UCLA Law Women LEAD Summit 2024

2024 LEAD Summit logo

UCLA Law Women LEAD’s Tenth Anniversary Leadership Summit was held at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall and the UCLA Faculty Club on September 27th. UCLA Law professors, alumni, and students from around the world enjoyed an inspiring day of thought-provoking speakers and networking.

UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider.

Morning Sessions - UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall

8:45 - Kickoff: LEADers Around the Globe

Amber Munoz ’19 J.D., Associate, Hueston Hennigan LLP

9:00 - Power Negotiation: Skills for High-Impact Results

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Recognition & Elimination of Bias (Implicit Bias) Credit.)

Elina Avakian ’10 J.D., Associate General Counsel, Snap Inc.
Renee Delphin-Rodriguez ’06 J.D., Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, SCAN Group & Health Plan
Robyn Polashuk ’94 J.D., Partner and Co-Chair, Entertainment and Media Industry Group, Covington & Burling LLP
Angela Reddock-Wright ’95 J.D., Mediator, Signature Resolution; Radio Host, Legal Lens with Angela Reddock-Wright, KBLA

9:55 - The Future is You: Blazing Light

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Competence (Wellness) Credit.)

Kori Carew, Bridge 68 LLC

10:50 - Coffee Break

11:10 - The AI Revolution: Navigating Copyright and Ownership Challenges

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Introduction by Lauren Robinette ’13 LL.M., Principal Counsel, Original Content, Legal and Studio Affairs – Apple TV+
Suzanne Wilson, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights for the United States Copyright Office
Mark McKenna, Vice Dean of Faculty & Intellectual Life and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law; Faculty Co-Director, UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy
Aditya Sivakumar ’26 (J.D. and M.P.P programs), Chief Innovation Officer, Luri
Xiyin Tang, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law

12:05 - The Dean’s Welcome

Michael Waterstone, Dean and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law

12:10 - The LEAD Trailblazer Award Honoring Alicia Miñana de Lovelace

Presented by UCLA Law Women LEAD Co-founders, Nancy Abell ’79 J.D., Retired Partner, Paul Hastings LLP, and Michelle Banks ’88 J.D., Strategic Advisor, BarkerGilmore LLC
Insights by Alicia Miñana de Lovelace ’87 J.D.

12:25 - Hot Luncheon Buffet - UCLA Faculty Club

1:25 - You Choose: Concurrent Breakout Sessions - UCLA Faculty Club

Trial Lawyers Strategy Collaboration

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Justin Bernstein, Director of A. Barry Cappello Program in Trial Advocacy and Lecturer in Law, UCLA School of Law
Tanya Greene ’09 J.D., Partner, DLA Piper
Christina McCall ’04 J.D., Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office, White-Collar Crimes Unit, Eastern District of California
Heather Richardson ’94 J.D., Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Trailblazing Green Solutions: Advancing Environmental Interests

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Ann Carlson, Shirley Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law, UCLA School of Law
Lily Chinn ’99 J.D., Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Divya Rao ’21 J.D. & M.B.A., Managing Associate Renewable Energy Project, Sidley Austin LLP

Emerging Strategies for Protecting LGBTQAI+ Equality and Reproductive Rights: What’s at Stake and The Connections Between Attacks on Reproductive Care, Transgender Health Care, and LGBTQAI+ Rights

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Jennifer Chou ’14 J.D., Interim Director, Gender Sexuality & Reproductive Justice, ACLU of Northern California
Melissa Goodman, Executive Director, Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy, UCLA School of Law
Christy Mallory ’08 J.D., State & Local Policy Director, The Williams Institute
Brenda Suttonwills ’92 J.D., Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives, UCLA School of Law

The New Era of Entertainment: Legal Strategies for Today’s Industry

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Heather Anderson ’97 J.D., Vice President, Original Content and Business Affairs, ESPN, Moderator
Audrey Benoualid ’13 LL.M., Partner, Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP
Tirzah Lowe ’98 J.D., Of Counsel, Knobbe Martins
Emma S. Wilson ’22 LL.M., Entertainment Associate Attorney, Sacker Entertainment Law PC

Winning and Defeating PAGA Cases: Assess, Litigate and Triumph after AB 2288 and SB92

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Tritia Murata ’04 J.D., Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Emily Gould Sullivan ’95 J.D., Group Vice President, Legal, Ross Stores Inc.
Lauren Teukolsky ’00 J.D., Owner and Founder, Teukolsky Law, A Professional Corporation

Corporate Counsel Tackling Emerging Issues

(This session is approved for 1 hour of California MCLE Credit.)

Jocelyn Coney ’17 LL.M., Associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Renee Delphin-Rodriguez ’06 J.D., Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, SCAN Group & Health Plan
Karna Nisewaner ’00 J.D., Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Pauline Truong ’05 LL.M., Global Innovator, Founder, Advocate

In-House Bound: Preparing for a Career Shift

Elaine Chang ‘13 J.D., Senior Employment and Litigation Counsel, National Veterinary Associates
Chantal Hwang ‘10 J.D., Senior Counsel, Apple, Inc.
Sonia Jain ’09 J.D., Head of Legal Product, Marketing, IP, Google Fiber

Navigating the Journey from Associate to Partner

Erinn Contreras ’06 J.D., Partner, Sheppard Mullin
Bety Javidzad ’05 J.D., Partner, Dentons

2:40 - Making a Difference: Collaborate with Non-Profit LEADers on Pro Bono Initiatives - Schoenberg Hall

Opening Remarks: Jocelyn Larkin ’83 J.D., Of Counsel, The Impact Fund
Jala Abner, Voting Rights Program Associate, Common Cause
Monica Mar ’08 J.D., Director of Pro Bono, Community Legal Aid SoCal
Grace Sung Ehn Meng, Executive Director, David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, UCLA School of Law
Shayla Myers ’08 J.D., Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Mary Tanagho Ross ’11 J.D., Directing Attorney, Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Dorothy Wolpert ’76 J.D., Member, Board of Directors, Inner City Law Center and Past President; Partner, Bird Marella LLP

3:20 - Concluding Remarks and LEAD Leadership Recognitions

Evelyn Aguilar Shimazaki ’84 J.D., Co-Chair, UCLA Law Women LEAD, Retired, Former Senior Director & Associate General Counsel, Velodyne Lidar, Inc.

3:30 - Toasting LEAD’s Tenth Anniversary: Cocktail and Networking Reception - UCLA Faculty Club

*Speakers are subject to change.

We are immensely grateful to the following LEAD members for their generous contributions to LEAD’s Tenth Anniversary Student Scholarship

Nancy Abell
Val Ackerman
Michelle Banks
Kris Cheh Beck
Vidya Bhatt
Lauren Blaes
Megan Boucher
Christina Burrows
Sarah Coats
Lisa Fike
Anya Goldstein
Samantha Grant
Nicole Healy
Sherry Jackman
Jessie Kornberg
Michelle Lawson
Natalie Matsler
Bonita Dombrey Moore
Karna Nisewaner
Phuong Young Phillips
Angela Reddock-Wright
Evelyn Aguilar Shimazaki
Emily Gould Sullivan
Elaine Vukadinovich
Michelle Yadegar