Schedule & Agenda
Explore the full conference schedule, including key sessions, legal topics, and networking opportunities for retail legal leaders.
Keynotes
Big Ideas. Real-World Impact.
Hear from industry leaders, legal experts, and policy voices tackling the forces reshaping retail. Keynotes and general sessions deliver the insights you need to navigate risk, lead with confidence, and stay ahead of what’s next.
Keynote and general session speakers bring forward the best and brightest minds in the industry and other multi-disciplinary change-makers forwarding the industry.
Our keynote and general session speaker line-up will be announced throughout the year, as we aim to bring you the most sought-after leaders. Please check back often as we update our agenda frequently as we get closer to the event.
Check Back Soon for Updates to the 2026 Lineup
Meet Some of Our Keynotes & General Session Speakers
Adam Unikowsky
Partner
When businesses, individuals, and trade associations navigate the appeals process, they call upon Adam Unikowsky to provide a carefully crafted brief and a powerful oral argument. With extensive appellate experience, including fifteen Supreme Court arguments, Adam provides a fresh look at the facts and the law and develops the strongest possible appellate strategy. Adam also handles briefing and oral arguments in federal district court at all phases of litigation.
Adam’s appellate and Supreme Court experience spans a wide range of industries and subject matter, including administrative law, intellectual property law, Indian law, arbitration law, and constitutional law. He draws on that broad-based experience to develop the approach best suited to his clients’ business needs. With his depth of insight into the appellate and Supreme Court litigation process, Adam frequently collaborates with larger legal teams in developing strategies across multiple cases and courts. Undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering and computer science heighten Adam’s understanding of the technical nuances at play in his cases.
Thursday October 15, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
| A Changing Court: The Supreme Court Today
Amy Howe
Founder
Amy Howe is the co-founder of SCOTUSblog and its primary reporter. She was part of the blog team that won a Peabody Award in 2013, as well as a National Press Club Journalism Award for Breaking News.
Before turning to full-time journalism, she served as counsel in over two dozen merits cases at the Supreme Court and argued two cases there. From 2004 until 2011, she co-taught Supreme Court litigation at Stanford Law School; from 2005 until 2013, she co-taught a similar class at Harvard Law School. She has also served as an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law and Vanderbilt Law School. Amy is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a master’s degree in Arab Studies and a law degree from Georgetown University.
Thursday October 15, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
| A Changing Court: The Supreme Court Today
Andrea Lucas
Chair
Chair Andrea R. Lucas understands that our nation’s civil rights laws reject identity politics and instead focus on individual rights and equality. She prioritizes evenhanded enforcement of civil rights laws for all Americans, including by rooting out unlawful DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination; protecting American workers from anti-American national origin discrimination; defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights, including women’s rights to single-sex spaces; protecting workers from religious bias and harassment; and remedying other areas that have been historically under-enforced by the agency.
Lucas has served on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) since 2020, when she was nominated by President Trump during his first term and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a Commissioner. The Senate reconfirmed her on July 31, 2025, for a term expiring July 1, 2030. She was re-nominated for another term on March 24, 2025. She was designated Chair of the EEOC by President Trump on November 5, 2025.
Friday October 16, 2026
10:45 AM - 11:25 AM
| Inside the EEOC: A Conversation with Chair Andrea Lucas
Corie Barry
CEO
Corie Barry is CEO of Best Buy Co. Inc., the leading provider of consumer technology products and services, with more than 80,000 employees in North America and nearly $42 billion in annual revenue. She also serves on the company’s Board of Directors.
After seven years as CEO and 27 years with Best Buy, Corie made the decision that it’s the right time for her and the company to transition the leadership of Best Buy. In April 2026, the Board selected Jason Bonfig to succeed Corie as CEO, effective Nov. 1, 2026. Corie is the second-longest tenured CEO in Best Buy’s history.
Prior to becoming CEO in June 2019, Corie served in several other executive positions, playing a critical role in developing and executing the company’s Building the New Blue growth strategy and related transformation. Most recently, she was the company’s chief financial and strategic transformation officer, overseeing strategic transformation and growth, digital and technology, global finance, investor relations, enterprise risk and compliance, integration management and Best Buy Health.
Corie joined Best Buy in 1999 and has held a variety of financial and operational roles across the organization, both in the field and at the corporate office. She became CFO in 2016 and, prior to that, served as chief strategic growth officer. She has also served as senior vice president of domestic finance and interim president of Best Buy’s services organization.
Before joining Best Buy, Corie started her career as an auditor at Deloitte & Touche.
A Minnesota native, Corie holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and management from the College of St. Benedict, where she now serves on the board of trustees. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for Domino’s Pizza.
Wednesday October 14, 2026
3:20 PM - 4:00 PM
| The CEO-CLO Partnership: Trust, Judgment, and Enterprise Leadership
Elizabeth Baran
SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Elizabeth (Beth) Baran serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at DICK’S Sporting Goods. In this role, she is responsible for leading the global legal, privacy, compliance, risk, business continuity, internal audit and sustainability functions, and led the company’s recent acquisition of Foot Locker to create a global leader in the sports retail industry. Beth has an extraordinary team of lawyers, legal analysts, auditors, compliance, risk, privacy and sustainability professionals who drive this work and create a special culture built around DICK’S values of dedication, optimism, integrity and authenticity. She is grateful to be part of the best team in retail.
Beth joined DICK’S in 2010 and has served in a variety of leadership roles within legal and compliance throughout her tenure. Prior to joining DICK’S, Beth was in private practice as a corporate, securities and M&A attorney where her clients included professional sports teams, international manufacturing companies, private equity groups and non-profits.
Beth lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and three school-aged children who all play sports, typically on the same day, at the same time, in different locations.
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
| AI and the Judgment Gap
Ephraim McDowell
Partner
Ephraim is a partner in Cooley’s Supreme Court and appellate practice. He has argued five cases before the US Supreme Court, as well as numerous cases in courts of appeals and district courts. Before joining Cooley, Ephraim served in the Office of the Solicitor General at the US Department of Justice, where he argued Supreme Court cases involving securities, tax, healthcare and free speech and filed roughly 80 Supreme Court briefs at the merits and certiorari stages. In private practice, Ephraim briefs and argues dispositive motions and appeals and provides strategic counseling to clients facing complex legal issues.
Ephraim has represented financial technology companies in numerous cases raising novel interpretive issues under federal consumer protection statutes and financial regulations. He has also represented technology and artificial intelligence companies in cases concerning the First Amendment, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and copyright law. He frequently litigates issues of arbitrability under the Federal Arbitration Act and class certification under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. And he regularly litigates against the government in cases involving the separation of powers, administrative law and free speech.
Ephraim clerked for Justice Elena Kagan of the US Supreme Court and Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he received the Fay Diploma (awarded to the graduate with the highest grade point average) and served as a Supreme Court Chair on the Harvard Law Review.
Thursday October 15, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
| A Changing Court: The Supreme Court Today
Erin Kobler
EVP, Chief Legal Officer
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
| The Modern Retail CLO
Jaime Santos
Partner
Jaime Santos is a Partner in Proskauer’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice and Compensation & Benefits Practice. She has argued before the United States Supreme Court and has handled matters in every federal court of appeals. She is ranked as a top appellate and ERISA litigation specialist by Chambers USA. Jaime previously co-hosted the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and has been a guest on numerous podcasts and programs, including NPR’s All Things Considered, the National Constitution Center’s podcast We the People, Bloomberg’s podcast Cases and Controversies, and, just for good measure, the popular gymnastics podcast Gymcastic, where Jaime discussed the Supreme Court’s NCAA antitrust case.
Thursday October 15, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
| A Changing Court: The Supreme Court Today
Jason Schwartz
Partner
Jason C. Schwartz is a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group, General Counsel of the law firm and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Jason was recognized as an MVP in employment law seven times, awarded by Law360 to “attorneys whose achievements in major litigation or transactions have set a new standard for accomplishment in corporate law.” Law360 referred to Jason as “an expert dismantler of worker class actions.”
Jason is ranked in Band 1 in Labor & Employment by Chambers USA, which stated, “He is a whip-smart, results-oriented and zealous advocate who is really committed to the client. His judgment is impeccable.” According to Chambers USA, “[c]lients note: He’s an excellent litigator with a good sense of the client’s needs in a business environment. He’s just a pleasure to work with. He’s disciplined, a great writer and gets great results.” Forbes named Jason to its inaugural America's Top 200 Lawyers 2024 list. He is recognized as a Top 50 Labor & Employment Litigator in the U.S. by Benchmark Litigation; on the Top 100 list of the Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys by Human Resource Executive magazine; as a Top Lawyer in Employment Defense by Washingtonian Magazine; as a Leading Partner in Labor & Employment Disputes by The Legal 500 US; by Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers for Labor & Employment (Litigation); in The Best Lawyers in America in the Employment Law-Management category; as a Super Lawyer by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers; and as an Am Law Litigation Daily “Litigator of the Week” for his win in an independent contractor misclassification/wage-and-hour class action. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers.
Friday October 16, 2026
10:45 AM - 11:25 AM
| Inside the EEOC: A Conversation with Chair Andrea Lucas
Julie Brill
National Advisor
Julie recently retired from Microsoft, where she served as Corporate Vice President for Privacy, Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Vice President for Global Technology and Regulatory Policy, and Chief Privacy Officer. Julie led Microsoft’s global privacy, safety, and regulatory affairs strategy through a period of intense technological and geopolitical change. She drove large scale organizational alignment across global governance, risk and policy frameworks.
Prior to Microsoft, Julie served as Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. At the FTC, she set agency-wide priorities across policy and enforcement, including playing a key role in critical geopolitical discussions about transatlantic data flows and trust issues between the US and the European Union. Widely recognized as “the Commission’s most important voice on internet privacy and data security issues,” Julie played a defining role in establishing global regulatory norms for the digital economy.
In her current role as National Advisor to Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, Julie serves in a strategic advisory capacity providing guidance to enterprise organizations. She engages with boards and senior executives to help organizations design strategies for deploying and advancing AI, managing digital sovereignty issues, and deploying data governance systems that demonstrate trustworthiness, foster innovation and work in the real world.
Julie is an Expert in Residence at Harvard Law School and an Affiliate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Institute for Society and the Internet, where she collaborates on global tech and regulatory policy approaches and interacts with students, faculty and the broader Harvard community. She is a Board Member of Ethyca, a tech company that offers advanced solutions for run-time data governance for AI and privacy. Julie also serves on the board and as a senior fellow for several other organizations, including The Ditchley Foundation (UK), where she is currently leading a program to address digital sovereignty questions across nations, governments, civil society and the private sector.
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
| AI and the Judgment Gap
Larry Spiegel
Partner and General Counsel
Mr. Spiegel has represented clients in both federal and state courts, and in connection with investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and various state attorneys general’s offices, as well as district attorneys’ offices. He has successfully defended many clients in high-profile criminal investigations and indictments, in civil litigations and on appeal. In addition, he has led many corporate internal investigations, including in cross-border contexts, and has advised boards of directors and management of public and private companies on compliance issues and programs, including those related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), anti-money laundering and securities regulations.
Mr. Spiegel has been repeatedly recognized in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 U.S. and Who’s Who Legal Investigations, which named him to its list of Leaders in Their Field. In Chambers, clients have commented that “he is a brilliant strategist and will always be one step ahead of the game” and that he “has seen it all and is always mindful of questions that arise.” Mr. Spiegel has also been named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Litigators and 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management, one of Ethisphere Magazine’s Attorneys Who Matter and a recipient of the Burton Award for Legal Achievement.
Mr. Spiegel maintains his active practice while serving as the firm’s general counsel and chairing the firm’s Ethics Committee. He also is a member of the firm’s Client Engagement and Risk committees and serves on the firm’s Policy Committee (ex officio).
Friday October 16, 2026
11:25 AM - 12:30 PM
| Ethics and Professional Responsibility for In-House Counsel
Michelle Dimarob
Senior Executive Vice President, Public Affairs
Wednesday October 14, 2026
2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
| When Business Decisions Become Political: The New Risk Map for Retail
Monica Welt
President, RLC, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Ms. Welt joins RILA and the RLC after nine years with the Ohio-based retailer Big Lots. At Big Lots, Ms. Welt built the company’s first compliance department, then ascended through the legal department, rising to Deputy General Counsel in 2021. In that role, Ms. Welt served as the retailer’s top compliance leader and assistant corporate secretary, overseeing legal, compliance, and corporate governance strategies for the $6 billion public company. Among her responsibilities were leading cross-functional initiatives, including supporting the retailer’s omnichannel strategy, establishing oversight of sourcing operations abroad, and co-leading the company’s nationwide response to COVID-19.
During her time at Big Lots, Ms. Welt was an active participant in several RILA peer communities.
Prior to joining Big Lots, Ms. Welt focused on product liability litigation and risk management as an attorney with Crowell & Moring, LLP, in Washington, DC. Ms. Welt began her career as a trade attorney at Dewey Ballantine LLP and later as a litigator at Wallace King Domike & Branson.
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
| The Modern Retail CLO
Rene G. Casares
Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
| The Modern Retail CLO
Sage Eastman
Partner
Sage Eastman is a senior Republican strategist with more than two decades of policy, political and government experience. Steeped in political campaigns and policy debates, Eastman is a sought-after advisor to a diverse group of businesses (from Fortune 50 companies to startups), trade associations, Members of Congress and their staff.
While Eastman is often utilized for his tax and health care expertise, his close relationships with Congressional leaders and wide respect from both sides of the aisle and on both sides of Capitol Hill make him a go-to for clients looking to affect a broad range of issues. With deep insights into Committee and Leadership thinking, Eastman has helped clients secure key victories amidst bicameral negotiations and provided guidance necessary to sustain lengthy legislative campaigns.
Before joining Mehlman Consulting, Eastman spearheaded several tax, health and trade efforts on the Hill— leading to the successful enactment of some of the largest reform efforts in Washington, DC, including three longed-stalled trade agreements, the tri-committee rewrite of the Sustainable Growth Rate (the so-called “doc fix”) and permanent extension of critical tax policy.
During his six years as a senior counselor to the Ways and Means Committee—serving variously as Senior Advisor, Deputy Staff Director and Director of Strategy—Roll Call named Eastman on multiple occasions to its “Fabulous 50” list, the Capitol Hill newspaper’s annual list of top Congressional staff.
Earlier in his career, Eastman was Communications Director and Senior Strategist to Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI). He joined Rep. Camp’s staff after nearly a decade in Michigan politics, where he first worked for then-Gov. John Engler, spearheaded the state GOP’s communications and research efforts, and served in the executive office of the Michigan Attorney General.
Wednesday October 14, 2026
2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
| When Business Decisions Become Political: The New Risk Map for Retail
Steve Vladeck
Professor of Federal Courts
Stephen I. Vladeck, the Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts at the Georgetown University Law Center, is a nationally recognized expert on the Supreme Court, the federal courts, national security law, and military justice. He is the author of the New York Times-bestselling book The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, which won the 2024 Order of the Coif Book Award and the 2023 Writers’ League of Texas Book Award for Non-Fiction and was a finalist for the 2024 ABA Silver Gavel Award for Media and the Arts.
A highly regarded appellate advocate, Vladeck has argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and more than 20 before various lower federal civilian and military courts. He is also a frequent witness before Congress, having testified before committees including the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, among others, and has served as an expert witness in both U.S. and foreign tribunals. He has also earned a wide range of honors for his scholarship, popular writing, teaching, and service to the profession, including the 2024 University of Texas President’s Research Impact Award and his selection by the Order of the Coif as its Distinguished Visiting Professor for 2025. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute.
Thursday October 15, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
| A Changing Court: The Supreme Court Today
Teresa Wynn Roseborough
EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Teresa Wynn Roseborough is responsible for The Home Depot’s legal functions, government relations and external communications. In addition, as corporate secretary, Teresa serves as a liaison between the board of directors and the company and is responsible for all corporate governance matters.
Teresa and the legal team are responsible for securities, litigation, employment, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, store operations, risk management and intellectual property. She also leads the government relations team as they address legislative issues that impact the business environment, the retail industry and our associates. Teresa also oversees Home Depot’s external communications team, including all corporate, consumer and nonprofit communication functions.
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
| The Modern Retail CLO
Todd Hartman
EVP, Chief Legal and Risk Officer
Todd Hartman is the executive vice president and chief legal and risk officer for Best Buy Co. Inc. He is responsible for the company’s legal, global risk and compliance functions, as well as serving as corporate secretary.
Todd joined Best Buy in 2006 and has held a number of leadership roles within the company, including as deputy general counsel, chief compliance officer and vice president of strategic alliances.
Before joining Best Buy, Todd was a partner at Minneapolis law firm Robins Kaplan. A Minnesota native, he worked for several years as a telecommunications and technology attorney in Washington, D.C., before returning to Minneapolis.
He serves as chair of the Best Buy Foundation and is on the board of the Guthrie Theater. He also serves on the Board of the Retail Litigation Center and as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota Law School.
Todd received his bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern University and his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Wednesday October 14, 2026
3:20 PM - 4:00 PM
| The CEO-CLO Partnership: Trust, Judgment, and Enterprise Leadership
Vlad Rak
EVP, Chief Technology Officer
Vlad Rak currently serves as executive vice president, chief technology officer, a role he has held since joining DICK'S Sporting Goods in April 2020. In this role, Vlad is responsible for the company's technology product design, management, engineering and foundational platforms and services.
Prior to joining DICK'S, he served as senior vice president and chief technology officer at Merck. Throughout his career, Vlad also held senior technology leadership roles at notable companies such as Nike, The Walt Disney Company and others.
Vlad graduated from Jacksonville University with an undergraduate degree in computer information systems.
Thursday October 15, 2026
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
| AI and the Judgment Gap
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Networking
Connect with retail legal leaders through receptions, business breaks, and curated networking opportunities throughout the conference.
Speakers & Thought Leaders
Meet the legal leaders and industry experts sharing insights on litigation, compliance, regulatory trends, and the future of retail law.
