building a career one move at a time

By Zach Baliva

CHILDREN OF LAWYERS ARE seventeen times more likely to become lawyers than their peers, according to authors Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison. But even though both of his parents are law professors and his family is full of attorneys, Dave Hutchinson took a circuitous, cautious journey to a legal career, unsure that he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps for much of his youth.

Hutchinson was never far from the legal profession growing up. His family moved to the Windy City just before Hutchinson was born, when his parents both began to teach at the University of Chicago. Years later, Hutchinson’s mother was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where she served as judge and chief judge over a twentynine-year tenure.

An unusual level of exposure to the legal world left a strong impression on the young Hutchinson. “The academic side of the law was very apparent to me,” he said. “I learned how valuable reasoning and analysis were, but it seemed to lack the human side.”

Despite the front-row seat Hutchinson had to the inner workings of courtrooms, law schools, and appeals courts, he wanted to discover his own

calling and fi nd his way to make an impact on the world. He decided to enroll at a liberal arts college to gain a well-rounded education on many subjects, develop a global perspective, and become more culturally aware.

Hutchinson found a good match in Bowdoin College. However, enrolling would mean leaving his home city of Chicago to head 1,100 miles east to Maine.

Taking the risk put Hutchinson on a new path. He studied sociology and government with an emphasis on political behavior and theory. As a senior, Hutchinson wrote a paper on the effect mass media has on citizens’ political behavior. Upon graduation, he moved to Washington, DC, to take a job as a paralegal at Williams & Connolly.

Two years of preparing documents and managing discovery for large-scale class action litigation fi nished what growing up in a family of lawyers had started. As Hutchinson watched partners and associates gather facts and craft arguments, he noticed how legal strategies harnessed knowledge of the people involved, including the court and adversaries, in addition to the law. They also knew their clients. Williams & Connolly’s partners, Hutchinson saw, were at their best when they took the

Expertise Spotlight

Phelps is a full-service law firm with over four hundred lawyers serving clients from fifteen offices across the south and London.

Phelps’ environmental team offers a full-service, multifaceted approach to environmental matters. We draw on scientific training and decades of regulatory, transactional, and litigation experience to deliver solutions. We are adept at assisting with the environmental components of major transactions. We have extensive regulatory experience and a robust environmental litigation practice. Crucially, our environmental attorneys understand that these areas of expertise are interrelated. Our litigation and regulatory experience inform our analysis of due diligence and risk allocation in transactions; our regulatory experience is vital to our defense of clients in litigation. This mindset and our depth of knowledge allows our team to deliver comprehensive and efficient service to businesses. We also have deep relationships with experts, consultants, and regulators, and our work regularly draws on these connections.

Accolades

Chambers USA Guide: 69 lawyers and 24 practice areas ranked; Tier 1 ranking in Environment in Louisiana; three lawyers recognized for environmental law

Best Lawyers: 211 lawyers from 85 practices ranked, including 20 Lawyers of the Year; three lawyers recognized for environmental law

BTI Consulting: Phelps named a leadingedge law firm.

Dave Hutchinson Senior Counsel of Litigation GATX Corporation

time to build relationships and understand a litigant’s business strategy and objectives.

As he synthesized this knowledge in his mind, Hutchinson knew what he wanted to do. He signed up to take the LSAT and attended Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law with the clarity that he would later pursue a career in litigation. While he was in Bloomington (and closer to his home, Chicago), the ambitious law student served on the editorial board of the Federal Communications Law Journal , participated in the Sherman Minton moot court competition, and taught lessons on constitutional law to elementary students through Outreach for Legal Literacy.

It was perhaps Hutchinson’s time working on the law journal that shaped and in fluenced

him the most during that era. “I took ownership of the opportunity because I knew it would be good early experience working with people, moving projects forward, and creating [a] strong work product,” he explains. Duties included serving as the outlet’s senior notes editor to oversee the writing process, selecting content to publish, and pitching new ideas.

A summer spent as a clerk in the Illinois attorney general’s office taught Hutchinson about antitrust litigation as he interviewed witnesses, researched issues, and drafted memoranda. The next year, he went to Jenner & Block as a summer associate. He would later return to the fi rm full-time and spend eight years advocating for his clients in state and federal courtrooms.

At Jenner & Block, Hutchinson was placed on effective teams with strong mentors who helped him grasp general practice and complex matters while working on cases big and small. Over time, Hutchinson discovered that law firms and companies, including prospective employers, were putting more emphasis on specialization. He therefore resolved to put himself in a position to tackle new practice areas, volunteer for increased responsibilities, and prepare for senior leadership positions.

Hutchinson found the opportunity to do just that in an unlikely role—as a judicial law clerk in the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, based in Boston. “I chose a clerkship after eight years in a fi rm because I knew I would get a lot of fast-paced exposure to a

“I’ve seen a lot across the spectrum, from simple to complex and from the normal to the wacky.”

variety of issues and areas of law in a short time,” he explains.

With the clerkship complete, Hutchinson moved to a boutique fi rm, where he managed a variety of matters. He garnered extensive experience in leading roles, including arguing (successfully) before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and fi rst-chairing his first trial. He later spent nearly two years as special counsel handling IP litigation at a Silicon Valley fi rm.

The desire to be back working at a company with Chicago roots led him to reunite with a former Jenner & Block colleague at GATX, a railcar leasing

company. Now senior counsel, Hutchinson primarily manages disputes, litigation, and some regulatory matters.

Hutchinson has been impressed by the collegiality, capabilities, and collaboration in GATX’s relatively small legal department. While the role at GATX represents his fi rst in-house position after roles in large and boutique law firms, Hutchinson has found that his earlier preparation and diverse career are both assets.

“I’ve seen a lot across the spectrum, from simple to complex and from the normal to the wacky,” he says. “I fi nd that I’ve developed good judgment to predict what may happen and how

Manatt congratulates

David Hutchinson

Senior Counsel for Litigation, GATX Corporation

We are honored to work with GATX, and we congratulate Dave on being selected for a profile in Modern Counsel.

With respect, your friends and colleagues at Manatt.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, llp

manatt.com

“I’m excited to be established in a place where I can continue to contribute and add value as we move forward together.”

a business or counterparty behaves in certain situations, and that helps us move through issues faster than we otherwise would.”

“Dave has a broad interest in environmental law issues, which are of current interest and concern to GATX, and those which may point to potential future issues. His approach—being tuned into all aspects of how this specialized area of law affects GATX’s interests—meshes well with our approach to the practice,” says Steve Levine, a partner at Phelps Dunbar.

One thing about GATX might convince Hutchinson to settle into his role for the long term: The company originally created to ship beer in refrigerated railcars is now headquartered on iconic downtown Wacker Drive. “I’m tired of all the moving around at this point, and I’m excited to be established in a place where I can continue to contribute and add value as we move forward together,” he says. Dave Hutchinson has finally returned to his hometown. This time, he plans to stay.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips: “Dave is a quick study on complex matters and has a great ability to identify a critical path forward and creative solutions. As outside counsel, we greatly enjoy and value the opportunity to work with him.”

—Peter Duchesneau,

Partner

Proud to work with Dave Hutchinson

of GATX. Dave’s career journey has been inspiring. In his current role, he showcases versatility, with no two days being the same. His commitment extends beyond his work, actively engaging with the Illinois Bar Association and Lawyers in the Classroom program. We greatly appreciate the trust he shows in us by being our partner on GATX’s environmental matters. We enjoy working with Dave and look forward to continued success together.

David Topping, Partner

2102 E. State Highway 114

Suite 207

Southlake, TX phelps.com

Steven Levine, Sr. Partner

Laying the Foundation

After a decade of firm life, Elif Kimyacioglu moved to Prime Residential to build the property management firm’s first in-house legal team. The small but mighty group is helping the company as it expands up and down the West Coast.

By Zach Baliva

ELIF KIMYACIOGLU

ALMOST IGNORED

the LinkedIn alert. With so many scammers and hackers cluttering her inbox, who could blame her? But this message stood out. A contact with several mutual friends was running a large property management firm and needed someone to build an in-house legal function from the ground up.

While the opportunity seemed too good to be true, Kimyacioglu, who spent a decade as an associate at Latham & Watkins, decided to investigate the invitation. “I loved the firm because of the brilliant and wonderful people I worked with and the cutting-edge work, but I wanted to consider other ways to solve problems,” she explains. “I knew going in-house could be a good fit if I could find the right company and the right team.”

The potential at Prime Residential, combined with a strong leadership team and Kimyacioglu’s desire to operate as

a generalist, led her to the company. It was 2019, and Prime Residential was just shy of its thirtieth anniversary. The company was in the sweet spot— established and successful, but in the middle of an ambitious growth phase. Kimyacioglu knew she could make a real impact by building the legal team that would help Prime Residential execute on its goals.

Kimyacioglu was one of several senior leaders brought in as Prime

Elif Kimyacioglu EVP of Legal & Risk Management

Prime Residential

“If we want to maintain a strong reputation as we grow, we have to stay connected to our residents in every way possible.”

Residential sought to internalize and improve several business and operational functions while expanding its portfolio. “You need more robust and elaborate teams to properly service a growing portfolio, and Prime Residential focused on investing in wonderful leaders to help us chart a path forward,” she explains.

As both head count and unit count grew, Kimyacioglu started having open and honest conversations with her counterparts about what they wanted from the legal function. “Legal compliance and risk management are the bare minimum, but a team built for more can add significant value,” the legal leader says.

She first hired a paralegal before adding three attorneys, another paralegal, and three claims managers. Lastly, Kimyacioglu hired a team member with a construction background to route safety issues from business to legal.

Moving Prime Residential’s claims management process in-house was a critical move for the company. The move ensures the company takes a customer-centered approach to dealing with concerns while also properly minimizing and managing risk.

Prime Residential now has about five hundred employees and manages approximately nineteen thousand units in West Coast markets from San Diego to Seattle. Its scale means questions, concerns, misunderstandings, and disputes inevitably arise.

“If we want to maintain a strong reputation as we grow, we have to stay connected to our residents in every way possible,” Kimyacioglu says. “We are responsive when residents call us because these are their homes we are dealing with.”

Community engagement and government affairs are especially important because of the company’s size. Prime Residential owns Park La Brea, for example. With 4,200 units and 10,000 residents, the landmark community is one of the largest west of the Mississippi River. The property, which is adjacent to Wilshire Boulevard, features garden townhomes and tower apartments. Its premium amenities

include a professionally managed fitness center, five miles of activity trails, and a junior Olympic pool.

While Prime Residential utilizes external resources to assist in keeping up with California’s changing rules, regulations, and policies that affect its properties, Kimyacioglu’s team monitors similar issues in smaller markets. “We’re active regarding public policy because others look to us as an example,” says Kimyacioglu, adding that she and her colleagues work overtime to build relationships with city council members, local chambers of commerce, and other key players.

Five years into her tenure at Prime Residential, Kimyacioglu continues to work with her peers on Prime Residential’s senior leadership team, which sets priorities across the entire company. In doing so, she leans on some important lessons from her days at Latham & Watkins, where senior partners solicited opinions and advice from junior associates.

“I want to be the kind of leader who knows that everyone matters and that all contributions bring value,” she says. “I don’t want anyone to tell me yes because of my title or because they are intimidated.” Kimyacioglu anchors her team with positivity and starts each meeting by celebrating small wins to keep everyone motivated.

Public service, advocacy, and excellence run in Kimyacioglu’s family. Her grandfather was a member of Turkish parliament and an ambassador to the United Nations. Her two sisters played professional basketball in Turkey; one competed in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games as a member of the Turkish national team. When Kimyacioglu isn’t busy mentoring the legal minds at Prime Residential, she is often found coaching members of another competitive group—her daughters’ youth basketball teams at the local YMCA.

—Michael D. Kibler, Managing

Representation

Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP provides high-end, sophisticated commercial litigation services. We are committed to delivering outstanding outcomes for our clients.

Clients turn to us for our extensive trial experience, judgment, muscular litigation style, reasonable rates, and cost-effective, commercially minded approach to litigating and trying cases.

www.kfc.law

Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP:

“Elif has the experience, judgment, and instincts to truly collaborate with outside counsel when managing litigation risks facing her client. She acts as a true thought partner with the outside counsel she hires.”

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EXPERTS IN FINTECH

Discover the legal minds at the forefront of fintech, balancing regulation, innovation, and financial transformation within top companies

NEW HORIZONS

From navigating global regulatory frameworks to nurturing future leaders,

BY NOAH JOHNSON

Stephanie Grauerholz steers Janus Henderson Investors through strategic innovations

s deputy general counsel at Janus Henderson Investors, Stephanie

Grauerholz has a lot on her plate: monitoring global regulatory frameworks, aiding the company’s growth strategy, and supporting corporate functions such as DEI, litigation, and HR. But her busy schedule doesn’t stop her from educating and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

“I’m passionate about passing on knowledge and creating opportunity for others, whether that be at Janus Henderson or not,” she says. “My goal is to treat my team so that they never want to leave, but I know I did my job when they find an opportunity that fits their goals.”

Grauerholz leads the company’s global asset management legal team of approximately forty people, including lawyers, paralegals, and administrative support staff stationed across Denver, London, and Hong Kong. Her commitment to their growth aligns with a companywide mission of helping clients achieve superior financial outcomes through differentiated insights, disciplined investments, and worldclass service.

Grauerholz and her team support efforts to protect and grow Janus Henderson’s core business, as well as

support expansion of existing capabilities that have enhanced growth opportunities for clients and the firm, such as private funds, exchange-traded funds, and regional expansion in Asia and Latin America.

Supporting the diversification of the organization’s offerings has been another focus. That’s what led to a joint venture with Privacore Capital, an open-architecture distributor and trusted consultant for alternative investment products tailored to private wealth clients. Since the start of that venture, Privacore has tapped into a fast-growing market in a vital segment of the industry where Janus Henderson clients have sought exposure.

Legal has been present in each effort, Grauerholz says. Her team partners on strategic priorities and contributes ideas on new markets, products, and instruments. She notes that legal prepares the offering documents related to existing and new product launches, reviews and negotiates agreements, collaborates with the traders and portfolio managers on the types of instruments needed for investment, and provides guidance on regulatory requirements on regions around the globe.

“We touch every part of the business,” she says, “and it becomes exciting because you’re seeing the results

Stephanie Grauerholz Deputy General Counsel

Janus Henderson Investors

Venable Celebrates Stephanie Grauerholz

Deputy General

Counsel

, Janus Henderson Investors U.S.

We are delighted to recognize the great work of our friend and client, Stephanie, and we are honored to serve as her trusted advisors.

of your work help move things forward for the firm.”

Grauerholz says she decided to pursue law “by interest and default.” It was her senior year in college, and she hadn’t declared her major. That’s when the administrative office called, urging her to figure things out.

“I thought about the courses I had already taken and found my legal classes allowed me to major in legal studies,” she says. After graduation, her cursory interests in law evolved into a genuine passion that brought her to DePaul University College of Law. After graduating, she started her career at Chapman and Cutler, and then she went to Vedder Price, where she advised financial services firms and boards of directors on matters related to the 40 Act and the Advisers Act.

She went on to join Janus Capital Group for thirteen years before founding her own consulting firm, Alpha Regulatory Consulting. Her experience as a sole practitioner forced her to learn, adapt, and figure things out on the fly.

“It gave me a different perspective since I was on my own,” she says. “It shaped me to be a leader who challenges people to do things that they don’t have experience with.”

In 2019, Grauerholz returned to Janus Henderson in her first

senior management role. While she was happy to work with her former colleagues again, Grauerholz says that the transition was an adjustment that required “some soul searching.”

“I was used to being a doer,” she says. She enjoyed being in the weeds, doing research and analysis. “It took a mindset shift, but I don’t regret it at all. The firm is fantastic, and I can’t say enough good things about my team.”

“It’s a privilege to partner with Stephanie—she is a creative, brilliant, and incredibly hardworking in-house leader,” says Jason Halper, partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. “She brings a thoughtful, practical approach to bear on litigation matters that, combined with a commitment to excellence, have produced tremendous results. It is also inspiring to see how deeply she cares about her team and the larger Janus Henderson organization.”

Grauerholz advises young people to follow their interests and find people to advocate for them. She’s always happy to share her advice and experience with others.

“If you want to be in a company or to be part of something, don’t feel like you have to do it on your own,” she says. “Connect with people that can make sure your name is being heard.”

FROM POLITICS

TO

BY KEITH LORIA

ax Twine didn’t set out to be a lawyer, though from an early age he displayed some telltale signs of a future litigator.

“I was one of those smart-alecky kids who was always in an argument,” recounts Twine, currently a director and associate general counsel of litigation for Shopify. “Now that I’m a parent, I have a different perspective on that. My daughter is so much like me and I think, ‘My poor parents.’ But I grew up with people telling me I was going to be a lawyer.”

Despite others’ predictions, Twine didn’t initially pursue law. After a childhood shuttling between Maine and Los Angeles to spend time with his mother, a teacher, and his father, an artist, he studied philosophy at Tufts University. At the time, his passion was politics.

“I had the incredibly good fortune to intern for Barack Obama’s [senate] campaign in 2004, just as he was becoming a national star in the Democratic party,” Twine enthuses. “That was my first love, and I did work in politics for a few years after college.”

But Twine became disillusioned with politics when he realized that not all politicians are on the Barack Obama level.

“[With] most of them you have to settle for less. You’re not working in Chicago or meeting celebrities all the time. It’s much more drudgery and less sexy,” he recalls. “They’re paying you peanuts, you’re moving around all the time, and politics is full of backstabbing people.”

In 2006, Twine decided to give law school a try. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2011.

After starting in politics, Max Twine transitioned to law and now leads global litigation efforts at Shopify, winning key legal battles against patent trolls

PATENT BATTLES

“I have always been interested in ideas,” Twine says. “Everything was pushing me toward litigation.”

Twine began his legal career with McCarter & English, followed by a federal clerkship and six years at a boutique litigation firm. In 2019, he shifted to in-house roles, becoming litigation counsel for Ripple, then for Zendesk two years later.

“I love being an in-house lawyer because I’m part of something that’s bigger than the practice of law,” he says. “At a law firm, the lawyers are the star of the show, but working in-house,

we’re back-office people supporting a broader mission. Our job is to advise and empower the business and then step out of the way. I also don’t only talk to lawyers, which I enjoy.”

Plus, working in-house offers a different lifestyle. For instance, before joining Ripple in 2019, Twine had a big trial that required him to live in Delaware for a month, apart from his nine-month-old daughter at home.

“It was an amazing case. We won, and it was a big deal for me professionally,” Twine recalls. “But I realized I didn’t want to be at the top of the

ladder, so I thought it would be best to change ladders and do in-house lawyering. I’ve been super happy ever since.”

In 2023, a former colleague from Zendesk had started working for Shopify and thought Twine would be ideal for an open position.

“It was pure happenstance,” Twine explains. “As you dig deeper into your career, your professional network grows, and openings come up. Like many people, I broadly understood what Shopify was—I had used Shop Pay before and was impressed with

the product—but didn’t know a ton about the company.”

Twine quickly became interested in the role. He would have the increased responsibility of managing a bigger team, and his former colleague was enthusiastic about Shopify.

“I was lucky enough to have my résumé picked from the pile due to my connection,” Twine says. At the end of 2023, Twine received an offer from Shopify.

At Shopify, Twine oversees a wide variety of global disputes. “We have patent trolls nipping at our heels at all times,” he notes. Merchant disputes and consumer class action lawsuits also occupy much of his team’s time.

In the course of his varied work, Twine has worked with many outside counsel, including Moez Kaba, a managing partner at Hueston Hennigan. “Max has the unique combination of being both incredibly thoughtful and strategically aggressive,” Kaba says. “Max insists that we get to the right outcome but do so in the right way. Collaborating with Max is a joy and makes us all better lawyers.”

For the first time in his career, Twine is working for a company that fights patent trolls, which he calls “purely vessels for litigation.”

“I REALIZED I DIDN’T WANT TO BE AT THE TOP OF THE LADDER, SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO CHANGE LADDERS AND DO

He finds it satisfying to fight and win against them.

“We are prepared to take the long view economically, because we believe it’s important to protect the innovation, creativity, and hard work of our product development and engineering folks,” Twine explains. “When they sue us, we litigate with them, which has been fun to do. I’m not a highly technical person, but I am part of a team of smart people. It’s a mission-driven litigation practice, where we take the fight to the trolls and we win. We’ve had some great successes.”

Those successes include one that predates Twine. His team got a case voluntarily dismissed with no money paid and a reversal of a $40 million verdict against Shopify.

“Another area of success is in our consumer class actions,” Twine shares.

“I’m involved in one now—a case called Briskin—which is the first case I have ever had get en banc treatment at the Ninth Circuit, because it’s a big one. Another recent dismissal is for a case called Baton. We’ve seen a lot of great wins.”

Reflecting on his career, Twine loves where he is, even as he has seen many old law school friends leave the law.

“I have no doubts at all that I will be a lawyer until the day I retire,” he says with a smile.

Neena Reddy performs due diligence and leads integrations to help Blue Owl grow without sacrificing the character that makes it a destination workplace

TAKING FLIGHT

BY ZACH BALIVA

n 2019, Neena Reddy was approaching her tenth anniversary at Goldman Sachs. By that time, the Brooklyn native and lawyer had worked mostly in private wealth, leveraged finance, and asset management.

In her role as a vice president and associate general counsel at the iconic financial services company, Reddy had a front-row seat to the most innovative, exciting fast-growth companies in the world. She had handled complex alternative asset management transactions, private equity matters, and hedge fund issues and was ready for a new challenge. She just needed the right opportunity.

That’s when Reddy spoke with Alan Kirshenbaum at Owl Rock, the direct lender founded by Doug Ostrover, Marc Lipschultz, and Craig Packer. Owl Rock specialized in private credit and was aggressively adding middlemarket companies to its large investment portfolio.

At the time, Owl Rock was still young (less than three years old) and operated like a startup. It had just

one product and about $10 billion in assets under management. Kirshenbaum needed a business-minded legal leader with expertise in asset management to manage risk and oversee all legal and regulatory matters. He also needed someone capable of building an in-house legal team.

Reddy recognized the potential match right away. “In Owl Rock, I saw the opportunity to capitalize on my expertise to make an immediate impact in a fast-growing environment,” she explains.

After five years and one pandemic, many things have changed for Reddy and the company. In 2021, Owl Rock and Dyal Capital merged to create Blue Owl Capital. The newly formed company started trading on the NYSE as OWL in May 2021.

Blue Owl has seen significant development since Reddy joined in 2019. Then, she was employee ninety-nine. Now, she has more than a thousand colleagues and manages the fifty-person legal and compliance team. A series of important acquisitions has been responsible for much of Blue Owl’s growth, and Reddy’s team

has played a critical role by performing due diligence checks, negotiating financial terms, and managing large scale transitions.

“Our philosophy is to find amazing targets, integrate them well, and leverage the Blue Owl ecosystem to drive value,” Reddy says. “One plus one equals three is the idea.”

A powerful example of this approach is Blue Owl’s 2021 acquisition of Oak Street Real Estate Capital, a firm with assets of $10.8 billion that specialized in structuring sale-leasebacks and providing strategic capital through a leading triple net lease platform. Oak Street was known for offering innovative and flexible real estate options to corporations, municipal clients, and healthcare organizations. By acquiring Oak Street’s investment business, Blue Owl provided the firm’s clients with a differentiated set of product offerings.

Another recent acquisition primed Blue Owl to move into real estate finance. In the summer of 2024, leaders closed the $170 million deal, which netted them Prima Capital Advisors and its $10 billion in assets.

Expertise Spotlight

With a global platform of more than 3,500 lawyers in 21 cities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Kirkland & Ellis provides elite legal advice and a relentless commitment to client service. Kirkland is a market-leader in each of its core practice areas including private equity, M&A, and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and alternative asset management; restructurings; high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation; and government, regulatory, and internal investigations. To learn more, please visit kirkland.com.

Neena Reddy Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Secretary Blue Owl Capital

This formed the basis of a strategy to bring its clients high-quality real estate lending capabilities.

Cultural fit plays an important role in any integration, and Reddy says she and her colleagues work overtime to help Blue Owl retain the character that’s made it into a destination workplace.

“We’ve been purposeful and vocal about our desire to ensure we’re building this culture the right way,” she explains. “We are collaborative and inclusive, and even in a period of growth through acquisition, we are operating as one company with one overall mission.”

Blue Owl’s leaders are also building a supportive culture for women. Reddy serves as the executive sponsor of the company’s women’s employee resource group, which hosts regular meetings, networking sessions, and other events. Reddy has introduced “horizontal relationships,” or pairings that connect peers for authentic conversations.

In the five years since Reddy joined Blue Owl, the company has gone from $9 billion to $192 billion in assets under management. While it once operated solely as a private credit firm, Blue Owl now has credit, GP strategic capital, and real estate platforms.

Reddy has grown and evolved in step with Blue Owl. After building a legal and compliance team and supporting everything from Blue Owl’s mergers and acquisitions to contract negotiations to employee matters, product launches, real estate issues, and everything in between, she is now operating as a true general counsel. As Reddy continues to guide Blue Owl through complex acquisitions and financial cycles, she embodies the culture behind a dynamic investment asset management company looking to continue its impressive trajectory.

Kirkland & Ellis:

“Neena leads the complex and growing legal department of Blue Owl—a multifaceted public asset manager—with vision, pragmatism, and integrity. She works hand-in-globe with attorneys throughout our firm and has been a tremendous proponent for attorney development. We are proud to be her partner and look forward to working with her for years to come.”

—Your friends at Kirkland & Ellis

Courtesy of Blue Owl Capital

LEGAL VOCATION

An early aptitude for law led Hinh Tran down a path that allowed him to make a meaningful impact at Ramp

BY LUCY CAVANAGH

n high school, Hinh Tran displayed a knack for the skills that would later serve him as an attorney. As a high school debater, he got used to meticulous research, erudite case construction, and adept articulation. His senior year, he won national and state debate titles, and teachers and mentors recommended that he consider law school to put those talents to good use.

After earning his bachelor’s in political economy with a minor in public policy from UC Berkeley, Tran discovered another professional aptitude in the fast-paced startup world. He worked for Square, now Block, for more than three years, through the company’s IPO. “At Square, I worked on products that would be conceived of and then launched in a matter of months,” Tran says. “I enjoyed building a scalable product that many people use.”

After the detour through Silicon Valley, Tran followed through on his plan to go to law school. He attended

the University of Michigan, where he considered a career in academia but realized it didn’t suit his talents and interests. “While I have an intellectual interest in academia, I didn’t necessarily love going to school,” Tran explains. “Law is a technical profession, and so I gravitated toward hands-on learning.”

To gain practical experience, Tran did an externship for a magistrate judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and worked for a clinic that helped startups in the Ann Arbor area.

During law school, Tran also discovered a love of teaching. He served as a teaching assistant for four semesters, learning from the example of award-winning professors at the University of Michigan. To this day, Tran keeps one foot in the academic world through his part-time lecturing at the University of Southern California, where he enjoys imparting lessons to the next generation of lawyers.

After law school, Tran followed the well-tread path of building out

Hinh Tran Lead Counsel of Litigation & Employment

“AT A FIRM, THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE SENIOR PEOPLE TO BOTH ANSWER TO AND TURN TO FOR HELP. IN THE STARTUP WORLD, YOU ARE THE LAWYER.”

experience by clerking, which he did at the US District Court for the Eastern District of California. He then cut his teeth as an attorney at the boutique firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters in San Francisco, focusing on trial work for tech companies like Netflix, Google, and Facebook.

“After a year and a half, I realized I missed the startup experience,” Tran reflects. “I enjoy being a litigator, but I missed the speed and velocity of the startup world. Even at a trial firm, our cases could go on for years.”

As fate would have it, Tran learned about an in-house opportunity at Ramp. The fintech startup provides a financial automation platform to companies of all sizes. They gave him an offer too good to turn down, he says. “They were and still are a hot startup, well-funded, with reputable investors and an innovative product. I took the plunge and went in-house—earlier than I had envisioned, but it turned out to be a great decision.”

Tran was particularly impressed with how Ramp uses its lean resources to simultaneously launch multiple products and expand internationally. He started on the product and com-

pliance team and has moved through multiple areas within the company, recently becoming the lead counsel of litigation and employment.

“It’s been my privilege to work with Hinh and the incredible team at Ramp. Hinh’s pragmatic approach to managing employment matters, combined with his forward-thinking vision and commitment to excellence, aligns perfectly with Ramp’s mission to revolutionize financial services,” says Stacey Chiu, a senior associate at Michelman & Robinson LLP. “It’s been a fantastic experience contributing to the company’s ongoing success, and all of us at M&R look forward to supporting Hinh and Ramp as they continue to lead and innovate.”

At Ramp, Tran has found the ideal blend of opportunities and challenges for his talents and interests. He values the diverse array of perspectives that he finds in-house, especially in his nonlawyer colleagues. He also finds the leadership aspect of his role both challenging and exciting. “At a firm, there are always more senior people to both answer to and turn to for help,” Tran says. “In the startup world, you are the lawyer. For 90 percent of

decisions, you have to handle things without turning to another.”

Luckily for Tran, his partner, Nicolas Gonzalez, is also a lawyer. The two are only a year apart in their law school graduation years. They have supported and empathized with each other through the demands of their profession.

“Both of us appreciate the perks of dating another lawyer. We understand that sometimes there are deadlines you can’t just make disappear,” Tran says. “It’s great to be able to bounce ideas off each other—obviously, without discussing privileged information. We can learn from each other’s experience and don’t need to seek outside counsel for what could be an expensive question.”

With two attorneys in the relationship and the high intensity of the vocation, Tran also emphasizes the importance of work/life balance. He and his partner intentionally spend their free time doing things they enjoy. “Another important thing that we’ve learned from each other is how to make law a sustainable career,” Tran shares. “You have to carve out space for yourself.”

Hinh Tran

Your leadership perfectly aligns with Ramp’s bold approach to finance. It's a privilege to work together, and we're proud to provide advice and counsel that helps advance Ramp's success. Here's to you, Hinh, your strategic vision, and Ramp's ongoing growth.

BY FRANNIE SPROULS

BUILDING CITIZENS FINANCIAL TOGETHER

In her first general counsel role, Polly Klane supports Citizens Financial Group’s expansion with her ninety-person legal department

olly Klane was nearly eight years into her second tenure at Capital One when she received a call from Citizens Financial Group. She had built quite the résumé as a long-standing deputy general counsel at Capital One, with a total of nearly seventeen years at the company and various promotions.

There had been other calls for roles that were just not the right fit. “I liked my job at Capital One, so my bar was high,” Klane says.

But this call was different. Citizens was a respected regional bank in her own backyard. Upon connecting with the recruiter and then CEO Bruce Van Saun, she could see herself at the company from both a cultural and business perspective. And this was her chance to step into the general counsel seat.

In April 2022, Klane joined Citizens Financial Group as its general counsel and chief legal officer, excited to be part of Van Saun’s vision for growth and innovation. “I loved that Bruce wanted to find places where we could distinguish ourselves and win with customers,” she says. “That was the culture I’d grown up in and what I was looking for.”

Klane and her ninety-person department handle all legal issues the company faces. Her department also oversees three nonlegal functions: regulatory relations, government relations, and subpoena processing.

Regulatory relations manages the relationships with the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as the examination

activity of those regulators. Government relations manages the relationships with elected officials across the states Citizens operates in and with federal banking and financial services committees. Subpoena processing deals with cases involving personal or business financial records.

For Klane, the role of a legal department is twofold. The first is managing risk, particularly on the litigation side. “I’m trying to have our team take on and think about some of the problems that can otherwise be quite distracting to the business,” she explains. “Let the business focus on building a great business and let us worry about the problems.”

The legal department also advises on products, initiatives, and marketing. “Our job is to give the business the advice they need to do it right,” Klane says. “It’s important to do it right not only because it’s ethical but also because it creates a long-term resilient business, particularly when you have a customer-facing franchise.”

It’s this second piece that allows Klane to help drive the business and its transformation from the legal seat. In September 2024, Citizens Financial Group celebrated the ten-year anniversary of its IPO—one of the largest-ever banking IPOs. The IPO brought in $3 billion for RBS, which acquired Citizens in 1988.

Though Klane was not at the company for those initial years, she credits Van Saun and the team for setting the foundation for today’s successes. “I got to arrive just as that platform was ready to do these exciting things,” she says.

That foundation has paved the way for Citizens’ expansion in the New York

Jones Day is proud of its long-term collaboration with Citizens Financial Group and close friend of the Firm, Polly Klane. We share a commitment to creating value and to providing excellence in client service across the globe.

Why Jones Day?

A true partnership based on communication, collaboration, conviction, and talent across specialties and jurisdicitons.

metro area, with sixty-six locations after the acquisition of HSBC branches in 2022 and the acquisition of Investors in 2023. It also positioned the bank to find opportunities after the private banking disruption in March 2023.

“We were doing more than surviving,” Klane says. “We had a strong balance sheet. We could weather that storm and then lean into an opportunity gap in the market in private banking and private wealth that we saw appearing following the collapse of SVB [Silicon Valley Bank] and FRB [First Republic Bank].”

As general counsel, Klane’s top priorities are recruiting, retaining, and developing talent. The legal work is important, but it does not come together without the right people in place.

Once the talent is in place, it’s time to lead. Trust and transparency are number one for Klane, followed by leading with optimism

to foster positive problem-solving. The third is being comfortable with being challenged by the team—and encouraging that challenge.

“Our role as a team is to deliver the best advice to our businesses, so we need to be best as a team,” she explains. “I don’t need the best answer to come from me … the best answer can come from so many different places.”

That collaborative spirit is what drew Klane to Citizens in the first place: the commitment to working together to problem-solve and move the business forward.

“We don’t have sharp elbows here,” she says. “We’re trying to work together to build the business.”

Jones Day:

“Polly has an uncanny ability to cut through the noise of complex problems, focus on what matters, and find optimal and business-oriented solutions. She’s a formidable leader and great teammate. We are lucky to work with her.”

—Lee Armstrong, Partner

Rebecca Klane

Polly Klane General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer Citizens Financial Group

Interview conducted by Noah Johnson.

Evaluate

A look at the logistical challenges, evolving regulations, industry shifts, and cultural concerns outside the office that lawyers must analyze and navigate to manage their impact inside the office

Step Back A to Fly Forward

Jason Shyung took an entry-level law position at Southwest Airlines because he believed in the culture. His decision paid off.

By Billy Yost

SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO TAKE A step back so you can move forward. In 2018, Jason Shyung was an assistant general counsel at Accudyne Industries. He had already received one promotion from senior counsel and was on his way to managing a team and continuing to climb the corporate ladder. So why would Shyung vie for an entry-level

legal position with Southwest Airlines? For Shyung, the answer was simple: It was Southwest Airlines.

“There are things you notice when you fly Southwest, and you hear about what a great place Southwest is to work and how strong the culture is,” Shyung says. “There was something about this company that I always admired. To join

Jason Shyung Director and Assistant General Counsel (Corporate Transactions) Southwest Airlines

Southwest, I knew I would be starting at the very bottom, but I felt like it was worth the leap.”

Since taking that step back, Shyung has been recognized as Outstanding Senior Counsel of a Large Legal Department by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Texas Lawbook , cited as Outstanding In-House Counsel by D CEO Magazine, and rose through three promotions to assistant general counsel (AGC) at Southwest. Most important, he’s learned to trust his own instincts.

If ever the time were right to doubt a life choice, it was 2020. And yet the pandemic underlined virtually every quality that made Shyung want to come to Southwest in the first place. Instead of involuntarily furloughing employ-

ees, the airline publicly took action to take care of its people, even though COVID had practically brought travel to a standstill.

Shyung worked long nights on teams focused on raising funds to support thousands of employees and their families, securing payroll support from the federally funded CARES Act and raising billions in capital. All the while, Southwest burned through tens of millions of dollars a day. Virtually every other airline was involuntarily laying off staff or cutting pay, but Southwest protected its employees.

“For me, it was an honor to help support tens of thousands of people in a completely unpredictable time,” the AGC explains. “Knowing that this

“To Make a Difference in Someone Else’s Life”

Along with a host of awards for his practice, Jason Shyung was recognized as an Outstanding Mentor by the State Bar of Texas’ Asian Pacific Interest Section in 2019. Shyung has been a mentor to both law students and disadvantaged youth for the bulk of his career. Shyung served as a tutor, mentor, and eventually chair of the board for Cornerstone Crossroads Academy in South Dallas. The school is a secondchance high school helping students between seventeen and twenty-five earn their diplomas and find a career or educational path.

“When I look back at my life, I hope that I’ve done more than just have fun,” Shyung says with a laugh. “I try to fill my cup with chances to make a difference in the lives of people, especially those who haven’t had a lot of opportunities.”

organization and its leadership was going to do everything they could to stand behind all of us at such a scary time was inspiring, motivating all of us to do whatever it took to preserve the company we loved.”

“Jason’s leadership has taught me a lot. Airlines face complex challenges, such as decarbonization in a cost-sensitive industry. He works diligently to navigate legal boundaries and weigh business risks with practical judgment. His enthusiasm and energy create a positive environment that fosters trust, encourages open discussion, and inspires everyone to give their best,” says Chris Rowley, partner at Vinson & Elkins.

Shyung’s multiple promotions following the pandemic underline the trust and value he’s built since joining Southwest in 2018. He has taken on new practice areas and new people responsibilities. At present, the AGC oversees a team of five attorneys and a paralegal.

Shyung’s CliftonStrengths talent assessment highlights the value that the attorney places on learning and connectedness. The lawyer’s default mode of sitting down and talking through an issue creates the right kind of environment for his team to thrive.

“The law isn’t always the best place to work,” Shyung says, laughing. “It’s hard. The hours can be brutal. And there’s a lot of stress. What can I do to create a place where lawyers can do interesting work, have some balance in their lives, and have

“You can see a problem like climate change and be so taken aback by the scale that you feel paralyzed. We have to take one step at a time, keep finding the right opportunities that help us evolve, and keep looking for ways that might help us move our timeline up.”

meaning behind what they do? I think about it every day.”

That philosophy, Shyung says, aligns well with the culture at Southwest, and he’s grateful for the chance to make work life better for other people.

But that doesn’t mean Shyung’s work product has gotten any less interesting or demanding.

Along with his more traditional supply chain, fuel, fleet transaction, treasury, finance, innovation, and certain corporate governance and investor relations matters, Shyung and his team handle Southwest’s ESG, sustainability, and energy transition efforts.

In March 2024, Southwest acquired Department of Energy–supported SAFFiRE Renewables LLC, a startup operating in the development and production of ethanol from corn stover that can be converted into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In addition to supporting this startup, his teams support Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures LLC, a subsidiary of Southwest focused on making and managing

Southwest’s SAF-related investments to support Southwest’s journey to net-zero carbon emissions.

Southwest’s public goal is to achieve net-zero by 2050. Airlines contribute around 2.5 percent of the world’s carbon emissions annually, and that number could rise as other sectors decarbonize faster. Moving from conventional jet fuel to alternative options is only in its infant stages at present, but Shyung says change has to start somewhere.

“You can see a problem like climate change and be so taken aback by the scale that you feel paralyzed,” the AGC says. “We have to take one step at a time, keep finding the right opportunities that help us evolve, and keep looking for ways that might help us move our timeline up. The pandemic allowed me to see how much Southwest can achieve when we work together, and we continue to face difficult challenges today. For some people, problems are things to run away from. For me, I’d like to be part of the solution.”

On the Lot

An afternoon studio tour sparked Ashleigh Landis’s career shift, leading her to the forefront of the streaming wars at Warner Bros. Discovery

By Zach Baliva

LIKE MANY YOUNG LA TRANSPLANTS, Ashleigh Landis was looking for ways to entertain her parents when they came to visit her in the City of Angels. Unlike most who came to Los Angeles, Landis hadn’t moved from Michigan to Southern California to pursue fame and fortune in Hollywood. She had relocated during college to build her career as a nutritionist and personal trainer. But she did need to find an easy way to kill an afternoon, and the Warner Bros. Studio tour seemed like a wonderful

way to do just that. After three hours on a Hollywood backlot, Landis was ready to reconsider her career plans.

Landis didn’t rush to the WB jobs portal to fill out an application, but that afternoon in Burbank left a strong impression. The tour cart had taken her from the exterior sets of ER to the iconic Friends couch at Central Perk to Stars Hollow of Gilmore Girls fame. Walkie-talkies buzzed with chatter as actors, directors, and producers zipped Landis around on golf carts en route to

Ashleigh Landis VP of Legal & Litigation

Warner Bros. Discovery

“We are in a generational shift regarding how audiences consume content, and those of us working in the patent space get to play a leading role in defending our technology and the business from hungry adversaries.”

live sets. “I was drawn to the energy of being at a working film and TV studio, and I always kept that experience in the back of my mind,” she explains.

Landis enrolled in law school while she was still working at a famed luxury health club on Sunset Boulevard. She mentioned to Equinox’s VIP clients that she was looking for internship opportunities. Before long, a regular referred her to the Warner Bros. internship program, and Landis was brought on to spend a summer in the Warner Bros. (WB) litigation department.

While supporting the studio’s litigation team, Landis reviewed contracts and other documents related to the Tolkien estate’s $150 million lawsuit over profits from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. After three months, the studio shine had taken hold as Landis left with a clear goal: to eventually return as a full-time employee.

A decade later, Landis achieved that goal. In the years after her internship, she acquired as much training and

experience as possible. She also made sure to keep in touch with her WB mentors. “I’m living proof that networking is of critical importance in both life and business,” she says. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the people and connections who recognized my strong work ethic and were willing to help me get my foot in the door.”

Much of what prepared Landis for success at Warner Bros. happened at Morrison & Foerster, where she spent nearly eight years focused on patent litigation as part of the firm’s intellectual property group. Drafting briefs and managing discovery in complex matters gave her insight into the legal issues associated with a broad array of technology, including DVD authoring, video compression, medical devices, electronic cigarettes, and other techdriven products and services.

Landis never forgot her overarching goal of returning to Warner Bros. In fact, it motivated many of her professional choices. After trials in a breach of

contract case and a major smartphone patent litigation case, she volunteered for consumer class actions, environmental law cases, and any other matter that would diversify her experience.

“I could have kept a narrow specialization in patent litigation, but I knew I needed to take on as varied a portfolio of cases as possible if I wanted to go in-house and be an effective attorney at a place like Warner Bros.,” Landis explains.

Her chance to return to Warner Bros. came in 2019. AT&T won an antitrust lawsuit that the United States Justice Department had filed to block AT&T’s $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner. The buyout sparked a partial restructuring that centralized what were once separate legacy legal departments and functions under one consolidated WarnerMedia umbrella. The legal team needed additional support from an attorney with expertise in entertainment-related patent litigation. Landis made her goal a reality, returning to the WB legal landscape and working with the same leaders who had supervised her internship a decade earlier.

The past five years have given Landis a front-row seat to the changing entertainment industry. Warner Bros. is now Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Online platforms are fighting for an audience, and tech companies are fighting for a piece of their revenue.

As the streaming wars rage on, intellectual property is taking center stage. How do media companies license and distribute their content across different platforms and regions, and what are the implications for copyright and royalties? What are the challenges and risks of patent holders staking claims to streaming technologies?

Docket Navigator reveals that federal court cases regarding streaming technologies rose from 27 in 2008 to 267 in 2021. What’s behind the spike in patent litigation? “Everybody seems to think they have invented video transcoding,” Landis jokes, adding that patent holders in the space are bullish about their ability to stake a claim to a piece of the streaming pie.

Several suitors clamoring for streaming royalties create a somewhat problematic situation, even for a billion-dollar mass media conglomerate. While the future is bright, there is much that is yet unknown in how the generational shift in entertainment consumption will play out. Despite the obvious challenges, Landis is excited to be working on the forefront of cutting-edge legal issues at a historic company like Warner Bros. Discovery during such a pivotal time.

“The next two years are going to shape patent law and damages in the streaming space for the future,” she explains. “We are in a generational shift regarding how audiences consume content, and those of us working in the patent space get to play a leading role in defending our technology and the business from hungry adversaries.”

The gate arm rises as the security guard waves at our attorney driving onto the studio lot. Landis pulls toward her office, stopping her car at the corner to let a tram go by. On board, she notices a family of four. The kids are dressed in Harry Potter gear while the parents snap cell phone pictures of them in front of the Abbott Elementary set.

Landis laughs as she wonders if one of these kids are being shaped by their tour experience in a way that drives their future career. The shows have changed, but the energy on the backlot is still the same. In the meantime, Landis and her WBD colleagues are busy creating the stories we love, and we watch them come to life.

Congratulations Ashleigh Landis

“ It’s

always a delight to get a call from Ashleigh! In all the matters we have handled together she has consistently proved to be an indispensable partner in achieving positive results for Warner Bros. Discovery.

— Anjani Mandavia Managing Partner Mandavia, Ephraim + Burg

Mandavia Ephraim & Burg:

“It’s always a delight to get a call from Ashleigh! In all the matters we have handled together, she has consistently proved to be an indispensable partner in achieving positive results for Warner Bros. Discovery.”

—Anjani Mandavia, Managing Partner

Mandavia Ephraim Burg LLP

Learning Is Nonnegotiable

Bill Whitman, lead counsel at FedEx, shares the value in working at a company that allows you to constantly learn

By Lucy Cavanagh

BILL WHITMAN BELIEVES IN leading with curiosity. As lead counsel at FedEx, he values his job’s variety, which keeps his brain sharp.

“We move goods all around the world, whether it be COVID vaccines, dog food, or sometimes even pandas,” Whitman shares. “That creates some risk in logistics and never-ending legal complexities. It’s such a fascinating job.”

Whitman earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy, theology, and premed at the University of Notre Dame in 1998. After graduating, he moved to Colorado to work with Holy Cross Associates, a volunteer organization affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross.

“I lived with six other people in Colorado Springs, and we made less than minimum wage. We all shared whatever we had,” Whitman explains. “We all had different service-oriented jobs, and I worked for Catholic Charities.”

This ministry was Whitman’s first real-life exposure to the field of law. His service to Catholic Charities involved representing the vision of Catholic social teaching to protect mission-based organizations. He attended events in Denver, meeting with legislators to advise them on the church’s stance on various issues.

For example, at that time Pope John Paul II had recently emphasized the church’s opposition to the death penalty in almost all cases. Whitman and his colleagues defended the church’s stance on this and other issues, including children’s health initiatives.

From that experience, Whitman learned how to discern and protect a client’s nonnegotiables while looking for ways to compromise—a skill he still uses today. “You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. There is always room for compromise, and you need to be open and amenable,” Whitman

Bill Whitman Lead Counsel FedEx

shares. “Understanding where you could negotiate and where you couldn’t was critical as a litigator.”

After his time in Colorado, Whitman returned to Notre Dame for law school and graduated in 2002. He clerked for the Honorable Thomas M. Shanahan in Nebraska before joining Bass, Berry & Sims in Memphis, Tennessee, where he spent a decade honing his arbitration chops.

“I was fortunate to surround myself with some great mentors,” Whitman says about this time at the firm. “I handled a lot of arbitrations that went to final hearings. That has helped me in my current role, where about 75 percent of my work is in arbitration.”

Whitman first connected with FedEx when former colleagues asked him to play the role of a judge in a mock exercise to prepare for a case in the court of appeals. Impressed by the company, Whitman pursued an opportunity to go in-house at FedEx Ground in Pittsburgh in 2015.

The move to Pittsburgh came at a great time for Whitman’s wife and their four children, who were very young at the time. He shares they have all grown to love Pittsburgh as a great city to raise a family.

At the same time, Whitman’s regard for FedEx has only increased since he went in-house. “There’s no doubt FedEx is an admired company around

the world,” Whitman says. And according to outside counsel, Whitman fits right in.

“Bill is the whole package. He combines exceptional global and strategic thinking with an eagerness to tackle critical day-to-day work, perfectly embodying FedEx’s culture of highly skilled and substantive in-house counsel,” enthuses Dan McElroy, a partner at Bartlit Beck LLP. “On top of that, he’s a wonderful person. Bartlit Beck is honored to call Bill a partner.”

On June 1, 2024, FedEx Ground merged with the other operating companies under the FedEx umbrella to form a single organization, Federal Express Corporation. Whitman went

“We move goods all around the world, whether it be COVID vaccines, dog food, or sometimes even pandas. That creates some risk in logistics and neverending legal complexities. It’s such a fascinating job.”

from working on a team of forty lawyers to a team of five hundred.

That merger has been exciting and challenging. Whitman’s team has worked to unify different processes and procedures from the various operating companies into one global operation.

“I only had experience in FedEx Ground, so now I get an opportunity to learn about airplanes as well, which is very exciting,” Whitman says. “I will also have the chance to learn from a whole host of attorneys all around the world with Federal Express Corporation.”

When Whitman spoke with Modern Counsel , he was getting to know some of the attorneys he will collaborate with. The colleagues learned side by side at the International Association Defense Counsel Academy, which took place at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Whitman is grateful for the dynamism of his work at FedEx, which allows him to continually learn and grow as a lawyer. Before going in-house, he worried that litigation for one company could get rote or boring. “But nothing could be further from the truth. We’re constantly learning something every day,” Whitman says.

BILL WHITMAN

How an unexpected opportunity catapulted Elizabeth Poole’s career and what Boomi’s general counsel is doing to support the integration and automation leader

By Zach Baliva

Taking Charge

THERE’S AN UNWRITTEN RULE IN business that says no one should bring up a problem without first thinking of a solution. Elizabeth Poole knows the adage well. In fact, she got her current job by following its wisdom.

Around 2016, the native Texan was working at Dell, where part of her duties as senior counsel included supporting the tech giant’s sales transaction teams. One day, she overheard concerns about the future legal support for Boomi, Dell Technologies’ wholly owned SaaS appli-

cation integration platform at the time. Following a series of M&A transactions, Boomi’s sales team would need a brand-new legal team. “We essentially had a company that needed a full legal function, so I raised my hand and volunteered to step in,” Poole says.

Suddenly, Poole found herself meeting with Boomi’s then-CEO and COO, who looked to her for guidance. First, Poole spoke with Boomi’s account managers and sales leaders to learn what resources they needed

to keep operations running smoothly. Then leaders put her on the phone with the company’s chief revenue officer, who had questions about software license agreements.

There was just one problem. Prior to joining Dell, Poole had spent most of her career in the Texas State Teachers Association’s legal department. She then moved to a law firm where she specialized in employment-related matters. Although Poole was an accomplished and experienced attorney, she didn’t

Poole General Counsel

Elizabeth

Boomi

“The team is the priority at the moment, and if the company is growing, every member should have new opportunities to grow and learn.”

have much experience with software license agreement negotiations.

For Poole, volunteering to take the reins at Boomi was a bold move. It was a risk—but a calculated one. “I was looking for an exciting challenge, and I knew I could do it because there is nothing magic about being a lawyer,” she explains. “It all comes down to collaborating, listening, being a good communicator, and putting in the time to understand people and their problems.”

Poole embarked on a virtual listening tour to introduce herself to key members of Boomi’s team and build trust. She also wanted to understand the business and its leaders’ needs before designing a legal structure to support their work.

By 2021, when Dell sold Boomi for $4 billion, the company was ready to stand on its own. After building Boomi’s legal practice, Poole eased Dell and its largest customers through the transition. She stayed with Boomi as its legal counsel, and in 2023, she became the privately held company’s general counsel.

Her first priority as general counsel was to make it easier for Boomi employees to conduct business. She simplified redundant processes, removed roadblocks, identified skill gaps, automated manual steps, addressed regulatory and compliance issues, clarified job duties, and started recruiting legal professionals to join her team.

The Boomi Enterprise Platform gives businesses a new way to discover, manage, and leverage data as they connect users and applications for more efficient outcomes. With a user community that has surpassed 250,000 members, more

than 20,000 global customers, and a worldwide network of approximately 800 partners, Boomi is reaching new heights.

“We’ve seen significant growth in recent years thanks to a stellar product and an amazing team,” Poole says. Boomi has invested heavily in AI, automation, and API management. The strategy is paying off now, as businesses rush to complete digital transformations.

In July 2024, Boomi announced a partnership with ServiceNow. The AI-powered ServiceNow App engine allows Boomi to reduce silos and offer clients simplified customer support and streamlined self-service options. Meanwhile, the new Boomi API Control Plane provides users with a centralized dashboard, where they can monitor and manage application programming interfaces in real time.

With demand for these intelligent solutions on the rise, Boomi is in rapid growth mode. In response, Poole works behind the scenes to make sure her department keeps pace with the overall organization. The legal department may have to expand one day, but for now, Poole is committed to helping its current members find fulfillment.

“I’m heavily invested in my team and am committed to providing each person with as many professional development opportunities as possible,” she says. “The team is the priority at the moment, and if the company is growing, every member should have new opportunities to grow and learn.”

Poole’s approach aligns with Boomi’s culture. In September 2024, the company made Fast Company’s yearly Best Workplaces for Innovators

list. Editors recognized Boomi for creating an inclusive environment where leaders solicit input and collaboration from employees at all levels.

“We’re honored to be recognized by Fast Company as one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators,” Boomi president Arlen Shenkman said in a statement. “This recognition is a testament to Boomi’s long history of fostering a culture of innovation … We take great pride in empowering our team members to contribute creatively, collaborate openly, and continually strive for innovation and excellence.”

As the company continues to advance, Poole remains dedicated to leading her legal team with the spirit of collaboration and bold problem-solving that has defined her entire career. “Our culture drives everything we do,” she says. “We’re not just finding solutions to legal issues; we’re helping our clients transform the way they do business.”

FISHER PHILLIPS IS PROUD TO JOIN IN RECOGNIZING

Elizabeth Poole

We commend Elizabeth on her incredible career and continued success

Fisher Phillips:

“As general counsel at Boomi, Elizabeth’s achievements and ongoing contributions have established her as a standout leader in the industry. Her dedication and professionalism are truly commendable, and we applaud her remarkable career and continued success.”

—Adam Sloustcher, Regional Managing Partner

Ropes & Gray:

“Elizabeth Poole, general counsel at Boomi, is an exceptional attorney. She demonstrates professionalism, dedication, and collaboration, which make her a joy to work with. She is a strategic leader and a true thought partner. We look forward to celebrating more of her successes.”

—Jay Freedman, Partner

With almost 600 attorneys in 41 offices across the United States and Mexico, Fisher Phillips is an international labor and employment firm providing practical business solutions for employers’ workplace legal problems.

500 Crescent Court, Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201

Ropes & Gray is proud to join in recognizing our friend and client Elizabeth Poole, General Counsel at Boomi, for her outstanding accomplishments. ropesgray.com

of

Vivek Ganti

Andy Amyx

What Does IP Mean in Business?

Vivek Ganti learns to think about IP differently after going in-house at Applied Materials

By Billy Yost

WHEN VIVEK GANTI FIRST WENT in-house after a decade of advising clients on a wide range of IP matters, he immediately noticed a communication disconnect. In private practice, the term “IP” had a clear-cut definition: patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other legally protected areas. The focus was primarily on whether you can register IP rights and how to establish IP ownership. But in-house, he heard people throwing the term around in a much broader context.

“I was surprised at the breadth of the questions that businesspeople needed answered around IP protection,” Ganti remembers. “IP involves any important information to the company that gives

the company a competitive edge. Clients wanted practical options on how to best protect this information. Can you file a patent or register the IP? Not really in many cases. It took time to understand what other options are available and how to tailor them for the client.”

The director of global IP protection at Applied Materials must understand what IP risk is and how this risk is created through business transactions, operations, and R&D. His reflection is simply part of the in-house journey, which requires an engineer’s mind, a translator’s skill, the ability to offer sound legal advice, and more than anything, a deep connection to and understanding of the organization’s business.

“Coming in-house, I’ve taken a broader view of what encapsulates IP. It’s a bit of a context switch, but it’s an important one to make when you’re working with businesspeople.”

Ganti, a product development engineer at Intel prior to going to law school, had each of those first three qualities in spades, but he’s had to grow into “speaking the business” in the last few years. It’s an important skill for any IP attorney considering going in-house.

“Coming in-house, I’ve taken a broader view of what encapsulates IP,” Ganti explains. “It’s a bit of a context switch, but it’s an important one to make when you’re working with businesspeople.” To make a difference, he says, lawyers need to understand and adopt the business’s goals and align them with a legal framework. “It’s not going to work the other way around.”

Coming to Applied Materials in 2021 brought Ganti full circle. As an engineer at Intel, he remembers walking into labs and seeing Applied Materials tools and products everywhere. He filed away the company’s name as a need-toknow industry player. Now he’s on the other side, with Intel as one of Applied Materials’ customers.

Ganti is passionate about his work in an industry that shows no signs of slowing down. The semiconductor industry was valued at $611.35 billion last year and is only expected to grow. Applied Materials customers include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Company and Samsung. The company provides equipment, services, and software for semiconductor manufacturing that wind up in computer displays, smartphones, televisions, and, more recently, solar products.

“This is an industry that can’t disappear,” Ganti says. “In so many ways, it’s like magic. We help create the technology that’s all around us.” It’s easy to take this technology for granted, he says. But he appreciates the “serious engineering” it takes to turn raw materials from the earth into these products.

As Ganti has risen through more leadership-focused roles, it occurred to him—later than he would have liked— how important it was for him to be a people leader and mentor. His recognition as part of the Legal Elite by Georgia Trend Magazine and a Rising Star designation by Georgia Super Lawyers didn’t tip him off that he’d made an incredible example to young attorneys.

The fan of self-help and selfimprovement podcasts may have put too much pressure on himself to be perfect instead of just diving in. But better late than never. At forty-two, Ganti is mentoring younger lawyers and finding ways to give back.

Ganti’s own journey is proof that a rewarding legal career should be about

passion, not titles. But that doesn’t mean it was always easy for the lawyer to ignore the signposts of a “successful” legal career.

“When you’re younger, you tend to look at people who are seen as top performers within your profession, pick out the things that you like and don’t like, and model yourself accordingly,” the IP director says. “If you do that mindlessly, you end up pursing more traditional paths of maybe partnership or becoming a general counsel.”

“I’m not saying those aren’t the right paths for people,” he continues. “But it’s so important to consider what you want out of your career and life; otherwise, you can wind up chasing things that aren’t fulfilling or better suited for someone else. It’s tough to try to think about why you want something, but I’d challenge younger lawyers to try. It can be a valuable exercise for both your career and life.”

“The goal is to find a good mix of being comfortable and uncomfortable,” he reflects. “Too much of one causes stagnation, and too much of the other leads to a lack of confidence.”

Ganti doesn’t give any of this advice with an air of authority. He just wants younger attorneys to know that he’s been there—and that following his passion has ultimately meant more than any other brass ring.

CONGRATULATIONS

VIVEK GANTI

Hilgers Graben proudly celebrates Vivek Ganti for his remarkable achievements as Director of Global IP Protection at Applied Materials. His recognition by Modern Counsel is a testament to his leadership and excellence in the field.

With over 140 attorneys , including 28 partners, and other employees, Hilgers Graben PLLC is now the largest woman-owned law firm in the U.S.

IN

Hilgers Graben PLLC:

“As outside counsel, we have worked with Vivek on a wide range of matters. He is a fast learner, grasps complex issues quickly, and is a terrific communicator—a real skill and value add for any in-house lawyer. We enjoy working with Vivek and look forward to future projects.”

—Jonathan Musch, Partner

People & Companies

Gina Capua P17

Clarience Technologies

Michael J. Bonella

Shareholder, Member of the Board of Directors

Flaster Greenberg PC

215.587.5684

mike.bonella@flastergreenberg.com

Michael Bonella is a first-chair litigator having 25+ years of complex IP litigation experience in district and appellate courts, the ITC, and the USPTO.

Kate Cook P62

Jacobs Engineering Group

Emily Fitzgerald P40 Archer Daniels Midland

Vivek Ganti P140 Applied Materials

Emily Gordon P74

The Estée Lauder Companies

Stephanie Grauerholz P104

Janus Henderson Investors

Dave Hutchinson P92 GATX Corporation

Steven J. Levine

Partner

Phelps Dunbar LLP

225.376.0220

steve.levine@phelps.com

Steve practices environmental litigation from enforcement, toxic tort and business claims. He is a Fellow in the American College of Environmental Law.

David J. Topping

Partner

Phelps Dunbar LLP

504.584.9362

david.topping@phelps.com

David leads the firm’s national environmental transactional and regulatory practice. Chambers USA and Super Lawyers has recognized him for his expertise in environmental law.

Elif Kimyacioglu P98 Prime Residential

Polly Klane P120 Citizens Financial Group

Chia-Hao La P14

Waymo

Ashleigh Landis P128 Warner Bros. Discovery

Natalie LaPorta P86 Walgreens

Vickie Ahlers Partner and Chair, Healthcare Practice Group

Baird Holm LLP

402.636.8230

vahlers@bairdholm.com

Vickie Ahlers represents health care companies with respect to state and federal health care regulation, with a particular focus on HIPAA compliance and enforcement.

Stacia Marie Jones P30 lululemon

Lenor Marquis-Segal P50 Hitachi Energy

Keri Matthews P57 Vanguard

Susy Mendoza P30 lululemon

Johnpatrick O’Brien P54 Law Offices of Johnpatrick O’Brien

Judi Otteson P70 Gatik AI Inc.

Baron T. Oursler P65 FleetPride

Ron Peppe P82 FabSouth

Elizabeth Poole P136 Boomi

Neena Reddy P112 Blue Owl Capital

Nacente Seabury P36 Cummins

Jason Shyung P124 Southwest Airlines

Kendra Stevens P26 EverCommerce

Tiana Towns P44 Gilbane Building Company

Hinh Tran P116 Ramp

Toni Tsvetanova P10 Altria Group

Max Twine P108 Shopify

Bill Whitman P132 FedEx

THE FIRST OF HER KIND

A timeline of five women whose inaugural accomplishments paved the way for others in the legal realm

1965

THE FIRST WOMAN TO SWEAR IN A US PRESIDENT

After President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, federal judge Sarah Tilghman Hughes became the first (and only) woman to administer the presidential oath of office; she swore in President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

2009

THE FIRST LATINA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, elected as the first Latina to serve on the US Supreme Court in 2009, is known for ruling in favor of same-sex marriage and upholding the Affordable Care Act.

2020s

THE FIRST … ?

You can find modern-day women in law breaking barriers throughout this issue of Modern Counsel. Stay tuned for the next Empowerment issue in 2026.

1869

THE FIRST FEMALE LAWYER

Thanks to a legal loophole in 1869, Arabella Mansfield became the first woman to take (and pass) the bar exam in Iowa, leading the state to allow women and people of color to practice law soon after.

2003

THE FIRST MUSLIM WOMAN TO WIN THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

Iranian lawyer and activist Shirin Ebadi was the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in advocating for democracy, human rights, and women’s rights in Iran. She was also one of the country’s first female judges.

2015

THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN ATTORNEY GENERAL

Nominated by President Barack Obama in 2015 as the first Black woman to be US attorney general, Loretta Lynch led investigations into police misconduct, prisoner rights, and racial discrimination, shaping significant civil rights reforms.

This infographic was written with the assistance of AI.

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“IDEA is not a simple program or HR initiative. It is a critical business function that serves every part and element of lululemon and is as essential as all other functions that make us the dynamic company we are.”

Stacia Jones | VP, Global Head of IDEA, Employee Relations, Employment Policy & Compliance