Karimah J. Lamar
Of Counsel – Littler

Description of field of expertise

Karimah J. Lamar advises and defends clients in matters involving labor and employment law. She is devoted to helping employers navigate the complexities of employment law. Karimah has extensive experience representing clients in federal and state courts in disputes and allegations concerning wrongful termination, claims of discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wage and hour disputes ranging from payment of wages to meal and rest breaks, class actions, PAGA claims, and other labor and employment litigation.

She has successfully achieved summary judgment and summary adjudication on various discrimination and harassment claims, including establishing that plaintiffs are not entitled to indefinite leaves of absence.

Karimah also successfully argued a case on appeal that resulted in a published decision and established that certain employers have absolute immunity when reporting suspected elderly abuse by employees.

Karimah handles matters before various administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Advising employers on compliance with the labor and employment laws is a significant area of Karimah’s practice. She counsels employers on compliance strategies involving wage and hour laws, the WARN Act, and family and medical leave laws. Karimah also assists employers with developing and implementing litigation-avoidance approaches. To this end, she provides ongoing advice and counsel to ensure employers are compliant with applicable statutes and regulations. In support of her advisory role, Karimah regularly drafts employee handbooks and other personnel policies, as well as conducts training.

Marina Warner
Legal Counsel –
Haven Technologies, a subsidiary of Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company

Description of field of expertise

Marina Warner is Legal Counsel at Haven Technologies (“Haven Tech”), an insurance SaaS provider and a MassMutual subsidiary.  In her role, Marina is the legal point of contact for all Haven Tech matters concerning privacy, data protection, and security.  She works cross-functionally with various stakeholders in the business to advise on issues pertaining to privacy while managing legal risk and ensuring regulatory compliance. 

Before Haven, Marina ran her own law firm where she advised fashion and technology companies on data privacy, commercial transactions, and trademark law.  Prior to this role, as Contributor and Thought Leader at Brand Meets Creative, Marina managed communications to educate the audience on legal subjects affecting the fashion industry such as truth-in-advertising, employment, branding, and supply chain issues. 

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

1. Fine tune your written and verbal communication skills.  When you’re in-house, you will mostly be working with non-attorneys who will have various levels of familiarity with the law.  You will sometimes be required to explain complex legal topics to them and need to be skilled at doing so in a clear and effective way. 
2. Be solution-focused.  One way you can do this is by becoming well-acquainted with the business and industry you are in.  Your knowledge of the law combined with your familiarity with your business will allow you to come up with business-friendly solutions to legal problems that arise.
3. Be flexible to exploring different areas of the law.  Part of the fun of working in-house is that there are so many areas of the law that touch any given business, so you should look for and take advantage of these opportunities.

Judy E. Hopkins
General Counsel –
Haven Technologies, a subsidiary of Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company

Description of field of expertise

Judy began her career as an in-house privacy and cyber security counsel at a large life insurance company. Her role expanded considerably during her tenure as she became lead counsel for an array of other practice areas including anti money laundering/OFAC, insurance product development, regulatory matters and digital initiatives, such as AI, data analytics models, electronic communications and delivery, and online marketing and advertising. She also spent several years as a state lobbyist in the company’s government affairs division. Judy joined MassMutual nearly six years ago as head of legal for its startup insurance agency, Haven Life Insurance Agency, and eventually became the head lawyer for its Enterprise Technology and Experience division. In January 2022, Judy became the General Counsel for MassMutual’s newly formed SaaS technology company, Haven Technologies. 

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

I would encourage new lawyers to learn as much as they can about multiple areas of law. There is so much beyond what is learned in law school. The practice continues to evolve as new issues emerge. It’s important to expose yourself to these different areas especially early in your career. Do not be too narrowly focused or specialized too soon. Where you start is often not where you end up or anticipate ending up. Also, embrace issues around law and technology. The two are inescapably linked and the most coveted lawyers will be able to leverage both in helping their clients succeed in this digital age. 

Dominic Blue
Head of Third Party & Direct to Consumer –
Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company

Description of field of expertise

Dominic is Head of Third Party and Direct to Consumer where he is responsible for leading
customer and sales growth through third party distribution partners and MassMutual’s direct to consumer platforms that include MassMutual Strategic Distributors, Blueprint Income and Haven Life. He is also a member of the company’s Operating Committee that is responsible for
operational execution and the customer and advisor experience. Prior to his current role, Dominic established and led Strategic Planning & Delivery at MassMutual where his team successfully delivered more than 170 initiatives in support of MassMutual’s long-term targets for revenue enhancement and efficiency.

Prior to joining MassMutual in August 2011 as head of corporate law, Dominic spent nearly 10 years practicing corporate law for Locke Lord Edwards LLP and Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP. He also received the 2016 Founders’ Award from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice for his work in helping MassMutual become a recognized leader in diversity.
Dominic received his B.A. in 1998 from the College of the Holy Cross, his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management (Boston College) in 2002.