Speakers
Meet some of our past amazing speakers!
Allison Lucas
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Allison Lucas has more than 25 years of legal and business experience across the technology, retail, and media sectors, spanning both pre-IPO startups and large public companies. She is currently Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Gap Inc., where she oversees day-to-day legal and compliance operations across Gap’s four brands: Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta.
Before joining Gap, Allison was a Director at Meta, where she sat on both the policy and legal leadership teams. On the policy side, she oversaw Meta’s business and advertising policies; on the legal side, she led product support for policy, product, engineering, and business teams, covering areas including the ads business, developer platform, and sales. Earlier in her career, Allison was General Counsel at BuzzFeed, where she served as the company’s first in-house attorney and built out a global legal team.
Friday October 10, 2025
11:20 AM - 12:30 PM
| Ethical Frontiers: AI and the Attorney’s Role in a Changing World
Alyx Pattison
Director
Alyx Pattison is a Director with responsibility for originating new business with law firms and companies as part of Burford’s US commercial investment team.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| From Cost Center to Revenue Generator: Legal Finance and the Rise of Affirmative Recovery
Amy Croft
General Counsel
Amy Croft is the General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of VENUS Fashion. At her prior role at Smith Gambrell Russell, Ms. Croft focused her practice on commercial litigation and insurance litigation, including bad faith litigation and agent/broker litigation. Ms. Croft received her J.D. from The Florida State University College of Law in 1998, Cum Laude where she was a member of Phi Delta Phi, the legal honor society. While in law school, she also participated in a study abroad program at Oxford University, served as a teaching assistant and earned a Book Award in Local Government Law. Ms. Croft earned her B.S. from The Florida State University in 1995. Ms. Croft was an adjunct and associate professor of lawyering process for over seven years. In such role, Ms. Croft was responsible for teaching best practices regarding legal research and writing. She also served as the faculty chief justice of the honor court. She is a past president of the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Turning the Tide: Navigating Financial Distress and Transformation
Amy Howe
Co-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 9, 2025
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
| Supreme Court Watch: Retail-Relevant Rulings and What Lies Ahead
Amy Mudge
Partner
Amy Ralph Mudge, the leader of BakerHostetler’s Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media team, has successfully counseled major advertisers through bet-the-company enforcement investigations and competitor challenges for more than 20 years. She is a Band One Chambers USA-ranked advertising regulatory and NAD lawyer, and a respected thought leader in the advertising law field.
Amy routinely represents top-tier companies before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the National Advertising Division (NAD) and the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), as well as in private, federal and state class action defense, consumer protection and antitrust litigation. From the nation’s best-known food brands, major toy manufacturers and health and wellness names to digital media influencers, cutting-edge Internet companies and consumer products giants, the range of industries in which Amy counsels reflects the strength and breadth of her practice.
A comprehensive counsel, Amy is also skilled at establishing effective compliance programs as well as providing antitrust and marketing law training. Her work includes counseling in all manner of endorsements, including native advertising, influencers, consumer reviews and review websites; the emerging use of AI in advertising; the advertising of NFTs; loyalty programs; e-commerce website and app design, including avoiding dark patterns; subscription marketing; social media marketing; green marketing and environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments; marketing to children; “Made in USA,” health claim substantiation and other claim support requiring competent and reliable scientific evidence; comparative advertising; pricing claims; and email and text message marketing.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Media Networks: Flipping the Liability Script
Amy Turk
Partner
Amy Morrissey Turk is co-leader of McGuireWoods’ consumer products and retail industry team. She works on complex class actions and mass arbitrations throughout the country for companies in a variety of industries, most notably the retail, health care, and financial services industries. Amy offers clients a broad spectrum of legal experience gained both as a seasoned litigator for business-focused law firms and also as a former assistant general counsel who managed the nationwide employment portfolio of a multibillion-dollar Fortune 150 retail corporation. In that in-house role, she led and directed internal investigations and the company’s litigation strategy in employment matters pending before arbitrators, agencies at all governmental levels, and state and federal courts throughout the United States. She has extensive experience managing nationwide class, collective, and mass claims.
Amy is both a trusted advisor to some of the largest companies in the country and a first-chair litigator who regularly leads high stakes litigation, navigates complicated mass arbitration matters, conducts sensitive investigations, and advises officers and C-Suite executives on compliance and regulatory risk. While her mass arbitration experience spans the commercial, consumer, and employment spectrum, Amy’s litigation practice focuses on employment-related defense, including workplace violence and crisis management, federal and state wage and hour laws (including Private Attorneys General Act representative actions in California), public accommodation matters, hostile work environment and discrimination issues that span all protected classes, and all facets of DEI. While Amy’s practice focuses on litigation-based matters, she understands first-hand the legal, financial, political and publicity challenges clients face when managing litigation risk and that understanding helps inform the legal guidance she provides.
Amy has a long track record of defeating class and collective certification, obtaining summary judgment, securing dispositive victories on early motions practice, and bringing complicated cases to early and favorable resolutions for her clients. She has significant knowledge of all phases of litigation, including trying cases in first- and second-chair roles before a jury, bench, or arbitrator, preparing and deposing fact and expert witnesses, preparing and arguing discovery and dispositive motions, negotiating settlements in various forums, overseeing mock jury trials, and working with appellate experts to prepare or defend challenges at the highest levels of the judiciary.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Keep Your Friends Close . . . Mass Arbitration
Ana Tagvoryan
Partner
Ana Tagvoryan is a high-stakes corporate litigator with almost two decades of experience advising, counseling, and defending business clients in consumer-facing litigation and enforcement actions in state and federal courts across the nation. Her complex corporate litigation and compliance-related practice focuses on current issues presented for clients with consumer-facing businesses in retail, media, hospitality, technology, banking, and food & beverage. Ana’s nationwide practice routinely involves solving issues and defending claims related to consumer fraud, advertising, labeling, data privacy, cybersecurity, online and mobile marketing, pricing, and related intra- and inter-state commerce and e-commerce issues.
Ana is also the chair of the Privacy Class Action Defense group, which handles privacy-related cases involving wiretapping, data breaches, biometrics, telemarketing, call recording, data handling and sharing, and other consumer privacy matters. In addition, Ana’s team routinely litigates the ever-changing wave of claims dealing with auto-renewing subscription offers, e-commerce business practices, and federal & state consumer protection laws.
Ana serves as a trusted adviser and business partner to many clients who operate consumer-facing businesses. With regard to both mitigation of risk and litigation of claims, Ana’s clients regard her as strategic and creative; they trust her commonsense approach to problem-solving and appreciate her professional dedication.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Trash Talk: Defending Junk Fee Litigation
Andrew Johnstone
Counsel
With a 25+ year legal career spanning litigation, labor and employment law, risk management, commercial, and corporate law, Andrew has excelled in handling complex legal challenges for large organizations. Serving most recently as Interim General Counsel and SVP / Associate General Counsel for one of America’s leading food distributors, he led a 75-member legal team, negotiated significant corporate and commercial transactions, managed a diverse litigation portfolio, quarterbacked the company’s response to COVID-19, and worked closely with the board and executive team. Prior to that, Andrew served as VP / Deputy General Counsel for one of country’s largest retailers, where he led a 50+ person team responsible for more than 10,000 matters representing billions of dollars in potential exposure across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Apart from and prior to his in-house experience, Andrew practiced litigation for more than 15 years, accumulating substantial first-chair trial and arbitration experience throughout the country. His expertise includes leading and mentoring large, high-performing teams, high-stakes litigation, class actions, labor and employment, regulatory compliance, and overseeing significant corporate acquisitions, including the seamless integration of multi-billion-dollar deals.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| From Cost Center to Revenue Generator: Legal Finance and the Rise of Affirmative Recovery
Andrew Kilberg
Partner
Friday October 10, 2025
8:30 AM - 9:20 AM
| Workforce in Focus: Trends Shaping Labor & Employment Law
Andrew Scroggins
Partner
Andy’s practice is focused on complex class and collective action proceedings. His experience in this area includes defending against claims of age, sex, race, national origin, disability, and genetic information discrimination and retaliation under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Equal Pay Act, as well as alleged wage and hour and wage payment violations brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and similar state laws. A significant portion of Andy’s practice includes matters concerning the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, ranging from the handling of administrative charges, to systemic investigations, subpoena enforcement proceedings, and pattern and practice litigation.
Andy has notable appellate experience across the country. He has been counsel for a health care software company in the district and appellate courts, and co-counsel for the company in a United States Supreme Court case that established that employers may lawfully require employees to enter into an arbitration agreement containing a waiver of the ability to participate in a class or collective action against the employer. Additionally, Andy was counsel for a global polyester supplier at trial, on appeal, and before the Supreme Court in a case that resulted in the unanimous reversal of more than 30 years of Sixth Circuit precedent and held that collectively bargained retiree benefits are not presumptively vested.
Andy's clients have included major US employers in the staffing, hospitality, health care, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and pharmaceutical industries.
Prior to earning his law degree, Andy worked for nine years in the human resources department of a global accounting and consulting firm. In that capacity, he gained significant experience in investigating allegations of serious personnel misconduct, managing the preparation of affirmative action plans and government audits of those plans, conducting complex statistical analyses of personnel processes, devising compliant recruiting tools and processes, designing and implementing diversity programs, developing and drafting policies, and effectively communicating with a diverse workforce.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Scanning for Risk: Decoding the New EEOC's Enforcement Agenda for Retail
Angela MItchell
Associate General Counsel
Mitchell manages advertising compliance for QVC & HSN. She formerly practiced product liability at Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy, health litigation at Pepper Hamilton, and mass torts and product liability at Dechert. She holds a JD and MBA from Villanova.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Pricing Algorithms and Antitrust Risk
Ann Munson Steines
Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Ann Munson Steines is the Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Nordstrom. Ann is accountable for Nordstrom’s risk management strategies and policies and provides strategic counsel on legal, risk, business and operational matters. Ann joined Nordstrom from Macy’s, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary since 2009. She originally joined Macy’s, Inc. in 1998 as Assistant Counsel, Employment Law, and rose through positions of increasing responsibility. Prior to Macy’s, Ann was a Senior Attorney with the Overnite Transportation Company, a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. She began her legal career with Dinsmore & Shohl in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1990 and then practiced law with the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
4:40 PM - 5:30 PM
| Agile by Design: Leading Legal Teams with Purpose and Precision
Anne-Marie Waggoner
Associate General Counsel, Employment
Anne-Marie Waggoner is Associate General Counsel – Employment at Ashley Furniture Industries, where she leads the employment legal and compliance teams. With over 30 years of litigation experience, she previously served as employment litigation and wage and hour counsel at Walmart and Cabela’s and was a Shareholder at Littler Mendelson. Anne-Marie has successfully defended major retailers and other clients in PAGA cases, wage and hour class actions, and other high-stakes litigation matters.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| How to Get Ahead in Navigating a New Frontier of PAGA Actions
Aviva Will
President, New York
Aviva Will is President and a member of Burford's Management and Commitments Committees. Ms. Will has responsibility for growing Burford's legal finance business globally, with particular focus on high value business and complex financing arrangements. She has overseen the continuing innovation of Burford's offerings and has been instrumental in building the industry's most respected legal finance team and process.
Prior to joining Burford in 2010, Ms. Will was a senior litigation manager and Assistant General Counsel at Time Warner Inc., where she managed a portfolio of significant antitrust, intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. She was also the company's leading antitrust and regulatory counsel, advising senior management on antitrust risk and overseeing all government antitrust investigations and merger clearances worldwide. Prior to joining Time Warner Inc., Ms. Will was a senior litigator at Cravath, Swain & Moore.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| From Cost Center to Revenue Generator: Legal Finance and the Rise of Affirmative Recovery
Boris Bershteyn
Partner
Mr. Bershteyn’s antitrust work has earned him a place on Lex Machina’s list of the top 10 most active antitrust attorneys in the country over the course of 2021-23.
From 2009 to 2013, Mr. Bershteyn held a number of senior legal and regulatory positions at the White House and its Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As acting administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Mr. Bershteyn headed the federal agency charged with reviewing significant regulations promulgated by other executive branch agencies. His tenure included significant rulemakings in such areas as health care, environmental protection, transportation and financial services. Mr. Bershteyn also oversaw federal policy on information, including privacy, and led the Obama administration’s initiative to promote international regulatory cooperation.
Before heading OIRA, Mr. Bershteyn served as general counsel of OMB. He coordinated all of OMB’s litigation and compliance matters and counseled the OMB director on a range of administrative, regulatory, fiscal and legislative issues. Mr. Bershteyn led OMB’s legal team during the debt ceiling crisis of 2011, potential government shutdowns and significant congressional investigations. He also was responsible for preparing draft executive orders and similar presidential documents. Mr. Bershteyn previously served as OMB’s deputy general counsel.
From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Bershteyn was a special assistant to the president and associate White House counsel, advising senior administration officials on legal aspects of regulatory, economic, health and environmental policy.
In 2019, Mr. Bershteyn was named as a senior fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), an independent federal agency charged with improving the federal regulatory and administrative process, after having served as a public member since August 2013. Additionally, from 2011 to 2013, Mr. Bershteyn served on ACUS’ 10-member governing council, to which he was appointed by President Obama.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Bershteyn served as a law clerk to Justice David H. Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge José A. Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He also is a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
Mr. Bershteyn also serves as chair of the advisory board of the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University Law School, a board member of PeerForward and Volunteers of Legal Service, a member of The American Law Institute and a trustee of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society. Mr. Bershteyn serves on the firm's Policy, Ethics, Hiring and Pro Bono committees.
In recognition of his work, Mr. Bershteyn has been named to Chambers USA, The Legal 500 U.S. and Best Lawyers in America. He was also a recipient of a 2025 Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, as well as named a 2024 Law360 MVP in the Class Action category, a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Litigators, 500 Leading Litigators in America and 500 Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Pricing Algorithms and Antitrust Risk
BreAnna Davis
Corporate Counsel
BreAnna Davis supports JD Finish Line's domestic and international supply chian department, brand management, IT department, and ESG work, in addition to reviewing contracts and managing litigation. Prior to this role, BreAnna worked at Frost Brown Todd and as an Indiana Registered Mediator with the Judicial Branch of Indiana. BreAnna also served as an associate at Lee, Cossell & Crowley LLP and has externed for the NCAA, in addition to holding a judicial clerkship at the Indiana Court of Appeals. BreAnna holds a JD from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, along with certificates in Civil and Human Rights and Public Policy Mediation.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Trash Talk: Defending Junk Fee Litigation
Brian Schmalzbach
Partner
Brian is co-leader of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group and former co-leader of its Appeals and Issues group. He concentrates on appellate litigation, complex product and environmental disputes, and class action strategy.
He has argued appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, most federal courts of appeals, and state appellate courts, as well as high-stakes dispositive motions on issues spanning federal jurisdiction, constitutional law, administrative law, class actions, preemption, securities litigation, and patent litigation. Brian also serves as pro bono counsel to civil rights plaintiffs in state and federal courts of appeals. He is a regular speaker on the U.S. Supreme Court and appellate litigation issues.
Before joining McGuireWoods, Brian served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Brian graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as articles development editor on the managing board of the Virginia Law Review.
Brian serves on the Board of Visitors of Longwood University.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Learn the Opponent's Playbook To Spot and Weaken Civil Securities Fraud Risks in the Retail Sector
Bridget McCormack
President & CEO
Bridget M. McCormack is the President and CEO of the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (AAA-ICDR®), the preeminent global provider of alternative dispute resolution services. She assumed this role in February 2023, bringing an extensive background in judicial service, court administration and scholarship and a track record of advocacy for innovation and technology in dispute resolution.
McCormack has distinguished herself as an educator, advisor and influential member of prestigious legal organizations. She teaches courses on generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for the legal profession at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and is a founding steering committee member of Duke Law School’s Responsible AI and the Legal Profession initiative. She is the chair of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar. She also serves on the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators’ Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform.
McCormack is a special advisor to the ABA Taskforce on AI, a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and a member of the Council of the American Law Institute. She is also a senior arbitration board member of the American Review of International Arbitration and is on the Board of Trustees for the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy.
McCormack speaks and writes frequently about access to justice, alternative dispute resolution, innovation, technology and artificial intelligence in the legal profession.
Before her tenure with the AAA-ICDR, McCormack was the chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 2019 to 2022, after serving as an associate justice since 2013. As chief justice, McCormack championed innovation and technology to improve access to justice while hearing thousands of cases and overseeing a system of 244 trial courts and more than 500 judges. Under her leadership, the Michigan court system saw the initiation of landmark reforms in court processes, including the establishment of Michigan’s Justice for All Commission, which assists those who cannot afford legal representation, a strategic planning process for the judicial branch, and front and back end criminal legal system reform.
McCormack was the chief justice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and Michigan’s courts were a national leader in swiftly transitioning to remote proceedings, launching the first statewide online dispute resolution platform and a statewide eviction diversion program. She co-chaired the Technology and Rapid Response Committees for the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators.
A graduate of Trinity College and New York University Law School, where she was a Root-Tilden Scholar, McCormack started her legal career in New York City as a trial attorney at The Legal Aid Society and then at the Office of the Appellate Defender. In 1996, she joined the Yale Law School faculty as a Robert M. Cover fellow, and in 1998, she joined the University of Michigan Law School faculty. She was named associate dean for clinical affairs in 2002 and served in that position for a decade. In 2008, McCormack co-founded the Michigan Innocence Clinic, the first non-DNA innocence clinic in the country, which, as of April 2024, has exonerated 41 men and women.
McCormack has been recognized for her leadership and contributions, with several awards highlighting her dedication to diversity, innovation and excellence in the legal profession. Notable recognitions include the Sunshine Award from the Michigan Press Association in 2023 for promoting transparency in public service and the Rebuilding Justice Award from the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System in 2023, recognizing her commitment to legal reform. In 2022, Michigan Lawyers Weekly named her the leading “Influential Woman in Law.” The Detroit News honored her as a Michiganian of the Year in 2020.
Friday October 10, 2025
9:35 AM - 11:05 AM
| AI in Practice: Tools, Trials, and Transformation
Casey Lucier
Partner
Casey is a partner in the firm’s nationally recognized Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department, representing companies and individuals in government and internal investigations as well as complex commercial litigation. She has particular experience at the intersection of criminal investigations and civil litigation in the antitrust space, as well as conducting investigations in the financial services sector for clients ranging from fintechs to the nation’s largest financial institutions.
Casey regularly conducts confidential internal investigations for clients in the financial services, consumer retail, and manufacturing industries and is skilled at assessing risk and navigating the dynamics of federal enforcement and regulatory investigations. Casey has experience representing clients in investigations by government agencies including the Department of Justice, Securities Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Offices of Inspectors General. Casey has successfully defended corporate clients as well as individuals in connection with criminal antitrust cartel investigations and other types of criminal investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Casey returned to McGuireWoods following her service as Investigative Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. She now serves a co-chair of the firm’s congressional investigations practice group, where she counsels clients navigating sensitive congressional investigations and challenging parallel proceedings involving political dynamics that don’t conform to the rules of a courtroom.
Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Casey was a law clerk to the Honorable John F. Anderson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Before law school, Casey worked for the political action committee of former Governor Mark R. Warner of Virginia and for the Center for American Progress.
Thursday October 9, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:50 AM
| Under the Microscope: Managing Government Investigations with Confidence
Cauley Oliver
Associate
Cauley is an associate in the Vorys Cleveland office and a member of the finance, energy and real estate group. She is a commercial finance attorney whose practice primarily focuses on representing lender and large corporate borrower clients in a variety of both secured and unsecured financing transactions, including syndicated facilities, asset-based lending, acquisition finance, fund finance, mezzanine lending and real estate finance, as well as workouts and restructurings.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Partnering for Success: A Practical Guide for Retail Counsel on Finance Transactions and Related Legal Issues
Chanell Bracey-Davis
Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner
Chanell Bracey-Davis is the HR Business Partner & Labor Strategies Leader at Macy’s, Inc., where she leads the people strategy for the company’s HR/Corporate Affairs, Legal, and Strategy teams while leading end-to-end colleague relations. As a seasoned HR professional, Chanell, is known for aligning talent with business goals and leading with inclusion, coaching leaders through change and building cultures that thrive. She brings a future-focused, people-first approach to every conversation.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Fostering Healthy Workplace Cultures
Chantale Fiebig
Co-Managing Partner, Weil-Washington DC Office
Chantale Fiebig is a nationally-recognized trial lawyer who serves on the Firm’s Global Leadership and Strategy and Management Committees and is the Co-Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C. office. Chantale serves as lead trial counsel in high-stakes business disputes, including for clients in the retail, tech, consumer products, financial services, and energy sectors. In addition, she has extensive experience defeating nationwide class actions. Chantale has served as lead counsel in dozens of putative class actions, most involving high-profile claims of corporate fraud, unfair business practices, false advertising, or consumer deception.
In just the last several years, Chantale has successfully tried multiple cases to verdict, earning Chantale widespread recognition for her expertise and success in complex litigation. Recognized as a “Winning Litigator” by The National Law Journal, she has continually been named as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America by Lawdragon, and has been profiled by the American Lawyer, Law360, and Benchmark Litigation for her achievements. Chantale has also been recognized as a “Leading Litigator in America” by Lawdragon 500 and has been named a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500 in Dispute Resolution: Leading Trial Lawyers. In addition, she has been recognized as a “Managing Partner of the Year” by Corporate Counsel and by the National Law Journal.
Chantale previously served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she taught an advanced seminar on class action law and practice. She frequently writes and speaks on issues relating to class action law, complex litigation, and trial advocacy.
Earlier in her career, Chantale served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan. As a federal prosecutor, Chantale served as lead trial counsel in cases involving public corruption and other charges, and successfully represented the United States in dozens of cases in the federal appellate courts. Chantale also served as a judicial clerk for Judge Rosemary Barkett on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Before law school, she worked as a financial analyst at a global investment management firm in New York.
Chantale has focused her pro bono work on representing inmates on death row, and minors in their interactions with police. She has long served on the boards of various civic organizations, such as Racquet Up Detroit and Levine Music, and currently serves on the Board of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Retail M&A: Deal Trends and Litigation Lessons
Christopher DeGroff
Partner, Labor & Employment
Whether developing the architecture for a nationwide class case involving thousands of employment decisions, or organizing an effective plan for addressing scores of single-claimant cases across a portfolio of work, Chris' dynamic and nimble approach to large-scale issues is the foundation of his practice.
As co-chair of the firm's Complex Discrimination Litigation practice group, Chris leads a team composed of some of the country's top class action litigators and subject matter experts. He has a unique perspective on systemic cases, drawing not only on his own deep understanding and experience, but also on the innovation and wisdom of his entire class action team. Chris is also an active member of the firm’s Air & Rail group, assisting clients with the unique employment law aspects affecting these industries, and well as related industries such as shipping, logistics and transportation-based technologies.
Through his 20-plus years of class litigation practice, Chris has partnered with subject matter experts in a wide array of disciplines, including industrial organizational psychologists, labor economists, sociologists, statisticians, jury consultants, crisis-management public relations teams, and a host of other human resources specialists. He understands the strategic anatomy of his opponents and marshals it to his clients' interests. He has successfully resolved dozens of high-stakes cases in jurisdictions around the country.
When it comes to government-initiated litigation, few have as much experience and depth of knowledge as Chris. He has studied the way the government and private class counsel build and execute large-scale litigation campaigns, written extensively on the these subjects, and is regularly quoted in employment-related resources as the authority on these matters. Chris was lead counsel on the country's largest age discrimination case brought by the EEOC, posted trial wins in thorny, multiclaimant sex discrimination/harassment cases, and is go-to counsel for class litigation for employers in virtually every industry across the US.
Chris is also a firm leader in litigation portfolio management, developing custom-made solutions to numerous clients' platform-wide litigation problems. This includes the use of cutting-edge technology and litigation tools to efficiently and effectively address evolving client needs. As one example, Chris and a team of other Seyfarth stakeholders developed a charge tracker system that allows employers to measure and study administrative charge activity and benchmark that against government statistics. This allows Chris' clients to quickly spot key trends and vulnerabilities, and compare those trends to areas of strategic focus, both with the government and private plaintiffs' counsel.
In complex cases and large portfolios of work, managing the sea of electronic data and paper documents that flows through the lifespan of cases can be overwhelming, expensive, and operationally disruptive. Chris has marshaled the talent of various disciplines across the Seyfarth platform, from eDiscovery experts to project management teams, to craft comprehensive programs to "boil the ocean" in a way that is efficient, effective, and legally sound. This creates both strategic advantage, while at the same time managing litigation and transaction costs.
Chris is particularly committed to developing and cultivating talent both within and outside of the Complex Discrimination Litigation practice group to pass along his experience. Chris develops training curriculum, organizes guest speakers, drafts "rapid response" resources, and designs tools to share knowledge with colleagues and develop team members. Chris' passion to partner and share these resources goes beyond Seyfarth; Chris also works with his clients to provide corresponding resources to employers' human resources and in-house legal staff.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Scanning for Risk: Decoding the New EEOC's Enforcement Agenda for Retail
Craig Cardon
Partner
Craig represents retailers, brands and adtech businesses in class actions, mass arbitrations, and governmental investigations and enforcement proceedings in the advertising, data privacy and ecommerce areas.
Craig provides regular advertising review for some of the largest retailers and consumer product manufacturers in the country. He regularly litigates false advertising and privacy class actions (including breach-related litigation), competitor comparison claims and trade secret claims. Craig has defended numerous landmark privacy and advertising class actions, including defeating cases of first impression under California’s Shine the Light law, Anti-SPAM law, the Club Card Act, gift card laws, Song-Beverly Credit Card Act, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), including cases through trial. He has represented dozens of brands in litigation around the country related to the collection of data and targeted advertising. He has defended FTC advertising enforcement actions through trial and regularly appears before the NAD (National Advertising Division).
Craig also leads the firm’s mass arbitration practice, defending companies from ad campaign driven mass arbitrations intended to leverage arbitration costs over the merits of the claims. Craig is a recognized expert in the mass arbitration space, deploying various strategies and tactics to defend companies faced with what has been described as the “litigation blackmail” of mass arbitrations.
Finally, Craig and his team handle data transactions, ecommerce fulfillment deals, international brand licensing, distribution arrangements and other related activities important to retailers and brands in this quickly evolving retail and ecommerce ecosystem. He has particular expertise in assisting retailers and brands in establishing and managing retail and distribution relationships in China and elsewhere in Asia.Craig represents retailers, brands and adtech businesses in class actions, mass arbitrations, and governmental investigations and enforcement proceedings in the advertising, data privacy and ecommerce areas.
Craig provides regular advertising review for some of the largest retailers and consumer product manufacturers in the country. He regularly litigates false advertising and privacy class actions (including breach-related litigation), competitor comparison claims and trade secret claims. Craig has defended numerous landmark privacy and advertising class actions, including defeating cases of first impression under California’s Shine the Light law, Anti-SPAM law, the Club Card Act, gift card laws, Song-Beverly Credit Card Act, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), including cases through trial. He has represented dozens of brands in litigation around the country related to the collection of data and targeted advertising. He has defended FTC advertising enforcement actions through trial and regularly appears before the NAD (National Advertising Division).
Craig also leads the firm’s mass arbitration practice, defending companies from ad campaign driven mass arbitrations intended to leverage arbitration costs over the merits of the claims. Craig is a recognized expert in the mass arbitration space, deploying various strategies and tactics to defend companies faced with what has been described as the “litigation blackmail” of mass arbitrations.
Finally, Craig and his team handle data transactions, ecommerce fulfillment deals, international brand licensing, distribution arrangements and other related activities important to retailers and brands in this quickly evolving retail and ecommerce ecosystem. He has particular expertise in assisting retailers and brands in establishing and managing retail and distribution relationships in China and elsewhere in Asia.Craig represents retailers, brands and adtech businesses in class actions, mass arbitrations, and governmental investigations and enforcement proceedings in the advertising, data privacy and ecommerce areas.
Craig provides regular advertising review for some of the largest retailers and consumer product manufacturers in the country. He regularly litigates false advertising and privacy class actions (including breach-related litigation), competitor comparison claims and trade secret claims. Craig has defended numerous landmark privacy and advertising class actions, including defeating cases of first impression under California’s Shine the Light law, Anti-SPAM law, the Club Card Act, gift card laws, Song-Beverly Credit Card Act, California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), including cases through trial. He has represented dozens of brands in litigation around the country related to the collection of data and targeted advertising. He has defended FTC advertising enforcement actions through trial and regularly appears before the NAD (National Advertising Division).
Craig also leads the firm’s mass arbitration practice, defending companies from ad campaign driven mass arbitrations intended to leverage arbitration costs over the merits of the claims. Craig is a recognized expert in the mass arbitration space, deploying various strategies and tactics to defend companies faced with what has been described as the “litigation blackmail” of mass arbitrations.
Finally, Craig and his team handle data transactions, ecommerce fulfillment deals, international brand licensing, distribution arrangements and other related activities important to retailers and brands in this quickly evolving retail and ecommerce ecosystem. He has particular expertise in assisting retailers and brands in establishing and managing retail and distribution relationships in China and elsewhere in Asia.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Winning with Experts: Best Practices and Challenges in Consumer Class Litigation
Daniel Kaleba
Vice President, Deputy General Counsel
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
| Beyond the Till: Embedded Payments, Crypto, and Retail’s Financial Future
Danielle Hohos
Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel
Danielle Hohos is Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and supports all nine brands at the company including Pottery Barn, West Elm, Mark & Graham and Williams Sonoma. She is responsible for a broad range of legal matters including labor and employment, privacy, marketing, regulatory, government affairs, and all litigation matters for the Williams-Sonoma family of brands. Danielle also leads the company's Loss Prevention function and serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the California Retailers Association on behalf of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. During her time at the company, Danielle has repeatedly been recognized for her leadership in creating an environment where her teams can excel.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Winning with Experts: Best Practices and Challenges in Consumer Class Litigation
David Steele
Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
David Steele serves as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at The Home Depot, where he leads employment litigation, executive compensation, employee benefits, preventative law, legal operations, and operating unit oversight. Previously, he has led commercial litigation, real estate, store operations, supply chain, risk management, international, and international corporate.
Since joining The Home Depot in 2022 as Corporate Counsel, he has served as Assistant General Counsel, Senior Counsel, and most recently Associate General Counsel. Before joining The Home Depot, David practiced at Alston & Bird in Atlanta, focusing on commercial litigation, construction, and real estate matters. .
David holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Economics from Southern Methodist University and earned a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Health Plan Apocalypse? What Retirement Plan Litigation Can Tell Us About the Coming Wave of Health Plan Class Actions
Deborah White
Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, RILA; President, RLC
Deborah currently serves as Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). RILA is the trade association that represents only the major retailers in each vertical. In her current capacity, Deborah oversees the legal function of the association, the development of RILA’s Center for Retail Compliance, and programming for the corporate legal community of her members, including their general counsel. Programming developed during Deborah’s tenure has significantly increased member company legal community involvement in RILA.
Simultaneously, Deborah serves as President of the Retail Litigation Center (RLC), an independent 501(c)(6) association with its own membership and governance functions. The Retail Litigation Center reflects the voice of the retail industry in the judicial branch and develops litigation strategies to influence the arc of the law as it relates to issues of greatest importance to the retail community. The RLC participates amicus curiae in fifteen to twenty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and other significant appellate courts each year.
Prior to joining RILA and the RLC, Deborah was Principal of Regulatory Solutions, LLC, through which she provided regulatory advice and counsel to two of the most successful grocery chains in the country. She also served as Executive Director of the Recycled Paperboard Technical Association.
Deborah’s association experience began at the Food Marketing Institute, the major trade association for grocery retailing. She started as the association’s Regulatory Counsel and left ten years later as its Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Over the course of her tenure, Deborah successfully represented the food retail industry before the key federal agencies responsible for the industry’s oversight and testified on behalf of the industry before the U.S. House of Representatives.
Deborah began her legal career as an associate attorney specializing in the law related to food and food packaging at the firm of Keller and Heckman.
Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University and a Juris Doctorate from the Washington College of Law at American University. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, and she is admitted to the bar associations of the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland. Deborah currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Georgetown University Corporate Counsel Institute.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:00 PM - 3:10 PM
| Welcome to the 2025 Retail Law Conference
Elbert Lin
Partner
The former Solicitor General of West Virginia, Elbert chairs the firm’s Issues and Appeals practice. He has led many precedent-setting cases in appellate courts across the country, including a US Supreme Court victory called “the court’s most severe rebuke of a president” since the Truman administration (The Washington Post 2016). Elbert has been described by clients as a “terrific oral advocate” (Chambers USA 2021) and an “amazing thinker [and] strategist” (Chambers USA 2024) who is "clear, understandable and persuasive" (Chambers USA 2025).
With experience in the private sector and multiple branches of government, Elbert’s practice spans a wide range of issues, including major questions of constitutional and administrative law at the federal and state levels. He has argued nearly 70 cases in state and federal appellate courts, including before the US Supreme Court and several en banc courts of appeals.
In 2013, Elbert was appointed the Solicitor General of West Virginia. During his four-and-a-half year tenure, Elbert served as a member of the Attorney General’s senior management team, oversaw all civil and criminal appeals, and supervised the state’s federal litigation. He authored more than 25 briefs in the US Supreme Court and more than 45 formal Opinions of the Attorney General.
Earlier in his career, Elbert was a partner in the appellate and communications litigation groups of a national law firm and served as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the US Department of Justice’s Civil Division, where he received a Special Service Award. He has also been a law clerk at all three levels of the federal judiciary: for Justice Clarence Thomas on the US Supreme Court; for Judge William H. Pryor Jr. on the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit; and for Senior Judge Robert E. Keeton on the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Elbert speaks regularly on a wide variety of topics, including constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, state and federal relations, the US Supreme Court, and appellate practice. He has testified before Congress, and has spoken at the national conventions of the American Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Federalist Society, Americans for Prosperity, and the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Elbert is admitted to practice in the following federal courts: the Supreme Court of the United States; the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Eleventh, D.C., and Federal Circuits; and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, the District of Massachusetts, the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, and the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia.
Thursday October 9, 2025
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
| Supreme Court Watch: Retail-Relevant Rulings and What Lies Ahead
Elizabeth Baran
Senior Vice President & General Counsel and 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 legal, compliance, risk, internal audit and sustainability functions, and recently led the company’s acquisition of Foot Locker. Beth has an extraordinary team of lawyers, legal analysts, auditors, compliance and sustainability professionals who drive this work and create a special culture built around DICK’S values of dedication, optimism, integrity and authenticity. Beth joined DICK’S Sporting Goods in 2010 and has served in a variety of leadership roles within legal and compliance throughout her tenure. She has also served as secretary for the DICK’S Foundation since 2011 and was part of the team that launched the Foundation’s Sports Matter initiative to change the landscape of philanthropy within youth sports. 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. Beth earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where she served as the Editor in Chief of The Journal of Law and Commerce.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Going Global: What Every Counsel Must Know Before Entering New Territories
Garrett Hooe
Partner
Garrett is a trial attorney who specializes in securities and breach of fiduciary duty litigation. He helps clients of all sizes achieve great results in venues across the nation and represents some of the largest financial, agricultural, telecommunications, manufacturing and energy companies in the world.
Garrett has won motions and trials in federal and state courts and before the American Arbitration Association, earning significant first-chair experience. He also has successfully assisted clients before the Supreme Court of Virginia and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Garrett prides himself on getting to the bottom of all disputes, no matter the location or stakes.
Garrett’s specific experience includes:
Successful representation of internationally known energy company in resolution of largest securities fraud case in the history of the 4th Circuit
Defeated motion for preliminary injunction filed by food distributor in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico against a major pork supplier. The distributor sought relief under a Puerto Rico “dealer” protectionist statute. After a full-day evidentiary hearing, the court noted in denying the motion that “the merits weigh heavily in favor of [Defendant].” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit later affirmed the District Court’s ruling.
Dismissal of securities fraud complaint against telecommunications company before Southern District of New York
Dismissals of ’34 Act complaints before Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York
Successful first-chair prosecution of breach-of-contract claim before American Arbitration Association and recovery of half-million dollar award for securities broker-dealer listing at arbitration hearing
Successful second-chair prosecution of fraud action involving recovery of property worth over half-a-million dollars in Virginia state court
Successful representation of well-known manufacturer in securities fraud litigation before Eastern District of Virginia
Defense verdicts in first-chair bench trials for large domestic financial institutions and state entities in cases involving state and federal claims
Representation of internationally known natural foods distribution company in multimillion-dollar fraud prosecution and settlement, with lead experience taking depositions and drafting key evidentiary and dispositive motions
Representation of internationally known agricultural company in multiple federal jury trials in bet-the-company litigation, including direct supervision of and responsibility for pretrial workup on multiple cases.
After law school, Garrett clerked for then-Justice (now Chief Justice) Donald W. Lemons of the Supreme Court of Virginia. He also interned for then-U.S. Magistrate (now U.S. District) Judge M. Hannah Lauck of the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, during his second year of law school.
At the University of Richmond School of Law, Garrett served as editor-in-chief of the Richmond Journal of Global Law and Business. He also placed first in the 2010 James H. Barnett Jr. Moot Court Competition, and in 2012 received the Best Oralist Award at the William B. Spong Moot Court Competition, held at William & Mary Law School. Garrett was a member of the McNeill Law Society and after graduation was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
Garrett served on the executive committee of the John Marshall Inn of Court and is a member of James Madison University’s Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication Alumni Council.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Learn the Opponent's Playbook To Spot and Weaken Civil Securities Fraud Risks in the Retail Sector
Gary Klinger
Senior Partner
Gary Klinger is one of the most well-known and respected data privacy attorneys in the United States, settling more than thirty class actions involving privacy violations as lead or co-lead counsel. In addition, Mr. Klinger is well-versed in both sides of class action litigation. Working with several big firms, serving as defense for Fortune 100 clients, he eventually discovered he wanted to join the plaintiff’s side of the practice.
As Milberg Senior Partner, his privacy practice includes: data breaches, ransomware attacks, unlawful collection and/or disclosure of personal information, and violations of privacy statutes and/or laws, such as the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act, California Consumer Privacy Act, California Medical Information Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and General Data Protection Regulation.
Mr. Klinger also represents consumers in class actions and mass arbitration for claims involving false advertising, defective products, consumer fraud, violations of the antitrust laws, and other torts. He has won hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients.
In 2025, Mr. Klinger was recognized among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America for the second consecutive year. In 2024, he was featured in the Chambers & Partners nationwide guide for his esteemed contributions to Privacy & Data Security Litigation. Currently, he is pursuing his Masters of Laws (LLM) in Data Privacy and Cybersecurity from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Outside the office, Mr. Klinger enjoys cheering on the Chicago White Sox and playing golf. He and his wife, Lina, and their two sons, Liam and Noah, live in Chicago, Illinois.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Keep Your Friends Close . . . Mass Arbitration
Hannah Taylor
Deputy Managing Partner
Hannah E. Taylor is Deputy Managing Partner of the firm and a partner in the Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations and Emerging Technology Groups. Ms. Taylor has received praise in Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500, Chambers USA, and was named one of the Top Women Media & Advertising Lawyers in New York by Super Lawyers. She uses her considerable experience to help companies navigate compliance obligations relating to their advertising, technology, branded entertainment, and intellectual property initiatives. Her clients say she is “extremely knowledgeable and provides practical, business-minded advice,” adding: “she’s clearly an expert in her field and can cut to the core issues quickly and efficiently.”
Ms. Taylor works with clients to structure and negotiate virtually every type of media-related transaction, advises clients on compliance with federal, state, and local laws, as well as on compliance with relevant self-regulatory guidelines and social media platform terms, and represents advertisers before the Federal Trade Commission and the National Advertising Division. In recent years, Ms. Taylor has developed a particular expertise on emerging technology (including digital media, AI, and blockchain).
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| What Retail Counsel Need to Know about Advertising Law — a 360° Perspective with the NAD, In-House, and Outside Experts
Harrison Brown
Partner
Harrison Brown represents companies and executives facing consumer class actions, mass arbitration, and other major civil litigation in various areas, including telemarketing and communications, consumer protection, unfair competition, and false and deceptive advertising. Harrison’s areas of experience include successfully defending class actions involving telemarketing under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) and Florida’s Telephone Solicitation Act (“FTSA”), the Federal Trade Commission Act and California’s Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”) and Consumer Legal Remedies Act (“CLRA”), Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), California’s Song-Beverly Credit Card Act, chatbot and wiretapping litigation under California’s Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”), and California’s Automatic Renewal Law (“ARL”). Harrison has secured early dismissal of multiple class action lawsuits prior to class certification, protecting sensitive customer lists from premature disclosure.
Harrison has assisted businesses in virtually every industry, including retailers, distributors, food products and agriculture, banks, investment firms, hotels, and car dealers. He is well versed in Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act and has obtained multiple judgments prior to discovery in favor of clients facing website and physical accessibility lawsuits. An experienced advocate, Harrison also counsels and helps companies navigate a wide range of business matters and challenges, including fraud, breach of contract, and partnership disputes.
Harrison has assisted clients in jurisdictions throughout the country, including federal and state trial courts, appellate courts, and in administrative proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”).
Harrison has been recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in class actions by Super Lawyers every year since 2019. As part of his extensive background in consumer protection and privacy laws, he regularly advises clients in advertising, retail, e-commerce, and related risk mitigation strategies under federal and state laws and regulations.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Trash Talk: Defending Junk Fee Litigation
Heather Barber
Senior Counsel
Seasoned in-house legal professional with two decades of experience managing a variety of litigation and navigating complex legal issues across multiple business lines. Practiced at Jones Day prior to joining CVS Health. Cincinnati native (go Reds!) with two kids, two dogs and one husband.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Learn the Opponent's Playbook To Spot and Weaken Civil Securities Fraud Risks in the Retail Sector
Hien Nguyen
Director, Senior Counsel - Employment
Hien Nguyen currently serves as the Director – Senior Counsel, Employment at Burlington Stores, Inc., a Fortune 500 off-price retailer with nationwide stores, distributions centers, and over 75,000 employees. Hien is a legal business partner supporting cross-functional teams by collaborating with business partners to strategically drive the business while maintaining legal compliance. Hien is a subject matter expert in California law. She attended UC Berkeley and UCLA School of Law.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| How to Get Ahead in Navigating a New Frontier of PAGA Actions
Igor Bakhilov
Senior Corporate Counsel, Amazon Advertising
Igor manages advertisement sales, custom campaigns and global sales operations for Amazon.com. Prior roles at Amazon included serving as corporate counsel for Amazon Web Services and for the company's Kindle division. Before Amazon, he was a Senior Associate at King & Wood Mallesons.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Media Networks: Flipping the Liability Script
Ivan Zapien
Partner
Ivan Zapien, a seasoned Washington insider, brings deep knowledge in the intersection of politics, process, and policy. With nearly three decades of experience in high-stakes policy debates and political strategy, he has successfully navigated complex regulatory landscapes both on Capitol Hill and in corporate America. In addition to his experience in Washington DC, he was the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Walmex, Latin America’s biggest retailer. During that time he gained valuable insights on the complexities of the North American Supply Chain.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Beyond Borders: Protecting Retail Supply Chains Amid Trade Uncertainty
Jaime Santos
Partner
Jaime A. Santos is co-chair of Goodwin’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice, a member of the firm’s ERISA Litigation and Life Sciences Disputes groups, and co-chair of Goodwin’s Dobbs Task Force. Her work in appellate litigation, ERISA litigation, IP Litigation, and DEI issues have led to her being recognized as a DC Rising Star by the National Law Journal, a Rising Star by Law360, and a Top 250 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation. She is ranked by Chambers USA for both ERISA Litigation and Appellate Litigation, and she has also received Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Award; DCA Live’s Emerging Women Leader Award; and the D.C. Bar Communities Lawyer of the Year Award.
Jaime’s work focuses on appellate matters and complex civil litigation in federal courts, including ERISA litigation, patent litigation, class actions, constitutional law, and product litigation. She has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States and more than half of the federal courts of appeals. Most recently, Jaime successfully argued before the Supreme Court in Wilkinson v. Garland, an important case about the reviewability of immigration decisions that the Court decided 6-3 in favor of our client Situ Wilkinson, and she recently won two significant ERISA appeals before the Third and Eleventh Circuits on behalf of firm clients MetLife and John Hancock.
Jaime also regularly speaks publicly about matters affecting the Supreme Court, as well as diversity and bias within the legal profession. She 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, and Bloomberg’s podcast Cases and Controversies. Jaime currently serves as on the Board of Directors of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and has served on the Executive Committee of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court (the first American Inn of Court dedicated to appellate practice), the MacArthur Justice Center Supreme Court & Appellate Advisory Board, the National Women’s Law Center’s Leadership Advisory Council, and as an appellate mentor for The Appellate Project—an organization committed to empowering law students of color to thrive in the appellate field.
Jaime maintains an active pro bono practice and was the 2023 winner of Robert B. Fraser Award, which Goodwin presents annually to one partner who has provided significant service to pro bono clients. She has also received awards for her commitment to pro bono civil rights work from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and from Goodwin.
In addition to her pro bono practice, Jaime has been a thought leader in preventing and addressing bias and harassment in the legal profession. She speaks at conferences across the country, has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and Judicial Conference of the United States, has advised state and federal courts on improving the policies and processes governing inappropriate conduct in the workplace, and has published several articles on the topic.
Before joining Goodwin in 2013, Jaime served as a law clerk to the Honorable George H. King of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and to the Honorable Raymond C. Fisher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In law school, she was a supervising editor for the Harvard Law Review.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Health Plan Apocalypse? What Retirement Plan Litigation Can Tell Us About the Coming Wave of Health Plan Class Actions
Jamie Fleckner
Partner, Chair, ERISA Litigation
Jamie Fleckner is a partner at Goodwin, and is chair of its ERISA Litigation practice. Ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA in ERISA Litigation, and “among the top ERISA litigators in the country,” Jamie represents providers and plan sponsors in class actions, appeals, regulatory investigations, bet-the-firm litigation as well as arbitrations regarding the discharge of ERISA duties. He is currently representing some of the country’s largest companies in ERISA litigation, and a wide range of other ERISA litigation challenging the discharge of fiduciary obligations.
Known for being “creative, quick on his feet, and excellent in oral and written arguments,” Jamie regularly litigates class and derivative actions under ERISA, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and related federal and state laws. His practice also focuses on regulatory investigations and governmental proceedings, and has represented clients before the US Department of Labor, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and state authorities.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Health Plan Apocalypse? What Retirement Plan Litigation Can Tell Us About the Coming Wave of Health Plan Class Actions
Jason Gordon
Partner
Jason is a partner in the Entertainment and Media Industry Group and the global co-chair of the firm’s Jewish Inclusion Committee. Jason leads the sports law subsector of the Entertainment & Media Industry Group and is a member of the firm’s Retail & Consumer Goods and Emerging Technologies groups. He represents Fortune 100 brands and technology disrupters, media companies, airlines, quick service restaurants, consumer packaged goods companies, and other advertisers in all aspects of the commercialization of products and services, advertising, marketing, new media, branding, privacy, mobile marketing, behavioral advertising, right of publicity, and traditional trademark and copyright prosecution and counseling. He also counsels clients in new and emerging technologies, including AI, web3, and NFTs.Jason is a partner in the Entertainment and Media Industry Group and the global co-chair of the firm’s Jewish Inclusion Committee. Jason leads the sports law subsector of the Entertainment & Media Industry Group and is a member of the firm’s Retail & Consumer Goods and Emerging Technologies groups. He represents Fortune 100 brands and technology disrupters, media companies, airlines, quick service restaurants, consumer packaged goods companies, and other advertisers in all aspects of the commercialization of products and services, advertising, marketing, new media, branding, privacy, mobile marketing, behavioral advertising, right of publicity, and traditional trademark and copyright prosecution and counseling. He also counsels clients in new and emerging technologies, including AI, web3, and NFTs.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| retAIl: You Can’t Spell Retail Without AI
Jason Schwartz
Partner; Co-Chair, Labor
Jason is a partner in the Entertainment and Media Industry Group and the global co-chair of the firm’s Jewish Inclusion Committee. Jason leads the sports law subsector of the Entertainment & Media Industry Group and is a member of the firm’s Retail & Consumer Goods and Emerging Technologies groups. He represents Fortune 100 brands and technology disrupters, media companies, airlines, quick service restaurants, consumer packaged goods companies, and other advertisers in all aspects of the commercialization of products and services, advertising, marketing, new media, branding, privacy, mobile marketing, behavioral advertising, right of publicity, and traditional trademark and copyright prosecution and counseling. He also counsels clients in new and emerging technologies, including AI, web3, and NFTs.
Friday October 10, 2025
8:30 AM - 9:20 AM
| Workforce in Focus: Trends Shaping Labor & Employment Law
Jay Ramsey
Partner
Jay Ramsey is a litigation partner in firm’s Century City Office. He serves as the Office Managing Partner for Century City and as a leader of the firm's Out at Sheppard LGBTQ Group.
Jay Ramsey is a go-to litigator and trial attorney for clients across industries, handling disputes pre-litigation, before trial, at trial, and on appeal. He also defends companies against false advertising, privacy, and other consumer class actions.
Business Disputes
Jay helps his clients assert and defend claims flowing from:
Mergers and acquisitions, including claims for breaches of representations and warranties.
Commercial real-estate transactions and development agreements.
Manufacturing, supply, distribution, and other vendor agreements
Manufacturing defects, design defects, and related delays, particularly in the aerospace, defense, and electronics industries.
Software implementations and solutions, including ERP implementations and SaaS-based solutions.
Intellectual property disputes, licensing agreements, distribution rights, profit participation, and accounting issues.
Jay’s clients have included, among others, banks, financial institutions, real estate owners and developers, health care providers, hospitals, aerospace companies, electronics manufacturers, defense contractors, retailers and other consumer brands, movie and television studios, content producers, and start-ups.
Consumer Class Actions and Mass Arbitrations
Jay is a Leader of the firm’s Consumer Class Action Defense Team. He is also a member of the firm’s Advertising, Retail, Privacy and Cybersecurity, and Food & Beverage groups. He has defended major retailers, brands, product manufacturers, fintech companies, lead generators, advertising networks, food and beverage companies, insurers, health plans, hospitals, airlines, telecommunications companies, and more in a wide range of consumer class actions and mass arbitrations. His experience includes defending companies against:
False advertising claims
False discount pricing claims
Product liability and warranty claims
Alleged privacy violations, including under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA)
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) claims
Data breach claims
Along with his litigation practice, Jay also advises and counsels clients on a variety of marketing, advertising, pricing, privacy, and related e-commerce matters.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Winning with Experts: Best Practices and Challenges in Consumer Class Litigation
Jelena Djuric
Co-Founder and CEO
Jelena Djuric is co-founder and CEO of Noble. Noble brings real-world assets into the digital realm, focusing on security and cross-chain functionality. Jelena previously co-founded the Canadian Web3 Council, a leading national advocacy organization for the cryptocurrency and Web3 ecosystem. Prior to her work on Noble, she served as a core contributor to a number of blockchain protocols and businesses in the Cosmos, Dfinity/Internet Computer and Celo ecosystems.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
| Beyond the Till: Embedded Payments, Crypto, and Retail’s Financial Future
Jen Leonard
Founder & CEO
Jen Leonard founded Creative Lawyers to support law firms, corporate legal departments, and other professional services organizations that understand the urgency to modernize practice, services, and education. Jen works with leaders to cultivate innovative cultures, build nimble and collaborative strategies to navigate a volatile environment, and promote skills and mindsets that drive change. She develops cutting-edge generative AI education focused on law firm business and lawyer formation implications, leads design thinking workshops, facilitates innovation challenges, delivers retreat keynotes, and provides ongoing strategic support for her clients.
Before launching her company, Jen was the first Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Future of the Profession Initiative at Penn Carey Law. In that role, she closely studied changes in the legal industry and translated insights into various curricular and thought leadership programs. She practiced law for ten years after graduating from Penn Carey Law in 2004, including serving as Chief of Staff to the City of Philadelphia Law Department. Following her tenure with the City, she returned to Penn to build the Law School’s Center on Professionalism, which became a nationally-recognized law student professional development program. At Penn, she has taught Generative AI in Law Practice, Design Thinking for Lawyers, Modern Law Firm Business and Innovation Strategy, and Attorney Well-Being as Ethical Obligation. She has also taught design thinking and ideation techniques to industry leaders in Wharton’s Executive MBA program and Penn Nursing’s Summer Innovation Institute.
Jen was named to the 2024 list of ABA Women of Legal Tech, is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, and received Penn’s Beverly Edwards Award for Exceptional Leadership. She volunteers her time to various initiatives that further the legal profession, including Penn’s Inn of Court, NALP’s Driving Inclusion Task Force, and the board of the Pro Bono Institute. She also hosts several podcasts about the legal profession, including 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law (co-hosted with American Arbitration Association CEO Bridget McCormack), Law 2030, Future-Proofed (co-hosted with Kirkland’s Chief Innovation Officer Rachel Dooley) and Practising Law Institute’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession. She writes and speaks frequently about innovation and the legal industry’s future. Her most recent work appears in Globe & Law Business’s AI and the Legal Profession.
Friday October 10, 2025
9:35 AM - 11:05 AM
| AI in Practice: Tools, Trials, and Transformation
Jessica Ellsworth
Partner
Jessica Ellsworth co-heads the firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice and has argued over 85 appeals. She has appeared in the U.S. Supreme Court, every federal appeals court, and over a dozen state appellate courts, reflecting her deep experience and keen ability to help clients solve litigation challenges.
Thursday October 9, 2025
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
| Supreme Court Watch: Retail-Relevant Rulings and What Lies Ahead
John Moran
Partner
John Moran is a member of the firm’s nationally recognized Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation department. A former senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House and an experienced litigator and counselor, John draws on his broad experience from private practice and government service to advise and represent clients in government enforcement, congressional investigations, high-stakes civil disputes, and regulatory litigation. He also serves as co-chair of the firm’s congressional investigations practice, representing both companies and individuals in congressional investigations and hearings and is a member of the firm’s Appeals & Issues group.
John represents clients before state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. Among other things, he has defended clients in class actions, False Claims Act suits, trade-secret litigation, confidential arbitration, and litigation that required coordination of numerous cases in different jurisdictions. John has experience representing plaintiffs and petitioners as well, including seeking emergency or other injunctive relief to protect clients’ interests and challenging agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act.
John served in senior policy and operational roles at the DOJ, including as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General (and Acting Attorney General) and as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. In those roles, he advised on the most important legal and policy issues facing the Department, including in civil, criminal, and national-security matters. John also previously served as Associate Counsel to the President in the Office of White House Counsel, where he advised the President and White House staff on legal issues and judicial nominations. In that role, John coordinated with the DOJ on litigation involving the White House and worked with policy officials and attorneys across the Executive Branch on high-priority administrative actions—particularly, at the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Council on Environmental Quality.
John also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and to the Honorable Jeffrey S. Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Thursday October 9, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:50 AM
| Under the Microscope: Managing Government Investigations with Confidence
Joy Chenault
AVP, Associate General Counsel
Ms. Chenault has worked for CarMax since April 2001 and provides a broad range of legal services to the company, including advice regarding data privacy and security, artificial intelligence, commercial transactions and records retention. She has been designated by the International Association of Privacy Professionals as a Certified Information Privacy Professional - US. Ms. Chenault received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Dickinson College. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond School of Law.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| retAIl: You Can’t Spell Retail Without AI
Juliana Gerrick
Partner
Juliana is a partner in Steptoe's Financial Industry group and the Financial Innovation & Regulation practice. She helps financial institutions, fintechs and other non-bank financial services providers navigate federal and state lending and payments laws to launch cutting-edge consumer and B2B financial products, services, and platforms. Juliana provides clients with a broad spectrum of consumer financial services compliance and regulatory advice in connection with deposit, credit, and alternative financing products. She has extensive experience working with clients to develop credit programs and is a go-to attorney in credit card lending. She also assists clients in responding to federal and state regulator inquiries and defending against government enforcement actions, including those involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). Juliana has also represented banks and fintechs in transactional matters, such as bank partnership agreements and receivables sales.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
| Beyond the Till: Embedded Payments, Crypto, and Retail’s Financial Future
Kacy Goebel
Assistant General Counsel
Kacy Goebel is an Assistant General Counsel at The Home Depot, where she manages the company’s commercial class actions, real estate and construction litigation, antitrust recoveries, and oversees the customer litigation group. Prior to joining Home Depot in 2015, she was a member of Jones Day’s Business and Tort Litigation group. She is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School and the University of South Carolina Honors College. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, stepchildren, and yellow lab.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| From Cost Center to Revenue Generator: Legal Finance and the Rise of Affirmative Recovery
Karen Lent
Partner
Karen Lent is co-head of Skadden’s sports practice and head of the New York office’s antitrust/competition practice, representing a wide variety of clients in antitrust, sports and other complex litigation matters at both the trial and appellate court levels. She also provides general antitrust counseling. Karen Lent is co-head of Skadden’s sports practice and head of the New York office’s antitrust/competition practice, representing a wide variety of clients in antitrust, sports and other complex litigation matters at both the trial and appellate court levels. She also provides general antitrust counseling.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Pricing Algorithms and Antitrust Risk
Kathleen Barrett
Member of the Firm
Companies in a range of industries, including health care, retail, hospitality, and insurance, count on attorney Kathleen Barrett to find solutions to complex disputes arising in state and federal courts or administrative law settings.
She has represented companies and trade associations across the country in high-stakes regulatory challenges and complex class actions.
Kathleen also represents companies in wage and hour class actions and cases involving allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or wrongful termination brought by single-plaintiff employees at all levels of a company. In addition, she proactively counsels clients to ensure their employment practices comply with current or new workplace laws and regulations. For example, she has guided clients through new workplace issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also offered training and guidance on the legalization of recreational and medical cannabis and its impact on a client’s workplace drug policies, complaint procedures, disciplinary action policies, and accommodations practices.
Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Kathleen worked in medical prosecutions at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She has published numerous articles and presented on a variety of administrative law and employment law topics, including the new playing field for regulatory challenges post-Chevron, wage and hour compliance, and reasonable accommodations in health care workplaces. She also speaks on developments in agency action challenges, wage and hour class action law, Fair Labor Standards Act classification, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and cannabis workplace issues.Companies in a range of industries, including health care, retail, hospitality, and insurance, count on attorney Kathleen Barrett to find solutions to complex disputes arising in state and federal courts or administrative law settings.
She has represented companies and trade associations across the country in high-stakes regulatory challenges and complex class actions.
Kathleen also represents companies in wage and hour class actions and cases involving allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or wrongful termination brought by single-plaintiff employees at all levels of a company. In addition, she proactively counsels clients to ensure their employment practices comply with current or new workplace laws and regulations. For example, she has guided clients through new workplace issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also offered training and guidance on the legalization of recreational and medical cannabis and its impact on a client’s workplace drug policies, complaint procedures, disciplinary action policies, and accommodations practices.
Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Kathleen worked in medical prosecutions at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She has published numerous articles and presented on a variety of administrative law and employment law topics, including the new playing field for regulatory challenges post-Chevron, wage and hour compliance, and reasonable accommodations in health care workplaces. She also speaks on developments in agency action challenges, wage and hour class action law, Fair Labor Standards Act classification, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and cannabis workplace issues.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Wage and Hour Class Actions: Emerging Trends, Pitfalls, and Defense Strategies
Katie Dunne
Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel
Katie is the Assistant General Counsel at Crate & Barrel Holdings, Inc. As a member of a small-but-mighty legal team, Katie works on a variety of matters, primarily supporting the Marketing and eCommerce groups and leading the company's privacy efforts. Prior to joining Crate in 2019, Katie was a senior associate at Latham & Watkins, where she worked in the White Collar practice group. She earned her JD from Georgetown University Law Center, magna cum laude, with a certificate in transnational studies and Pro Bono Distinction, and her bachelor's degree from University of Illinois, summa cum laude.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| What Retail Counsel Need to Know about Advertising Law — a 360° Perspective with the NAD, In-House, and Outside Experts
Kristin Ray
Associate General Counsel
Kristin Ray is Associate General Counsel at The Home Depot, supporting the Strategic Business Development (SBD) team. In this role, she partners closely with SBD to help drive the design and execution of The Home Depot’s enterprise and business unit-level strategy, including through mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and corporate venture capital investments. Prior to joining The Home Depot in 2006, Kristin spent 10 years in private practice.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Retail M&A: Deal Trends and Litigation Lessons
Lacey Bundy
Chief Legal Officer
Lacey Bundy joined PetSmart in August 2018. Prior to joining PetSmart, Lacey served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Express, Inc., a specialty retail apparel company based in Columbus, Ohio from 2010 to 2018. Before joining Express, Lacey spent five years with Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago where she advised public companies and private equity funds and their portfolio companies on a wide variety of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, corporate governance, joint ventures, private equity fund formation, and financing transactions. Prior to law school, Lacey practiced as a certified public accountant with Ernst & Young LLP in New York City for two years, first in the firm’s National Office where she advised public companies on their financial reporting obligations and then later in the firm’s tax consulting practice where she implemented tax savings strategies for retailers.
Lacey earned her B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:10 PM - 3:55 PM
| Legal Disruption Decoded: Rethinking Practice in a Tech-Driven Era
Laura Pierson-Scheinberg
Principal
Laura A. Pierson-Scheinberg is a principal in the San Francisco, California, and Baltimore, Maryland, offices of Jackson Lewis P.C., co-leader of the firm’s Labor Relations practice group and co-leader of the Retail industry group.
Laura represents employers in labor and employment matters, with a particular focus on traditional labor issues, union elections and unfair labor practice charges. She has extensive experience in collective bargaining, from serving as chief spokesperson to developing strategy behind the scenes. Laura's background includes bargaining for both large and small clients from a local to a national level in a wide range of industries, including, but not limited to, manufacturing, retail and healthcare. When recessive bargaining and labor-management disputes become strikes, she has worked with her clients to develop contingency plans and strike preparedness. She also has experience with government contractors subject to the Service Contract Act.
When negotiating contracts, Laura focuses on appropriate contract language to minimize labor disputes. She assists employers to comply with union contracts, avoid grievances where appropriate, and respond to grievances when filed. However, there are times when litigation is unavoidable, and she has tried numerous arbitrations ranging from discharge, contract interpretation issues and litigation involving other collective bargaining rights.
Laura has also defended clients in such areas as disability, sex, race and other discrimination suits, as well as wrongful discharge, wage disputes and employment tort litigation. She has provided advice and counsel to human resources representatives and has reviewed employee handbooks and company policies.
Before entering private practice, Laura served as an intern staff attorney to Board Member Sarah M. Fox of the National Labor Relations Board. Prior to going to law school, she worked as a human resources professional for two years.Laura A. Pierson-Scheinberg is a principal in the San Francisco, California, and Baltimore, Maryland, offices of Jackson Lewis P.C., co-leader of the firm’s Labor Relations practice group and co-leader of the Retail industry group.
Laura represents employers in labor and employment matters, with a particular focus on traditional labor issues, union elections and unfair labor practice charges. She has extensive experience in collective bargaining, from serving as chief spokesperson to developing strategy behind the scenes. Laura's background includes bargaining for both large and small clients from a local to a national level in a wide range of industries, including, but not limited to, manufacturing, retail and healthcare. When recessive bargaining and labor-management disputes become strikes, she has worked with her clients to develop contingency plans and strike preparedness. She also has experience with government contractors subject to the Service Contract Act.
When negotiating contracts, Laura focuses on appropriate contract language to minimize labor disputes. She assists employers to comply with union contracts, avoid grievances where appropriate, and respond to grievances when filed. However, there are times when litigation is unavoidable, and she has tried numerous arbitrations ranging from discharge, contract interpretation issues and litigation involving other collective bargaining rights.
Laura has also defended clients in such areas as disability, sex, race and other discrimination suits, as well as wrongful discharge, wage disputes and employment tort litigation. She has provided advice and counsel to human resources representatives and has reviewed employee handbooks and company policies.
Before entering private practice, Laura served as an intern staff attorney to Board Member Sarah M. Fox of the National Labor Relations Board. Prior to going to law school, she worked as a human resources professional for two years.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Fostering Healthy Workplace Cultures
Lindsey Taylor
VP, Deputy General Counsel
Lindsey has served in a variety of legal roles at Lululemon for over 10 years. Prior to Lululemon, she served as an associate at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Fostering Healthy Workplace Cultures
Lucy Bassli
Attorney, Author, and Founder
Lucy Bassli is an attorney, author of The Simple Guide to Legal Innovation and CLM Simplified: Efficient Contracting for Law Departments, and founder of InnoLaw Group, PLLC, a niche consultancy focused on operationalizing commercial contracting and extracting effeciencies. Her team works with law departments on modernizing their commercial contracting practices in support of their business. Lucy’s “been there, done that” approach brings first-hand experience to all things contracting: resource allocation, automation, process optimization and smart risk-taking.
Lucy is a highly sought-after legal industry expert, engaging in thought-leadership projects to drive change and evolution in the delivery of legal services. She is a former Assistant General Counsel of Legal Operations and Contracting at Microsoft. During her 13-year tenure, she led the legal support for global procurement and redefined how legal services were delivered internally by leveraging automation and taking smart risks.
Lucy is a strategy advisor for several legal tech start-ups. She is a frequent speaker on topics of legal services innovation, legal technology and legal process outsourcing. She was honored as one of WorldCC’s 2021 Inspiring Women in Commerce and Contracting. In 2015, she was named to the National Law Journal list of Outstanding Women Lawyers.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:10 PM - 3:55 PM
| Legal Disruption Decoded: Rethinking Practice in a Tech-Driven Era
Maria Makowiecki
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel
Maria Makowiecki is Vice President, Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Secretary of Ulta Beauty, a position she has held since June 2019.
Maria leads Ulta Beauty’s Transactions & Regulatory services team delivering legal, compliance, and product regulatory services. In addition to Maria’s responsibilities for Ulta Beauty’s mergers & acquisitions, corporate venturing, governance, marketing, merchandising, intellectual property and commercial litigation practice areas, she co-leads the company’s compliance and enterprise risk management programs. Maria is also a passionate member of the company’s diversity, equity & inclusion champions team and works closely with Ulta Beauty’s Charitable Foundation on supporting its mission of enhancing the education and well-being of women and their families.
Prior to joining Ulta Beauty, Maria served as Assistant General Counsel and Group General Counsel for Parker Hannifin Corporation, a publicly traded company and Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies in. Maria spent over three years on an expatriate assignment working out of Parker’s European headquarters based outside of London, England, focusing on the company’s European, Middle Eastern and African operations, including several acquisitions and divestitures, strategic commercial transactions, compliance investigations and antitrust. She also spent three years on an expatriate assignment in Hong Kong, where she set up and led Parker’s Asia Pacific legal team and worked on the company’s expansion of operations in the region and rollout of a robust and sustainable model for legal and compliance services.
Maria serves on the Board of Advisors for the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, with a special focus on its International Program.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Going Global: What Every Counsel Must Know Before Entering New Territories
Martha Harrison
Partner
Martha Harrison is a partner and Co-Head of our International Trade and Investment Law Group. She is also the coordinator for the firm’s Advertising and Marketing practice. With industry expertise spanning retail and consumer markets, power, mining, food / agriculture, oil and gas, and the technology sector, Martha acts as a trusted business advisor to clients, balancing international trade and regulatory law from a Canadian perspective.
Martha offers a full suite of international trade and investment services, including customs law, anti-dumping and countervail issues, import/export controls, treaty compliance, public procurement, foreign investment, and investor-state disputes. She also routinely appears before regulators at all stages of trade disputes. As part of her advertising, marketing and regulatory practice, Martha provides proactive and pragmatic advice on product regulation in Canada, including standards, packaging and labelling, importing and exporting issues, transportation, and supply chain matters. Martha guides clients through the application of product standards along the supply chain, and advises on marketing rules surrounding regulated products, such as cosmetics, natural health products, medical devices, foods, and over-the-counter drugs.
An experienced and sought-after member of the trade bar, Martha is focused on results-based compliance and helps clients in regulated product markets navigate both trade and regulatory business hurdles, to optimize growth opportunities inside and outside of Canada.
Due to her unique expertise, Martha is also known in the Canadian cannabis industry as an expert on trade, advertising, marketing and regulatory issues for cannabis products, hemp, and related products.
A former adjunct professor of international arbitration at Queen’s University and MBA sessional instructor at DeGroote School of Business, Martha regularly speaks on matters related to trade, consumer regulation and international arbitration. She was also selected by the Government of Canada to be listed on the roster of arbitrators to serve on panels established under Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 2013, she was named one of Lexpert’s Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 and is recognized as a leading Canadian international trade lawyer by a number of industry and peer-review directories.
Martha received her LLM from The University of Toronto in 2005, her LLB in 2001 from the University of Windsor, and her M.A. and her B.A. from York University in 1998 and 1997 respectively. She was called to the bar in Ontario in 2002.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Beyond Borders: Protecting Retail Supply Chains Amid Trade Uncertainty
Martin Ebel
Vice President, Division Counsel
Martin focuses on employment discrimination issues as Senior Counsel for Albertsons. Prior to this role, he served in the EEOC for more than 10 years, including roles as the COO and field management directorships. He also served in a variety of roles for organizations that advocate for disability rights, such as the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, National Amputee Golf Association, and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board. He holds a JD from Boston College.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Scanning for Risk: Decoding the New EEOC's Enforcement Agenda for Retail
Matt Clark
Shareholder
Matt Clark is a shareholder and serves as the US Co-chair of Dentons' Corporate Group and as the Dentons US Region Sector Leader for Consumer Products & Services. With extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions, he also holds the position of Co-chair of Dentons' US Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practice, along with leading the Dentons US Retail and Consumer Products initiative. With a track record in advising investors, companies, and executive teams across the corporate lifecycle, Matt's practice is anchored in providing strategic counsel on complex commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Going Global: What Every Counsel Must Know Before Entering New Territories
Meaghan Kent
Partner
Meaghan Kent is a seasoned intellectual property (IP) litigator and counselor who advises media, consumer product, and software companies on IP protection, risks, and claims, with notable experience regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright. Meaghan counsels clients on the development and protection of IP portfolios, including copyright registration, licensing, clearance, and fair use analysis, especially as they relate to complex and emerging issues in digital media and AI.
She frequently advises on issues specific to online content providers, including the legal protections offered by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Communications Decency Act for user-generated content, as well as liability concerns related to linking, sharing, distributing, embedding, moderating, and aggregating content.
Meaghan represents clients in a wide array of IP litigation, including complex copyright, trademark, right of publicity, and other related disputes in federal court. She has years of experience in bench and jury trials as well as appeals. Meaghan is also experienced in representing clients before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the International Trade Commission (ITC), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the National Arbitration Forum.
Over the last several years, Meaghan has cultivated a robust artificial intelligence (AI) practice, with a focus on generative AI and the development, use, and license of datasets. She has comprehensive knowledge of AI policies and generative AI tool development and use and counsels regarding pending legislation, regulations, and AI policy development. She also counsels clients through online disputes involving cyberpiracy and domain name matters, regularly pursuing UDRP matters, and advising on keyword advertising, meta tagging, click fraud issues, and publicity matters involving social media, while providing large-scale brand enforcement and protection.Kent Meaghan
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mhkent@Venable.com
Washington, DC
T +1 202.344.4481
Meaghan Kent is a seasoned intellectual property (IP) litigator and counselor who advises media, consumer product, and software companies on IP protection, risks, and claims, with notable experience regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright. Meaghan counsels clients on the development and protection of IP portfolios, including copyright registration, licensing, clearance, and fair use analysis, especially as they relate to complex and emerging issues in digital media and AI.
She frequently advises on issues specific to online content providers, including the legal protections offered by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Communications Decency Act for user-generated content, as well as liability concerns related to linking, sharing, distributing, embedding, moderating, and aggregating content.
Meaghan represents clients in a wide array of IP litigation, including complex copyright, trademark, right of publicity, and other related disputes in federal court. She has years of experience in bench and jury trials as well as appeals. Meaghan is also experienced in representing clients before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the International Trade Commission (ITC), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the National Arbitration Forum.
Over the last several years, Meaghan has cultivated a robust artificial intelligence (AI) practice, with a focus on generative AI and the development, use, and license of datasets. She has comprehensive knowledge of AI policies and generative AI tool development and use and counsels regarding pending legislation, regulations, and AI policy development. She also counsels clients through online disputes involving cyberpiracy and domain name matters, regularly pursuing UDRP matters, and advising on keyword advertising, meta tagging, click fraud issues, and publicity matters involving social media, while providing large-scale brand enforcement and protection.
Friday October 10, 2025
11:20 AM - 12:30 PM
| Ethical Frontiers: AI and the Attorney’s Role in a Changing World
Melanie Bonanno
Senior Director, Employment Law
Bonanno’s more than 20 years of legal experience began as an attorney at FordHarrison LLP in 1999. From that firm, Bonanno joined Publix’s legal team in 2003. Bonanno started working in her current role as Director of Employment Law in 2016, where she leads a team of attorneys, managers and investigators who are responsible for all employment-related legal work at Publix. Bonanno earned a law degree with honors from the University of Florida College of Law.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Wage and Hour Class Actions: Emerging Trends, Pitfalls, and Defense Strategies
Meredith Slawe
Partner
Ms. Slawe often secures early victories to help clients avoid protracted litigation, including by developing strategies that prompt plaintiffs to dismiss their claims, achieving early dismissals through motion practice, compelling arbitration, defeating class certification and obtaining dismissals at summary judgment. Ms. Slawe also advises retailers and consumer-facing companies on risk mitigation measures in a host of areas, including data privacy, website and mobile app engagement, pricing and fees, customer communications, and advertising and marketing practices, as well as in connection with artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.
Clients regularly turn to Ms. Slawe for her extensive knowledge of cutting-edge privacy and consumer protection issues under federal and state statutes. Prior to joining Skadden, she served as head of her previous firm’s retail industry practice and co-head of its class actions practice, giving her deep experience in advising retailers and consumer companies on class actions and mitigating litigation and enforcement risk. She has handled matters in several jurisdictions involving compliance with federal and state laws, including the Video Privacy Protection Act, the Biometric Information Privacy Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the Federal Wiretap Act, the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act, among many others.
Ms. Slawe was elected to the American Law Institute and the American Bar Foundation and has been the recipient of numerous legal awards and accolades, including from The American Lawyer, Benchmark Litigation and The Legal 500. She is frequently invited to speak and write on issues pertaining to class actions, mass arbitration, privacy, consumer arbitration and the retail industry. Additionally, she has been a guest lecturer on privacy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and has presented on class actions at the Annenberg School of Communications and Villanova University Law School.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Keep Your Friends Close . . . Mass Arbitration
Merriann Metz
Senior Vice President, General Counsel
Merriann Metz has been at Publix since 2006, starting as an attorney in the corporate legal department before being promoted to Senior Attorney in 2010, and to Assistant General Counsel in 2011. Metz brings a wealth of experience to the role, having graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 2002, and working as an attorney with the Lowndes Drosdick law firm in Orlando, FL.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:00 PM - 3:10 PM
| Welcome to the 2025 Retail Law Conference
Michael Menitove
Partner
In recognition of Mr. Menitove’s work, he has been named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers and 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers.
Mr. Menitove represents clients in litigation, including class actions and appeals, involving allegations of monopolization, price fixing, other restraints of trade and merger challenges. He provides antitrust counseling, including with regard to joint ventures and other competitor collaborations, distribution agreements and the exercise of intellectual property rights. He also represents clients in government investigations.
Mr. Menitove has extensive experience representing professional sports leagues in litigation and counseling on their business practices and agreements, including matters involving licensing, broadcasting and enforcement of league rules. He has represented the National Hockey League in several matters, including in a putative class action and individual lawsuits brought on behalf of former NHL players alleging that they were not adequately warned about the potential long-term risks of concussions and subconcussive impacts. Mr. Menitove also has represented the National Football League and its teams in a variety of matters, including arbitrations involving disputes with players and other team personnel. In addition, he has represented the PGA TOUR, Inc. in several matters, including in a lawsuit filed by golfer Vijay Singh alleging that the TOUR failed to properly administer its Anti-Doping Program.
Mr. Menitove co-authored “Private Litigation and Government Rhetoric Signal Increased Legal Headaches Under the Robinson-Patman Act,” which was recognized as Best Business Article (Private Enforcement) at Concurrences’ 2025 Antitrust Writing Awards.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Pricing Algorithms and Antitrust Risk
Michelle Kallen
Partner
Michelle Kallen, the former Solicitor General of Virginia, co-chairs Steptoe's Appeals and Advocacy practice. Building on her deep administrative law knowledge and her experience in both state and federal government, Michelle helps clients navigate complex matters before federal and state appellate courts. Leading companies in the technology, aerospace and defense, and transportation industries benefit from Michelle's unique insight into multistate and constitutional litigation matters, and award-winning appellate work.
Michelle regularly litigates matters in the US Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Eastern District of Virginia, and other state and federal courts. Michelle also served as lead counsel in the Commonwealth's election matters and in litigation to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution.
Michelle's past public service includes serving as Special Litigation Counsel in the US House of Representatives, where she successfully defended the House, House committees, and individual members in high-profile matters involving separation of powers and the scope of Congressional subpoenas.
Clients benefit from Michelle’s deep understanding of regulatory proceedings, knowledge of the inner workings of government and administrative agencies, and experience both defending and challenging regulatory actions. She uses this skillset to assist clients in strategically navigating litigation crises and controversial challenges at the intersection of law, law enforcement, and government regulation.
Michelle speaks regularly on a wide variety of topics including constitutional law, state and federal regulations, appellate cases, crypto currency, and equal rights. She maintains an active pro bono practice and is committed to serving her community. Michelle serves as a mentor for The Appellate Project and has litigated pro bono cases on behalf of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She is also a founding member of the Ad Idem Corporate Counsel Network, the Washington Area Women Trial Attorneys, and the Women Lawyers on Guard.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
| Beyond the Till: Embedded Payments, Crypto, and Retail’s Financial Future
Michelle Vaughan
Senior Counsel
Michelle has over 15 years of experience in the legal field dealing with constitutional, political, employment, regulatory, and commercial law. She has worked for federal agencies, law firms, and the federal judiciary. In her roles she has litigated, written regulations, and provided counsel to various corporations, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal entities on issues involving contracts, compliance, legislation, risk, and policy. Michelle Vaughan currently serves as head of litigation, product, and regulatory compliance at REI, where she collaborates closely with REI’s internal and external brand partners and defends the Co-op in the many types of litigation that retailers face in our current environment. In addition to working with cross-divisional partners on various Co-op wide compliance initiatives, she also provides support to REI's Sustainability and Supply Chain groups on various trade compliance and forced labor issues. Michelle received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Health Plan Apocalypse? What Retirement Plan Litigation Can Tell Us About the Coming Wave of Health Plan Class Actions
Mike McTigue
Partner
Mr. McTigue is one of the country’s preeminent class action defense litigators and is widely regarded for his work representing companies in high-stakes litigation and mass arbitration matters. He has represented leading businesses across a range of industries, including retail, financial services, telecommunications, media and entertainment, sports and hospitality, technology, and pharmaceuticals/life sciences.
Mr. McTigue has a successful record of obtaining early dismissals and plaintiffs’ voluntarily dismissal of claims, defending cases on the merits, defeating class certification, negotiating favorable individual settlements and curtailing the efforts of professional litigants. He routinely defends clients in matters that involve federal and state statutes, including the Video Privacy Protection Act, the Biometric Information Privacy Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the Federal Wiretap Act, the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, among many others.
In recognition of his work, he has been repeatedly recognized by the BTI Consulting Group, Benchmark Litigation and The Legal Intelligencer for client service and contributions to the legal profession. He has also been named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America and a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer.
For several years, he has co-authored the USA chapter of the International Comparative Legal Guide to Consumer Protection Laws and Regulations. Additionally, he has been a guest lecturer on privacy and class action litigation at Villanova University School of Law and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Prior to joining Skadden, Mr. McTigue held numerous leadership roles at his previous firms, including serving as litigation practice head.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| Keep Your Friends Close . . . Mass Arbitration
Monica Welt
Incoming 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 was the retailer’s top compliance leader and assistant corporate secretary, leading legal, compliance and corporate governance strategies for the $6 billion public company. Among her responsibilities were leading cross-functional activities, including supporting the retailer’s omnichannel strategy, establishing oversight for sourcing operations abroad, and co-leading the company’s nationwide response to COVID.
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.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
4:40 PM - 5:30 PM
| Agile by Design: Leading Legal Teams with Purpose and Precision
Nici Workman
Partner
Nici is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and chair of the firm’s finance practice. Her practice focuses on commercial and structured finance matters, representing national and regional banks and public company and other large corporate borrowers in a wide range of financing transactions including syndicated and multi-currency credit facilities, asset-based lending facilities, acquisition financings, leveraged ESOPs, mezzanine financings, mortgage warehousing facilities and securitizations.
In addition, Nici regularly represents financial institutions and corporate end-users, including public companies, energy companies, manufacturing companies and retailers, in connection with derivative transactions under the ISDA Master Agreement and its related suite of documents, including drafting and negotiating related Schedules and Credit Support Annexes, and related regulatory matters under Title VII of Dodd-Frank, including the negotiation of Futures and Options Agreements and Cleared Derivatives Transactions Addenda with FCMs in connection with mandatory derivatives clearing under Dodd-Frank.
Nici has been recognized multiple times by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in banking and finance and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America as a Banking and Finance Law “Lawyer of the Year” for 2024. Nici is also a member of the ESOP Association.
In addition to her finance practice, Nici is the immediate past chair of the Vorys Women's Network and, in 2019, was one of only 15 attorneys nationally to be included on the shortlist for the Chambers Gender Diversity Lawyer of the Year award.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Partnering for Success: A Practical Guide for Retail Counsel on Finance Transactions and Related Legal Issues
Olivier Manigat
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Global Retail and Technology
Olivier manages global retail and technology as Associate General Counsel at MillerKnoll. Prior companies include the XFL, Heineken, Major League Soccer, and the United Football League. He holds a JD from Cardozo.
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| retAIl: You Can’t Spell Retail Without AI
Omar Haroun
Co-Founder and CEO
Omar Haroun is the co-founder and CEO of Eudia, the leading AI platform for Fortune 500 chief legal officers. Under Omar's leadership, Eudia has achieved record revenue growth and raised over $105 million in capital from top investors including General Catalyst, Sierra Ventures, and Floodgate. Eudia made waves in the industry by launching Eudia Counsel, the first AI-native law firm in 2025.
Previously, Omar co-founded Text IQ, the first AI company to gain traction with Fortune 500 legal departments. Text IQ was acquired by Relativity in 2021. After the acquisition, Omar led AI strategy at Relativity, advising on AI adoption, ethical considerations, and legal innovation.
A recognized authority at the intersection of AI, business, and ethics, Omar frequently speaks and guest lectures at Stanford University, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, and Oxford Univeristy on topics related to AI, ethics, and the law. He holds a JD and MBA from Columbia University, an MA from Oxford, and a BA from UC Berkeley. Omar is also a recipient of the White House Champions of Change Award.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:10 PM - 3:55 PM
| Legal Disruption Decoded: Rethinking Practice in a Tech-Driven Era
Paul DeCamp
Member of the Firm
A past Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Wage and Hour Division, attorney Paul DeCamp represents employers in complex wage and hour class and mass actions and government investigations. He also pushes back when agencies overstep, including obtaining one of the first post-Chevron appellate decisions vacating a federal regulation.
He has also spent nearly 30 years counseling employers to prepare for scrutiny of their pay practices.
Paul draws on his experience in private practice and as the former chief federal officer, appointed by the President of the United States, responsible for interpreting and enforcing the nation’s wage and hour laws, to give clients a 360-degree view of their challenges, quantify their risk, and create plans and solutions that align with their business objectives. He is a go-to advisor for his clients’ most pressing wage and hour issues.
Paul uses his strategic insight into wage and hour public policy and government agency enforcement practices to help employers understand how plaintiffs’ counsel and regulators perceive their pay practices. He has defended large private employers and government contractors in federal court cases concerning pay practices for exempt, non-exempt, and tipped employees, as well as independent contractors. Paul’s creative and forceful arguments have blocked class certification attempts and led the DOL to revise its interpretation of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provisions. When responding to an investigation, his strong relationships with key DOL personnel and other federal and state agencies give clients the advantage of further consideration and review of their matter.
Clients also rely on Paul’s day-to-day advice on wage and hour matters ranging from discrete questions involving a single employee to nationwide evaluations affecting thousands of workers. Additionally, he assists clients with pay practice audits and corporate transaction due diligence.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Wage and Hour Class Actions: Emerging Trends, Pitfalls, and Defense Strategies
Phyllis Hurwitz Marcus
Vice President, National Advertising Division
Phyllis Hurwitz Marcus serves as Vice President, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division.
In this role, Marcus leads a team of attorneys and professionals at BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division holding national advertising across all media types to high standards of truth and accuracy by reviewing truth-in-advertising challenges from businesses, trade associations, consumers, or on its own initiative. Through its work, thousands of misleading advertising claims have been removed from the marketplace and its case decisions represent the single largest body interpreting advertising law in the country.
Recognized as a Leader in Advertising: Transactional & Regulatory by Chambers USA (2021- 2024), one of the Top 10 Advertising: Transactional & Regulatory Lawyers in the USA, Business Today (2023), and a Media and Advertising Law Trailblazer by The National Law Journal (2023), Marcus comes to BBB National Programs from Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP, where as a Washington, DC-based partner she led the firm’s Advertising Compliance and Counseling team, focusing her practice on understanding and meeting the clients’ advertising needs, from the initial development of a claim to its ultimate defense in the marketplace. Marcus also led the Children’s Privacy practice at Hunton.
Prior to joining Hunton in 2015, Marcus served for 17 years at the FTC, where she was Chief of Staff for Advertising Practices and leader of the FTC’s children’s privacy regulatory and enforcement program. While at the FTC, Marcus oversaw the agency’s advertising workload; led investigations into deceptive health and safety claims, product endorsements, and disclosures; and handled congressional testimony regarding FTC advertising initiatives.
Marcus is a frequent author and sought-after speaker on advertising and children privacy issues, including their intersection with other areas of law, such as the internet and social media, and the metaverse and AI. She has spoken at conferences across the country and been interviewed numerous times by media outlets.
Marcus is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and earned her juris doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. Earlier in her career, she clerked for the Honorable John C. Eldridge of the Supreme Court of Maryland, was a litigation associate at a major law firm, and legal director for a prominent foundation.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| What Retail Counsel Need to Know about Advertising Law — a 360° Perspective with the NAD, In-House, and Outside Experts
Roland Vogl
Executive Director, CodeX - the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics; Executive Director, the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology
Dr. Roland Vogl is a scholar, lawyer and entrepreneur who, after more than twenty years of academic and professional experience, has developed a strong expertise in legal informatics, intellectual property law and innovation. Currently, he is Executive Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology and a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School. He focuses his efforts on legal informatics work carried out in the Center for Legal Informatics (CodeX), which he co-founded and leads as Executive Director. Dr. Vogl is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Vienna, Austria and where he teaches about U.S. intellectual property law and at Bocconi University in Italy where he teaches computational law. Dr. Vogl is also actively involved in the rapidly growing legal tech industry. He was named to the American Bar Association Journal’s “Legal Rebels,” a highly-regarded group of legal innovators and he was previously selected as one of the Fastcase 50. Dr. Vogl is on the Board of Directors of Merico, LexCheck, and IPNexus and on the advisory board of Thomson Reuters, Midpage.ai, Lawgood and Clairvolex. Previously, he co-founded and served as CFOO of Vator, Inc. and SIPX, Inc., a copyright technology company which was acquired by ProQuest in 2015. His experience also includes working as the first teaching fellow of Stanford Law School’s international LLM degree program in Law, Science and Technology, as an IP associate at Fenwick & West LLP, as a press associate at the European Parliament and as a law clerk at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Audiovisual Media, Information and Communication. Vogl holds both a Dr.iur. (JSD) and a Mag.iur. (JD) from Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Austria as well as a JSM from Stanford Law School.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:10 PM - 3:55 PM
| Legal Disruption Decoded: Rethinking Practice in a Tech-Driven Era
Sachin Kohli
Partner
Sachin Kohli is a partner in Weil’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice in New York, where he represents public and private companies as well as private equity funds in a broad range of complex acquisitions and divestitures, while also advising on general corporate matters such as reporting requirements, governance issues, defensive strategies, and other strategic considerations. He is recognized as a leading M&A practitioner, having been recommended by Legal 500 US, named a “Rising Star” by IFLR1000, Law360, and Super Lawyers, and included on Lawdragon 500 X’s 2024 “Next Generation” list and The M&A Advisor’s 2017 “Emerging Leaders.” Sachin serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University at Buffalo School of Law and is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Control Contests. He earned his J.D./M.B.A., magna cum laude, from the University at Buffalo, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Buffalo Law Review.
Thursday October 9, 2025
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Retail M&A: Deal Trends and Litigation Lessons
Sara Chenetz
Partner
In and out of courts throughout the country, Sara Chenetz guides clients through restructurings, workouts, and litigation, including identifying investment prospects, recovering amounts owed, enhancing business relationships, and improving governance and capital structures.
Sara has first-chaired multiple trials, arbitrations, and mediations. She has also served as a court-appointed Chapter 11 trustee in the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Central District of California and District of Nevada. She serves as a mediator in bankruptcy cases in California and elsewhere.
Sara guides troubled businesses, their officers and directors, lien holders, buyers of assets, parties doing business with troubled businesses, official committees, trustees, assignees, and others. Clients benefit from Sara's niche knowledge in a variety of areas and industries, including entertainment, fintech, media, real estate, senior living, technology, and wine.
Ranked by Chambers USA, Sara was noted as "an outstanding lawyer and client manager; she is an excellent active listener, facilitator, and solutionist - she always provides practical strategies and solutions that move a matter forward" by a client.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Turning the Tide: Navigating Financial Distress and Transformation
Sarah Bruno
Partner
Sarah is a trusted advisor to companies in the entertainment, technology, beauty, consumer product and health care spaces in the fields of privacy, intellectual property (IP) and advertising.
She is routinely evaluating client products and concepts and developing protection strategies, considering how to collect, use and store any data as a result of the launch, and advising on online and offline marketing tactics, including issues involving the metaverse.
As product concepts and marketing strategies have become more sophisticated and complex, navigating the legal landscape has become increasingly challenging for any global business. Sarah partners with her clients to provide practical and efficient counsel to help navigate the patchwork of laws that impact the launch of any new technology, product or platform in all forms of media.
On the privacy side, Sarah counsels in all areas of data security and privacy, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), Virginia’s Data Protection Act, and Colorado’s Data Privacy Act. She assists clients with data audits, and developing governance systems that depend upon jurisdictional issues as well as the nature of the data. Sarah also advises guidance from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), cross-border data transfer issues, children’s data (including COPPA compliance), AI data collection and use, as well as claims involving the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA). Sarah routinely assists clients with data incident preparation and response. In this capacity, she drafts and reviews policies and advises on compliance measures; she also prepares and conducts trainings, drafts governance documents, and attends internal meetings to advise on the strategies for collection and using data. On the advertising side, her experience includes reviewing advertisements and claims, advising on unfair and deceptive trade practices, considering the FTC guidance and state laws impacting loyalty and incentive programs and related offers, arguing cases in front of the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau and considering NAD guidance as it relates to claims or programs offered by companies in the beauty, health and consumer product spaces. Finally, Sarah advises her clients on the IP protection of their products, and works to develop strategies for protection under trademark, copyright and patent laws both in the U.S. and abroad.
Sarah named a Top Cyber Lawyer and a Top Intellectual Property Lawyer in California by the Daily Journal in 2018 - 2020. The Daily Journal has also named her among the Top Women Lawyers in California for her work in advertising, intellectual property, and privacy.
Sarah is a Certified privacy professional (CIPP/US) and a member of IAPP. She was a Global Board Member for the International Social Media Association (ISMA).
Thursday October 9, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
| retAIl: You Can’t Spell Retail Without AI
Sarah La Voi
Partner
Sarah La Voi co-leads the firm’s national Retail team from Chicago. As a partner on the Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media team, she focuses her practice on commercial negotiations within the advertising ecosystem, including agency agreements, media buys and activations, brand collaborations, sponsorships, digital marketing, influencer protocols, intellectual property and dispute resolution. Business-focused and practical, Sarah counsels clients on forming strategic brand partnerships and creating in-house systems to manage clearance risk operationally. She also assists with retail media networks, brand standards and advertising review and compliance.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Media Networks: Flipping the Liability Script
Scott Binnings
Associate General Counsel, Safety & Core Services
Scott Binnings is an Associate General Counsel at Uber, based in the company’s San Francisco headquarters. He leads Uber’s global legal work on payments, safety, identity, fraud, insurance, and customer support. His team supports Uber’s adoption of varied payment methods in more than 70 countries, giving him a unique perspective on global payments centered on technology, access, and trust.
Scott also oversees regulatory engagements and insurance litigation across the United States and Canada, Latin America, EMEA, and APAC. Since joining Uber in 2015, he has held roles advising global safety and risk programs and managing regulatory matters in the Central US and for (then) emerging businesses such as Uber Eats.
Before Uber, Scott spent nearly a decade in private practice at major law firms in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in government oversight of the utility and energy industries and supported large-scale generation, transmission, and renewable energy projects.
Scott holds degrees from the College of William & Mary and Tulane University Law School. He is a member of the New York and DC Bars and is registered as in-house counsel in California.
Wednesday October 8, 2025
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
| Beyond the Till: Embedded Payments, Crypto, and Retail’s Financial Future
Scott Staff
Business Development Director
As business development director for Perkins Coie, Scott is a leader in driving the firm’s growth strategies for its Retail & Consumer Products and Private Equity practices.
With more than 20 years of experience, Scott Staff is a trusted advisor for many partners in the firm. He also provides business development leadership for a number of industry related initiatives.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Turning the Tide: Navigating Financial Distress and Transformation
Selena Spritz
Senior Director and Managing Counsel - Retail and Intellectual Property
Leads Intellectual Property group with respect to Walgreens’ trademark, copyright, and domain name portfolios, including clearance, prosecution, monitoring, and enforcement worldwide. Supports the marketing, digital and private-label businesses of Walgreen Co. and advises business partners in all legal aspects of advertising, marketing, intellectual property, consumer product regulations, e-commerce, loyalty and subscription programs, privacy, and data protection.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Retail Media Networks: Flipping the Liability Script
Steven Gazdag
Assistant Legal Counsel
Steven serves as Associate Legal Counsel at Abercrombie. Prior roles include associateships at Jones Day, in addition to risk management experience at PwC and PNC. He holds a JD from Ohio State.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Partnering for Success: A Practical Guide for Retail Counsel on Finance Transactions and Related Legal Issues
Suzanne Whisler
Vice President, Legal
Suzanne has been with Designer Brands for over 7 years in a variety of legal roles. Pror to this, she served as a partner at Carpenter Lipps & Leland. She holds a JD from Ohio State and a BA in economics from the University of Chicago.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Partnering for Success: A Practical Guide for Retail Counsel on Finance Transactions and Related Legal Issues
Tamula Yelling
Senior Managing Counsel and Director, Compliance
Tam has served at Hibbett for more than 8 yeasrs. She is also a panel arbitrator for AAA. She also formerly served as a partner with the law firm of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, covering employment matters. Tam earned her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Spelman College and her J.D. degree from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University. Tam has experience in representing plaintiffs in cases involving claims of sexual harassment and disability, age, religion, race and sex discrimination and violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as cases involving claims of retaliatory discharge, invasion of privacy, negligent supervision, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract. Tam was a hearing officer for the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, Alabama, and she served as adjunct faculty at Samford University.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| Trash Talk: Defending Junk Fee Litigation
Tania Mistretta
Principal
Tania J. Mistretta is a principal in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and the co-leader of the firm’s Retail industry group. She partners closely with national and local clients to advise on challenging workplace law issues, providing strategic advice on how to achieve business objectives while ensuring compliance with the law.
As a member of the Disability, Leave and Health Management practice group, Tania specializes in offering preventative advice on disability-related and leave management issues. She also assists employers with understanding the evolving federal, state and local leave laws to efficiently manage requests for accommodations and leave. She regularly advises employers on a broad range of employee issues, including performance counseling, separations and reductions in force, and helps them implement policies to stay in compliance with increasing changes to the law.
Tania maintains an active litigation practice representing clients in workplace disputes before federal and state courts, in arbitration, and before administrative agencies.
Tania also conducts interactive and engaging training programs for executive leadership teams, managers, employees, and human resource professionals on workplace topics ranging from discrimination and harassment prevention; conducting workplace investigations, and best practices.
Whether it be advising on day-to-day issues, or developing policies and being available as needed, Tania prides herself on her responsiveness and tailored approach to accomplishing each client’s goals.
While attending law school, Tania competed nationally on the Moot Court Trial Team and served as executive production editor for the Notre Dame Law School Journal of Legislation.
Thursday October 9, 2025
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
| Fostering Healthy Workplace Cultures
Tim Cheatham
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Friday October 10, 2025
8:30 AM - 9:20 AM
| Workforce in Focus: Trends Shaping Labor & Employment Law
Todd Hartman
Chief Legal & 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.
Thursday October 9, 2025
8:00 AM - 8:50 AM
| Under the Microscope: Managing Government Investigations with Confidence
Tritia Murata
Partner
Tritia Murata is a seasoned California litigator who defends businesses against employment class actions and other complex lawsuits, specializing in wage-and-hour cases. Recognized as an "Employment MVP" (Law360) and a "trailblazer" in employment litigation (National Law Journal), Tritia is the go-to attorney for employers seeking to defeat class certification as well as high-exposure actions brought under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Widely regarded as an expert on PAGA actions, Tritia led the team that secured a complete defense win for a retail grocery client in a seminal PAGA suitable seating trial. This trial win was upheld in a landmark California appellate decision confirming that PAGA actions are equitable and triable to the court, not a jury. In addition to her class action practice, Tritia's litigation experience includes representing employers in cases alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and trade secrets misappropriation. Tritia is also a trusted advisor outside of the courtroom. She provides practical labor and employment advice tailored to specific clients across various industries – from the technology, healthcare, and financial services sectors to restaurants and retail – addressing issues such as wage-and-hour compliance, trade secrets, employee discipline, and strategies for ironclad employment policies and procedures.
Across the board, Tritia is known for using bold and effective strategies to win cases and obtain favorable outcomes that align with her clients' business objectives. Tritia invests time to understand her clients' businesses, priorities, and goals, and she leverages her deep substantive knowledge and subject matter expertise to develop creative solutions to her clients' toughest problems.
An alumna of UCLA Law, Tritia is well-regarded in the California legal community. She has been named to the California Most Powerful & Influential Women list by the National Diversity Council and California Diversity Council and has served in leadership roles for various DEI committees and initiatives. She helped launch the Los Angeles Summer Legal Institute, a youth-centered immersion program run by Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization, whose goal is to help people from underrepresented socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds enter the legal profession. Tritia is passionate about mentoring and helping others find success and satisfaction in their legal careers and beyond.
Thursday October 9, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
| How to Get Ahead in Navigating a New Frontier of PAGA Actions
Warren Maruyama
Senior Counsel, Global Regulatory
Recognized as a leader in international trade law and policy, Warren Maruyama’s practice focuses on advising clients on U.S. trade law and negotiations, including the Trump Administration's Section 301, 201, and 232 tariffs, U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), WTO disputes, IEEPA, Section 301 tariff exclusions, and FTA negotiations. He has advised U.S. and multinational firms on how to use U.S. trade law, WTO disputes, and FTA and bilateral negotiations to address market access barriers.
Thursday October 9, 2025
10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
| Beyond Borders: Protecting Retail Supply Chains Amid Trade Uncertainty
Willy Jay
Partner
Willy Jay is a partner in Goodwin’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice. After ten years leading that practice, he recently became co-chair of Goodwin’s broader Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice. Willy uses his deep experience litigating before the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals, including more than 95 oral arguments, to help clients formulate winning appellate strategy. Prior to joining Goodwin in 2012, Willy served for five years as Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice. In that capacity, he handled Supreme Court and appellate matters for a wide variety of federal agencies, including every Cabinet Department and numerous executive and independent agencies. Previously, he was a litigation associate with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in its Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group. He holds a JD from Harvard Law School.
Thursday October 9, 2025
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
| Supreme Court Watch: Retail-Relevant Rulings and What Lies Ahead
