Women in Law Section

 

Val Ackerman

Commissioner, Big East Conference

New York, NY 

Val Ackerman was named the fifth Commissioner of the Big East Conference on June 26, 2013. She was the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and is a past President of USA Basketball, which oversees the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic basketball program.  She has had a long and accomplished career in the sports industry and is one of the few executives in sports who has held leadership positions in both men’s and women’s sports at the collegiate, professional, national team and international levels.

While at the helm of the BIG EAST, Val has presided over the rebirth of the conference following the decision in 2012 of seven then-current BIG EAST schools (DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova) to separate from the original BIG EAST Conference and align with Butler, Creighton and Xavier to form the present configuration.   She led the relocation of the conference office to its current site in New York City and has managed the BIG EAST’s fruitful partnerships with Fox Sports, which provides wall-to-wall coverage annually of BIG EAST men’s basketball on FOX, FS1 and FS2, and with Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the conference’s men’s basketball tournament since 1983.  In 2018, the BIG EAST and MSG entered into a venue agreement extension that will keep the Garden as the home of the BIG EAST tournament through 2028.  In 2019, Val also led the negotiations which resulted in the return to the BIG EAST of the University of Connecticut, one of the conference’s charter members, effective July 1, 2020.

Following its return to its basketball-centric heritage, the BIG EAST has continued its national excellence in the sport over the past seven years, with nine of the league’s 10 men’s basketball programs receiving NCAA tournament bids since 2013-14 and Villanova winning the national championship in 2016 and 2018.   Other BIG EAST team athletics accomplishments since reconfiguration include national titles for Providence in women’s cross country in 2013 and for Georgetown in men’s soccer in 2019.

Conference initiatives launched under Val’s leadership include the BIG EAST Digital Network, which carries more than 200 live sports contests annually;  BIG EAST Serves, the conference’s student-athlete development and community service platform; non-conference men’s basketball scheduling challenges with the Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference; an officiating alliance with the Atlantic Coast Conference and seven other Division I conferences; the annual BIG EAST Student-Athlete Well-Being Forum, which provides guidance on a wide range of student-athlete wellness matters;  a conference-wide e-sports initiative; BE the Change, a diversity, equity and inclusion platform; Freshmen Fundamentals and Transition Game, league-wide programs designed to assist men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes, respectively, in their endeavors off the court; and BIG EAST University, a career and professional development module.

Val attended the University of Virginia as one of the school’s first female student-athlete scholarship recipients. She was a four-year starter, three-time captain and two-time Academic All-American for the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball team and the first 1,000-point scorer in the program’s history.  She graduated with high distinction with a degree in political and social thought in 1981 and played one year of professional basketball in France before earning a law degree from UCLA in 1985.

Val started her legal career as a corporate and banking associate at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and joined the National Basketball Association as a staff attorney in 1988. She was as an executive at the NBA for eight years, serving as Special Assistant to NBA Commissioner David Stern and Director (and later) Vice President of Business Affairs before being named the WNBA’s first President in 1996. She guided the league to a much-heralded launch in 1997 and headed its day-to-day operations for its first eight seasons.

In 2005, Val was elected President of USA Basketball for the 2005-08 term, leading the organization to an overall competitive record of 222-23 and gold medal performances by the U.S. men’s and women’s basketball teams at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She was one of the NBA’s original appointees to the USA Basketball Board of Directors in 1989 and served as an organizational liaison with USAB during the early years of NBA participation in national team competitions, including the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and 1994 World Championships. A USA Basketball Board member for 23 years, Val played a key role in the long-standing success of the U.S. women’s national basketball team program, which during her term won gold medals at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 FIBA World Championships and the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In 2013, Val was named the recipient of USA Basketball’s Edward S. Steitz Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in international basketball.

Val also served two terms (2006-10 and 2010-2014) as the U.S. representative for men’s and women’s basketball on the Central Board of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport’s world governing body.  She was a member of FIBA’s Competition Commission and served on the Central Board of FIBA Americas, FIBA’s zone authority for North, Central and South America. She also served from 2017-19 as an at-large member of the U.S. Soccer Federation Board of Directors.

Val served on the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics from 2005-2017 and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee from 2014-2019. In 2019, she was appointed co-chair of the NCAA Federal and State Legislation Working Group, which was tasked with examining the NCAA’s rules relating to student athlete name, image and likeness.  The Working Group’s efforts led to a report in 2020 recommending ground-breaking new NIL opportunities; the changes are expected to take effect in 2021.

Val is currently on the Board of Directors of Women Leaders in College Sports, which recognized her as Conference Administrator of the Year in 2018.  She is also on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, which inducted her as a contributor in 2011, and is a Lifetime Trustee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which presented her with the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.  She has done consulting work for the National Hockey League, which she assisted in 2011 in formulating a long-term plan to support women’s ice hockey, and the NCAA, for which she prepared a comprehensive white paper in 2013 on growth strategies for women’s college basketball.  She also worked as a free-lance columnist for ESPNW, where she authored a series of articles on the subject of women and sports and participated as a member of the inaugural ESPNW Advisory Board.

Val’s accomplishments in the sports business have earned her numerous awards, including the University of Virginia’s Distinguished Alumna Award; the March of Dimes Sports Achievement Award; induction into the GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame; the Girls Scouts of America National Women of Distinction Juliette Award; the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund Equal Opportunity Award; inclusion on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 50th Anniversary Women’s Basketball team; induction into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame; the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association President’s Citation; the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award; the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Achievement Diploma; the Sports Business Journal Champions in Sports Business Award; inclusion as a Women’s Sports Foundation/ESPNW 40 for 40 Honoree; induction into the National Consortium for Academics and Sports Hall of Fame; the Women in Sports and Events (WISE) 20th Anniversary Women of Distinction Award; the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health Sports Ball Award; the Marquette School of Law Master of the Game Award; and the Emily Couric Leadership Award.  In 2016, Val received the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Billie Jean King Contribution Award for significant contributions to the development and advancement of women’s sports.

Val is married to Charlie Rappaport, a retired tax partner of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.  They have two daughters, Emily (a 2014 graduate of Yale) and Sally (a 2017 graduate of Wesleyan).

 

Mark Arthur Berman, Esq.

Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP

New York, NY

Mark Berman is a Partner in all of Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer’s Litigation Practices, as well as in its Cooperatives and Condominiums, Professional Liability, and Employment Law Practices. He heads the Technology Counseling Practice and co-heads the Title Litigation Practice.

A well-rounded litigator and dynamic communicator, Mr. Berman represents both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial disputes, ediscovery conflicts, real estate, employment and securities litigation. Mr. Berman is a seasoned appellate attorney and has been a court appointed discovery master in a significant business litigation. His broad experience gives him a comprehensive perspective, which allows him to quickly assess the options, spot obstacles, develop creative solutions, and position clients for successful outcomes.

A substantial part of Mr. Berman’s practice focuses on business, real estate and title litigation. He represents public and private companies, partnerships, lenders, real estate developers, property owners, condominiums, cooperatives and their sponsors, as well as individuals, in disputes related to breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, insurance, construction, licensing, and trespassing. He also resolves conflicts between shareholders, boards and managing agents. A leader in sophisticated title litigation, Mr. Berman represents title insurance companies, their insured owners and lenders, and agents.

 

J. David Canton, Esq.

Partner, Aaronson Rapport Feinstein & Deutsch, LLP

New York, NY

David Canton primarily represents hospitals and physicians in complex professional malpractice lawsuits and also practices in the areas of general liability and product liability litigation in the metropolitan region. Mr. Canton was elected to the partnership of Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch, LLC in 2016. He is admitted to the state bars of New York and New Jersey; the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York as well as the federal courts of New Jersey.

Highlights of significant results include:

• Torres v. Maimonides Medical Center, Supreme/Kings, 23285/11, defense verdict.
• Crawford v. Hoffman, 2008 NYLJ LEXIS 2898 (Supreme Court, 2008), partial summary judgment based upon lack of continuous treatment, New York Law Journal“Decision of Interest.”

Mr. Canton received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Seton Hall University and a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School, where he was an articles editor of the New York Law School Journal of International and Comparative Law. He has served as guest presenter on hospital risk management/avoidance topics.

 

Cyndie M. Chang, Esq.

Managing Partner, Duane Morris LLP 

Los Angeles, CA

Cyndie M. Chang is the Managing Partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Ms. Chang resolves and manages businesses challenges and risks. She advises and partners with clients to enforce their rights, mitigate exposure and litigate their commercial disputes involving complex, class action or B2B disputes involving contracts, products liability, product safety and recall, unfair competition, fraud, construction defect, trademarks, trade secrets, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California Proposition 65, COVID-19 and real estate. She also has a background advising insurance companies on environmental, asbestos, toxic tort and commercial general liability insurance coverage claims, as well as subrogation, contribution, bad faith, extracontractual and reinsurance disputes. Her services have spanned various industries, including fashion, retail, and consumer goods, financial services and banks, insurance, cannabis, manufacturing, energy, utilities, transportation, auto and telecommunications.

Ms. Chang has represented many public and private businesses, including Fortune 500 companies and celebrities, and has obtained favorable results serving as first chair in state and federal bench trials, jury trials and arbitration, leading joint defense groups in complex cases, and resolving cases through creative settlements and dispositive motions. Ms. Chang has also been featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal, Above the Law, Ms. JD,The American Lawyer, Diversity Journal, Diversity Executive, the Daily Journal and other legal publications.

She was recognized as 2019 Top 50 Women Super Lawyer in Southern California. In 2018, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) honored her with the EDGE Award for Greater Equality and Loyola Law School honored her with the Board of Governors’ Recognition Award. She was selected in 2018 as one of the “Most Influential Minority Lawyers” and nominated as a “Leader in Law” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA) awarded Ms. Chang with its first-ever Trailblazer award based on achievements in her legal career, her championing of issues affecting immigrants and other marginalized communities, and overall dedication to the APA community. She has been honored by Best Lawyers Magazine, Spring Edition 2016, as one of 15 women in the legal profession leading the charge for achievements in the practice and policy, on both local and national levels.  She was also recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the 2014 Top 100 Women Lawyers in California. The award honors 100 women lawyers whose extraordinary talent and experience are helping to shape industry and the law.  In 2014-2020, she received the “Super Lawyer” distinction in the Super Lawyers Magazine, an honor limited to no more than 5% of attorneys in the state. From 2010 to 2013, she was named a “Rising Star” in Los Angeles Magazine’s Super Lawyer Rising Star section, given to no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state, and in 2012-2017 was listed in its The Top LA Women Lawyers. She is also AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies that the lawyer’s reviewed peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards. The Recorder named Ms. Chang a “2013 Lawyer on the Fast Track.” Selections for the honor were based on attorneys’ career achievements and leadership roles within their practice, organization and community. Ms. Chang was also named in the Lawyers of Color Inaugural Hot List, which honored 100 early-to-mid-career minority attorneys for excellence in the legal profession. In addition, Ms. Chang was named the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (“NAPABA”) 2010 “Best Lawyers under 40,” awarded to 20 lawyers across the country.

Her service to the bar includes service as President of NAPABA for the 2016-2017 term. NAPABA is the national voice for the Asian American legal profession and represents the interests of over 50,000 Asian American lawyers and over 75 national, state, and local bar associations. She is also the Past President of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (“SCCLA”), one of the oldest and largest Asian-American bar associations in the country.

Ms. Chang currently serves as one of 12 Commissioners on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession (co-chairing the 2019 Margaret Brent Awards), a board member of the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL.”) and board director for Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She is an elected member of the Chancery Club (Los Angeles’ association of distinguished lawyers who have held position of honor and responsibility in legal, judicial, academic, governmental and civic organizations). She also has serves on the Joint Committee of Law Firm Partners and Corporate Counsel for the National Judicial College (“NJC”). She previously participated in the ABA’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (“TIPS”) 2010 Leadership Academy, selected with a group of approximately 20 lawyers in the nation identified to be emerging bar leaders. Further, Ms. Chang was appointed as the Vice-Chair of the ABA-TIPS Business Litigation Committee. In addition, she was her firm’s office Pro Bono Coordinator and an inaugural Fellow to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (“LCLD”), a dynamic leadership training program comprised of high-potential attorneys from major law firms and corporations in the country. She’s a past board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles (“APABA”). She is also aproud lifetime member of SCCLA and APAWLA, as well as continuing member of NAWL.

Ms. Chang was featured in the documentary Opening the Door: Personal Stories of Groundbreaking Los Angeles Lawyers and Judges, which was screened during the LA Law Library’s Pro Bono Week in October 2016. The Library also featured Ms. Chang in an exhibition during Pro Bono Week. This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.

Ms. Chang previously served as judicial extern to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Chang is a graduate of Loyola Law School, where she was a published Note and Comment Editor for the Entertainment Law Review, the Student Editor of the ABA Student Lawyer national magazine and a member of the National Moot Court Team and Scott Moot Court Honors Board. She previously was a member of the ABA Law Student Division Board of Governors, a liaison to the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession and an elected officer of the Loyola Student Bar Association. Further, Ms. Chang is a graduate, with honors, of Johns Hopkins University.

In the greater community, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Asian Pacific Community Fund (“APCF”), a non-profit organization that supports Asian Pacific Islander communities in need and generates funding for 29 affiliate agencies in Southern California. She also served on the Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA) Pro Bono Advisory Council. She represented AAAJ in a highly-publicized matter regarding the constitutionality of a proposed business sign ordinance favoring the use of English in the City of Monterey Park. Ms. Chang is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker.

 

Jennifer L. Ervin, Esq.

General Counsel, Clark Atlanta University

Atlanta, GA

Jennifer is the General Counsel for Clark Atlanta University, her alma mater and one of the nation’s oldest, most prominent historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) located on Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. In her role as the University’s General Counsel, Jennifer provides legal advice and counsel to Executive Cabinet members and their respective teams on all matters affecting the University, while honoring the University’s rich legacy and the contributions of the University’s alumni to local, regional and national social and economic progress.

Prior to joining the executive leadership team at Clark Atlanta in 2020, Jennifer served as the General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer for Shelby County Schools in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. In this role, Jennifer led a 22-member team of attorneys, paralegals and support staff and managed the day-to-day operations of the school district’s legal, policy, legislative and risk management teams. In August 2019, Jennifer was recognized and honored by the Shelby County Commission as the first African-American woman to serve as the General Counsel for Shelby County Schools in its over 150-year history.

Jennifer’s work in the education industry began during her time in the Atlanta office of the Memphis-based law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, PC, where she counseled educational institutions on the regulations governing Title IX grievance procedures, student confidentiality, and proper and comprehensive training of Title IX Coordinators and responsible employees; drafting and revising student and employee handbooks and Title IX grievance procedures; and providing ad hoc advice clients on issues involving the Higher Education Act, the Clery Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SAVE) Act of 2013. Jennifer also represented companies in a broad range of general commercial and business litigation, including, but not limited to, cases involving personal injury, products liability, breach of contract claims, claims on open accounts, and judgment enforcement and collections.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has been a staunch advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and most recently co-authored an article for Baker Donelson titled, “A General Counsel’s View on Advising Through COVID-19,” where she provides her perspective on advising clients during a crisis.

Before earning her law degree from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, Illinois, Jennifer worked as an accountant for Turner, Inc. (previously known as Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.). While at Turner, Jennifer also developed a working knowledge of the media and television broadcasting industries that has been helpful to how she advises her client on matters requiring both effective legal advice and proper crisis management.

Over the course of her career, she has been listed by the National Black Lawyers as a member of the “Top 40 Under 40,” a “Rising Star” by Georgia Super Lawyers and a member of Georgia Trend Magazine’s “Legal Elite.”

 

Robyn M. Frank, Esq.

CEO & Founder of Frank Talk

VP Diversity & General Counsel of CenterForce USA

Robyn M. Frank founded Frank Talk as a powerful resource for professionals and organizations that want to further diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. The ultimate goal is to create a universally inclusive culture by initiating difficult but necessary dialogues on gender, race, creed, and sexual orientation. Through Frank Talk, Robyn skillfully develops one-to-one training, speaking engagements, workshops, and retreats that deliver high-impact results toward full inclusion. Robyn is also responsible for all legal matters at Centerforce USA, which develops and presents conferences around the country on issues that concern female and minority leaders in the legal profession. In addition, she hosts and moderates the Women in the Law Summit Series which is held in major cities (now virtually) around the country.

Prior to that, Robyn spent 10 years as General Counsel of Great Eastern Energy, where she headed the legal and regulatory departments, advising management on corporate structure, risk, resource allocation, new markets, business metrics and goals. She also led the development of the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts creating a road map covering all initiatives from recruitment to retention. She received her B.A. in Social Sciences from the Ohio State University, her J.D. from the Washington College of Law at American University, and a master’s degree in Energy Law from the University of Tulsa. She is a Member in Good Standing of the New York State Bar. Some of Robyn’s passions include volunteering for a variety of Native American causes and traveling the world.

 

Sheryl B. Galler, Esq.

Law Office of Sheryl B. Galler

Of Counsel, Moskowitz & Book, LLP  

New York , NY

Sheryl is an experienced employment lawyer who represents both employers and employees.  She advises clients on federal, state and local leave laws, negotiates and drafts employment, severance and non-competition agreements, drafts employee handbooks and helps clients develop and implement employment policies.  Sheryl conducts training on sexual harassment prevention for law firms, nonprofits and commercial entities, conducts internal investigations of discrimination and harassment claims, and counsels clients on a wide range of employment law and compliance matters.

As an active member of the New York State Bar Association, Sheryl is the author of “Preventing and Handling Sexual Harassment at Law Firms, NYSBA Journal (January/February 2019) and Know New York State’s New Paid Family Leave Benefits Law, NYSBA Journal (May 2017).  She is Chair-Elect of the Women in Law Section and a member of the Executive Committee of the Labor & Employment Law Section.  Sheryl has moderated panels and presented continuing legal education courses on employment law and professional practice.

Earlier in her career, Sheryl handled the litigation, arbitration and mediation of commercial and employment law disputes for domestic and international clients of prominent New York law firms.  She is admitted to the bar in New York State and the Southern and Eastern Districts of the U.S. District Court.

Sheryl is a 1993 graduate of the Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.  She received her B.A. from Columbia University, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.

 

Cheryl A. Harris, Esq.

Partner, Harris Law PLLC 

New York, NY

Ms. Harris is a seasoned legal strategist, with over 30 years of legal experience. She has sucessfully litigated a variety of cases from inception through trial in New York courts, and negotiated hundreds of settlements. She is a former Partner of Heidell Pittioni Murphy & Bach, LLP (HPM&B) where she headed the firm’s employment law group, and defended major medical centers in complex high-exposure medical malpractice and products liability litigation, in addition to handling risk management and regulatory matters.

Ms. Harris’ practice is focused on the representation of plaintiffs in employment discrimination, serious personal injury, complex medical malpractice and wrongful death cases. She also represents clients in commercial disputes, estate matters, and Surrogate’s Court proceedings. Ms. Harris has also represented certain members of the United States Congress before the United States Court of Appeals for The Second Circuit in the “Ground Zero” litigation stemming from the 9/11 attacks. Her years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of matters gives her an indispensable understanding of how liability and damages are assessed by institutions and insurance carriers, how juries perceive cases, as well as the factors which lead to the successful resolution of cases, either by settlement or trial. She is tenacious in advocating for her clients and getting results.

Ms. Harris is admitted to practice in the State of New York, as well as the Southern and Eastern Districts of the Federal Court in New York. She is also admitted to the United States Court 0f Appeals, Second Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. She is a 1983 graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and received her law degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1986.

Daniel T. Lukasik, Esq.

Judicial Wellness Coordinator, Office of Court Administration

Buffalo, NY
Dan is a 1988 graduate of the University of Buffalo School of Law and is the Judicial Wellness Coordinator for the New York State Office of Court Administration.

Following his diagnosis of major depression thirteen years ago, Dan created a weekly lawyer support group in his community for those who struggle with depression and a website lawyerwithdepression.com, the first website of its kind in the nation, to help law students, lawyers, and judges cope with and heal from depression and anxiety. Since its launch, the site has grown to serve not only those in the legal profession but anyone who struggles with these conditions. The website has been voted one of the top depression blogs in the country by Medical News Today and Healthline.com.

Dan’s work on mental health has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The National Law Journal, Thrive Global, ABA Journal, Law360, and many other national and international publications and media outlets, including CNN and NPR.

He has lectured around the country on stress, anxiety, and depression before corporations, law firms, mental health organizations, bar associations, CLE programs, and law schools including, Harvard and Yale.

Dan is the Executive Producer of the original documentary, “A Terrible Melancholy: Depression in the Legal Profession,” which has been viewed by legal industry professionals around the country. He was the recipient of the “Public Service Merit Award” from the New York State Bar Association and “The Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service” from his law school alma mater for his work in addressing mental health in the legal profession.

A member of the New York State Bar Association’s Lawyers’ Assistance Committee and New York State Judicial Wellness Committee, Dan works in concert with committee members across the state to help and assist those who struggle and create policies that promote mental health in the legal profession.

In 2010, Dan was voted by the over 3,000 members of his bar association headquartered in Buffalo, New York to the “Legal Elite’s Top 10: Best of the Best” as one of the most respected lawyers in his community and listed in the publication, “The Best Lawyers in America.”

Saritha Komatireddy, Esq.

Deputy Chief of General Crimes, United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York  

Brooklyn, NY

Saritha Komatireddy is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.  She has served in the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section, Long Island Division, and General Crimes Section.  She has also served as the Acting Deputy Chief of the International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section and as a Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Coordinator.

Previously, Komatireddy practiced law at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel P.L.L.C. in Washington, D.C., and was Counsel to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.  She clerked for the Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh, then on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Komatireddy received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was the Bluebook Chair for the Harvard Law Review, and she received her A.B. from Harvard College.

 

Pery D. Krinsky, Esq.

Krinsky, PLLC

New York, NY

Pery D. Krinsky focuses his practice on ethics-based defense litigation. Before forming his own law firm, Mr. Krinsky was associated with the law firm of LaRossa & Ross, and then the Law Offices of Michael S. Ross.

Mr. Krinsky’s ethics-based defense litigation practice focuses on:

 

• Federal & State Attorney/Judicial Ethics Matters, including: representing attorneys and law firms under investigation by disciplinary authorities and other government agencies; providing guidance to lawyers concerning the day-to-day practice of law; representing disbarred and suspended attorneys seeking reinstatement; advising and representing members of the New York State Judiciary in matters before the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct; and assisting law school graduates in the admissions process.
• Federal & State Criminal Defense Matters, including: defending clients against law- enforcement actions such as claims of securities fraud, antitrust, investment advisory fraud, health care fraud, tax issues, money laundering, RICO, and narcotics trafficking, among others; helping conduct internal investigations; addressing compliance issues; and responding to regulatory

Mr. Krinsky is the Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Brooklyn Bar Association; the former Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the N.Y. State Bar Association; and the former Chair of the Committee on Professional Discipline of the N.Y. County Lawyers’ Association. Mr. Krinsky serves on the Board of Advisors of the N.Y. County Lawyers’ Association Institute of Legal Ethics, and is also a Member of: the Brooklyn Bar Association; the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Attorney Professionalism; the New York City Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility Committee; and the New York County Lawyers’ Committee on Professional Ethics.

Mr. Krinsky is a frequent lecturer on topics involving legal and judicial ethics, personal and professional responsibility and academic integrity, including at: the New York State Judicial Institute; the Appellate Divisions, First and Second Judicial Departments; the Court Attorneys Association of the City of New York; the New York State Bar Association; the New York City Bar; the New York County Lawyers’ Association; the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers; the New York State Trial Lawyers Association; the Practicing Law Institute; the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association; the Queens County Bar Association; Sotheby’s Institute of Art; and law schools such as Brooklyn Law School, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of law Columbia Law School and Fordham Law School.

 

Margaret T. Ling, Esq.

Senior Counsel, Big Apple Abstract Corp.

Bayside, NY

In 2019, Margaret T. Ling, Esq. was welcomed into the Big Apple family as Senior Counsel, a position she holds to present.  Margaret has been a real estate attorney since 1986, with extensive experience gained through a combination of 10 years in private practice and 20 plus years as an underwriting counsel in the title insurance industry.

Margaret currently serves as Development Director and Co-Chairperson of the Real Estate Committee for the Asian American Bar Association of New York; Board of Director of the New York County Lawyers Association; Member of Executive Council of the New York State Network of Bar Leaders; Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Queens County Bar Association; Board of Director of the Asian Real Estate Professional Association; Board of Director of New York Law School Alumni Association; Board of Director of Asian Columbia Alumni Association; Co-Chair of the Banking and Law Committee at the Queens Chamber of Commerce and Board of Director of Brooklyn Real Estate Board.

Margaret was recently appointment Chief Diversity and Inclusion Counsel for the Executive Diversity Inclusion Council, www.edicinc.org, a not for profit organization dedicated to helping both corporate, academic, and not for profit institutions meet their diversity and inclusion goals through education and data.

 

Daniel T. Lukasik, Esq.

New York State Judicial Wellness Coordinator

Office of Court Administration 

Buffalo, NY

Dan is a 1988 graduate of the University of Buffalo School of Law and is the Judicial Wellness Coordinator for the New York State Office of Court Administration.

Following his diagnosis of major depression thirteen years ago, Dan created a weekly lawyer support group in his community for those who struggle with depression and a website lawyerwithdepression.com, the first website of its kind in the nation, to help law students, lawyers, and judges cope with and heal from depression and anxiety. Since its launch, the site has grown to serve not only those in the legal profession but anyone who struggles with these conditions.  The website has been voted one of the top depression blogs in the country by Medical News Today and Healthline.com.

Dan’s work on mental health has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The National Law Journal, Thrive Global, ABA Journal, Law360, and many other national and international publications and media outlets, including CNN and NPR.

He has lectured around the country on stress, anxiety, and depression before corporations, law firms, mental health organizations, bar associations, CLE programs, and law schools including, Harvard and Yale.

Dan is the Executive Producer of the original documentary, “A Terrible Melancholy: Depression in the Legal Profession,” which has been viewed by legal industry professionals around the country. He was the recipient of the “Public Service Merit Award” from the New York State Bar Association and “The Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service” from his law school alma mater for his work in addressing mental health in the legal profession.

A member of the New York State Bar Association’s Lawyers’ Assistance Committee and New York State Judicial Wellness Committee, Dan works in concert with committee members across the state to help and assist those who struggle and create policies that promote mental health in the legal profession.

In 2010, Dan was voted by the over 3,000 members of his bar association headquartered in Buffalo, New York to the “Legal Elite’s Top 10: Best of the Best” as one of the most respected lawyers in his community and listed in the publication, “The Best Lawyers in America.”

 

Kathleen Lyons, Esq.

AXIS Capital 

New York, NY

Kathleen Lyons is currently a Claims Lead at AXIS Capital concentrating in Professional and Casualty Lines under the reinsurance arm of the company.  Prior to joining AXIS Re, she served as a VP in the Property Casualty Business Management Unit at Swiss Reinsurance Holding Corporation managing a variety of casualty claims. She started her insurance career at HANYS serving as claims counsel handling primary and excess medical professional claims.

Before joining HANYS, Ms. Lyons worked as an attorney for 20 years at several defense firms. She specialized in medical malpractice and hospital liability. She served on the curriculum planning committee and an instructor in the Legal Nurse Consulting Program at Pace University. She started her career as a nurse and worked in various clinical settings including the ICU and ER for 10 years.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing  from the University of Michigan and a JD from Fordham University – School of Law

She is on the Board of APIW – Association of Professional Insurance Women  and serves as Membership Chair.

 

Terri Mazur, Esq.

Women in Law Section Chair 

Franklin Lakes, NJ 

Terri A. Mazur is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses her practice on federal securities litigation and regulatory investigations, primarily in the financial services industry, antitrust, defense of financial institutions in the consumer financial services industry, and complex commercial disputes. She represents corporate clients, financial institutions, accounting firms, officers and directors in complex individual, class and multidistrict litigation involving securities fraud, lending, leasing, credit reporting and practices, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, professional responsibility and fraud claims. She also represents national and multinational corporations in the chemical, energy, airline and other industries in monopoly, cartel, price fixing, market allocation and conspiracy cases.

Terri has tried numerous cases, including bench and jury trials, and evidentiary hearings for injunctive and emergency relief, in federal and state courts across the country. She has written numerous appellate briefs and argued before the Courts of Appeals for the Third, Seventh, Ninth and Tenth Circuits, as well as in state appellate courts.

She also frequently speaks and writes on securities and antitrust issues, as well as on issues affecting women lawyers.

 

Rosary A. Morelli, Esq.

Founding Partner, Raskin Morelli LLP  

Brooklyn, NY 

Rosary Morelli has been handling medical malpractice cases for the last forty years. She has established a reputation as an intelligent, persuasive and fair-minded litigator. She employs a hands-on approach throughout the lawsuit and she excels at negotiating advantageous settlements in multi-million dollar cases. Ms. Morelli has been repeatedly chosen as one of the top rated lawyers in New York by various organizations. She has consistently received an AV rating for excellence from her peers.

Ms. Morelli is the former Chair of the Trial Lawyer’s Section of the New York State Bar. She is a former member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the Medical Malpractice Committee of the City Bar of New York. She is a former Assistant Corporation Counsel in Kings County, New York, and a former founding partner of two other law firms. After representing defendants for many years, Ms. Morelli has chosen to represent individuals who were negligently treated by various institutions and individuals.

Ms. Morelli has lectured extensively about medical malpractice, trial techniques, and promoting women and minorities in the law.

 

Laura Sulem, Esq.

Practical Law at Thomson Reuters  

New York, NY 

Laura Sulem is the Senior Director of Litigation at Practical Law, a Thomson Reuters company, where she oversees editorial content and business strategy for the 65- member Litigation service. She is also a Senior Advisory Council member of Women@TR, a network of women and men committed to elevating women as drivers of commercial value to TR and furthering the goal of increasing female representation in senior leadership roles globally.

Before joining Practical Law, Laura was a litigator at Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP, where she concentrated on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. She began her career at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where she was an associate in the Litigation department.

Laura graduated summa cum laude from New York Law School, where she was a member and an Executive Articles Editor of the New York Law School Law Review. She earned a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Laura sits on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Women in Law Section and is the Co-Chair of the Section’s Annual Meeting, Program and CLE Committee.

 

Camille Joseph Varlack, Esq.

Bradford Edwards & Varlack LLP

New York, NY 

Camille Joseph Varlack, a founding partner of Bradford Edwards & Varlack LLP, is an expert at solving complex organizational problems.

With over 16 years of hands-on experience in public and private sector legal and operational leadership, she has built her career and reputation on bringing a calm and disciplined approach to risk management.

Ms. Varlack quickly identifies issues and develops and implements solutions while working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders. Ms. Varlack has expertise in managing risk in large organizations and is known for her ability to successfully navigate large scale crises. Recently, at the request of  the Governor’s Office, she served as a member of the New York State COVID-19 Task Force.

Ms. Varlack served under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as Deputy Director of State Operations, Chief Risk Officer and Special Counsel. She managed the operations, general policy development and implementation of major policy initiatives for 69 New York State agencies and authorities.  During her time in the New York State Executive Chamber she provided daily counsel to senior staff on a host of issues.

Ms. Varlack was in charge of leading teams through statewide crises including natural disasters, storm response, potential terrorist activities and cyber attacks, as well as responding to a multitude of public health crises. She worked hand in hand with local and federal law enforcement officials, press teams, and conducted internal investigations on a range of subjects including governance, financial compliance and employment/HR matters.

As Chief Risk Officer she was responsible for managing audit, compliance and internal control issues for state agencies and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the first statewide enterprise risk management system.

Ms. Varlack has had a long legal career, primarily in the public sector. Upon graduation from law school she was appointed an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County. She later joined AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, where she served as Assistant Vice President and Counsel and as Corporate Secretary of a broker-dealer subsidiary. Ms. Varlack thereafter returned to public service and served as principal court attorney to a New York State Supreme Court Justice as well as Special Counsel for Ethics, Risk and Compliance to the Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services.

Prior to founding Bradford Edwards & Varlack LLP, Ms. Varlack was the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy General Counsel for Pierce Bainbridge LLP, where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm as well as legal and ethics related matters.

Ms. Varlack now focuses her practice advising businesses on risk, legal crisis management and the resolution of related complex business matters including organizational change management, crisis response, and internal and government investigations.

 

Carol C. Villegas, Esq.

Partner, Labaton Sucharow LLP 

New York, NY

Carol C. Villegas is a Partner in the New York office of Labaton Sucharow LLP.  Carol focuses on prosecuting complex securities fraud cases on behalf of institutional investors.  Leading one of the Firm’s litigation teams, she is actively overseeing litigation against AT&T, Marriott, Nielsen Holdings, Skechers, World Wrestling Entertainment, and Danske Bank.  In addition to her litigation responsibilities, Carol holds a variety of leadership positions within the Firm, including serving on the Firm’s Executive Committee, as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Women’s Networking and Mentoring Initiative, and as the Chief of Compliance.

Carol’s development of innovative case theories in complex cases, her skillful handling of discovery work, and her adept ability during oral argument has earned her accolades from The National Law Journal as a “Plaintiffs’ Trailblazer” and the New York Law Journal as a “Top Woman in Law” and a “New York Trailblazer.”  The National Law Journal recognized Carol’s superb ability to excel in high-stakes matters on behalf of plaintiffs and selected her to its 2020 class of “Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar.”  She has also been recognized as a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation and a “Next Generation Lawyer” by The Legal 500, where clients praised her for helping them “better understand the process and how to value a case.” Lawdragon has named her one of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America.”

Carol has played a pivotal role in securing favorable settlements for investors, including AMD, a multi-national semiconductor company; Liquidity Services, an online auction marketplace; Aeropostale, a leader in the international retail apparel industry; ViroPharma Inc., a biopharmaceutical company; and Vocera, a healthcare communications provider, among others.  Carol has also helped revive a securities class action against LifeLock after arguing an appeal before the Ninth Circuit.

Prior to joining Labaton Sucharow, Carol served as the Assistant District Attorney in the Supreme Court Bureau for the Richmond County District Attorney’s office, where she took several cases to trial. She began her career as an Associate at King & Spalding LLP, where she worked as a federal litigator.

Carol is a member of the Executive Council for the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Women in the Law and a Board Member of the City Bar Fund, the nonprofit 501(c)(3) arm of the New York City Bar Association. She is also a member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Carol earned her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, where she was the recipient of The Irving H. Jurow Achievement Award for the Study of Law and received the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Diversity Fellowship. She received her bachelor’s degree, with honors, from New York University.

She is fluent in Spanish.

 

Kimberly Wolf Price, Esq. 

Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC  

Syracuse, NY

Kim Wolf Price is the Attorney Development Director & Diversity Officer at Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC. She previously served as the Director of Externship Programs and Assistant Dean of Professional & Career Development at Syracuse University College of Law. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University, and Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law. While in attendance at the College of Law, Ms. Wolf Price was the Notes and Comments Editor of the Syracuse Law Review and a member of the Justinian Honorary Law Society. She is a member of the Order of the Coif. Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Wolf Price joined the New York City office of Clifford Chance US LLP as an associate where she gained experience in securities litigation and white-collar criminal defense. She also served on the Pro Bono & Community Affairs Committee for the firm. She remains active in pro bono activities and served as faculty advisor to the Pro Bono Advisory Board while at the College of Law.

Ms. Wolf Price is a member of the New York State Bar. She is active with NYSBA and served as Chair of the Committee on Lawyers in Transition for three years. She currently sits on NYSBA’s Executive Committee for the Women in Law Section (co-chair of Membership Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee), Diversity & Inclusion (chairing the Youth Law Day sub-committee and assisting with programming), the Strategic Communications Committee and Lawyers in Transition.