Women in Law - On The Record

Today I’m speaking with Lisa Roberts, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Stax Payments. Lisa and I met a couple years ago when we connected through a mutual friend and had coffee over Zoom but this was our first time meeting in person. We had a fantastic discussion about Lisa’s background and how she made the strategic moves she has so far in her career. Lisa grew up in St. Croix with her family where she was a competitive swimmer. Her family later moved to California where she would attend Cal State University in Bakersfield and study English Literature. Lisa took some time off between undergrad and law school to figure out what she really wanted to do. When she decided law school was her best path forward, she chose the University of Montana after having had the opportunity to spend time in Yellowstone and recognizing her love for the outdoors. There, she made a mentor in one of her professors who would help her get a job in Atlanta at a boutique firm specializing in real estate deals. Lisa cut her teeth at the firm for 6 years and when she started to have a family, she decided it was time to make a move in-house. As you’ll hear, Lisa has taken thoughtful steps towards achieving her goal of becoming a general counsel. She diversified her expertise, continuing seeking out mentorship from others, and capitalized on unique opportunities. She has a great perspective that I loved hearing all about.

Today I'm sharing some exciting personal news - I'm pregnant! I am expecting a baby girl in early April and my family and I are super excited about it. In this episode, I share thing I'm looking forward to, some of my fears, and answer some practical questions I've been asked. Please enjoy this unusual episode!

Today I’m sharing an interview I did in 2019 with Iris Chen who was with Google at the time. This is one of my favorite episodes I’ve ever done. Iris is such a bright and inspiring lawyer. After Google, Iris went on to become the Deputy General Counsel of Airbnb and, very recently, Iris became the General Counsel of Moloco. She’s had an incredible career trajectory. I’m going to get the full update from her in my upcoming 100th Episode where I’ll feature Iris and a few others who I have previously interviewed to see “where they are now?” For now, hear all about Iris’s background in our discussion here.

Meredith a Partner at Quinn Emanuel in New York City. She attended Harvard University for undergrad and Columbia Law School. Meredith grew up in the Philadelphia area. She is a seasoned trial lawyer with extensive experience litigating a broad variety of complex commercial disputes in a host of state and federal courts and arbitration tribunals. In fact, in career, she has practiced on both coasts–being part of the firm’s San Francisco office as well as New York. Meredith shared valuable insights for any lawyer making their way through big law. I really enjoyed talking with her and hope you enjoy listening to our conversation.

Today I’m talking with Kelley Barnett, Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel at AmTrust Financial Services. Kelley is so many things to me…a friend, a long time listener and supporter of this podcast, an incredibly talented lawyer, and masterful advocate for women in the legal field. Kelley graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in economics, then attended Case Western University where she obtained her law degree. Early in her career, Kelley was a prosecutor for several years. In 2004, she was honored to become a member of the Major Trial Unit of the prosecutor's office, which is the elite trial unit of the county prosecutor’s office responsible for prosecuting the community's most serious offenders.

Kelley then made the move to private practice at Frantz Ward where she would spend 12 years litigating and trying a wide variety of cases. Next, Kelley moved to AmTrust in 2019 where she focused on labor and employment issues. As you’ll hear, Kelley continuously raised her hand for new opportunities at AmTrust. And now she leads a team of lawyers responsible for overseeing employment, intellectual property, the negotiation and drafting of commercial and technology agreements, antitrust and related regulatory issues, data governance, and related litigation and other issues for AmTrust and some of AmTrust's domestic and international businesses.

When Kelley isn’t practicing law, you may find her hanging out with her dogs or her family or she is promoting other women in the law. In fact, one of her most outstanding achievements was establishing Ladder Down Cleveland. You may recognize the name as I’ve featured the organization on the podcast about two years ago. You’ll recall it’s an organization for women lawyers to help them build their business development skills. Kelley and I have known each other for years now and it was a true pleasure to interview her for this podcast. Please enjoy. 

Today, I’m talking with Alex Lagos (Shareholder in Litigation at Greenberg Traurig in Miami), Lara Bueso Bach (Senior VP of Litigation at Televisia Univision), and Mercedes Armas Bach (Retired Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Florida and current JAMS mediator). If you can’t already tell, these ladies all have something in common–they’re related! Alex is the daughter of Mercedes and Lara married into the family when she married Alex’s brother. Law is the family business for these incredibly bright and inspiring women. This was a fascinating discussion. Each of these ladies had a unique experience and perspective to share. And I’m thrilled for you to hear our conversation. Please enjoy!

Today I’m talking with Erin England. Erin has over 20 years of experience in finance and is widely recognized as one of the top lawyers in her field. She specializes in corporate and finance transactions, including serving as outside general counsel to businesses. Erin has helped Fortune 500 companies, private equity and private credit funds, and regional and national banks successfully navigate complex commercial issues. Erin began her legal career at Haynes and Boone in Dallas, Texas. She served as a Partner at three major law firms, and is the former co-chair of the fund finance practice group at an AmLaw Top 30 law firm. With her extensive background, Erin recently decided to start her own firm–Erin England Law. She walks me through her career and her decision to hang her own shingle. She and I had a great discussion and I’m thrilled to shine a light on her story.

Today I’m talking with Marlana Shoshtari, Counsel for Entertainment Networks (Scripted) at NBC Universal. Marlana is originally from a small town in Oklahoma but later moved and went to undergrad at the University of Virginia where she studied psychology. She and I bonded over our fascination with crime and psychology as both of us grew up during the peak CSI and Criminal Minds days. Marlana decided law school was the best path for her and attended Syracuse University where she got her JD and a Master’s Degree in Public Relations and Image Management. Marlana had her sights set on being an entertainment lawyer so she made her way to the west coast. As you’ll hear, Marlana did WHATEVER it took to achieve her goals. Initially, when she moved to the LA area, she was staying with a family friend, enduring an hour and half commute every day each way to work. She was grinding it out just to get the experience she needed, which she got from a company called New Form Entertainment where she worked closely with the general counsel and created innovative ways to improve their efficiencies. Marlana then broke into the streaming/network scene when she moved to Netflix where she focused on nonfiction series. Now at NBC Universal, Marlana drafts and negotiates contracts for scripted series, among having many other responsibilities. When she’s not practicing law, you can probably find Marlana reading a book. She is a big book lover and even started her own YouTube series reviewing the latest books she’s read. I hope you enjoy our discussion and find inspiration in Marlana’s story (I know I did).

Today I’m talking with Maria Daatio Perez, Senior Counsel & Director for Advertising, Marketing, Content Review, S&P, and E-Commerce. Maria was so fun to chat with. She spoke about her immigrant family’s background, her days in undergrad at UC Santa Barbara, and how she came around to the decision to go to law school. She ultimately attended Southwestern Law School and when she graduated, she wanted to be an entertainment lawyer. She made her way into a startup of sorts, a company called Maker Studios, that was later acquired by Disney. Maria later took a job at Facebook back in the bay area (where she is from originally). At that time, Maria and her husband-to-be were long-distance and commuting to and from southern California to the bay. After that, Maria landed a job at Mattel where she focuses on advertising and marketing issues. Maria was super involved in all the Barbie movie promotional work so you’ll hear me ask about that. I had such a great connection with Maria. I think you’ll hear that and I hope you enjoy the episode.

Today I’m talking with Sara Kamal, Legal Counsel at Yum! Brands. This was an especially fun interview for me because Sara is one of my closest friends. She and I met when she was actually a client of my firm and we were working together on an arbitration matter. It didn’t take long for us to become friends. She is someone I count on all the time to give me a work advice so I’m really excited for you all to hear her insight. But, before we dive into the interview, let me tell you about Sara’s background. She was born in Egypt and moved to the States with her family when she was just a baby. She attended the University of Texas where she majored in accounting. She later moved to Washington D.C. and after law school did a fellowship focused on public policy. After her stint in D.C., Sara moved back to Texas (the Dallas-Fort Worth area) and began working for a small firm. She cut her teeth for a couple years learning everything she could about the law, getting diverse experience in all different subject matters. Sara then moved in-house to Dickey’s Barbecue during the pandemic, where she wore many hats and handled various legal issues, including some especially complicated matters where she had no prior experience. Not surprising to anyone who knows Sara, she handled it like a champ. And that experience is, in part, what gave her the confidence to join Yum! Where she is crushing it y’all. She won’t say that, so I’ll say it for her. She’s GREAT at her job. She has a natural ability to gain the trust of her clients and you couldn’t ask for a better team player. I hope you enjoy this conversation with one of my dearest friends.