Photos from the NBA-CLS
25th Anniversary Corporate Counsel Conference
NBA Commercial Law Section Annual Meeting and Reception
July 14 - 19, 2012
Please join us for the NBA Commercial Law Section
Annual Meeting and Reception
26th Annual NBA-CLS Corportate Counsel Conference
February 21-23, 2013
The St. Regis, Monarch Beach Resort & Spa
Dana Point, California
88th Annual Convention & Exhibits
July / August 2013
Miami, Florida
PAST EVENTS
Judicial Council/Small Firms & Solo Practitioners/Young Lawyers Division Mid-Winter Meeting
January 18-22, 2012
Sonesto Maho Beach Resort & Casino
St. Maarten
25th Annual Corporate Counsel Conference
February 23-25, 2012
Doral Golf Resort & Spa
Miami, Florida
Paulette Brown - Honored by the American Bar Association
Past National Bar Association President, Paulette Brown was the recent recipient of the American Bar Association's prestigious Margaret Brent Award. The award is presented annually to five women who excel in their fields and pave the way to success for other women. Past recipients have included, Elaine Jones, Hillary Clinton and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. She also was the recipient of the Diversity Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association and was recognized by the New Jersey Women's Bar Association with its Platinum Award. The National Law Journal has recognized Paulette as one of the 50 Most In?uential Minority Lawyers in the United States and she has consistently been recognized a one of New Jersey's Super Lawyers. Since 2008, Paulette has been recognized as one of the top 50 women NJ Super Lawyers and since 2010, one of the top one hundred NJ Super Lawyers.
Paulette is a Partner and Chief Diversity Officer at Edwards Wildman Palmer, LLP and serves on the firm's Strategic Planning Committee.
Roger Goode – Joins the CLS Executive Committee
Roger Goode, a Senior Associate General Counsel in the Sam's Club Division of the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Legal Department, has joined the NBA-CLS Executive Committee. Sam's Club serves more than 47 million U.S. members with locations nationwide, and in Brazil, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sam's Club offers exceptional values on merchandise and services for business owners and consumers. For the past 7 years Roger has been responsible for providing legal support to various Sam's Club business units, including, Marketing, Membership, Member Insights, E-Commerce, Corporate Communications, Credit and Finance. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, Roger was an Assistant General Counsel in the General Liability Litigation Division of the Wal-Mart Legal Department and was responsible for supervising general liability litigation for Wal-Mart Stores and Sam's Club. He began his career with Wal-Mart in June 2002. Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Roger was a partner in the law firm of Hawkins & Parnell in Atlanta, Georgia, where he practiced insurance defense and commercial litigation. Roger earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Law; a M.B.A. from Emory University (Goizueta Business School) and a B.A. from North Carolina State University. Roger is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (“IAPP”). Roger also serves on the Board of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas.
Holly E. Loiseau – Joins the NBA-CLS Executive Committee
Holly E. Loiseau, litigation partner practicing in the Washington, DC office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges and a lifetime member of the NBA CLS, was recently named to the Section's Executive Committee. A member of Weil's Complex Commercial Litigation and Product Liability groups, her dynamic and diverse practice has resulted in litigating and trying cases in a variety of fields, including antitrust, trade regulation and false advertising, product liability, insurance coverage, tax, bankruptcy, contracts, derivative transactions, healthcare, and international trade. She has extensive experience litigating large consumer class actions and multi-jurisdictional cases for clients in various industries and a winning track record for clients on motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgment, and oppositions to class certi?cation motions. She has represented and advised clients appearing before grand jury proceedings and Congressional investigations, and has counseled clients with respect to select government contracts and compliance issues.
Recent notable matters that Ms. Loiseau has been involved with include representing NPR in its internal review following the termination of an on-air personality; conducting an internal investigation arising from an employee complaint regarding alleged wrongful or unethical conduct and retaliation for an Eastern European development fund; representing the Lehman Brothers estate in mediation and litigation of multi-million dollar derivatives transactions in its bankruptcy proceedings; and representing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in defense of a more than $450 million action before the Federal Maritime Commission that was filed by a port tenant alleging violations of the Shipping Act in connection with a long-term lease.
Ms. Loiseau has long been active in professional groups and organizations, serving in leadership positions for many of them. She was President of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia from 2010 to 2011; Co-Editor and Member of the Editorial Board for the ABA Section of Litigation, Committee on Corporate Counsel's “In-House Litigator”; Host Committee Member for the ABA Commission on Women, Research Initiative, and Fundraising Reception in April 2009; Host Committee Member for the Cory Booker and Adrian Fenty Joint Fundraiser in March 2009; Appointed Member of the ABA Section of Litigation's Content Management Committee from 2008 to 2010; Member of the DC Bar Nominations Committee from 2007 to 2008; and Deputy Chief of Staff to National Bar Association President Vanita Banks from 2007 to 2008. In 2008
Ms. Loiseau received the National Bar Association's Presidential Award. Ms. Loiseau received her law degree from George Washington University Law School and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.
Nicole N. Morris - Joins the NBA-CLS Executive Committee
In 2011, Nicole N. Morris was elected to the Section's Executive Committee. Ms. Morris is Managing Patent Counsel at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Nicole is responsible for the development and implementation of the Company's global patent strategy and providing day-to-day advice & counseling to business and scientific stakeholders, including freedom-to-operate counseling and competitive assessments. Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Nicole worked in large and mid-sized law firms and has represented clients in patent and trademark litigation matters, as well as patent prosecution matters. Nicole also worked as an engineer for six years with 3M and Eli Lilly and has over fourteen years of experience working with consumer products and manufacturing. Nicole received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern, her M.S.in Chemistry from University of Michigan and her law degree from the University of Minnesota. She is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office; and is admitted to practice in the states of Georgia, Minnesota and Massachusetts, as well as, the District of Columbia.
Kwamina Thomas Williford - Joins the NBA Commercial Law Section’s Executive Committee
Kwamina Thomas Williford has joined the NBA Commercial Law Section's Executive Committee and is excited to help execute the Section's commitment to connecting people, ideas and opportunities. Ms. Williford is litigation partner within Holland & Knight LLP's Washington, D.C. office. She focuses her practice on representing clients against government enforcement actions as well as in internal investigations responding to and anticipating inquiries by government agencies related to alleged fraudulent activity, such as the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback statute and bribery.
She draws upon this experience to advise clients on the design and implementation of compliance programs for highly-regulated entities, such as pharmaceutical and medical device companies, government contractors, and higher education institutions. She is a frequent speaker on enforcement and compliance matters, and is also the co-editor of PLI's Corporate Compliance Answer Book 2011-12. Ms. Williford is also a skilled litigator who handles contract disputes and statutory violations for clients within local courts.
Within Holland & Knight, Ms. Williford mentors numerous women and minority associates and has been an active member of the firm's hiring and diversity committees. Ms. Williford was also one of five women selected into the firm's Rising Stars Class of 2008. This is an intense year long program of leadership, marketing, management and professional skills development, professional mentoring and experiential learning. In her practice, she utilizes the relationships and skills developed to help maximize the services and opportunities that she provide her clients.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Williford served as a law clerk for the Honorable Gerald Bruce Lee in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Ms. Williford and her husband, Jason, are the proud parents of two boys Austin (5) and Cameron (2). In her spare time, she enjoys going to University of Virginia Men's basketball games with her family, participating in outdoor activities when it is warm outside, and listening to the funny comments and questions that come from her boys.
Paul Lancaster Adams - Joins Ogletree, Deakins
NBA-CLS Executive Committee member, Paul Lancaster Adams, has recently been named Managing Partner of the Philadelphia of?ce of Olgetree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, & Stewart, P.C.
Prior to joining Ogletree Mr. Adams spent more than three years in-house with Microsoft in various capacities before returning to private practice and the town in which he spent most of his career. While at Microsoft, Adams first served as associate general counsel and chief employment litigator and adviser for the company. He also handled the investigation, management and driving of tactical strategies of the company's class actions as well as other significant litigation.. In addition, Adams handled corporate investigations for the company and general compliance needs. He held those roles for three years until April 2011, when he moved from Redmond to Washington, D.C., to serve as Microsoft's senior director of U.S. government affairs. That role included Adams interacting with government officials and appearing before governmental agencies to advocate the company's positions.
Ogletree Deakins has 40 offices in 23 states and represents employers of all sizes across the country, including more than half of the Fortune 50, he said. One of the firm's largest practices right now, immigration work, is one in which Ogletree Deakins represents Microsoft, Adams said. As the head of the 10-lawyer Philadelphia office that opened in 2007, Adams and his fellow shareholders are charged with growing the firm's presence in the city. He said he hopes to have 30 to 40 attorneys in Philadelphia within the next two years.
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The Commercial Law Section is one of twenty-one sections of the National Bar Association ("NBA"). Among other things, the Section is committed to bringing its members together with in-house counsel at major corporations who seek to increase the diversity of their outside counsel ranks.