ANNOUNCEMENTS
Board of Directors
| Allen P. Waxman, Chair Kaye Scholer LLP New York, NY |
Kim Koopersmith Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP New York, NY |
| Marc Gary, Vice Chair Fidelity Investments Boston, MA |
Larry D. Kramer Stanford Law School Stanford, CA |
| Carol Ann Petren, Secretary CIGNA Corporation Philadelphia, PA |
Judith L. Lichtman National Partnership for Women and Families Washington, DC |
| Cesar L. Alvarez, Treasurer Greenberg Traurig, LLP Miami, FL |
Donn P. Pickett Bingham McCutchen LLP San Francisco, CA |
| Sabrina Andrus Seattle University Law School '08 Washington, DC |
Amy W. Schulman Pfizer Inc New York, NY |
| Ramon P. Arias Bay Area Legal Aid Oakland, CA |
Laura Stein The Clorox Company Oakland, CA |
| Martha Bergmark Mississippi Center for Justice Jackson, MS |
James C. Sturdevant The Sturdevant Law Firm San Francisco, CA |
| Francis B. Burch, Jr. DLA Piper LLP Baltimore, MD |
Jessica Sutton Boston University School of Law '09 Brooklyn, NY |
| Kathleen Clyde The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law '08 Colombus, OH |
The Honorable David S. Tatel Washington, DC |
| Pamela B. Gilbert, Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP Washington, DC |
Stacy Tolos Emory School of Law '10 Atlanta, GA |
| Amos E. Hartston Latham & Watkins LLP Los Angeles, CA |
Mark D. Wasserman Sutherland Atlant, GA |
| The Honorable Sven E. Holmes KPMG LLP New York, NY |
Beth A. Wilkinson Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Washington, DC |
| Anastasia D. Kelly AIG New York, NY |
The Honorable Ann Claire Williams U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit Chicago, IL |
Cesar L. Alvarez
Cesar L. Alvarez is Chief Executive Officer of Greenberg Traurig and has served in this position for the last 13 years. During this time, the firm has grown from 325 lawyers in eight offices in 1997 to more than 1,850 attorneys and government professionals in 37 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Prior to becoming CEO of the firm, Cesar practiced securities, corporate and international law for more than 25 years. He has represented numerous public companies and serves on the board of directors of several publicly-traded corporations and charitable organizations. Mr. Alvarez has been recognized nationally and in his community for his professional, business and charitable leadership. Mr. Alvarez is active in numerous professional and community organizations, including The Florida Council of 100. Mr. Alvarez received his Associate's degree from Miami-Dade Community College, his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Florida and his J.D. with high honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
Sabrina Andrus
Sabrina Andrus is the Project Coordinator for the Northwest Justice Project's Committee on Indigent Representation and Civil Legal Equality (CIRCLE) in Seattle, Washington. CIRCLE coordinates and supports civil right to counsel advocacy and identifies and strategizes on cases that raise civil right to counsel and access to courts issues. In addition to her work with CIRCLE, Ms. Andrus provides legal advice, education, and referrals over the phone to low-income litigants involved in civil matters through NJP's CLEAR line (Coordinated Legal Education, Advice, and Referral), a statewide hotline providing free unbundled legal services to eligible pro se litigants. Ms. Andrus graduated cum laude from Seattle University School of Law in 2008. During her time in law school, she was a law clerk for a variety of local and national social justice organizations, including Law Students for Reproductive Justice (where she also served as a Director on the Board of Directors), Planned Parenthood Global Partners, and the Northwest Justice Project. Ms. Andrus also sits on the Washington State Access to Justice Board's Law School Relations Committee, a group dedicated to promoting workable unity among the Washington State law schools, legal aid practitioners, and the larger public interest community.
Ramon P. Arias
Ramon P. Arias is Executive Director of Bay Area Legal Aid and a leader in the national civil justice community. After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 1978, Mr. Arias worked for California Rural Legal Assistance as a Staff Attorney, Managing Attorney, Director of CRLA's Migrant Farm Worker Project, and Regional Counsel. In 1988, Mr. Arias joined the San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation as Executive Director, a position he held for the next 12 years. In 2000, Mr. Arias helped establish Bay Area Legal Aid and was selected as its first Executive Director. With offices in San Francisco, Marin, Richmond, Oakland, San Jose, and San Mateo, and with a staff of over 100 legal services workers, BayLegal is the region's largest provider of free civil legal services. Currently, Mr. Arias serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the CRLA Foundation and has served as the Chair of the board of directors of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, a member of the ABA's Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants, and a member of the American Bar Association's Commission on Loan Repayment.
Martha Bergmark
Martha Bergmark is the founding president and chief executive officer of the new Mississippi Center for Justice in Jackson, Mississippi. This nonprofit public interest law firm was created in 2002 to advance racial and economic justice in Mississippi by providing legal support to anti-discrimination and anti-poverty activists. Ms. Bergmark was previously senior vice president for programs of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association in Washington DC. She is also a former president and executive vice president of the Legal Services Corporation. In addition, she was the founding executive director of Southeast Mississippi Legal Services Corporation. She is a former Reginald Heber Smith Fellow and the 1990 recipient of the Kutak-Dodds Prize for her civil rights and legal aid work in her home state of Mississippi. Ms. Bergmark is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and Oberlin College.
Kathleen Clyde
Starting in March 2009, Kathleen Clyde will be serving as Deputy Legal Counsel for the Majority Caucus of the Ohio House of Representatives. During the 2008 general election cycle, she was Director of the Franklin County Early Vote Center in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Clyde graduated in 2008 from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where she was the Symposium Editor of the Ohio State Law Journal, President of the Public Interest Law Foundation, and President of the American Constitution Society OSU student chapter. A passionate advocate for voting rights and election law reform, Ms. Clyde worked for OSU's Election Law at Moritz program as a 1L and 2L and then for Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner as a 3L. Ms. Clyde graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in English. After graduation, she worked as a Program Assistant for two years at the Community Shelter Board in Columbus, Ohio. The Shelter Board is nationally recognized for its innovative approach to coordinating shelter and services to end homelessness in Columbus. Later, she joined the Ohio John Kerry for President campaign as their statewide student organizer. Kathleen then worked for various political campaigns, including Senator Hillary Clinton's re-election campaign, until she enrolled in law school in the fall of 2005.
Marc Gary
Marc Gary is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Fidelity Investments, one of the country’s largest financial services companies. Prior to joining Fidelity in 2007, he served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of BellSouth Corporation, a Fortune 100 telecommunications company. For almost 20 years before joining BellSouth, Mr. Gary was a partner in the international law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt (now Mayer, Brown LLP). In 1990, he took a leave of absence from the firm and accepted an appointment as Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel. Mr. Gary is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Greater Boston Legal Services, and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. He served as the first Chair of the Georgia Supreme Court’s Committee on Civil Justice and presently chairs the Corporate Counsel Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Gary is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Georgia Bar Foundation and a member of the American Law Institute. He is also the recipient of the 2005 Laurie D. Zelon Award from the Pro Bono Institute for outstanding leadership in the areas of pro bono, diversity and access to justice. He graduated from Northwestern University summa cum laude and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Pamela Gilbert
Pamela Gilbert is a partner in the law firm of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP, based in Washington, DC. Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca fights for consumers, businesses, workers and governments using the tools of litigation, lobbying and public advocacy. Ms. Gilbert heads up the lobbying practice at the firm. Prior to Cuneo, Ms. Gilbert was the Chief Operating Officer for M&R Strategic Services, a public affairs and political advocacy firm based in Washington, DC. She also worked for Public Citizen's Congress Watch, one of Washington's largest consumer advocacy organizations, first as Legislative Director and then as Executive Director. Before Public Citizen's Congress Watch, Ms. Gilbert served as Consumer Program Director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group where she specialized in civil justice and consumer protection issues. During most of the Clinton Administration, Ms. Gilbert served as Executive Director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ms. Gilbert graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and received her law degree from New York University.
The Honorable Sven Erik Holmes
Sven Erik Holmes is the Executive Vice Chair, Legal and Compliance for KPMG LLP where he directs the office of general counsel, government affairs, security, communications, office of internal audit, and the firm’s ethics and compliance programs. He is also Counsel to the Board of Directors and a member of the Management Committee. Judge Holmes was appointed by President William J. Clinton as United States District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma, where he served from 1995-2005, and as Chief Judge from 2003-2005. Judge Holmes was a member of the Budget Committee for the federal judiciary from 2001-2005, serving as Vice Chair 2004-2005, and taught Constitutional Law as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law from 1999-2005. Previously, he was a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly in Washington, DC. Judge Holmes was Staff Director and General Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1987-1989, Vice President of the Baltimore Orioles from 1989-1993 and Administrative Assistant to the Governor David L. Boren of Oklahoma from 1975-1977. In 2009, Ethisphere named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics and in 2007, Accounting Today named him as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting. Judge Holmes received his A.B. from Harvard University in 1973, J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1980, and LLM (Taxation) from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987. He served as a law clerk to United States District Judge Thomas R. Brett from 1980-1981.
Anastasia D. Kelly
Anastasia D. Kelly is Vice Chairman of American Insurance Group (AIG). In this role, she is responsible for the communications, corporate affairs and human resources functions, along with her other responsibilities in global legal, compliance and regulatory matters. Previously, she served as executive vice president and general counsel and senior regulatory and compliance officer. Formerly, Ms. Kelly was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of MCI/WorldCom, where she served as the chief legal officer from 2003 until MCI/WorldCom's merger with Verizon in 2006. Prior to joining MCI, Ms. Kelly was senior vice president and general counsel of Sears, Roebuck and Co. She also managed the Corporate Secretary function, acting as the primary point of contact for the Sears Board of Directors. Before her tenure at Sears, Ms. Kelly served as the senior vice president and general counsel and corporate secretary at Fannie Mae where she reorganized and upgraded the in-house law team to face the increasing complexities of Fannie Mae's marketplace and customer demands. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Ms. Kelly served as a partner and associate with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, a major Washington, DC law firm, where her practice spanned several areas of the law, including regulation of financial institutions and securities firms. Ms. Kelly began her legal career as an associate with Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, of Dallas, where her practice encompassed general and business litigation. Ms. Kelly received her law degree magna cum laude from George Washington University while working for Martin Marietta Corporation as an employee benefits director and manager, and her undergraduate degree cum laude from Trinity College. She began her business career with the Airline Pilots Association as the association's first female professional.
Kim Koopersmith
Kim Koopersmith is the Managing Partner-United States of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, with responsibility for operations of the law firm, including financial oversight, recruitment, professional development and client service. In addition to her management responsibilities, Ms Koopersmith continues her role as a litigation partner in the New York office. Her practice focuses on litigating commercial disputes on behalf of corporate entities, including defending contractual disputes and consumer class actions, representing creditors committees in complex bankruptcy proceedings and representing foreign interests litigating claims in the United States courts. Ms. Koopersmith received her B.A. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and her J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law in 1984. She is a member of the New York Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2nd and 3rd Circuits. In addition to her duties as Managing Partner, Ms. Koopersmith also serves as chair of the Partnership Committee and a member of the Partner Compensation Committee.
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer has been the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and the Dean of Stanford Law School since 2004. Prior to joining Stanford Law School, Dean Kramer served as Associate Dean for Research and Academics and Russell D. Niles Professor of Law at New York University School of Law; professor of law at the University of Chicago and University of Michigan law schools; and consultant for Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP. Early in his career, Dean Kramer clerked for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Henry J. Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Dean Kramer received his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University in 1980. He earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Chicago Law School in 1984. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Law Institute.
Judith L. Lichtman
Judith L. Lichtman has been a guiding and influential force in the women's movement for more than 30 years. She recently stepped down as President of the National Partnership for Women & Families and is presently Senior Advisor at the Partnership. Ms. Lichtman’s vision and the National Partnership’s strength and direct leadership have resulted in the passage of some of the most important legal protections for American women and families, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. In 1996, the National Partnership helped shape key provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that make it easier for women and their families to get and keep health coverage. More recently, Ms. Lichtman has led efforts to promote patient protections and to bring paid family and medical leave to California. Before joining the National Partnership, Ms. Lichtman worked for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Jackson State College, the Urban Coalition, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and as legal advisor to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In 1974, Lichtman became the executive director and first paid staff person for the Women s Legal Defense Fund (WLDF), which became the National Partnership for Women & Families in February 1998. Ms. Lichtman received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Carol Ann Petren
Carol Ann Petren was named Executive Vice President and General Counsel of CIGNA Corporation in May 2006 and is responsible for the company's legal and public affairs activities. Prior to joining CIGNA, Ms. Petren served as senior vice president and deputy general counsel of MCI where she was responsible for litigation, regulatory matters, government affairs, compliance and department operations . Before MCI, Ms. Petren served as deputy general counsel at Sears, Roebuck and Co., following 18 years in litigation defense practice with law firms in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, she served as a prosecutor in Jackson County, Mo., as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri and as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Ms. Petren is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College and received her J.D. and L.L.M. degrees from the University Of Missouri School of Law.
Donn P. Pickett
Donn P. Pickett is co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Area. He was the vice chairman of the firm from 2002 through 2008, and was the immediate prior chairman of the legacy firm McCutchen, Doyle, Brown and Enersen. Mr. Pickett concentrates his work in antitrust, intellectual property and securities litigation, and has developed extensive experience in the defense of class actions. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. With over 30 years as a corporate litigator, Mr. Pickett has developed a unique style to the management of large cases. His case management emphasizes Bingham’s overall approach: responsible, lean and effective staffing, extraordinary responsiveness, early attempts to resolve matters especially through mediation, discriminate use of discovery, creative motions practice, avoidance of unnecessary costs, strict budgeting and close client communications with active in-house participation. He is an accomplished jury trial attorney and has tried a large number of cases in federal and state courts, including major jury trials in antitrust, patent infringement and securities cases. Mr. Pickett also has extensive experience in counseling clients on antitrust issues and representing them in negotiations and proceedings with state and federal regulatory agencies. In particular, he has handled multiple matters involving the nexus between intellectual property rights and antitrust policy. Mr. Pickett regularly teaches trial practice and complex litigation courses for the ABA, PLI, CEB, the State Bar of California and others. He has been a coordinator of the firm’s renowned Trial Practice Program for over 20 years. He has also led numerous programs, as well as seminars for clients, in the antitrust, intellectual property and securities litigation areas. Mr. Pickett is recognized as a “Best Lawyer” in both commercial litigation and antitrust law by the Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Pickett is also recognized in the Chambers USA Guide as one of California’s top antitrust, as well as one of the state’s top commercial litigation lawyers. Mr. Pickett graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College with a Bachelor’s degree and received his law degree from Yale Law School.
Amy W. Schulman
Amy W. Schulman is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Pfizer Inc. Prior to joining Pfizer, Ms. Schulman was a litigation practice group leader at DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary and a member of the Executive, Strategic Planning, and Policy Committees. She has an extensive products liability practice with a particular concentration in drug and medical device litigation. Relevant engagements include Prempro, OxyContin, "Phen-Fen," L-tryptophan (dietary supplement), DBCP (pesticide), and latex gloves. Ms. Schulman acts as national coordinating counsel and trial counsel. She has experience designing and implementing alternative resolution programs for Fortune 500 companies and has handled nearly 750 mediations. Her business litigation practice includes substantial international litigation experience, including particular experience with cross-border discovery, supply contracts, and litigation involving closely held corporations. Ms. Schulman has particular experience in employment issues, including wrongful termination, restrictive covenants, and litigation concerning Title VII and its state law analogs. Ms. Schulman appears frequently in federal courts throughout the country, as well as in Delaware Chancery Court. She speaks and writes frequently on mass tort litigation, resolution strategies, and issues relating to women in the legal profession. She is a member of the firm's Diversity Committee and was recently selected as one of 21 rising female litigators by members of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Ms. Schulman is cited in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.
Laura Stein
Laura Stein is Senior Vice President-General Counsel for The Clorox Company. Among other responsibilities, she chairs the Clorox women’s employee resource group and co-sponsors the company’s social responsibility program. Previously, Ms. Stein was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of H.J. Heinz Company from 2000 to 2005. At Heinz, she was president of Heinz’s Global Organization for the Advancement of Leadership for Women and a director of the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation. Prior to Heinz, Ms. Stein was Assistant General Counsel at Clorox and before that she was a lawyer with Morrison & Foerster LLP. Ms. Stein is a director of Franklin Resources, Inc. (a global investment management organization known as Franklin Templeton Investments). Ms. Stein is chair of the board of the Association of Corporate Counsel. She chairs the ABA Asia Law Initiative Council and co-chairs the Corporate Pro Bono Advisory Board. Ms. Stein is a member of the American Law Institute, the ABA Center for Rule of Law Initiatives Board and the State Bar of California Task Force on Lawyer Support for Legal Services. Previously, she was chair of the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, a member of the ABA Center for Human Rights, and Vice-Chair of the East Bay Community Law Center, among other roles. Ms. Stein holds a B.A. and M.A. from Dartmouth College and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
James C. Sturdevant
James C. Sturdevant, the principal of The Sturdevant Law Firm, is one of the nation’s most respected consumer rights and class action attorneys. He was named 2004 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California, 2002 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, and has received numerous other awards for his outstanding advocacy on behalf of consumers and workers. Mr. Sturdevant specializes in representing plaintiffs in class actions involving consumer protection; financial and insurance fraud; employment discrimination; other employment, civil rights and disability cases; and a wide variety of unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business practice cases. He and his firm are also accomplished appellate lawyers representing themselves and others. During his 35 plus year career, he has represented plaintiffs and plaintiff classes in cases involving federal and state benefit rights, housing, employment discrimination, institutional conditions at prisons, jails, and mental institutions, school desegregation, consumer protection, and binding, mandatory arbitration clauses. He has tried, settled, and argued on appeal many multi-million dollar class action cases.
Jessica Sutton
Jessica Sutton is a 3L at Boston University School of Law, where she is also earning an M.A. in Philosophy. She is a member of the FEMA Appeals Project and she is co-founder and student legal advocate for Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates. Currently, Jessica works in the Criminal Clinic at BU and she interned at the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). She also served on the outreach committee for the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and she is a committee member for the state Lesbian and Gay Bar Association. She served as a legal intern at Neighborhood Legal Services in Lynn, MA, and has worked as an intern at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and as co-chair of the Student Hurricane Network MatchMakers for Justice. Jessica earned a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University. She will serve a two-year term on the board.
The Honorable David S. Tatel
Judge Tatel was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Bill Clinton in October 1994. Judge Tatel earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Chicago. Following law school, he was an instructor at the University of Michigan Law School and then joined Sidley & Austin in Chicago. Since then, he has served as founding Director of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare during the Carter Administration. Returning to private practice in 1979, Judge Tatel joined Hogan & Hartson, where he founded and headed the firm's education practice until his appointment to the D.C. Circuit. While on sabbatical from Hogan & Hartson, Judge Tatel spent a year as a lecturer at Stanford Law School. Judge Tatel has served on many non-profit boards, including The Spencer Foundation, which he chaired from 1990 to 1997. He currently chairs the Board of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Judge Tatel is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Education, and the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Science, Technology and Law. Judge Tatel and his wife, Edith, have four children and six grandchildren.
Stacy Tolos
Stacy Tolos is a 2L at Emory University School of Law and will serve a three-year term on the board. She earned a B.S. in Human and Organizational Development and Sociology and an M.P.P. in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University. Stacy is currently a legal intern and case worker for the Health Law Partnership in Atlanta, GA. Previously, she has worked for College Summit, the Center for Nashville Studies, Ashoka, and K.I.P.P Academy Charter School. She co-founded and taught a course in corporate social responsibility at Vanderbilt and founded the Synergy College Preparatory and Mentoring Program in Nashville, TN. Stacy also taught English in West Africa and co-coordinated the Education Without Borders International Conference in the United Arab Emirates.
Allen P. Waxman
Allen Waxman is a partner at Kaye Scholer in New York. He has worked with a variety of organizations dedicated to legal reform, including the Civil Justice Reform Group and the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform. In addition, he participates in the LRN-Rand Center on Corporate Ethics, Law and Governance and serves on the boards of the New York Legal Aid Society, the Business Council of New York State and the New York Anti-Defamation League. Prior to joining Kaye Scholer, Mr. Waxman served as Senior Assistant General Counsel and Chief of Litigation at Pfizer and was later named Sr. Vice President and Associate General Counsel. He was appointed General Counsel of Pfizer in 2006 and resigned from that position in March 2008. Prior to Pfizer, he was a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly, LLP in Washington, DC, trying criminal and civil cases. During that same period, he was an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center as well as Chairman of the Board of the first law-related charter school in the District of Columbia — the Thurgood Marshall Academy. Previously, Allen was a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas Penfield Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Waxman earned his A.B. (magna cum laude) from Dartmouth College in 1984 and his J.D. (magna cum laude) from Harvard Law School in 1987.
Beth A. Wilkinson
Beth A. Wilkinson is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, focusing her practice on general litigation. Prior to joining Paul Weiss, she served as executive vice president - general counsel and corporate secretary at Fannie Mae. At Fannie Mae, she had oversight and management responsibility for all legal issues, strategies, services and resources. Additionally, she served as the business-oriented, senior legal advisor to the board of directors, chief executive officer, and members of the senior management team. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Ms. Wilkinson was a partner and co-chair, White Collar Practice Group for Latham & Watkins, LLP, Washington, D.C. Before joining Latham, Ms. Wilkinson served as special counsel to the deputy U.S. attorney general. During her tenure at the Department of Justice, Ms. Wilkinson was appointed principal deputy of the Terrorism & Violent Crime Section and a prosecutor on the trial team in U.S. v. McVeigh and Nichols. Ms. Wilkinson served in the United States Army as an assistant to the general counsel of the Army for Intelligence & Special Operations. While in that position she was selected to serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida to assist in the U.S. v. Noriega case. Ms. Wilkinson joined the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Ms. Wilkinson twice received the Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award, the only two time recipient in the history of the Department of Justice. Ms. Wilkinson has a juris doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and a bachelor of arts from Princeton University.
The Honorable Ann Claire Williams
President Ronald Reagan appointed Judge Williams to an Article III federal judgeship when she was 35 years old. At that time, she was the first African-American woman appointed to the district court in Illinois and in the Seventh Circuit. In 1999, she was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit by President Bill Clinton. She became the first African- American ever appointed to the Circuit and the third African American woman to serve on any federal appeals court. Judge Williams was appointed Chair of the Court Administration and Case Management Committee (CACM) of the Judicial Conference of the United States in 1993, and was responsible for making policy recommendations in this area for the federal judiciary. She served as a member of CACM from 1990 to 1997. Judge Williams taught case management skills to new federal judges at the Federal Judicial Center from 1990 to 1997 and continues to teach trial advocacy with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA). She has also taught trial advocacy courses at Harvard, Northwestern and other Chicago area law schools. Judge Williams began her career as a music and third grade teacher in the inner city public schools of Detroit, Michigan, after graduating with a Bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in Elementary Education and a Master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Michigan. She received her JD from the University of Notre Dame. Judge Williams began her legal career as a law clerk with Judge Robert A. Sprecher of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago for nine years, trying major felony cases and appearing before the Seventh Circuit. She was promoted to deputy chief of a criminal division and ultimately became first Chief of the Organized Drug Enforcement Task Force, responsible for organizing federal investigation and prosecution activities for a five-state region.