DRI Faculty List
Diversity for Success Seminar
Westin Michigan Ave | Chicago, IL | June 11 - 12, 2020
Imoh E. Akpan Principal
Franklin & Prokopik PC
Imoh E. Akpan is a principal at Franklin & Prokopik. Imoh concentrates his civil litigation practice in transportation and retail and hospitality with a focus on negligent security and civil rights defense. Imoh has taken over 20 jury trials to verdict. Mr. Akpan is admitted to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia and the United States District Courts for the District of Maryland and District of Columbia. |
Geri Lynn Arrindell Senior Associate
Mickes O'Toole LLC
Geri Lynn Arrindell in St. Louis, Missouri practices labor & employment law and general business litigation. An experienced business partner and problem solver, Geri Lynn has served as litigation counsel to governmental entities and non-for-profit organizations and has represented clients in arbitrations and before labor boards and federal regulatory agencies. She has counseled employers on myriad issues; guided clients through alternative dispute resolution defended discrimination claims; handled administrative appeals; and defended clients in all phases of state and federal civil litigation. |
Mohamed N. Bakry Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin PC
Mohamed N. Bakry defends clients in wrongful death cases related to product liability, premises liability and transportation His clients include manufacturers, property owners, retailers and product suppliers faced with lawsuits alleging assault and battery, defects on the premises, acts of negligent third parties, improper maintenance of the premises, design defects and more. He also defends product manufacturers, suppliers and premises owners in asbestos litigation. A former attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Mohamed additionally represents clients facing criminal charges. |
Adrejia Boutté-Swafford Partner
Christovich & Kearney LLP
Adrejia Boutté-Swafford is a Partner at Christovich & Kearney, LLP, defends cases on issues related to toxic torts, creditor's rights, premise liability, assisted living facilities, auto and homeowner's policies, and workers' compensation. She also offers training on organizational/business ethics and advises businesses on state, federal, and industry standards and on cyber risk insurance matters. Adrejia has an LLM from Loyola Law School-Chicago in Business Law, with a certificate in compliance, and is a licensed Title Insurance Producer with C&K Title, LLC. |
Bryan R. Browning Shareholder
Lenovo
Bryan R. Browning is Sr. Legal Counsel at Lenovo, where he manages complex commercial and products litigation globally for the company and provides risk mitigation and litigation consultation. Bryan was selected by the Hispanic National Bar Association as a recipient of the 2017 Top Lawyers Under 40 Award, and a 2016 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer. He has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers every year since 2012, and has been recognized by a number of organizations for his commitments to the legal profession and greater community. He has served as the VP of Programs and the National Finance Director for the Hispanic National Bar Association, is a Past President of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, is a past Chair of the DRI Diversity Seminar, and serves on the National Diversity Advisory Board for the Office for Equality and Diversity at the University of Minnesota. |
Nicole M.Brunson Senior Corporate Counsel
Ingersoll Rand
Nicole M.Brunsonis Associate General Counsel-Litigation with Ingersoll Rand. In this role, Nicole practices general tort litigation, product liability, construction and commercial litigation. She also advises on various corporate matters dealing with contracts, fleet and collections.Before joining Ingersoll Rand in 2012, Nicole worked for Swanson Martin & Bell, LLP, a boutique litigation firm in Chicago, Illinois. In her current role, Nicole helps strategic business units to manage litigation costs and provides legal insight on business decisions ranging from in an effort to progress business strategies, meet business goals and address business needs. |
Jennifer M. (Ginger) Busby Burr & Forman LLP
Jennifer M. (Ginger) Busby is a partner at Burr & Forman LLP in Birmingham, Alabama, with over 20 years' experience in product liability, general litigation, and labor and employment. She is a longtime DRI member and an active member of the American Bar Association, including a past chair of the TIPS Section and a former director of the National Trial Academy. |
The Honorable Rubén Castillo, Ret. Partner
Akerman LLP
The Honorable Rubén Castillo, Ret. a first chair litigator, focuses his practice on corporate investigations, white collar criminal defense, private arbitration, and mediation work for litigants. In addition, he serves as chair of Akerman Bench, which provides guidance and feedback for optimal trial and appellate court presentations. Prior to joining Akerman, Ruben served as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, becoming the first Latino to hold this position in the district. |
Nkechi Chukwueke VMware
Nkechi Chukwueke is a Corporate Counsel at VMware in Chicago. Prior to joining VMware, Nkechi was an Attorney at IBM in the DC area. Nkechi has experience in commercial transactions and government contracts with the U.S. government, state and local entities, and international organizations. She enjoys mentoring law students, playing and coaching soccer, and traveling. Nkechi is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Notre Dame Law School, where she received the Thurgood Marshall Award for Academic Achievement. |
Stacy L. Douglas Partner
Collinson Daehnke Inlow & Greco
Stacy L. Douglas is a Partner in the Los Angeles office of Collinson Daenke Inlow & Greco (CDIG), a female-owned law firm. Formerly a partner in a majority-owned national firm, Stacy joined her female colleagues at CDIG, a firm serving Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Northern California, to expand the presence of female litigators in the profession. Stacy has successfully taken cases to trial, focusing on transportation, commercial litigation and employment matters. She was the 2019 Diversity for Success Seminar Chair. |
Claire Eagan Senior Counsel
Uber Technologies Inc.
Claire Eagan has been with Uber Technologies since August 2016 and currently oversees all high severity cases and claims in the northeast region of the United States while providing insurance litigation advice and perspective to the business to help inform Uber's safety policies, tech developments, and messaging. She actively manages the tri-part relationship between Uber, its insurance partners, and outside defense counsel in order to ensure efficient claims management and litigation handling with consistency within her own region and nationwide. |
Atoyia Scott Harris Associate
Proskauer Rose LLP
Atoyia Scott Harris practices Labor and Employment at Proskauer Rose and is a member of Proskauer's Employment Litigation & Counseling Group. Atoyia has advised and successfully defended matters on a wide variety of issues, provides employment-based training and conducts in-house investigations. She is an appointed member of the DRI Membership Committee and member of the DRI Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Atoyia received her Bachelor of Music in Industry Studies with emphasis in classical piano from Loyola University New Orleans and was member of Loyola's Women's Basketball Team. She received her Juris Doctorate and International Law Certification from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. |
Gary L. Howard Partner
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Gary L. Howard Through his work with DRI's Diversity Committee, as Chair of Bradley's LGBTQ Attorney Resource Group, as a charter member of Bradley's Inclusion & Diversity Committee, and through other D&I initiatives, Gary actively promotes diversity in the legal profession. Licensed in 11 States and admitted in more than 30 federal courts, Gary has litigated nationwide. He focuses on strategically partnering with clients to learn their businesses, people, and issues as a means of determining solutions to those clients' needs. |
Monica A. Johnson Darigold Inc
Monica A. Johnson serves as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Darigold, Inc., a manufacturer of milk, butter, cheese, milk powder, and whey products sold worldwide. Prior to joining Darigold, she served as General Counsel for Bonduelle Americas, and as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Ventura Foods, LLC. Before Ventura Foods, Monica was Senior Counsel at Western Digital, served as Corporate Counsel of BAX Global and was an associate at the law firm Theodora Oringher and Yoka & Smith. |
Tasneem K. Khokha GrowthPlay
Tasneem K. Khokha has spent almost 20 years in the professional services space working with lawyers and other professionals to grow their businesses and helping firms make the most of their relationships with their clients, their talent and their recruits. Prior to joining GrowthPlay, Tasneem was a partner and the Director of Marketing at Katten Muchin Rosenman, where she led the firm's marketing and business development team. Tasneem previously practiced law in the corporate department of Latham & Watkins, where she represented publicly-traded and privately-held companies in mergers, acquisitions, and securities offerings, and in the restructuring group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she represented corporate debtors in bankruptcy planning, negotiation, and litigation. Before her career in law Tasneem was an event planner in the University of Chicago's student life office. Tasneem speaks frequently on topics related to business development, sales, marketing, client experience, leadership, diversity and women in professional services. She has spoken at several law schools, including Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, University of Chicago Law School and University of Illinois College of Law. Tasneem is President of the Alumni Board of the University of Chicago, which cultivates engagement of the worldwide University of Chicago alumni community. She also serves on the board of Latinos Progresando, an immigration legal services organization in Chicago. Tasneem graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and earned her Bachelor's degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago. |
Peter C. Kim Partner
Litchfield Cavo LLP
Peter C. Kim is a partner at Litchfield Cavo LLP. He concentrates his practice in labor and employment, aviation litigation and product liability litigation. Peter is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He currently serves as the President of the Board for the Hana Center, a not-for-profit social services and social justice organization. Peter has been serving low income families and individuals through pro bono legal clinics in housing, family law, real estate and similar matters. |
Lori A. Lofano Partner
Bowman and Brooke LLP
Lori A. Lofano is a Partner in Bowman and Brooke's Detroit office. Her practice focuses on managing discovery and eDiscovery matters as part of national discovery counsel teams for products liability cases venued in federal and state courts across the country. Lori received her B.A in English from Stony Brook University, her M.A. in English from New York University, and her J.D. from Arizona State University. Lori is the Publications Chair for DRI's Diversity & Inclusion Committee.. |
Jaime Walker Luse Partner
Tydings & Rosenberg LLP
Jaime Walker Luse is a partner in the Baltimore firm of Tydings & Rosenberg LLP. Ms. Luse defends businesses of all sizes in employment and commercial litigation. An advocate who has prevailed in many difficult trials, she has experience in the state and federal trial and appellate courts of Maryland, District of Columbia, and Northern Virginia. She is adept at negotiating with adversaries to resolve disputes efficiently on behalf of her clients. Ms. Luse defends employers against employment-related claims, including discrimination, wrongful discharge, harassment, and unlawful retaliation. She has also handled numerous commercial cases, including negligence, insurance coverage, breach of contract, and leasing disputes. Ms. Luse is a current member of the Law Institute for DRI. |
Ebony S. Morris Associate Attorney
Garrison Yount Forte & Mulcahy LLC
Ebony S. Morris is an associate attorney in the New Orleans, Louisiana office of Garrison, Yount, Forte, & Mulcahy, LLC. Ebony handles all day-to-day aspects of general litigation matters from inception to resolution and takes and defends fact and expert witness depositions in general litigation matters throughout Louisiana. She was recently selected for inclusion in the 2019 Louisiana Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" List. |
Elie Mystal The Nation Company LLC
Elie Mystal is the Justice correspondent at The Nation. He's formerly the executive editor of Above the Law. Mystal graduated from Harvard Law School and was an associate at Debevoise and Plimpton. |
Sulema M. Novak Partner
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Sulema M. Novak is an accomplished and award-winning trial lawyer with extensive first-chair experience leading trial teams to verdict. Her practice focuses on sophisticated insurance and commercial disputes, including insurance coverage, consumer fraud and bad faith claims, breach of contract, professional liability, information privacy, and wrongful death. In addition to representing clients in highly specialized commercial litigation matters, Sulema has been a visible advocate for women and diverse members of the legal community. |
Destiny Peery, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Law
Research & Diversity Consulting
Destiny Peery, Ph.D. holds a JD/PhD in social psychology from Northwestern University. She has taught at Northwestern's Pritzker School of Law and Duke Law School. She writes, teaches, and speaks on bias, stereotyping, and discrimination, and diversity, equity and inclusion topics in law, including gender disparities and cognitive, implicit biases. She conducts research on diversity in the legal profession, and she regularly works with legal practitioners from across the profession to help them better understand their decisionmaking processes and outcomes. |
Cory J. Person Hill Ward Henderson
Cory J. Person is a Shareholder with Hill Ward Henderson, practicing in the firm's Litigation and Employment Law groups. His practice is primarily focused on the defense of products liability, premises liability, negligent security, general negligence and complex tort claims. Mr. Person also has extensive experience representing employers in litigation arising out of discrimination, harassment and non-competition agreements and has been recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer Rising Star (2015), Florida Super Lawyer (2016 & 2017) and as Florida Legal Elite (2018) in the area of civil litigation. He currently serves as a Board Director of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and is a two-term past president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association. |
Lydia Petrakis Microsoft Corporation
Lydia Petrakis is a product attorney for Microsoft Corporation supporting the Experiences and Devices division. Her work focuses on navigating complex legal and business issues in the areas of product development, licensing, competitive intelligence, AI and machine learning, and privacy, regulatory, and compliance matters. Prior to joining Microsoft, Lydia was legal counsel for MicroStrategy. Lydia earned her B.A. in Political Science from Clemson University and her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law. |
Katie S. Phang Partner
Katie S. Phang PA
Katie S. Phang is the Principal and Owner of Katie S. Phang, P.A., where she represents a diverse group of clients in complex commercial and real estate litigation, marital law, and white collar/FCPA/compliance matters. She also provides clients with assistance in Media Relations and Crisis Communications. Katie has more than 20 years of trial experience in state and federal courts. As a former prosecutor and private practitioner, she has tried dozens of jury and bench trials throughout Florida, several of which as Lead Trial Counsel. AV-Preeminent rated in Litigation, Bankruptcy, Family Law, and Criminal Law, Katie has been recognized several times as a Top Lawyer in Corporate and Business Law by the South Florida Legal Guide and Florida Trend's Legal Elite, and as a Rising Star by American Lawyer Media/Daily Business Review and one of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida. In 2014, Katie was honored by the State Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) as a "Leader in the Law" and is the Past-President of the Miami-Dade Chapter of FAWL. She has served as the Chair of a Florida Bar Grievance Committee, on the Board of Directors for the Dade County Bar Association, as the Vice-President of the Executive Board of Suited for Success/Dress for Success Miami, and as the Vice-Chair of the City of Miami Beach's Design Review Board. Katie currently teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law's Litigation Skills Program and she serves on an Eleventh Judicial Circuit Professionalism Panel, as well as a Vice President for the University of Miami Alumni Association. A Legal Contributor for NBC News/MSNBC, Katie frequently comments on the hottest, trending legal issues and cases. She also appears on other national TV and radio outlets. |
Tameka Ramsey ConocoPhillips
Tameka Ramsey is Manager, Global Compliance and Ethics at ConocoPhillips, the world's largest independent exploration and production company.Tameka's role at ConocoPhillips includes global responsibility for the company's ethics and compliance program, as well as managing investigation of company policy violations, misconduct, corruption, fraud, illegal acts, and violations of the Company's Code of Business Ethics and Conduct. She has previously served as a compliance consultant to management in other highly regulated, global organizations and has gained significant experience in employment compliance, internal/external audits, and government. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Tameka is a seasoned volunteer and dedicates her time to education and employability initiatives. Tameka holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Juris Doctorate, with a concentration in Labor and Employment. |
The Honorable Carlton W. Reeves U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi
The Honorable Carlton W. Reeves a native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, assumed office on December 30, 2010. Immediately prior to his nomination by President Barack Obama, Judge Reeves was engaged in the private practice of law with Pigott Reeves Johnson, P.A., a law firm he co-founded in 2001. His career began as law clerk to Justice Reuben V. Anderson of the Mississippi Supreme Court. He also was an associate with the Phelps Dunbar law firm and an Assistant United States Attorney, Chief of the Civil Division for the Southern District of Mississippi. |
Keshia L. Rodriguez Divisional Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Assistant Secretary
American Freight Outlet Stores LLC
Keshia L. Rodriguez is General Counsel and Secretary for American Freight Outlet Stores, LLC, formerly known as Sears Outlet Stores, L.L.C., a national discount retailer of appliances, furniture and mattresses. In her current role, Ms. Rodriguez serves on the company's Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for its legal and compliance functions, including providing legal advice and counsel for the company's business activities. Prior to her current role, Ms. Rodriguez practiced law at a private, international law firm in Texas for eight years in the areas of complex and commercial litigation. She represented businesses from a variety of industries and gained significant experience in a variety of forums across the country in a wide variety of legal matters. |
Griselda Vega Samuel Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund
Griselda Vega Samuel is the Regional Counsel, Midwest for the Chicago office of Mexican American Legal & Educational Fund (MALDEF). As Regional Counsel she is responsible for the daily operations and overall management of the regional office which covers 15 states. She is an attorney with over 18 years of experience in working in the areas of litigation, policy-advocacy and education, specifically employment law, and general civil rights. Ms. Vega Samuel's advocacy work extends to both U.S. and international fronts, where she has worked on human trafficking legislation, as well as, worked on policy issues related to migrant labor rights, both within the U.S. and Mexican legal frameworks. |
Joyce W. Vance University of Alabama School of Law
Joyce W. Vance is a Distinguished Professor of Law who served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017. While U.S. Attorney, she served on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee and was Co-Chair of its Criminal Practice Subcommittee. Before becoming U.S. Attorney, she served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for eighteen years, serving ten years as a criminal prosecutor and serving as Chief of the Appellate Division. She is a frequent legal commentator on MSNBC and other news outlets. |
Kenneth P. Williams Shareholder
Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney
Kenneth P. Williams is a shareholder at Segal McCambridge. His practice focus includes trial, litigation, cybersecurity coverage analysis and investigations, along with insurance defense. He represents commercial and personal line carriers in all phases of litigation, in addition to representing insureds and individual clients. Mr. Williams is also chair of his firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. |
Jill Wine-Banks MSNBC Legal Analysist
Jill Wine-Banks is an MSNBC legal analyst. She began her career as the first woman to serve as an organized crime prosecutor at the U.S. Justice Department and was chosen as one of three Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutors. She later served as General Counsel of the U.S. Army, Solicitor General and Deputy Attorney General of the State of Illinois, and Chief Operating Officer of the ABA. She has served as a corporate executive at Motorola and Maytag. She is the author of The Watergate Girl, published in February 2020. |
Lance Wolf VP & Deputy General Counsel
Freddie Mac
Lance Wolf is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Litigation and Investigations, overseeing Freddie Mac's Litigation Department, which handles a wide variety of litigation, disputes, and investigations for the company. These matters include mortgage-banking cases, contract disputes, business/mortgage fraud matters, securities cases (including class actions), government investigations, Congressional inquiries, antitrust matters, employment discrimination claims, consumer class actions, insurance matters, personal injury actions, real estate matters, collection activity, employment compensation cases, bankruptcy, whistleblower investigations, and subpoena responses. The Litigation Department is also responsible for providing legal advice to business clients throughout the Company on a broad range of issues to assist it in managing legal risks. He began working at Freddie Mac in 1990. Prior to working at Freddie Mac, Lance worked as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Tax Division, where he represented the IRS in federal court He is licensed to practice law in Virginia, DC, and Pennsylvania. |
Ricardo A. Woods Partner
Burr & Forman LLP
Ricardo A. Woods is a trial lawyer and shareholder in Burr Forman, LLP's Mobile office. He is a creative problem solver who provides his clients with innovative and cost effective solutions and strategies. He is no stranger to the courtroom and he is experienced in handling all stages of complex litigation. Ricardo has first-chair jury trial experience, as well as extensive pre-trial litigation experience. He has successfully defended matters, which included allegations of wrongful death, paralysis, severe bodily injuries, and catastrophic property loss. Ricardo serves as the Chief Legal Counsel and City Attorney for the City of Mobile. He was appointed to this post by the Honorable William S. Stimpson in 2013. In his capacity as City Attorney, Ricardo manages all of the City's outside counsel, serves as chief legal adviser to the executive branch of the local government, and serves as the executive director of the City of Mobile's internal legal department. Ricardo's insurance litigation experience includes issues related to defalcation, bad agents, fraud and coverage agents. His product liability experience includes industrial grade machinery, warranty claims, automobile components, toxic torts and chemical agents. Ricardo also serves as the Chair of DRI's Diversity Committee and a member of Burr Forman's executive committee. |