Alicia Bond-Lewis
Partner – Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Description of field of expertise

Alicia’s practice focuses on defending business entities and professionals in contract-related and business tort litigation. She also regularly defends banks, mortgage lenders, loan servicers and other financial institutions in federal and state courts throughout the United States in consumer finance disputes. She is knowledgeable in matters involving trusts and fiduciaries, the Uniform Commercial Code, as well as federal and state consumer protection statutes, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

It’s important to learn other areas of litigation because many of them intersect with matters related to banks and financial institutions. For example, having an understanding of criminal procedure and criminal law is useful for some UCC matters involving stolen funds. 

Final thoughts…

Be open to various opportunities and experiences that can enhance not only your skillset, but also yourself as a person.

Sunni R. Harris
Associate – Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Description of field of expertise

Sunni manages complex litigation in federal and state court, with experience in class actions, financial services litigation, contract disputes, data security, and employment matters. With a passion for problem-solving, Sunni became a lawyer to help people solve their legal issues. She views each case as a puzzle and thrives on being able to put the pieces in place in a way that aligns with a client’s interests, expectations, and budget considerations.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

The best advice I have ever received is to give every case the same attention you would if your client was a loved one. Know the facts of your case and relevant case law and statutes backwards and forward. Familiarize yourself with the applicable federal rules, local rules, and the judge’s individual rules. Ask questions when you don’t understand. And your name matters – don’t exchange it for something less than it’s worth. In short: be prepared, pay attention to details, and practice with dignity.

Final thoughts…

It’s crucial to know who you are and speak up for what you believe in. I’d tell young attorneys to set boundaries early and stick to them. Although it is important to confront the demands and challenges of the role, it is equally important to grant yourself grace along the way.

Bruce Spiva
Managing Partner (Washington, DC) – Perkins Coie

Description of field of expertise

Bruce V. Spiva has tried cases, conducted arbitrations, and argued appeals in areas of law ranging from congressional redistricting, civil rights, and First Amendment, to antitrust and securities. Bruce has an active political law trial practice, having tried 12 redistricting and voting rights cases in the past six years, and several others earlier in his career. 

In addition to his trial practice, Bruce is an experienced appellate lawyer. He has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the  Fourth, Seventh, Ninth (including en banc), and Eleventh Circuits, as well as several state supreme and intermediate appellate courts. He has a long track record of litigating public interest cases, including representing a sexual assault survivor in a case that led to the overhaul of police and hospital response procedures in Washington, D.C., representing a class of public housing residents in a housing desegregation case, and submitting a brief on behalf of Black Lives Matter protestors in BLM v. Trump. Bruce has successfully litigated nationwide class actions on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. 

Bruce has published, spoken, and testified on antitrust, voting rights, and other issues. He has long been active in civic and professional service organizations, including the movement for  D.C. statehood. Bruce has served as the chair and is a current member of the board of directors of DC Vote, an organization dedicated to securing statehood for the District of Columbia. He is also the chair of the board of Statehood Yes. In 2007, he testified before the U.S. Congress in favor of the proposed D.C. Voting Rights Act. 

Bruce also serves on the advisory boards of the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies and the  American Antitrust Institute. He formerly served as a member of the board of directors of the  D.C. Bar Foundation, which funds organizations and attorneys who provide access to justice for low-income people in the District of Columbia. He is the former co-chair of the D.C. Bar  Litigation Section. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Bruce headed his own law firm and was a  partner at another national law firm. 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

A judicial clerkship is good training for both commercial litigation and voting rights and redistricting litigation. Seek out opportunities with lots of writing experience where you can get generous substantive feedback to hone your craft, as well as “stand up” litigation opportunities in court or depositions. Wherever you land, bring your “A” game on time, every time. When you make mistakes, and you will, acknowledge them and fix them, but forgive yourself and move on.

Jill Louis
Managing Partner (Dallas) – Perkins Coie

Description of field of expertise

Jill Louis is the Dallas office managing partner and a co-chair of the Infrastructure Development practice at the international law firm Perkins Coie. Jill focuses her practice on advising companies with growth-oriented, liquidity-creating, and transformational strategies. Her experience includes leading strategic transactions for entrepreneurs, private equity sponsors, and portfolio companies, as well as members of the Fortune 50® with a particular emphasis on infrastructure, multi-location retail, transportation, manufacturing, and industrial sector matters.  As Dallas office managing partner, Jill provides strong leadership experience and deep connections in the Dallas market. In addition to her leadership roles at the firm, Jill is a high-capacity firm citizen leading pitch teams, speaking on panels, and developing and mentoring associates. 

This year, Jill launched the podcast RelevantNOW focused on how businesses can use an ESG  (Environmental, Social, and Governance) lens to solve business problems. Guests of the podcast analyze and provide a fresh take on the most relevant social issues we face today. To date, the podcast has covered issues including, homelessness as a result of the end of pandemic eviction moratoriums, public-private partnerships for urban education, reimagining policing in partnership with communities, and creative solutions for investment in emerging artists of color.  As a woman of color in equity partnership and firm leadership, she represents the shattering of a  glass ceiling accomplished by about 1% of Black women in her profession nationwide. She is working to change those statistics for the better. 

In addition to her experience in private practice, Jill served as the general counsel for a large private equity portfolio company with over $1 billion in annual revenue, operating heavy duty parts distribution and service locations in 45 states. She also served as general counsel for a  multinational shared workspace company with $600 million in revenue and operating both owned and franchised locations in all 50 U.S. states, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France,  and Mexico. For more than ten years, she led the transactions group for the retail operating company of a global courier delivery service, managing commercial and technology transactions in North America and Asia and launching the same-day transportation delivery service. 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

I felt that as an African American, there were so many excellent litigators and civil rights lawyers, but that we did not have many who were in the transactional space. It was important to me to learn about how business worked and to be able to bring that back to my community and to benefit my community by my knowledge of business. I would encourage new attorneys to make sure that their practice brings about benefits to society at large and encourages a just,  inclusive, and flourishing world.

Alisha Burgin
Partner (Los Angeles) – Perkins Coie

Description of field of expertise

Alisha Burgin represents companies and individuals in high-stakes commercial litigation in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration. Her practice focuses on all phases of complex commercial disputes, unfair competition and consumer protection, and trade secret litigation.  Alisha’s probing investigative skills and compelling written advocacy have facilitated many favorable settlements for her clients. 

A litigator who can handle nearly any dispute thrown her way, Alisha has obtained dispositive rulings for clients at early stages of litigation, including a grant of a motion to dismiss with prejudice in a false labeling class action brought in the U.S. District Court for the Southern  District of New York. She has secured summary judgment for several clients, including once on the eve of trial. 

Alisha has managed all stages of litigation—handling motion practice and discovery (including taking and defending depositions), briefing and arguing dispositive motions, mediation and/or trial, and appeals. She represents clients in a range of industries, including technology and internet services, media and entertainment, real estate, consumer products, and manufacturing.  Although she is an “anywhere” lawyer, capable of quickly grasping the nuances of law, practice,  and procedure in any jurisdiction, Alisha has mastered California procedure and has extensive experience in the state’s trial and appellate courts. 

An engaged citizen at Perkins Coie and beyond, Alisha has served for the past five years as the co-chair of the Women of Color resource group at Perkins Coie, building an inclusive and intersectional community and supporting women lawyers of color. She is also an active member of several firm committees and is dedicated to creating a pipeline for diverse lawyers, as demonstrated by her service on the National Alumni Advisory Committee of the National Black Law Students Association. Alisha is active in several local bar associations and is seeking to grow her visibility in the Los Angeles legal community. 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Be curious. Take a variety of different cases presenting challenging legal questions. Try to get on a case from the very beginning, so you have insight into the full litigation process. Raise your hand for opportunities to stand up in court, to take the lead on drafting a motion, to develop case strategy. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Preparation sharpens your legal skills, ensures you know your case inside out, and increases your confidence. If you’re adequately prepared, you should push imposter syndrome aside (you should push imposter syndrome aside regardless). Work hard to develop your legal skills, but don’t ignore networking. Relationships are essential to mentoring,  skills development, and later in your career, business development. Give it your all, but don’t forget to prioritize your health and personal relationships. And have fun! 

Fentrice Driskell
Of Counsel – Carlton Fields

Description of field of expertise

Fentrice Driskell is an AV-rated attorney with significant experience representing banks and other financial institutions in commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters. She also defends clients throughout all stages of consumer finance litigation involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, and the Truth in Lending Act. Fentrice partners with clients to develop policies, procedures, and compliance best practices with respect to state and federal consumer protection laws, including the TCPA. In addition, she handles commercial and contested foreclosures and works with clients to enforce creditors’ remedies in bankruptcy proceedings.

As a business litigator, Fentrice has handled cases involving breach of contract, civil theft, the Uniform Commercial Code, covenants not to compete, nonsolicitation clause disputes, theft of trade secrets, and unfair and deceptive trade practices. She also has experience litigating civil lawsuits to recover criminal restitution.

In 2018, Fentrice was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, where she currently represents Florida House District 63 in north Tampa.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Success in the practice of law, as in any field, depends on relationships. It is not enough to tuck yourself away in an office and bill the most hours or write the most briefs. In the end, you need to be able to generate business, whether that is externally by bringing in new clients or internally by becoming the sort of colleague others feel they can rely on such that they refer matters for you to handle on your own. Building relationships requires a consistent investment in others over time. So try to attend firm social events, bar association activities, and law conferences when you can so that you can both meet new people and have an opportunity to maintain the relationships you already have. You never know when that relationship could lead to a new opportunity for you or your firm.

Robert “Bobby” Shannon
Shareholder – Carlton Fields

Description of field of expertise

Robert “Bobby” Shannon is a SWAT/national trial lawyer who handles a broad spectrum of high-profile and complex matters. He has tried more than 73 cases to verdict and has served as lead or co-lead counsel in a variety of matters, including multidistrict litigation and class actions, in federal and state courts across the country and Puerto Rico. Known across the country as a “go-to” trial lawyer, Bobby has parachuted in to 250 matters shortly before trial was set to begin. He also took over as lead trial counsel in a matter after the trial started.

Bobby is known for representing clients in matters involving exposure in the billions of dollars. Through his work on bet-the-company litigation, Bobby has built a national reputation for his skills in litigation strategy and crisis management. He has experience in commercial and contract disputes, cybersecurity, aviation, product liability, mass torts, professional liability, trucking and transportation, banking, adversary proceedings in bankruptcy, construction, and government contracting. Bobby’s legal experience is bolstered by his military service where he began his career flying surveillance aircraft in support of contingency and combat operations around the world and ended as a two-star general assigned as the mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon.

Bobby retired from the Air Force in 2017 with the rank of major general after 35 years of active and reserve military service, including many years when he served while maintaining his legal practice. In addition to various command and senior leadership roles, during his military career, Bobby had 18 deployments in support of combat and contingency operations to 30 countries.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

You have to be confident and not arrogant. You have to be willing to put in hard work and long hours. Passion for being in the courtroom and in trial is a must. You can’t be afraid of adversity and bad outcomes. You have to be able to work within a team of other hard chargers and all work moving in the same direction. Trials are fluid and dynamic, and wrought with uncertainty. You can’t control every facet. Sometimes planning is inversely proportional to what actually happens. You have to bring a strategic vision to a difficult problem set and instill confidence in your client that you are giving them the best chance of success. 

Final thoughts…

I left the active-duty Air Force and transferred to the reserves to attend law school. After law school, I was told to leave the military because of the demands. The military told me I could go far if I quit practicing law. I became a senior shareholder in my firm. I left the military as the highest-ranking African American in the Air Reserve Component. Don’t let others define your limits.

Kristin Gore
Shareholder – Carlton Fields

Description of field of expertise

Kristin Gore is an experienced litigator who focuses her practice on antitrust litigation and other complex commercial litigation. Kristin is an integral part of the firm’s antitrust cartel recovery practice, and in this capacity, she represents a range of corporate clients in multidistrict litigation in federal courts across the country.

Kristin also represents international business clients in a range of litigation and dispute resolution matters in the United States. As a Jamaican national with dual citizenship since birth, Kristin’s cross-cultural knowledge and experience are particularly beneficial for the increasingly global reach and multijurisdictional aspects of doing business today.

Additionally, Kristin has particular experience representing financial institutions and national banks in federal and state court litigation nationwide, defending claims for violations of various state and federal consumer statutes, including deceptive and unfair trade practice claims and class actions.

Kristin also has experience in the telecommunications industry representing carriers in trademark litigation in federal courts throughout the country.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Always perform at your best, no matter how trivial you may think an assignment is. That means reviewing and re-reviewing your work for typos and grammatical errors, triple-checking that your work covers the expected grounds, asking the right questions to ensure you’re doing what is called for, and paying attention to the details. That is the only way to build trust in your work product among your colleagues and more senior attorneys with whom you work. 

Don’t be afraid to say no to new assignments or work when your plate is full, or at the expense of your mental or physical health. You are only doing yourself and the people you commit to a disservice if you’re burning the candle at both ends; there is no way to perform at your best under those circumstances. 

Final thoughts…

Learning should always be a priority. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from every interaction, assignment, your more senior colleagues, and even (or especially) your opposing counsel. No matter how senior you become in your career, there is always something you can learn from other attorneys’ approaches, styles, and experience.

Michael Donaldson
Shareholder – Carlton Fields

Description of field of expertise

Michael Donaldson practices administrative, land use, and environmental law with a particular focus on assisting and representing owners and developers of affordable housing seeking to obtain available funding, including low-income housing tax credits, State Apartment Incentive Loan program funding, and Multifamily Mortgage Revenue Bond program funding. Michael also represents developers, building contractors, and other licensed professionals with licensure issues before the state, and corresponding local government regulatory agencies, including representing clients in licensure disciplinary proceedings. His practice also includes representing clients in competitive bid protests and other contract procurement matters at both the state and local levels. Michael also represents clients in general litigation matters in circuit court including construction litigation and representing lending institutions in consumer finance litigation.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

The practice of law includes so many distinct practice areas; first, you should select an area of law that you will feel comfortable practicing for the rest of your legal career. Next, you should strive to gain experience in your selected area that will make you marketable in the legal community and an indispensable member of your firm. For me, that included spending the first years of my legal career practicing at two state agencies where I learned the ins and outs of the areas in which I wanted to practice. With that experience, I was able to market myself, and Carlton Fields noticed, and the rest is history. That experience also allowed me to market myself to potential clients and build a growing client base.

Final thoughts…

Always keep in mind that the practice of law can be a stressful and time-consuming profession. Longevity in the practice should include a healthy balance that includes family, friends, and faith.

Craig Young
Managing Director
National Business Development Executive
Merrill, A Bank of America Company

“Our ability to grow is reflective of our teamwork and our culture. We work hard to ensure that our teammates feel empowered to leverage their unique strengths to help our clients achieve their goals.”

Description of field of expertise

Craig Young, one of the youngest members of the executive leadership team at Merrill Lynch.

In his role,  Young wears many hats – mentor, motivator, and coordinator, all while ensuring a disparate team of some 14,000 across the Thundering Herd are working toward the same goals and learning from the best among them.  Craig and his team play a key role in ensuring the field is positioned to leverage two major enhancements for advisors and their clients—the Merrill advisor workstation, and financial planning and monitoring capabilities—in ways that help advisors create capacity and best serve clients.

Through his position atop Merrill’s Advisor Growth Network, the group’s nationwide forum of advisors, Young filters and amplifies new practice management ideas. He’s upped advisor use of “the Bull Horn”—an internal, Wiki-like site for best practices and case studies contributed by the firm’s top advisors.

Young is also responsible for organizing weekly leadership meetings between Andy Sieg and the company’s approximately 750-strong divisional and market leadership ranks and organizes Sieg’s weekly podcasts for Merrill Lynch’s 25,000 employees with outside experts and internal stakeholders.

Source: https://www.wealthmanagement.com/people/ten-watch-2021-craig-howell-young