EXPERIENCE
Legal and Business Experience
Accomplished legal and business executive with over 25 years of experience as both outside and in-house counsel representing public and private multi-national corporations, financial institutions, fintechs, manufacturers, investment advisors, portfolio managers, and other regulated industries and professionals as lead counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants in domestic and international arbitrations, mediations, litigation, government investigations and enforcement actions, temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunction hearings. Deep expertise in dispute resolution, corporate and board governance, securities, commercial transactions, labor and employment, risk management, data protection, business entity structures, professional liability, consumer lending and protection, and insurance coverage.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Experience
Have served as an arbitrator in more than 30 commercial, consumer and employment disputes. Representative matters include lender liability for phishing, partnership allocations, business torts, contract disputes, data privacy, website tracking, consumer lending, credit reporting, employment, and religious discrimination.
Participated as lead counsel or a client in more than 80 arbitrations involving breach of contract and fiduciary duties, restrictive covenants, theft of confidential data, false advertising, compensation, employment discrimination, wage and hour claims, and other commercial and employment issues. Claims ranged in value from $100,000 to more than $10 million. Served as lead counsel in dozens of domestic and international mediations and settlement conferences for claims relating to director and officer liability, securities, insurance coverage, breach of contract and fiduciary duties, harassment, employment discrimination, and trade secrets and restrictive covenants. Trained in mediation techniques by international dispute resolution organization.
Areas of Expertise
COMMERCIAL
Cross-border agreements; breach of contract; breach of fiduciary duty; UCC; unfair competition and deceptive practices; supplier and vendor relationships; manufacturing; distribution; force majeure; trade and tariffs; supply chain; warranties; business torts; fraud; consumer protection; class actions; aiding and abetting liability; leasing; advertising and publicity; Lanham Act.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Shareholder rights; minority shareholder demands; closely-held corporations; partnership liability; mergers & acquisitions; corporate opportunities and usurpation; joint ventures; dissolution; director fiduciary duties; corporate structures.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Banking and mortgage fraud; consumer lending and finance; credit denials; lender liability; Ponzi schemes; aiding and abetting liability; title and other ownership claims; fair credit reporting; fair lending; bank secrecy and suspicious activity.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
Directors and officers; fidelity bonds; employment practices; professional liability; commercial general liability; cyber; policy interpretation; primary and excess layer issues; allocation among multiple insurers.
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT
Restrictive covenants; non-competes; customer and employee non-solicitation; trade secrets; wage and hour; Title 7 – age, sex, gender, disability, racial, and religious discrimination; harassment; hostile work environment; whistleblower and retaliation; wrongful discharge; FMLA; ADA; defamation; disparagement; compensation advances and clawbacks; executive contracts and compensation; wages, bonuses, severance and commission payments.
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY
Attorney; accountant; appraiser; director and officer; mortgage broker; loan officer; partnerships; title company; lateral departures and transitions.
​SECURITIES
Financial reporting and disclosure; stock exchange rules and regulations; insider trading; shareholder claims; employee stock ownership and trading; fraud; conflicts of interest; internal controls; trade allocation; false claims act; whistleblowers; fund governance; anti-bribery; fair disclosure; related-party transactions.
​TECHNOLOGY
Phishing; cyber scams; cryptocurrency; blockchain; artificial intelligence; smart contracts; TCPA; biometric privacy; data privacy; data breaches; cybersecurity.
Work History
General Counsel, Power Solutions International, Inc. 2024–2025
Deputy General Counsel / Associate General Counsel, Guaranteed Rate, Inc. 2020–2024
Partner, Kelley, Drye & Warren, LLP 2015–2020
Office Managing Partner/Partner, Ulmer & Berne, LLP 2009–2015
Partner, Reed Smith, LLP 2007–2009
Partner/Associate, Sachnoff & Weaver (merged into Reed Smith) 2002–2007
Associate, Grippo & Elden 2000–2002
Associate, Sidley & Austin 1997–2000
Law Clerk to Hon. Elaine E. Bucklo, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 1996–1997
Education
UC Berkeley Executive Education, GC University 2025
Duke University School of Law JD, WITH HONORS – 1996
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor BA, WITH HONORS – 1993
Professional Associations
PANELIST
American Arbitration Association
HEARING OFFICER
National Arbitration & Mediation
ARBITRATOR
New Era ADR
MEMBER
Association of Corporate Counsel, Litigation Section ADR Subcommittee
MEMBER
International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution