2017 Annual Meeting & Law Firm EXPO Agenda

9:30A.M. - 12:00P.M.

The Amazing Race

10:00A.M. - 12:00A.M.

Business Partner Expo Set-Up

12:00P.M. - 6:30P.M.

Registration and Business Partner Expo

1:00P.M. - 1:45P.M.

Law Firm Members ONLY: Law Firm Member First Time Attendee Orientation

If you are a first-time attendee to any NAMWOLF event, please plan on attending this session. Important information about your Law Firm Membership with NAMWOLF will be covered and you will have an opportunity to mix and mingle with other NAMWOLF Law Firm Members.

2:00P.M. - 2:45P.M.

In-House Counsel ONLY: In-House Counsel First Time Attendee Orientation

If you are a first-time attendee to any NAMWOLF event, please plan on attending this session. Important information about NAMWOLF, navigating the Annual Meeting and other important information will be covered. You will also have an opportunity to mix and mingle with other In-House Counsel.

2:00P.M. - 3:30P.M.

Law Firm Member Session ONLY: Law Firm Cross Marketing Session, Help Me, Help You…The Key to Building Relationships and Business Referrals is Trust

Join us for another interactive cross-marketing session, this time where we will focus on building trust among members through shared experience to help build stronger ties and more member-to-member referrals, the hidden gem of NAMWOLF membership. We are confident you will leave this session with a better understanding and appreciation of other NAMWOLF members and renewed enthusiasm for collaboration in generating business referrals.

2:50P.M. - 3:50P.M.

In-House ONLY Session: Advisory Council Session

4:00P.M. – 5:00P.M.

General Session:

David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel Professor of Law; Director, Center on the Legal Profession; Vice Dean for Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School | Professor Wilkins will speak to the Case for Diversity in the Practice of Law

Sponsored by:

Thomson Reuters

5:15P.M. – 6:15P.M.

In-House Counsel ONLY: In-House Counsel Meet & Greet

Sponsored by:

BSP Law & Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP

6:30P.M. – 7:30P.M.

Kick-Off Cocktail Reception

7:30A.M. – 6:00P.M.

Registration and Business Partner Expo

7:30A.M. – 8:30A.M.

Continental Breakfast

8:15A.M. – 8:30A.M.

Welcome Address:

Deputy Mayor For Strategic Policy Initiatives, Richard Buery

8:30A.M. – 9:30A.M.

General Session: Keynote Speaker:

Timothy Harris, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Prudential Financial

9:45A.M. – 10:45A.M.

CLE Session: We’ve Been Hacked-Responding to a Cyber Security Incident in Real Time

In the next 3 years, at least 70% of US businesses will be hacked. Having the knowledge and assembling the best team possible of the brightest minds is key. Are you prepared to make decisions in real time and deal with those consequences? Sometimes, the best solution is not available because facts continue to evolve. This session will go through a real time interactive exercise of possible scenarios during a cyber-attack. Witness the panel’s decision making on the spot and all possible outcomes. Feedback and audience participation is encouraged.

Panelists:

Linda Henry, Patrick Law Group

Evan Glover, GE Transporation

Bert Kaminski, GE Digital

Don M. Tellock, Burgher Gray Jaffe LLP

Stephanie Webster, Credit Suisse

9:45A.M. – 10:45A.M.

CLE Session: How High? Insurance and Medical Marijuana in 2017

The presentation will focus on the impact of medical marijuana on insurance coverages and underwriting. Part One of the program begins by defining common terms of art used in the medical marijuana industry, and providing a brief history of criminal laws on controlled substances and the movement towards legalization. Part Two of the program discusses past legislation decriminalizing medical marijuana and expectations regarding 2017 and beyond. Part Three details the impact of legalized marijuana on various lines of insurance coverage and compares and contrasts insurance coverage for legalized marijuana with other highly regulated substances such as alcohol and tobacco. Part Four of the program concludes with a discussion of ethical obligations and pitfalls attorneys and insurance professionals may face when advising their clients on this emerging industry, including a survey of how various state bars have handled this issue.

Panelists:

Scharome Wolfe, ROIG Lawyers

Robert Spajic, Gordon & Polscer

Mark Pew, Prium

9:45A.M. – 10:45A.M.

CLE Session: Securities Arbitration in Action:  A Mock Arbitration Hearing

A mock FINRA arbitration proceeding. The proposed factual pattern involves the sale of a private placement investment to an investor.

Panelists:

Mauricio Beugelmans, Beugelmans LLP

Susanna J. Gray, Prudential

John Castelly, Personal Capital

Karen Giffen, Giffen & Kaminski

Amanda M. McGovern, Rivero Mestre

Jeanne Crandall, Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer

Anthony L. Valenzuela, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

10:55A.M. – 11:55A.M.

CLE Session: Pay Equity – Common “Cents” for Equal Pay

This interactive panel will demonstrate how corporate America’s harmless promotion and merit increase practices create today’s pay inequities for women and people of color; discuss the legal implications resulting from the pay discrepancies, especially under the new equal pay laws from New York to California; and provide practical strategies for correcting pay inequities before the lawsuit is filed and litigation strategies for defending such lawsuits.

Panelists:

Jamie Rudman, Sanchez & Amador

Stacey Campbell, Campbell Litigation

Rita Srivastava, McDonalds Corporation

Jessica Herbster, Phillips Academy

Rahwa Ghebre-Ab, Lionsgate

10:55A.M. – 11:55A.M.

CLE Session: The Price is Right? Tips for Strategically Assessing the Value of Corporate IP Assets

Corporate transactions invariably are driven by the desire to transfer intellectual property to extract its value, but how much is it truly worth? Ask an accountant, a broker, and an IP lawyer, and you will get drastically different assessments. This session will explain the basis for their answers, and will propose a more strategic approach for valuing IP assets to deliver shareholder value in your next deal.

Panelists:

Cynthia Parks, Parks IP Law

Lisa Love, Love and Long L.L.P.

Travis Townsend, Townsend & Lockett, LLC

Ishna Neamatullah, Google

12: 00A.M. – 12:20P.M.

Lunch and Learn: Pick Up Your Lunch and Head to a CLE Session

Sponsored By:

Sanchez & Amador, LLP

12: 25P.M. – 1:25P.M.

CLE Session: How to Manage a PR Scandal Better Than Olivia Pope

ABC’s TV Series “Scandal” has made the fearless “fixer” Olivia Pope a household name. Her team of Gladiators destroys any problem that comes their way with the simple phrase, “It’s handled.” What should you have in your contracts now to be prepared for a PR “Scandal?” Do you and your team of gladiators know what negotiated agreements to prepare ahead of time that could save your corporation and clients from a scandalous headline?  Become a PR Gladiator and know how to manage a crisis better than “The Fixer” herself – Olivia Pope.

Panelists:

Emilee Boyle Gehling, Goosmann Law Firm

Ruben Smith, Alvarado Smith

James J. McGuire, Thomas & LoCicero

Kenneth J. Langan, Southern California Gas Company

Jennifer Schaller, The National Law Review

12: 25P.M. – 1:25P.M.

CLE Session: “The Name of their New Company is WHAT?!”: Strategies for Dealing with Trademark Infringement

This CLE will focus on both intellectual property and litigation.

Panelists:

John Monahon, Trusted Counsel (Ashley), LLC

Devin Gordon, Turner Broadcasting

Jeff Fridman, Accenture

Angela Wilson, GlaxoSmithKline

Tennell Lockett, Townsend & Lockett, LLC

12: 25P.M. – 1:25 P.M.

CLE Session: “Excuse me. I think I’m allergic to your service animal…”

As more employees assert their “rights” in the workplace, employers may find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place when other employees start to assert their own competing “rights.” Join a panel discussion that will examine strategies and best practices for managing these competing “rights.”

Panelists:
Anne Widlak, Nemeth Law PC

Erin Behler, Quicken Loans

T. Andrew Brown, Brown Hutchinson LLP

Heather Mitchell, JP Morgan Chase HR Law Dept.

Travis Sumter, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

Amy Littman, Bank of America

1:45P.M. – 2:45P.M.

CLE Session: Trolls, Not Just a Cute Doll: How to Protect Your Company from Patent, Copyright and Trademark Trolls

Panelists:

Heather Heft, Schoeman, Updike & Kaufman

Li Chen, Chen Malin

Lisa Dunner, Dunner Law

Amanda Schaffer, Macy’s Inc.

Stephanie Gayden, Goldman Sachs

Anand George, Google

Michael Bishop, AT&T Intellectual Property Corp.

1:45P.M. – 2:45P.M.

CLE Session: The Changing Face of Immigration: How Businesses Can Tackle Immigration in 2017

The year of 2017 is expected to bring about major changes in the area of immigration law. Underscoring these changes is Trump’s stated emphasis on protecting U.S. workers. Businesses will need to quickly understand and adapt to these new changes, including new prevailing wages for H‐1B visas, increased immigration raids and I‐9 enforcement. This presentation will highlight the new changes and will provide employers with the tools necessary to stay informed and comply with the law.

Panelists:

Jacob M. Monty, Monty & Ramirez LLP

Brooke Bathras, Bank of America

Ken Johnson, Johnson, Blumberg & Associates LLC

Jennifer Shapiro, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

1:45P.M. – 2:45P.M.

CLE Session: OMG, There’s Evidence in My Pocket!? How the Proliferation & Accessibility of Data Affects Discovery, & What You Need to Know About the New Federal Rules

With continuous advances in technology, namely the internet and mobile devices, come exponential increases in discoverable data and privacy considerations.  Recent amendments to the federal rules attempt to address growing volumes of electronic evidence but how does privacy factor in?  In this session, we will address hot topics and trends in eDiscovery using recent case law to work through some of the challenging issues litigators face in the digital age in light of the new Federal Rules.

Panelists:

John Lewis Jr., Lawrence & Bundy, LLC

Susan Nanovic Flannery, MetLife

Tori M. Silas, Cox Enterprises

Kerrie R. Heslin, Esq., Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, P.C.

Moderator:

Talia T. Page, RVM

Sponsored by:

RVM

3:00P.M. – 4:00P.M.

ETHICS CLE Session: Everything I Know About Ethics I Learned at the Movies

ABA Model Rules will be taught using clips from movies.  The CLE will also include pratical application of the film examples with a focus on issues faced more frequently by one or more of our Practice Area Committees.

Panelists:

Carla Fields Johnson, Fields & Brown, LLC

Shawn Junkins Cole, Hill, Hill, Carter, Franco, Cole & Black, P.C.

Jim Beyer, General Electric Company

Sheea Sybblis, Bristol-Myers Squibb

3:00P.M. – 4:00P.M.

CLE Session: Class in Session: Defending Putative Class Actions

Class actions are on the rise, but thanks to a string of Supreme Court decisions, there is an arsenal of strategies available to defendants.  Using stories from the trenches, the panel will cover early strategic options (e.g., move to compel arbitration, move to dismiss), discovery strategies (e.g., bifurcation of discovery, targeted requests to admit), and strategies for defeating class certification (attacking numerosity, typicality, commonality, adequacy, predominance, superiority, and ascertainability).

Panelists:

Michael Laramie, PulteGroup, Inc.

Brendan J. Dowd, Bank of America

Lisa Rice, Walsworth

Moderator:

Stephanie Douglas, Bush Seyferth & Paige PLLC

4:00P.M. – 5:15P.M.

In-House Counsel ONLY: Career Transitions:  When and How to Pivot and the Importance of Fellowship and Mentorship at Every Turn

Sponsored By:

MIHCA

4:00P.M. – 5:15P.M.

Law Firm Members ONLY: Law Firm Management Session | OVERLOAD:  How to Meet the Challenges of the Cyber Age, Electronic Management, Billing Programs and All Things Electronic

Join the Law Firm Management Committee as they address the latest and biggest challenges facing law firms today.

5:30P.M. – 6:30P.M.

Cocktail Reception

7:30A.M. – 5:30P.M.

Registration and Business Partner Expo

8:15A.M. – 8:30A.M.

Pipeline Diversity Scholarship Winners Announced

8:30A.M. – 9:15A.M.

General Session Speaker:

Frances Rivera, MSNBC Co-Anchor

9:25A.M. – 10:55A.M.

General Counsel Panel

FEATURING:

Damien Atkins, General Counsel & Secretary, Panasonic Corporation of America

Mahrukh Hussain, Corporate Vice President/U.S. General Counsel, McDonald’s Corporation

Christopher (Chris) Lewis, Principal, General Counsel, Edward Jones

Eric F. Grossman, Chief Legal Officer & Executive Vice President, Morgan Stanley

Deneen Donnley, Executive VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, USAA

11:30A.M. – 12:15P.M.

In-House Counsel ONLY: Inclusion Initiative Meeting

11:25A.M. – 2:00P.M.

Law Firm Expo and Lunch

2:30P.M. – 3:30P.M.

CLE Session: How Best to Avoid Bad Faith in the Claims Handling Process

Join our diverse, experienced triad panel including a Complex Claims Specialist, a Senior VP and General Counsel, and Outside Insurance Defense Counsel for a multi‐focal view of how to avoid the pitfalls of bad faith in the claims handling process. This session will provide an overview of how to avoid bad faith claims, the insurer’s duties in handling a claim, and factors indicative of bad faith. The panelists will also provide insight, based on years of experience, on protecting your company from bad faith in the first place.

Panelists:

Jerry D. Hamilton, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP

Laura Block, Liberty International Underwriters

Christopher Aikens, AmTrust North America

April Savoy, Acceptance Insurance

Tricia Derr, Lincoln Derr

2:30P.M. – 3:30P.M.

CLE Session: 3 Game-Changing Employment Law Challenges

This session will cover three game changers and challenges, including: an update on the new DOL overtime regulations; update on class action waivers through arbitration agreements; and transgender workplace issues.

Panelists:

Raquel H. Crump, The Employment Law Solution

Suzanne M. Cerra, Nukk-Freeman & Cerra

Aney K. Chandy, Toys R Us

Santiago Fernandez, Macy’s

2:30P.M. – 3:30P.M.

CLE Session: Social Networking: Do’s & Don’ts – A Discussion Regarding Business Development, Trending Ethical Considerations, & Privacy Breach

This session will focus on the practical needs of social media presence when developing business.  Although the session will be informational – including case study analysis and relevant case law, the In-House Panelists will impart advice as to the practical social networking do’s and don’ts which would serve as a plus or minus when they consider hiring Outside Counsel.  Although enumerated ethical considerations are important, trending corporate considerations are key.

Panelists:

Bruce Jackson, Microsoft

Samuel Alexandria, PNC Bank

Sloane Perras, Krystal Company

Reggie Long, Love and Long, L.L.P.

Paula Edgar, Edgar Attorney Coaching

Bobby Harrison, ADT

Moderators:

Janeen Lofton, Liebler, Gonzalez & Portuando

Kyle Everly, Nicolson Law Group

3:35P.M. – 4:45P.M.

In-House Counsel ONLY SESSION: Incorporating and Measuring the Impact of Inclusion Initiatives

Gabrielle Lyse Brown, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, New York City Bar Association will facilitate an interactive discussion on incorporation and measuring the impact of inclusion initiatives. Sharing the findings of the City Bar’s 2016 benchmarking research, participants will explore solutions to recruit, retain, and promote women and minority attorneys, and how to leverage metrics to track the success and identify areas for improvement of initiatives. In small groups, participants will consider and share strategies for engineering bias out of recruiting, evaluation/feedback processes, and promotion decisions.

Gabrielle Lyse Brown, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, New York City Bar Association

3:35P.M. – 4:45P.M.

NAMWOLF Marketing Best Practices Committee Presents: Pitch Perfect: How To Deliver Great Pitches

You’ve submitted an RFP, and been selected to have your team personally pitch a prospective client for the business. Literally millions may be on the line? How do you pitch perfectly? This presentation discusses both the mechanics of delivering your presentation, provides a template for the presentation’s content and provides the in-house counsel perspective. It addresses: Planning and thinking through the presentation in advance Selecting and using images Managing how you look and sound The different stages of delivery, and team dynamics Content – research, and background Content – the five parts of every pitch Content – make it about the client Content – win themes Selecting the pitch team Really important things NOT to do.

PRESENTERS:

Peter Darling, Partner, The Repechage Group

Sheila M. Murphy, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, MetLife

4:40P.M. – 5:40P.M.

General Session: Strategic Alliances for Diversity and Inclusion

The session will discuss the Cuomo Model utilized by NYS Agencies and NAMWOLF Firms that have implemented and participated in Emerging Firm Partnering Models and other models used by current NAMWOLF Advisory Council Members to collaboratively use NAMWOLF Firms and Majority Firms in sophisticated transactions.

Panelists:

T. Andrew Brown, Brown Hutchinson LLP

Elizabeth Fine, New York State Development Corporation dba Empire State Development

Michael Cusack, Dormitory Authority State of New York

Eloitt Stultz, Allstate Insurance Company

Moderator:

Lisa D. Love, Love and Long, L.L.P.

6:00P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

NAMWOLF Awards Celebration and Cocktail Reception

Join us as we celebrate and recognize the winners of this year’s respective NAMWOLF Awards, including the Diversity Initiative Achievement Award; Outstanding Service by an Advisory Council Member; and Law Firm MVP.  Awards will be given promptly at 6:30 p.m., dancing, and food to follow directly.

Sponsored By: 

T-Mobile

9:00A.M. – 9:30A.M.

General Session: NAMWOLF’s Brand

Join us as we unveil NAMWOLF’s new logo, brand and website.

9:40A.M. – 10:25A.M.

Insurance Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

9:40A.M. – 10:25A.M.

Products Liability Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

9:40A.M. – 10:25A.M.

Transactional Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

9:40A.M. – 10:25A.M.

White Collar Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

9:40A.M. – 10:25A.M.

Labor & Employment Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

10:30A.M. – 11:15A.M.

Financial Services Litigation Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

10:30A.M. – 11:15A.M.

International Law Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

10:30A.M. – 11:15A.M.

Intellectual Property Practice Area Committee Business Meeting

10:30A.M. – 11:15A.M.

Retail Restaurant & Hospitality Practice Area Committee Business Meeting