Corporate Counsel Section

Corporate Counsel Section

The Corporate Counsel Section of the New York State Bar Association is pleased to welcome Section members and visitors. The Section sponsors CLE, networking and other events and offers LinkedIn and Facebook pages where members can reach out to each other with questions and advice.

Contact the Corporate Counsel Section Liaison

To learn more about this Section, please contact Sharmin Woodall
[email protected]
(518) 487-5686

Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.

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Naomi Hills

Senior Counsel, GSK

Naomi Hills is the newly elected chair of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Corporate Counsel section. Naomi is Senior Counsel at GSK where she advises on the commercialization and promotion of pharmaceutical medicines and biologics for the US Pharma/Specialty and Oncology business. Naomi is lead counsel for a biologic and launched a product indication in July 2021. Naomi advises on marketing strategies and materials, patient support programs and healthcare professional engagements. Naomi advises senior leaders on the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, FDA advertising and promotional regulations, Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act, OIG Guidance, PhRMA code and the Sunshine Act.

Naomi has significant corporate and regulatory experience and prior to her role at GSK, Naomi was Senior Legal Counsel/ Head of US Legal for a multinational manufacturer. Naomi advised c-suite executives on legal strategies and matters. While in this role, Naomi managed the multi-million-dollar multidistrict product liability matter. Naomi has worked on corporate governance for its United States subsidiary, as well as other corporate and transactional matters.

Naomi has been a member of the Corporate Counsel section for over 12 years and was the section’s Young Lawyer Liaison. Naomi is a leader within NYSBA and has served as the section’s Chair-Elect, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and has chaired numerous sub-committees. Naomi is a current member of NYSBA’s Audit committee. In addition to her leadership within NYSBA, Naomi has been invited to speak on various topics. Naomi has spoken across the country on topics such as; Crisis Management for in-house counsel, Alternative Fee Arrangements and Class Actions Lawsuits.

Online Community

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Section Publications

Inside- Vol. 39 No. 2

View Latest Issue

Corporate Counsel Inside Archive

Inside (Corporate Counsel Section Publication) provides updates on Section activities, recent cases, and articles about current issues. Topics of past articles include ethics, privilege, corporate criminal liability and internal investigations. Inside is published by the Corporate Counsel Section and distributed to Section Members free of charge.

Inside is published as a benefit for members of the Corporate Counsel Section and is copyrighted by the New York State Bar Association.

Inside (the Newsletter of the Corporate Counsel Section) encourages article submissions on topics of interest to members of the Section. Writing an article for a NYSBA Section publication is a great way to get your name out in the legal community and advertise your knowledge. Our authors are respected state-wide for their legal expertise in such areas as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, employer’s breach of a computer system, vertical price restraints, and ethical considerations of corporate counsel.

Submit an article for future publication

Author Guidelines

NYSBA has created comprehensive author guidelines, with information regarding our reprint policy, style guidelines, and obtaining MCLE Author Credits.

View the author guidelines

Bylaws

Right to Practice Reform: Registered In-House Counsel and Pro Bono Services

Corporate Counsel Section Committee

KENNETH G. STANDARD DIVERSITY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Overview of the Diversity Internship Committee

Responsible for administering and managing all aspects of the Section’s Diversity Internship Program, named in honor of former NYSBA President Kenneth G. Standard and his commitment to initiatives aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Overview of the Diversity Internship Program

Since its inception in 2006, more than 100 interns have participated in the Program. The students complete a 10-week internship with an assigned host company and are paid a minimum of $7,000. Host companies have included, among many others in the private and public sectors, Ayco, Con Edison, Pepsi Co., Salesforce, TakeRoot Justice, Unilever, and Urban Justice and Visiting Nurse Service of New York.

The Program’s Goal

To provide students from a diverse range of backgrounds with the experience of in-house legal practice, and to increase such student representation in future corporate legal departments. We offer mentorship, educational and career training to enhance the skills needed in the workplaces of tomorrow. To promote and advance the full and equal participation of attorneys from an under-represented community and to promote knowledge of and respect for the profession in communities that historically have not participated to the fullest extent in the practice of law.

Beneﬁts of Workplace Diversity

Diverse employees can bring together different skill sets, talents, and experiences.

Embracing diversity and inclusion is an important step in the workplace. Through increased diversity, employers can more effectively address societal and member needs with the varied perspectives, experiences, knowledge, information and understanding inherent in a diverse relationship.

Eligibility & Deadlines

Law students who self-identify as under-represented candidates, and who attend an accredited law school in New York State. The program has demanding selection criteria, including minimum GPA requirements and a series of interview rounds, each set by the host company. Students must submit a legal writing sample and a letter of interest. The letter of interest must describe their personal commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal field, and/or explain how being from an under-represented group has impacted them.

The application deadline, interviews, offer, and program start date vary per each host company. Generally, student application deadlines are due between December and January.

Beneﬁts of Applying to a Summer Position Through the Program

The benefits include (i) exploring different career paths; (ii) developing a network within the corporate environment and among fellow program participants; (iii) receiving cutting-edge, real world experience solving and supporting day-to-day corporate matters; and (iv) gaining a rare and valuable opportunity to jump start their careers in the law by spending their summer in a corporate legal department/non-for-profit agency.

We invite anyone who is interested in learning more about the program to contact the Committee at: [email protected]

Download 2022 Event Brochure (PDF)

Photos of the July 28, 2022 Reception

Photos of the July 17, 2019 Reception

Photos of the August 16, 2017 Reception

Photos of the August 16, 2016 Reception

Photos of the August 5, 2015 Reception

Photos of the July 23, 2014 Reception

2014 Kenneth G. Standard Internship Program

2013 Kenneth G. Standard Internship Program

ADDITIONAL INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE

More applications will be posted.

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Applications Due: February 17, 2023

View Application

CELONIS

Applications Due: February 17, 2023; however, applications will be accepted and processed on a rolling basis

View Application

DICE

Applications Due: February 17, 2023

View Application

Hercules Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Applications Due: February 27, 2023

View Application

2023 Jana Springer Behe Corporate Counsel Section Scholarship

Applications Due: February 10, 2023

View Application

PepsiCo

Applications Due: February 17, 2023

View Application

TakeRoot Justice

Applications Due: February 1, 2023; however, applications will be accepted and processed on a rolling basis.

View Application

Unilever

Eligibility Candidates: Class of 2024 and 2025
Deadline: February 15, 2023

View Application

Visiting Nurse Service of New York

Student Application Deadline 2Ls January 22, 2023
Student Application Deadline 1Ls February 17, 2023

View Application

Member Perspectives on the Corporate Counsel Section

View Past Chair Natalie Sulimani’s perspective here
View Yamicha Stephenson’s perspective here
View Member Barbara Levi’s perspective here

Video Archives

A Message from Mitchell Borger
A Message from Sarah Feingold
A Message from 2014 Past Chair Thomas Reed

Legal Links and Resources

Commercial Division Reports

An Efficient and Cost-Effective Forum for the Resolution of Business Disputes

Pro Bono Services

Press release with links regarding NYS rule to allow registered corporation counsel to provide pro bono services.

Corporate Law and the S.E.C.

Entertainment Law and the Arts

Public Utilities

Health, Drugs and Food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Telecommunications, Media and Advertising

Pro Bono Information

The Corporate Counsel section has a model program for corporations, information on opportunities for pro bono work, and a report adopted by the NYSBA House of Delegates

NYSBA supports the authorization of in-house counsel who are registered in New York State to provide pro bono assistance in New York as long as they are admitted in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

In June 2012, the NYSBA Corporate Counsel Section issued a report recommending amendments to state court rules that would allow in-house counsel, registered in New York, who are admitted elsewhere in the U.S. to perform pro bono services in New York. Specifically, the report urges amendments to New York’s Rules of the Court of Appeals for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law, 22 NYCRR Part 522.

The NYSBA Executive Committee and NYSBA House of Delegates approved the Section’s report.