Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders in Law of 2023. Over the course of the last several decades, women have made remarkable advancements towards achieving equality across various domains within the legal profession. To put this transformation into perspective, consider that in 1970, there were merely 8,000 women practicing law in the U.S. Fast forward to 2022, and this figure has skyrocketed to over 490,000 women attorneys nationwide. Meanwhile, women now constitute a majority among law school students across the country.
The accomplished women on this year’s list have been instrumental in leading their organizations by offering unparalleled legal guidance, championing the rights of their clients, and steadfastly upholding the tenets of justice. Their indispensable roles go beyond their exceptional legal acumen; they are trailblazers who shatter gender barriers, thereby paving the path for gender parity within the legal sphere and serving as inspirational figures for future generations of female lawyers. Their expertise and unwavering commitment enrich the diversity of perspectives in the decision-making processes of the legal system, thereby fostering a more equitable and well-rounded legal landscape.
Among the notable honorees featured on this year's prestigious list, we find individuals such as Katie Jakola, a Litigation Partner and Trial Lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis. Possessing over two decades of extensive experience in intricate commercial litigation, Jakola's illustrious career highlights encompass serving as trial counsel in the Deepwater Horizon litigation for BP, along with her role as BP's national coordinating counsel for numerous personal injury cases.
Also deserving of recognition is one of IQVIA’s Senior Counsel, Janean Dunn, who has previously been honored by the National Black Lawyer's as one of the Top 40 under 40 African American attorneys in business labor and employment law. Another exemplary awardee is Maggie Ebert, a Litigation Partner stationed in the Omaha office of Kutak Rock. Beyond her litigation practice, Ebert's commendable pro bono work extends to assisting low-income families with the Green Card application process.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders in Law of 2023.
3. Jennifer Chheda
Intellectual Property Partner, Jones Day
Dr. Jennifer Chheda is a partner at Jones Day in its New York office. Jones Day’s multi-discipline, global footprint provides clients with accomplished attorneys who seamlessly collaborate on a global scale across practices to help clients achieve their goals. Dr. Chheda has over 20 years of experience in global patent portfolio development, management, and enforcement of life science-related patents. Her practice includes patentability, invalidity, noninfringement, freedom-to-operate, and inventorship analyses, conducting due diligence for clients, providing strategic advice to clients regarding post-grant proceedings and invalidity actions, and drafting and negotiating intellectual property agreements.
Dr. Chheda has a PhD in microbiology from New York University, a JD from New York Law School, and a Bachelor of Sciences from the University of Connecticut.
8. Cindy Jen
Partner, Fragomen Del Rey Bernsen & Loewy
Cindy Jen is a Partner of Fragomen Del Rey Bernsen & Loewy. She first joined the firm in 2000. Jen focuses her practice on business immigration, providing strategic counseling on a wide range of employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visa matters. She has provided counsel on a vast array of visa strategies for professionals, managers and executives, persons of extraordinary ability, entrepreneurs, and immigrant investors. Jen has extensive experience advising companies from large, Fortune 100 corporations to startup businesses on developing compliant immigration programs to suit dynamic business needs. She regularly counsels investors on obtaining permanent residency through EB-5 and is a lead on the EB-5 team in the firm’s northern California practice.
Previously, Jen was a US attorney and consultant where she worked in Fragomen’s Beijing office, managing the firm’s China outbound visa practice and assisting Fragomen offices around the world with local embassy and consular support. She also partnered with the firm’s worldwide investor group to provide local support for significant investor visa applications for Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Jen earned a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and an undergraduate degree in English language, literature, letters, and anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.
9. Janean Dunn
Senior Counsel of Global Employment Law, IQVIA
Janean Dunn is a Senior Counsel at IQVIA, a Fortune 500 Company that is a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. As Senior Counsel, Janean is a legal advisor to business leaders and HR professionals on global employment law matters. Janean works closely with key stakeholders to execute business strategy in a practical and compliant manner, including driving efficiency across the global enterprise through process and procedure improvements. Janean advises on a range of global employment law matters including restrictive covenant agreements, artificial intelligence initiatives, diversity and inclusion, wage and hour issues, employment policy development and implementation, and employee relations matters.
Janean has presented at the North Carolina Bar Association on employment law and diversity and inclusion topics, and she has also been invited to present at the American Bar Association’s Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference. Janean has been recognized by the National Black Lawyer's Top 40 under 40 African American attorneys in business labor and employment law. Previously, Janean was an Associate Attorney at Jackson Lewis PC, an AM100 national labor and employment law firm. At Jackson Lewis, Janean represented private and public employers in federal and state courts and administrative proceedings before the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the US Department of Labor. Janean also provided a variety of transactional services to employers including due diligence in corporate transactions, drafting various employment agreements, advising on reductions in force, site closures, and workplace investigations. Janean has also held employment attorney positions at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Forrest Firm.
Janean graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and political science. Janean earned her JD degree from Elon University School of Law. While attending Elon University School of Law, Janean was a contributing editor on Elon Law’s Journal of Leadership and the Law.
10. Britt Miller
Partner, Mayer Brown
Britt Miller serves on Mayer Brown’s Global Management Committee and co-leads the firm’s global Antitrust and Competition practice. Mayer Brown is a leading global law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in offices across 27 cities and four continents. Miller’s practice focuses on high-stakes antitrust litigation and complex commercial litigation, representing domestic and international corporations in price-fixing, market allocation, monopolization, and conspiracy cases, and has also counseled clients on general antitrust issues.
For more than two decades, Miller has litigated some of the largest antitrust cases in the United States involving a host of different products and industries. Since joining Mayer Brown in 1998, her antitrust work has involved a variety of products and industries including synthetic rubber, aspartame, resins, household moving services, consumer health products, industrial chemicals, paper products, financial services, fertilizers, and vitamins. Her general litigation experience spans both the federal and state court systems and includes client representations relating to contract disputes, constitutional rights, securities fraud, banking practices, airline deregulation, product liability, and trust interpretation. Miller graduated from Auburn University with an undergraduate degree in political science, English, and musical performance. She earned her JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
12. Janee Weaver
Senior Counsel Regulatory Compliance, Lyft
Janeé Weaver is a leading expert in regulatory compliance with a career that spans over 13 years. She began her career at the Maryland Attorney General’s Office as an Associate supporting the state’s automobile insurance division. Janeé continued her career at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where she assisted with the Affordable Care Act implementation by drafting the state’s Medicaid regulations. Janeé then joined the compliance team at the WALZ Group where she ensured fair mortgage practices were implemented by the nation’s top finance institutions.
In 2016, Janeé returned to the transportation industry as a principal compliance officer for the North County Transit District (NCTD). At NCTD she implemented the District’s Comprehensive Compliance Oversight Program which ensured compliance with the Federal Transportation Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and California Public Utilities Commission regulatory requirements. In addition, she oversaw NCTD’s Internal Audit Program; assisted with the mobilization of NCTD’s rail contract, valued at $300M; and NCTD’s bus contract valued at $400M.
Currently, Janeé is a Senior Counsel of Regulatory Compliance at Lyft. Lyft is a transportation network company that strives to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation. At Lyft, she advises lines of business on rideshare, autonomous vehicles, sustainability, accessibility for persons with disabilities, and data privacy regulatory requirements. She also provides regulatory support for new product features and the expansion of Lyft rideshare into new markets. Janeé is a proud alumnus of Purdue University and the University of Iowa School of Law.
13. Marian Lee
Chief Counsel of FDA & Regulatory, McKesson Corporation
Marian Lee is Chief Counsel of FDA and Regulatory at McKesson Corporation. She brings 19 years of experience advising clients on strategic FDA legal and regulatory compliance matters, risk management, and enforcement actions.
Lee’s practice spans the FDA-regulated product life cycle, including the conduct of preclinical and clinical studies, good manufacturing practices and quality systems, premarket approvals and clearances, scientific communications, product labeling and advertising, and post-market compliance. She regularly advises companies during FDA inspections and investigations and she has led an array of FDA legal assessments for corporate transactions. Lee also counsels on FTC matters relating to the marketing of foods, cosmetics, over-the-counter drugs, medical devices, and other healthcare products.
Lee is a member of the Food and Drug Law Journal’s Editorial Advisory Board and a member of the Board of Ambassadors for the National Health Law Program. She also was a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow and a member of the Law360 Life Sciences Editorial Advisory Board. Lee is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College, magna cum laude.
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14. Mary Kaiser
Partner, Morrison & Foerster
Mary Kaiser is a Partner in Morrison & Foerster’s Global Antitrust Law Practice. She represents domestic and multinational companies as both plaintiffs and defendants in all aspects of antitrust and competition-related matters, including internal and government antitrust investigations, enforcement proceedings, and class action litigation in federal and state courts. Kaiser has defended companies in antitrust and related complex litigation involving claims of price-fixing, monopolization, and refusals to deal, as well as prosecuted antitrust counterclaims in patent and IP infringement matters. She also has experience counseling clients on antitrust compliance and merger advice. Her clients span various sectors from media to life sciences to computer software.
Kaiser also maintains an active pro bono practice, with experience representing clients in voting rights, asylum, and landlord-tenant matters. Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, she clerked for the Honorable Marian Blank Horn of the US Court of Federal Claims and handled complex commercial litigation matters at another global law firm. Kaiser graduated from the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law with a JD, and from the University of Virginia with an undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies.
19. Tamra Tyree Moore
Vice President & Corporate Counsel, Prudential Financial
With over 15 years of experience as an attorney in emerging technology, litigation, investigation, and regulatory counseling, Tamra Tyree Moore is currently the Vice President, Corporate Counsel, Global Data, Privacy, & AI at Prudential Financial, a Fortune 500 company that provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services.
In her role, Tamra works collaboratively with cross-functional teams to advise and counsel them on legal and regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and best practices related to the development and use of AI/ML, data privacy, and emerging technologies. She also drafts and oversees AI governance policies and procedures to ensure alignment with a dynamic regulatory environment and industry standards.
As a lifelong learner and certified privacy and AI professional, Tamra is passionate about staying abreast of the latest developments and trends in AI, privacy, and healthcare and life sciences, and sharing insights and expertise through speaking engagements, publications, and webinars. Her goal is to help organizations leverage the power and potential of AI and data while ensuring ethical, responsible, and trustworthy use. Tamra earned a JD from Boston College Law School and an undergraduate degree in biomedical ethics and Judaic studies from Brown University.
21. Maggie Ebert
Litigation Partner, Kutak Rock
Maggie Ebert is a Litigation Partner in the Omaha office of Kutak Rock who focuses on intellectual property, antitrust, and complex commercial litigation. Her litigation practice is national in scope and she has litigated cases in various state and federal courts across the country. She has successfully brought and defended numerous claims for trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and misappropriation of trade secrets. Her antitrust practice centers around nationwide class-action, multi-defendant, multi-district, antitrust cases.
In her commercial practice, Maggie is an expert on liability for commercial speech and has successfully obtained consent judgments and settled claims for defamation, trade libel, false advertising, and violations of the First Amendment. Maggie also frequently advises clients on claims for tortious interference with a business expectancy, breach of contract, civil fraud, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, and other business torts. She has substantial experience with records management, e-discovery, and major discovery documentation review, including expertise with numerous e-discovery platforms.
In addition to her litigation practice, Maggie has a 100% success rate for obtaining P-1B visas for internationally recognized entertainment groups coming to the US to perform at top-rated venues and music and art festivals across the country. Her immigration clients have included some of Europe’s finest, award-winning musicians and bands. On the pro bono side, Maggie assists low-income families with the Green Card application process.
Maggie served as a law clerk for the Honorable Lyle E. Strom of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. She assisted Judge Strom with over 20 jury trials in the District of Nebraska and the Northern District of NY and with appeals in the Eighth and Ninth Circuits. Maggie also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Michael G. Heavican, Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. As a law student, she served as a summer intern for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska. Maggie is active in the American Inns of Court, National Association of Women Lawyers, and the American Bar Association.
22. Elinor Sutton
Litigation Partner, Quinn Emanuel
Elinor Sutton has practiced law at Quinn Emanuel for more than fifteen years in both its Dallas and New York offices, where she heads the firm’s East Coast Infrastructure and Construction Practice. A graduate of Yale Law School, she is an experienced trial and arbitration lawyer, and her formidable skills have allowed her to steer her clients to success both in and out of the courtroom.
Ellie has tried cases for plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as before domestic and international arbitration panels. Her practice focuses on high-stakes complex commercial litigation, including intellectual property, securities, finance, energy, and employment. She has represented a broad array of clients in the fields of banking, oil and gas, telecommunications, software development, aviation, and construction, as well as representing investment, private equity, family, and hedge funds.
With an undergraduate degree in economics from Villanova University, Ellie’s financial expertise provides her with the distinct ability to understand the complex financial situations her clients face, and to work with them hand-in-hand to ensure the best strategic outcome. Clients have praised her judgment, tenacity, and intellect, as well as the value she places on open communication and the importance of examining a dispute from every possible angle.
Ellie has been recognized by Thomson Reuter’s Super Lawyers as a Super Lawyer in General & Business Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution in New York City, as well as a Rising Star and a Top Woman Rising Star repeatedly from 2014 through 2019. Prior to attending law school, Ellie worked as a public high school teacher through Teach For America.
24. Christina Russo
Partner, Akerman
Christina Russo is a Partner in the Corporate Practice Group of Akerman’s Capital Markets Practice. With extensive experience representing public and private companies, she routinely advises clients on corporate and securities matters, and mergers and acquisitions. She also counsels boards and senior management on a variety of corporate governance matters, including Environmental, Social, and Governance matters.
Previously, Russo represented Republic Services in its $12.9B merger with Allied Waste Industries, Inc. She also advised Armour Residential REIT in the tender offer and merger with JAVELIN Mortgage Investment, as well as in at-the-market offerings of common stock and cumulative redeemable preferred stock. Russo graduated from Emory University School of Law with a JD and from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
25. Diane Cafferata
Partner, Quinn Emanuel
Diane Cafferata is a Partner of Quinn Emanuel in the firm’s Los Angeles and Chicago offices. Her practice involves a wide variety of complex commercial litigations in federal and state courts, where she represents both plaintiffs and defendants. She has substantial experience in patent, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property matters, privacy issues, class actions, derivatives and other financial matters, construction and real estate disputes, contract and business tort cases, and probate litigation. Cafferata’s transnational practice includes several foreign clients and issues of comparative law.
During more than two decades at the firm, Cafferata has enjoyed several high-stakes and bet-the-company cases, and her teams have brought in more than $3B through trials and settlements. Her practice also incorporates many other smaller litigation and counseling matters.In 2020, Cafferata published Business Litigation Demystified: Bridging the Gap Between Your Company and Outside Counsel, which hit #1 in five Amazon categories in its first week. Business Litigation Demystified is a readable and entertaining overview of the US litigation process. It provides background to business executives, managers, and lawyers in domestic and foreign companies that enables them to make better, more informed decisions around dispute resolution issues. Cafferata graduated from Stanford University with a JD and MBA, from George Washington University with an MA in Russian and East European studies, and from Indiana University Bloomington with an undergraduate degree in Russian and East European studies.
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26. Dawn Yamane Hewett
Partner, Quinn Emanuel
Dawn Yamane Hewett is a Partner in the firm’s Global International Arbitration and Investigations Practices. Dawn draws on decades of experience in policy and international affairs, including nearly 15 years of specific experience in complex investment treaty and commercial arbitrations, multi-jurisdiction litigations, and high-stakes government investigations. Given her fluency in English, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese, she regularly represents clients with disputes from around the world. Dawn has extensive experience in investment treaty and commercial arbitrations, including those administered by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and under other arbitral rules. She also represents clients in government and internal investigations and in litigation in administrative hearings and federal courts, including the US Supreme Court. As a seasoned trial attorney in numerous bet-the-company disputes with a deep understanding of government agencies and practices, Dawn provides clients with strategic advice at all stages of an investigation or dispute.
Before joining Quinn Emanuel, Dawn was deputy general counsel for strategic initiatives at the US Department of Commerce, where she helped lead a 400+ person legal department and handled a broad range of legal issues for the department. She also served as a law clerk for the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to her legal career, Dawn worked in international public policy, including at the Princeton Project on National Security; Front Line, an international nonprofit protecting human rights defenders; and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Sierra Leone. Later she founded and directed a special legal research program that continues to aid the work of the U.N. Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Dawn holds advanced degrees from Yale Law School, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and Trinity College Dublin, and undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington.
27. Mary Powell
Partner and Attorney, Trucker Huss
Mary Powell is a Director at Trucker Huss, APC in San Francisco, CA. She has over two decades of experience in all aspects of employee benefits. Currently, her main focus is assisting employers with the implementation of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), and drafting executive compensation and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Mary assists employers with obtaining Private Letter Rulings from the IRS and she submits comments to the Department of Treasury/IRS and Department of Labor both prior to the issuance of regulations and in response to proposed guidance issued by those agencies.
Mary has extensive experience in handling benefit plans in mergers and acquisitions. Her clients include large publicly held companies and complex multi-entity healthcare organizations. Mary has lectured frequently on various employee benefit topics, including drug pricing issues under health plans, the impact of the Dobbs decision on health plans, and executive compensation topics for many clients and organizations including The Commonwealth Club of California, a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate, and the American Bar Association. For many years she was a contributing author to the ABA Labor Section’s Employee Benefits Law, published by BNA. Mary is a Chambers-rated lawyer and has been listed as a Top-Rated Employee Benefits Attorney by Northern California Super Lawyers since 2017.
Mary earned an LLM in taxation, with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center, a JD with honors from Golden Gate University, and a BA in rhetoric and philosophy from Willamette University.
28. Carolyn Martino
Partner, Slovak Baron Empey Murphy & Pinkney
Carolyn Martino is a highly accomplished family law practitioner based in the Coachella Valley, California region who primarily handles cases for high-net-worth individuals with complex financial situations and assets. She earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA and her law degree at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles.
Ms. Martino is an experienced attorney known for her compassion for clients as well as her aggressive advocacy on their behalf. She is dedicated to simplifying complex situations and achieving positive results for her clients in litigation, mediation, or collaborative divorce.
During her tenure practicing in Los Angeles as well as the Coachella Valley, Ms. Martino has represented a wide range of professional clients, including doctors, attorneys, business owners, real estate developers and investors, hospitality industry leaders, sports entrepreneurs, celebrities, professional athletes, and their spouses.
She is the immediate past co-chair of the Family Law Section of the Desert Bar Association, her second term in that role. She has worked as a Certified Minor’s Counsel appointed by the court to protect the interests of children during marital dissolutions. She has been named a Palm Springs Top Lawyer and has participated with the Inns of Court. Ms. Martino is admitted to practice before all California state courts as well as the US District Court for the Central District of California, the US District Court for the Northern District of California, the California Supreme Court, and the US Court of Appeals 9th Circuit.
29. Marjorie Mesidor
Partner, Wigdor
Marjorie Mesidor is a Partner at Wigdor. She is recognized for her outstanding service to clients who have been subjected to sexual harassment or discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and other protected characteristics. Mesidor regularly prosecutes employment actions against Fortune 500 companies and smaller organizations accused of discrimination including claims of sexual misconduct. She has had overwhelming success, achieving over $47M in awards and settlements for her clients. Marjorie rose to notoriety in 2013 when she procured a unanimous jury award in Johnson v. STRIVE, a landmark case decidedly settling the issue of whether those of the same race can discriminate against one another.
In addition, her work against the disparate impact of "poor door" policies on rent-stabilized tenants has earned her recognition by the Office of the Public Advocate. Her most recent verdict of $2.31M was awarded Top 50 Verdict in New York, Labor, and Employment for Sooroojballie v. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for a race and national-origin-based hostile work environment claim. Marjorie’s greatest impact is the hundreds of cases and disputes resolved privately and efficiently protecting her clients’ preference for discretion and anonymity.
She was previously a managing partner at Phillips & Associates’ Long Island office. With almost 20 years of experience and practicing on the appellate and trial levels of state and federal courts, Mesidor understands the stress and fear that plaintiffs experience when their jobs are threatened by a coworker or employer's inappropriate conduct. She handles complex employment law matters in these areas at all stages of the litigation process, serving as a forceful advocate at the negotiating table, and a formidable opponent in the courtroom.
Prior to joining Phillips & Associates, served as chief counsel to Project Hope, an organization that provides antiviolence and educational workshops and programs services to underserved youth in South Queens. In addition to her extensive experience handling discrimination and harassment cases, she possesses a strong background in wage and hour, not-for-profit, and corporate law matters. Early in her career, she clerked for the Honorable Torkwasé Y. Sekou in the Superior Court of New Jersey.
30. Britt Whitesell Biles
Trial Lawyer & Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson
Britt Whitesell Biles is a Trial Lawyer and a Partner in the Business Litigation Group of Womble Bond Dickinson. Resident in the firm’s Washington, DC office, Biles has extensive experience at the highest levels of the federal government, having served in senior legal roles at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the White House, and the US Small Business Administration. She has nearly two decades of experience representing and advising clients in high-stakes government investigations and bet-the-company litigation.
Most recently, Biles served as the general counsel of the US Small Business Administration. She was appointed in 2020 to manage the immense and unprecedented legal needs that arose from the SBA’s role as a lead agency in the federal government’s economic response to COVID-19. As the SBA’s chief legal officer and third highest-ranking official, Biles led the SBA’s legal function, managing 140 lawyers and staff across the country. Before she was appointed general counsel of the SBA, Biles served as a special assistant to the President and Associate White House Counsel. During her tenure at the White House, she provided legal advice on financial regulation and reform, consumer protection, privacy, transportation, and congressional oversight matters.
Biles also was the White House’s legal liaison to the Departments of Treasury, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as independent financial services and consumer protection agencies, including the SEC, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Biles began her law career as a federal appellate clerk for the Honorable Julia Smith Gibbons on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, after graduating magna cum laude from Duke University School of Law and being elected to the Order of the Coif.
31. Danielle Kays
Senior Counsel, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Danielle Kays co-leads the Seyfarth Shaw Biometric Privacy Team in Chicago and is a Trial Lawyer in the Employment Litigation Group. She represents companies in a broad range of biometric, privacy, and employment law matters in individual and class actions, litigating in federal and state courts and arbitrations across the country.
With over 19 years of experience and more than 30 successful trial verdicts, clients seek Danielle’s expertise on cutting-edge issues relating to complex biometric and privacy law litigation and compliance and employment law. Danielle stays knowledgeable of the ever-changing biometric privacy landscape and the various defenses to the evolving theories and has been featured in various publications, including Bloomberg Law and Crain’s Chicago Business.
When Danielle is not representing clients, she serves on the Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees Executive Committee and has served as a board director for the Bloomington-Normal YMCA. In addition, Danielle has taught trial advocacy for the Notre Dame Law School, coached the trial team for Chicago-Kent Law School, and mentors college and high school students interested in the law. Danielle graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law, cum laude, and Illinois Wesleyan University.
32. Yvette Puckett Cravins
Senior Counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Yvette Puckett Cravins is a Senior Counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, a leading international law firm with a particular focus on the technology, media & telecom; energy & natural resources, financial; and real estate and construction sectors.
As a lawyer/lobbyist, Puckett Cravins represents, advocates, and advises clients as a member of Pillsbury’s award-winning Government Law & Strategies practice. Puckett Cravins has over 25 years of law and government experience on the local, state, and federal levels providing exceptional client services, and innovative bipartisan government policy solutions, with a commitment to stakeholders and served communities.
Before joining Pillsbury Winthrop, Puckett Cravins was a Capitol Hill Chief of Staff and an Oversight and Investigative Committee Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a proud Louisiana native, a graduate of Southern University Law Center, and a 2022 inductee into the Southern University Law Center Alumni Hall of Fame.
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34. Monica Williams Monroe
Partner, Tucker Ellis
Monica Williams Monroe currently serves as Partner-in-Charge of the San Francisco office of Tucker Ellis LLP. She practices in the area of complex civil litigation, with a focus on commercial and product liability claims. In her capacity as both local and national counsel, she has represented a variety of corporate and insurance interests, including those of technology companies and product manufacturers. Monroe regularly handles client matters involving general contract analysis and business disputes, including pre-litigation counseling designed to identify and address potential litigation risk and support business teams with unique solutions to address key external partnerships.
Monroe is a long-term member of the Tucker Ellis Equity & Inclusion Committee, serving to support minority and underrepresented groups through the development of sustained diversity initiatives throughout the firm. She also serves as a Practice Group liaison, helping to guide and mentor the firm’s most senior counsel in their overall practice growth and professional development. Monroe received her undergraduate degree from Clark Atlanta University and earned her JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she attended as a Loyola Scholar and was inducted into the Order of the Coif in 2003.
36. Paula Wyatt
Attorney and Founding Partner, Wyatt Law Firm
Paula Wyatt is a Founding Partner of the Wyatt Law Firm, Ltd., which concentrates on litigating catastrophic personal injury claims. Paula has extensive experience in handling complex litigation, including cases involving wrongful death, truck accidents, carbon monoxide exposure, oil field explosions and other injuries, defective industrial products, corporate negligence, and consumer safety.
Shortly after graduating from the University of Houston, Paula began her legal career as a prosecutor (assistant district lawyer) in Nueces County, Texas. She quickly distinguished herself as an accomplished, exceptional trial lawyer. She was instantly recognized as one of the most aggressive and productive prosecutors in the county. Paula soon became chief felony prosecutor for the 347th District Court and was instrumental in reducing the court's backlog of cases. Since leaving the District Attorney's Office, Paula has devoted herself to personal injury litigation, once again quickly distinguishing herself as a formidable presence in the field. Paula’s extensive experience in handling contentious litigation cases has earned her multiple accolades and a reputation as an exceptional trial attorney.
37. June P. Bashant
Partner, Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & McGuinn
Consumer safety and San Francisco wrongful death attorney, June P. Bashant has established a 23-year reputation for her hard work representing individuals and families injured by the careless conduct and choices of others. June is a Partner with Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & McGuinn. She represents clients to secure financial stability after the loss of income and medical expenses that follow when a loved one is severely injured or killed by negligence. In 2022, June worked as lead counsel in a complex multi-plaintiff cross-over collision that resulted in a settlement exceeding $15M for her clients. Her practice focus is catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.
June has successfully arbitrated cases involving wrongful death against Kaiser and consistently mediates seven and eight-figure settlements in a variety of cases ranging from premises liability, negligent security, product defects, pedestrian and bike collisions, trucking accidents, auto defects, elder abuse, and medical malpractice. June's work on behalf of her clients has resulted in improved safety standards and consumer protections. June is a member of the American Association of Justice and is currently on the board of the Consumer Attorneys of California. Bashant has been recognized as a 2023 Lawyer of Distinction in the New York Times.
38. Diea Schum
Senior Counsel, Donahue Fitzgerald
Diea Schum joined Donahue Fitzgerald in 2021 and currently focuses her practice on construction matters, real estate litigation, and complex commercial litigation. Diea is the Co-Chair of the firm’s Construction Practice Group and handles all areas of construction from contract negotiations to construction litigation. Diea is an effective litigator who is not afraid to tackle the most complicated legal issues and tailors her approach to each client based on their objectives.
Prior to joining the firm, Diea was an attorney in Florida handling commercial litigation matters for Fortune 500 companies, construction and real estate matters, partnership and/or corporation breakups, contract disputes, intellectual property issues, and other business disputes. Diea began her legal career as a law extern to multiple judges at the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Outside the office, Diea is an avid traveler and even spent time studying law at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has volunteered as the mock trial coach for the local high school and enjoys being an active member of her community.
39. Charina P. Garcia
Strategy and Innovation Partner, WR Immigration
Charina P. Garcia is the Strategy and Innovation Partner at WR Immigration and manages the firm’s Northern California offices. She represents and advises many Fortune 500 and startup companies, as well as individuals on both employment and family-based immigration matters. She presents at many industry conferences on the intersection between law and technology focusing on the firm’s technology – WRapid™, a centralized, cloud-based technology and Enterprise Resource Planning solutions software powered by Salesforce. Her conference presentations include panels at the American Bar Association’s Women in Legal Tech Summit, Worldwide Employment Relocation Counsel’s Global Workforce Symposium, American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Technology and Innovation Summit, and Filipina Women’s Network’s Global Summit. She also has been invited to speak at Fortune 500 companies on the topic of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion.
Charina was appointed to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). She currently serves on both the AILA University Committee and the AILA Business School for Immigration Attorneys Conference Committee. In addition, Charina is a 2019 Filipina Women’s Network 100 Award recipient: 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World. She has also earned the National Filipino Lawyer’s Association Inaugural President’s Award and has been named by Best Lawyers as one of the 2023 The Best Lawyers in America®. Charina earned a JD from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in economics and a minor in Asian-American Studies.
41. Erin Lothson
General Counsel, Dandy
Erin Lothson serves as the General Counsel and is part of the senior leadership team at Dandy, a high-growth software company building software to digitize the dental industry.
Throughout her career, Erin has been relied on by corporate and functional leadership for long-term strategic advice on risk management, compliance, and business operations. Her focus is on helping businesses scale at hyper-growth speed while managing changing regulatory, economic, and market conditions, as well as shifts in corporate priorities. Erin’s exceptional leadership shows in the legal function she built at Dandy, with a strong emphasis on legal processes and operations, as well as building out an accessible function that the business turns to for strategic thought partnership. She consistently delivers unparalleled dedication to her practice. She provides practical, solutions-oriented advice to her C-Suite and business clients on all matters to ensure that legal considerations are integrated into business practices.
Erin is known for her strong executive presence, impeccable communication skills, and demonstrated executive competencies. She is able to deal with complexity and ambiguity simultaneously and translate nuanced business and legal issues into clear and simple guidance for a variety of stakeholders. Erin has extensive experience in leadership roles and is passionate about building teams and creating modern, efficient legal processes that scale across employees across all levels and geographies.
Erin earned a JD from The Ohio State University Moritz College of the Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Technology Law Journal and an undergraduate degree in political science with honors in three years from The Ohio State University.
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42. Ada Okafor
General Counsel & Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion Officer, American Board of Surgery
Ada Okafor serves as General Counsel for the American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons. She also serves as the inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO). Ada is the first person of color to hold these positions in the organization’s 86-year history. As general counsel, she leads the organization’s legal, compliance, ethics, and enterprise risk management functions. As CDEIO, she leverages data analytics, coaching, facilitated discussions, workshops, and educational training to promote diversity within the surgical space, cultivate a culture of belonging, and foster employee well-being, innovation, productivity, and retention.
Prior to joining ABS, Ada practiced at national and international law firms where she specialized in complex ERISA, employee benefits, health, retirement, and executive compensation law. She has received numerous awards for her success. Ada is an active member of various professional, civic and alumni organizations including the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Women’s General Counsel Network, the American Board of Medical Specialties Bar Association, the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, the National Association of Women Lawyers, the ERISA Lawyers Network, the Diverse Lawyers Network, the Nigerian Lawyers Association, the Leadership Development Committee of the DC Bar, the Steering Committee of the American University Washington College of Law Alumni Association (AUWCLAA), and the AUWCL Health Law and Policy Program Alumni Advisory Council.
Ada holds a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University, a JD from American University Law School, and an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. She also enjoys writing DEI-focused content, traveling, cooking authentic Nigerian cuisine, photography, graphic design, listening to podcasts, and hosting bespoke gatherings.
44. Angka Hinshaw
Senior Counsel, Amundsen Davis LLC
Angka Hinshaw serves clients who serve the community. She is committed to advising, supporting, and advocating for her clients so they can thrive as health providers. Her years of experience dealing with government agencies, civil and criminal, have helped her successfully and creatively solve complex problems and manage complicated risks. She represents mental health centers, post-acute care facilities, nursing facilities, individual professionals, and other health care providers in a variety of matters. Her strengths include developing legal strategies, risk management, and managing regulatory affairs to ensure legal compliance. She enjoys advocating for organizations and individuals navigating legal and regulatory hurdles while often serving some of the most vulnerable populations. Angka served as a senior-level public defender for a dozen years, handling an extensive trial caseload as well as developing new public defense initiatives.
Angka represents providers in Medicaid fraud investigations, regulatory compliance, professional licensure investigations, third-party payer audits, survey and audit appeals, and involuntary commitment hearings. Her clients appreciate her calm demeanor and sound advice. She is known for working closely with her clients to help providers succeed and serve their patients, and goes the extra mile for her clients because she knows her advice and representation can help the patients and the communities they serve.
Angka is heavily involved with the Indiana State Bar Association as a board member, 2023 Annual Meeting House of Delegates Chairwoman, an appointed member of the state bar’s Criminal Justice Section, past chairwoman of the Latino Affairs Committee, and invited member of the Equities Task Force - Police Brutality Affecting People of Color. She co-hosts the state bar’s national award-winning Open Conversations program about race and racism. She is a past board member of the Indianapolis Bar Association and past chairwoman of the Marion County Bar Association.
Her professional achievements and service to the legal profession have led to her appointment to two Indiana Supreme Court programs; the Judges Lawyers Assistance Program Committee and the inaugural Indiana Innovation Initiative. Outside the office, Angka enjoys running, collecting unique bookmarks, and perfecting her Spanish. She is an active board member for various boards including Happy Hollow Children’s Camp and The Milk Bank as well as service to their Medical Advisory Committee. She is a past milk donor and supporter of the benefits of breast milk to help sick babies.
45. Stephanie Hamm
Partner, Thompson & Horton
Stephanie Hamm is a Partner of Thompson & Horton. She represents school districts, colleges, and other governmental entities in a wide range of disputes in both state and federal court. Hamm primarily focuses on matters arising under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Texas Labor Code, and the Texas Education Code. She also represents clients in administrative matters before the State Office of Administrative Hearings and the Texas Education Agency.
Hamm graduated from the University of Saint Thomas, summa cum laude, with an undergraduate degree in political science. She received her JD, magna cum laude, from South Texas College of Law. While attending South Texas College of Law, Hamm was a varsity moot court advocate with one of the nation’s top advocacy programs and was also a member of South Texas Law Review. She also interned with United States District Judge David Hittner at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
46. Karen Gottlieb
Senior Partner, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, PC
Karen Gottlieb is a Senior Partner in the New Media, Film, TV, Podcasting, Publishing, Fashion, and Licensing practice group at the New York entertainment law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, PC. She first joined the firm in 1996 as one of her practice group’s original members and has been key to growing and expanding the group beyond servicing music clients into all other areas of the transactional entertainment and media industry.
With over 30 years of experience in entertainment and media, Gottlieb represents a wide range of clients across all aspects of new media, motion pictures, television, podcasting, branding, licensing, digital distribution, e-commerce, spokesperson engagements, news, internet, book/magazine/electronic publishing, merchandising, fashion, radio, consulting and executive employment. She advises high-profile actors, celebrities, journalists, screenwriters, authors, directors, producers, fashion designers, as well as executives and national and international institutions. Gottlieb has developed particular expertise in helping talent as well as corporate clients set up content production studios, and in iconic star bio-pics and bio-series, as well as all aspects of podcasting.
After graduating from Duke University and Fordham University School of Law where she was associate editor of the Fordham Law Review, Gottlieb began her legal career at Stroock in its Entertainment, Labor, and Employment Department where she negotiated and advised major and independent record labels, film studios and production companies on entertainment industry union and guild collective bargaining agreements and employment policies and agreements. She is a regular speaker on the topic of Entertainment, Law, Business, and Entrepreneurship and for the Bar of the City of New York on Entertainment Law 101. She has been recognized by Variety as a Top Lawyer in Hollywood, among other professional distinctions.
48. Lauren Woodland
Senior Counsel, Novian & Novian
Lauren Woodland is a Senior Counsel at Novian & Novian. She is a top-rated civil litigator specializing in business and commercial litigation whose work has been consistently recognized by her peers. Woodland is experienced in handling cases for plaintiffs and defendants through all stages of litigation including mediation, trials, and appeals in state and federal court. She handles a broad range of matters including breach of contract, business torts, fraud, partnership disputes, defamation, and sexual harassment.
Prior to joining Novian & Novian, Lauren was a litigation associate at White & Case LLP. She received her JD from UCLA School of Law, where she was managing editor of the UCLA Entertainment Law Review, and received her BA in history magna cum laude from the University of Southern California.
49. Tatyana Ruderman
Senior Counsel, InfoLawGroup, LLP
Tatyana Ruderman is Senior Counsel at InfoLawGroup, LLP, a national boutique law firm focused on privacy and data security, advertising and marketing, and technology and ranked by Chambers both globally and in the US. Tatyana’s practice is concentrated on privacy law as well as marketing and other regulatory compliance. She often practices in highly regulated industries such as cryptocurrency and alcoholic beverages. Tatyana takes pride in providing practical advice that addresses potential legal risks while accommodating business needs. She enjoys giving clients creative options to move forward with their business and marketing ideas. She counsels companies ranging from F100 to startups in a wide variety of industries, including consumer goods and equipment, EdTech, entertainment & media, finance, logistics, hospitality, publishing, real estate, social media, and software.
Tatyana’s day-to-day practice involves counseling clients on legal and practical issues related to the collection, use, sharing, and overall management of personal data; developing of websites, mobile applications, and other consumer products and promotions; addressing novel technologies and issues; and generally advising clients on compliance with US state privacy laws, US federal privacy laws, international privacy laws, and regulatory compliance.
Before joining ILG, Tatyana worked as a litigator, where she represented local and international clientele in diverse litigation and transactional matters involving Internet, privacy, entertainment, intellectual property, startup, employment, contract, and tort law matters including cases involving claims for defamation and false light, as well as those brought pursuant to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Stored Communications Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and the Illinois Eavesdropping Act. Tatyana also negotiated and drafted agreements for entertainment industry clients, including screenwriter, director, and artist agreements, prepared trademark and copyright filings, and responded to Office actions.
Tatyana is an active Council Member of the Illinois State Bar Association Privacy and Information Security Section, a Certified Information Privacy Professional, and member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and a member of Women Owned Law. Tatyana received her JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law and two undergraduate degrees from DePaul University in psychology and communications and a minor in international politics.
50. Ashley Jackson
Co-Founder & CEO, Halo 7 Rum
Ashley Jackson is a global privacy & AI legal expert, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit founder and community college professor. She is a Co-Founder and CEO of Halo 7 Rum, alongside her God sister JeNai Stanley.
Ashley and JeNai built Halo 7 as a luxury brand that gives honor to their ancestors, celebrates the present, and builds a legacy for the future. Encapsulating richness and complexity with notes of vanilla, coconut, and caramel, Halo 7 defines an exceptionally iconic and indulgent experience, elevating rum to the next level.
In addition to Halo 7, Ashley serves as legal counsel to a prestigious global hospital, an associate professor at her local community college, an officer of E.Y.E. LEAD Foundation, Inc., and a co-founder and board president of Community Justice Alliance in California. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Ashley holds a BS in business administration from the University of Southern California and her JD from Boston University. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband and daughter.
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