AABANY IP Committee Hosts Talk with Kelly Koyama-Garcia as Part of “Dumplings & Discussion” Series

On June 20, 2023, the IP Committee hosted the next of its “Dumplings & Discussion” series at Fish & Richardson (“Fish”) with Kelly Koyama-Garcia as the guest speaker. She is the SVP, Corporate Secretary & General Counsel at Louis Vuitton America. Participants enjoyed pork and chive dumplings, Buddha’s Delight, chicken dumplings, and many other Chinese dishes. Jeffrey Mok, IP Committee Co-Chair and Principal at Fish, moderated the discussion and kicked it off by asking Kelly her favorite type of dumpling. Without a second thought, Kelly revealed that it is Xiao Long Bao from Din Tai Fung. 

Over the course of the evening, Kelly openly shared her unique experiences that have led her to her current position at Louis Vuitton Americas. Outside of her work, Kelly is an active member of AABANY and the co-chair of the Retail Law Practice Group at the Association of Corporate Counsel. Kelly shared her personal experiences that have paved the way for choosing the legal profession and navigating challenging moments as an Asian female leader in her industry. 

Kelly recounted the start of her interest in the legal profession after interning in D.C. for Congressman Patrick Kennedy in her junior year of college. Surrounded by law students and former lawyers, Kelly was inspired by her colleagues to apply to Boston University Law School and became the first in her family to attend law school. She began her career at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York specializing in bankruptcy for five years before joining McGraw-Hill as an in-house counsel focusing on mergers and acquisitions. She pointed out the different skill sets she had to learn transitioning from working at a law firm to working in-house. As Kelly tackled challenges of her position at McGraw-Hill, she also had a clearer idea of how she wanted to progress from there. She recalled applying to a broad range of industries, including fashion and retail, when a serendipitous rejection from DKNY referred her to a position at Marc Jacobs. Kelly took a proactive approach at Marc Jacobs which allowed her to tackle a plethora of legal projects by establishing the first in-house legal department for the brand. In the ten years she spent working at Marc Jacobs, she maintained meaningful relationships, one of whom interviewed her for her current position at Louis Vuitton Americas in 2018. 

Kelly talked about her day-to-day responsibilities at Louis Vuitton and how she creatively strategized for whatever issue came up. At a brand where the legal structure differs greatly from other companies, the biggest legal concerns Kelly finds herself dealing with are consumer-facing privacy laws and compliance that are ever changing. 

Kelly’s journey elicited many thought-provoking questions from all the attorneys attending and she also shared some moments of prejudice she encountered as a woman and person of color. Despite how far she has come since her first day as an associate, Kelly still encounters racism and sexism in her industry. She highlights the importance of visibility and representation by drawing strength from her personal experiences and recognizes that much still needs to be done. 

After the in-depth discussion and lively Q&A that followed, attendees continued to enjoy drinks and food during the networking reception that capped the event. 

Thanks to Jeff Mok, Co-Chair of the IP Committee for organizing a well-attended and insightful program. To learn more about the IP Committee and how you can get involved, go here.

Opportunities in New York City’s Office of Administrative Tribunals and Hearings (OATH)

OATH is New York City’s central, independent administrative law court. From disciplinary matters involving city employees to civil summonses for various violations, OATH typically conducts more than 200,000 hearings and trials annually, making it one of the busiest tribunals in the country.  OATH’s mission is to ensure that everyone who appears before it receives both a fair opportunity to be heard and a timely resolution of their case.  It is a unique place within City government and a wonderful place to work.  You can learn more about OATH here.

And OATH is hiring!  OATH has a broad range of opportunities available for lawyers, from junior level attorney positions to Administrative Law Judge positions for seasoned professionals.  They have positions in the General Counsel unit for individuals interested in in-house work, adjudicator positions for those who want to serve as neutrals in the Hearings Division, as well as specialist positions such as those in the new Special Education Hearings Division.  A full list of openings can be found here on OATH’s website.

OATH also has a pro bono program that pairs volunteer lawyers with legal service organizations to provide free representation to indigent respondents who appear before OATH.  More information is available here.

Questions? Direct them to [email protected]

2022 NAPABA IHC Summit Application Closes in TWO DAYS!

NAPABA IHC Summit

July 28-29, 2022 | Chicago, IL

The deadline to register for the 2022 NAPABA In-House Counsel (IHC) Summit is just around the corner! Current or former senior public company in-house attorneys who are ready to make the jump into the C-Suite will receive tailored guidance and training based on where they are in their careers. Here is a sneak peek at this year’s topics: 

  • Board & C-Suite Expectations of Today’s GC
  • The Process, Winning Trends & Making the Slate in 2022
  • Strategies to Achieve the Public Company Role

Space is limited! The program is accepting the first 60 qualified applicants—apply by 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, June 8!

APPLY HERE.

AABANY Hosts “Fortune 500 General Counsel Panel: Leadership During Crisis Webinar”

On May 21, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) presented its “Fortune 500 General Counsel Panel: Leadership During Crisis,” part three of NAPABA’s General Counsel Webinar Series. The event highlighted prominent General Counsels working in various industries and discussed the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace along with advice for aspiring General Counsels. The panelists included Damien Atkins, General Counsel of the Hershey Company; Peter Beshar, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Marsh & McLennan; Elisa Garcia, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Macy’s; David Hyman, General Counsel and Company Secretary of Netflix; Alan Tse, Global Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of JLL; and David Yawman, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of PepsiCo. The panel discussion was moderated by Michael Wu, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Madewell.

The panel discussed the immediate challenges faced by General Counsels in light of the current pandemic and the transition to an online work environment. Emphasis was placed on adaptability and flexibility as General Counsels and legal departments across all industries have had to quickly put together plans for long-term financing and shifts in day-to-day operations. This emphasis on adaptability also stresses greater cooperation between the legal team, the board of directors, and C-suite executives in forming a coherent strategy in both dealing with the pandemic and also pursuing non-COVID-19 related objectives. As Alan Tse stated, companies are, more than ever, looking toward their legal teams for leadership in navigating through economic uncertainty and changes in corporate governance.

Additionally, the importance of communications and integrating technology into the workplace are vital as General Counsels need to be able to coordinate all the moving parts of the company in making the localized decisions necessary to ensure compliance with local regulations and sustainable growth. While it is important to have contingency plans during times of crisis, General Counsels need to be vigilant and flexible in their approach toward unpredictable and complex problems in the future. Peter Beshar stated that General Counsels should also prioritize “collective cyber resilience, not just of our company, but of broader society” by protecting critical online communication channels. Additionally, General Counsels should form effective response plans to prepare companies from destabilizing cyberattacks.

Recent changes in legislation and the regulatory environment have also driven General Counsels to be more proactive in how they view the relationship between what David Yawman describes as the “great continuum… between the legislative environment and policy issues coming out of societal trends.” Ultimately, General Counsels should recognize that changes in corporate governance are facilitated by both government legislation and company policies and that, as legal professionals, they have a crucial role to play as both a guide for their clients and a trailblazer for corporate policy.

Lastly, the panel discussed efforts to promote diversity within their organizations and the role General Counsels play in ensuring inclusion in the workplace. Inclusion championship should be a fundamental, core value of corporate governance and thus, should be, as David Hyman describes, a “top-down” process embodied by all corporate executives. Individuals and legal teams should be empowered to take initiative in leading pop-up conversations and workshops that champion inclusive leadership that stresses not only diverse participation, but diverse leadership. Companies should also hold individuals accountable and translate inclusion policies into action.

The panel attracted more than 500 registrants, making it the single biggest AABANY Zoom meeting to date. Attendees were eligible to receive 1.0 New York CLE credits, with 0.5 credits fulfilling the Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias requirement and 0.5 credits fulfilling the Law Practice Management requirement. We thank Michael Wu for organizing the panel and for moderating a highly informative and substantive discussion. We thank all the speakers for sharing their insights, knowledge and perspectives. The event was covered by Corporate Counsel. Read the article here (Law.com subscription required).

Asian American Bar Association of New York Presents “Fortune 500 General Counsel Panel: Leadership during Crisis” on May 21 for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, AABANY is proud to present “Fortune 500 General Counsel Panel: Leadership during Crisis” as part of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (“NAPABA”) General Counsel Webinar Series. The event will feature a panel of prominent General Counsels covering a wide variety of industries to discuss topics that range from advice to aspiring General Counsels, crisis management with a focus on the response to the pandemic, collaboration with the board and c-suite, demonstrating legal department value from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, leveraging legal technology, enhancing the compliance function, diversity and inclusion initiatives (internally and externally with outside counsel) and maximizing the value that outside counsel brings to companies. The panel will take place via Zoom on Thursday, May 21, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM.

Moderator:

Michael Wu. Michael currently serves as the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Madewell. He sits on the advisory boards of the Georgetown Law Corporate Counsel Institute and AABANY. Michael is also a member of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association Board of Directors. He has previously served as an executive and general counsel at companies including Carter’s, Rosetta Stone, Teleglobe, and Global One.

Panelists:

Damien Atkins. Damien currently serves as the General Counsel of the Hershey Company. He has previously served for three years as the General Counsel for Panasonic North America, for ten years as the Deputy GC (Corporate) and Chief Compliance Officer for AOL, and for seven years at a major New York City law firm. In addition, Damien has previously founded two start-ups. His expertise includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities regulation, global ethics and compliance, and government investigations.

Peter Beshar. Peter currently serves as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Marsh & McLennan. Previously, he was a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and served as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Securities Litigation Group and had served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the New York State Attorney General’s Task Force on Illegal Firearms. Additionally, he has served as the Special Assistant to the Honorable Cyrus Vance in connection with the United Nations’ peace negotiations in the former Yugoslavia.

Elisa Garcia. Elisa currently serves as the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Macy’s and serves on the Board of Directors and Nominating and Governance Committee of Dollarama, Inc. and the Board of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession. She has previously served as an executive for Office Depot, Domino’s Pizza, and Philip Morris International.

David Hyman. David currently serves as the General Counsel of Netflix and as the company’s Secretary. Prior to Netflix, David served as General Counsel of Webvan, Inc. and was with the law firms Morrison and Foerster in San Francisco and Arent Fox in Washington, DC.

Alan Tse. Alan currently serves as the Global Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of JLL. Previously, Alan served as an executive for Petco, Churchill Downs, LG Electronics, Ligos Corporation, and Centerpoint Broadband Technologies.  He is a co-founder and Board member of the Asian American Legal Foundation and has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel from 2013-2019. Alan was recognized by NAPABA as one of its Best Lawyers Under 40 and received the Corporate Leadership Award at AABANY’s 2020 Annual Dinner.

David Yawman. David currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of PepsiCo. Previously, he served as the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for PepsiCo and General Counsel for North America and Corporate, the Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer for PepsiCo, the General Counsel of business units comprised of North America Beverages, Quaker Foods North America and Latin America Beverages, the Associate General Counsel for the Pepsi Bottling Group, and had spent six years as a member of PepsiCo’s corporate law department. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Dave was an associate with the law firm Fried Frank and served as a law clerk in the United States District Court.

“AABANY is pleased to be co-sponsoring the NAPABA General Counsel webinar series,” states President Sapna Palla. “Each of the first two webcasts have already seen attendance by nearly 500 attorneys from all across the country. We are looking forward to a similar turnout for the one AABANY is presenting on May 21. We thank Michael Wu for organizing these webcasts and serving as moderator to guide the discussion on important topics of interest to attorneys across a broad range of industries and sectors. Through these programs, and as we celebrate APA Heritage Month in May, we continue to highlight the vital role played by diverse in-house attorneys in leading and advancing the legal profession.”

If interested, please register by May 20. Click on the flyer above for registration information.

NAPABA Seeks Volunteer General Counsel

NAPABA Seeks Volunteer General Counsel

NAPABA is searching for a pro bono General Counsel to advise the NAPABA Board of Governors and the NAPABA Executive Director on a broad range of legal issues. The General Counsel also acts as a key strategic partner to the Board and Executive Director by providing guidance on many non-legal governance matters.

The General Counsel should be a senior-level, highly respected lawyer who has been active in NAPABA and who has some familiarity with the organization’s history and leadership. The General Counsel does not need to possess any particular legal background, but s/he should have access to other lawyers at his/her firm who could provide specialized expertise in areas such as non-profit governance, Illinois corporate law, employment, contracts, privacy, public communications, and non-profit tax. Although NAPABA is incorporated in Illinois and based in Washington, D.C., issues do arise from time to time that require expertise in the law of other jurisdictions. For these reasons, although association with a large firm is not required, it could be very helpful to the General Counsel in executing his/her duties.

To recommend a candidate or for more information, please contact NAPABA Executive Director Tina Matsuoka at [email protected].

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.napaba.org

The Durst Organization

The Durst Organization