Lecturer Bios
William M. Funk
William M. Funk, Esq.
Law Office of William M. Funk
275 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 973-1100
Fax: (917) 210-3513
E-mail: wfunk@funklawsite.com
www.funklawsite.com
William Jelinek
William Jelinek, vice president and legal counsel of The Estee Lauder Companies,
handles talent, intellectual property, and public relations matters for all of its brands
worldwide. He is a graduate of Benjamin Cadozo School of Law and received a BA in
Political Science from Columbia University. He is a frequent lecturer and a MEMBER
OF THE Editorial Board of the Fashion Law Center.
Vejay G. Lalla
Vejay G. Lalla is a partner in the Entertainment, Media & Publishing; Technology, Digital Media &
Privacy; Advertising, Marketing & Promotions and Intellectual Property Practice Groups of Davis &
Gilbert.
In the entertainment field, Mr. Lalla represents and counsels a wide array of entertainment and media
companies, cable companies, luxury brands, producers, production companies, and individual talent
such as writers, producers, directors, musicians, and other talent. He has extensive experience
negotiating production and distribution agreements for scripted and non-scripted reality television series
and motion pictures (both in the United States and abroad), acquisition agreements, co-finance and coproduction
agreements, format rights and license agreements, digital content production agreements
for branded and unbranded content, and product placement and product integration agreements.
In the advertising field, Mr. Lalla’s practice involves counseling the leading advertising agencies and
their holding companies, media buying agencies, social media and digital agencies, and advertisers in
negotiating complex agreements, including agency-client agreements, and agreements with respect to
public relations, co-marketing, strategic alliance, sponsorship, barter, trade credit, media planning and
buying, talent (both union and non-union), and a variety of publishing agreements including
collaboration, publisher, and literary representation agreements. He has also negotiated a variety of
video game agreements including in-game advertising placement and development agreements, and
has counseled video game publishers with respect to in-game copyright and other intellectual property
clearance matters. He also has considerable experience in negotiating a variety of new media and
technology agreements, including digital content, music licensing and distribution, as well as interactive
and wireless agreements including mobile SMS and WAP agreements, software, hardware, and other
technology related licenses.
Mr. Lalla also counsels clients with respect to rights of privacy and publicity, behavioral targeting and
data security issues, website and social media terms and conditions and privacy policies, review of
advertising copy including for regulatory, endorsement, false advertising, and intellectual property
issues, sweepstakes and contests and other complex domestic and international promotions. In
addition, he has considerable experience in marketing, branding and licensing of copyrights and
trademarks, as well as the clearance, protection and registration of trademarks and copyrights. He has
represented clients in the entertainment, fashion, luxury goods, pharmaceutical and financial services
industries.
Theodore C. Max
Theodore C. Max
Partner
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Direct Tel: 212-653-8702
TMax@sheppardmullin.com
Mark Josephson
Mark A. Josephson Esq, CPA, CFP, CFE, is a founder and senior partner of Murray & Josephson, CPAs, LLC. Previously, Mark
worked for BDO Seidman, a leading national public accounting firm. Mark received his bachelor's degree in Accounting and
Finance from Boston University and is also a graduate of New York Law School. He is a member of the bar in the states of New
York, New Jersey and Florida. In addition to his CPA and law degree, Mark has earned a certification in Financial Planning from
the College for Financial Planning and is a member of the Association of Fraud Examiners.
Mark is a recent winner of the New York Enterprise Report Best Accountants and Attorneys Award. He has appeared as a
lecturer in a series of Education Seminars for various organizations and is an adjunct professor at New York University.
He serves on many professional committees, including the Estate Planning, and Trust and Estate Administration committees of
the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences. He is a member of the Business Valuation and Forensics of Litigation Services section of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants and of the Small Law Firm Management Committee for the Association of the Bar of the City of
New York. He is on the Board of Savvy Ladies and on the Planned Giving Advisory Council of Lighthouse International.
He is also a Board member of the Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, a member of the New York State
Council of Divorce Mediation, a Founding member of the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, and a member of the
New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
Mark assists lawyers, mediators and collaborators with business, tax and accounting advice for their practices, as well as their
clients. This powerful combination of accounting, legal and financial planning achievements has enabled Mark to assist the
firm's clients in nearly every facet of business and personal growth.
Heather J. McDonald
Heather J. McDonald
Partner
Baker Hostetler, LLP
45 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10111
Direct Tel: 212-589-4285
hmcdonald@bakerlaw.com
Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme
Partner Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme is the CoChair of Pryor Cashman’s Trademark Group, where she provides hands-on, end-to-end service to a diverse roster of clients. She is also a member of the Intellectual Property, Litigation, and Media + Entertainment Groups. With more than 20 years of experience litigating and advising on complex IP matters, Dyan has earned the reputation as the go-to lawyer for trademark, trade dress, false advertising, and copyright disputes.
Contentious (TTAB and Litigation)
Dyan routinely litigates trademark and unfair competition cases in federal and state courts and before foreign tribunals.
Dyan also actively pursues and defends contested matters before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), where she has obtained dozens of wins for clients, some after a full trial, and many on successful summary judgment or dismissal motions early in the case.
Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme
Partner, Pryor Cashman LLP, 7 Times Square
New York, NY 10036-6569
Direct Tel: 212-326-0443
dfinguerra-ducharme@pryorcashman.com
Allison Lucas
Allison Lucas is Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Gilt Groupe.She is in charge
of legal management of all operational and day-to-day business functions; brand management
and enforcement; licensing; trademark prosecution and litigation; privacy and security, anticounterfeiting;
copyright registration and litigation. Specifically she:
• Advises on all intellectual property matters for Gilt Groupe, as well as Jetsetter and Gilt
City.
• Handles all operational work for Jetsetter.com
• Oversees legal issues with respect to privacy and security policies and procedures
across all businesses.
• Drafts and negotiate vendor and supplier agreements, marketing and advertising
agreements, insertion orders, license agreements, and distribution agreements.
• Drafts and review content and software licensing agreements, independent contractor
agreements and IT agreements.
Previously she was Associate General Counsel/Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at United
Media/Iconix Brand Group, an Associate at Greenberg Traurig and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
Allison received a JD from Fordham University School of Law and a BS in Journalism from Northwestern
University
Steven R. Gursky, Esq.
Steven focuses his practice on contract negotiation, intellectual property prosecution and protection, real estate, and general corporate practice. He leverages his broad experience, from small and mid-size business transactions to multi-jurisdictional, complex transactions for public corporations, to provide clients with trusted business and legal counsel.
Steven has extensive experience in the areas of branding, intellectual property and trademark protection, with a particular niche in anti-counterfeiting efforts in the apparel industry and other industries. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the International Anti Counterfeiting Coalition and has often been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and Women's Wear Daily (WWD), and has appeared on network and local news broadcasts, including a segment on "60 Minutes" on the subject of anti-counterfeiting. Steven has been involved in trademark and counterfeiting litigation against such defendants as Walmart, Costco and many other large national companies.
Steven served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., the organization responsible for erecting the Washington D.C. memorial commemorating Dr. King's life and work. The memorial opened to the public on August 22, 2011.
Prior to joining Olshan, Steven was a partner at Dreier LLP practicing in the areas of intellectual property, corporate and real estate law. Steven joined Dreier LLP after more than 22 years as the founder and managing partner of Gursky & Partners and its predecessors.
Frances P. Hadfield, Esq.
Frances P. Hadfield is a counsel in Crowell & Moring's International Trade Group in the firm's New York office. Her practice focuses on customs litigation and regulatory compliance. She regularly advises corporations on both litigation and regulatory matters involving customs compliance, audits, customs enforcement, as well as import penalties.
Frances represents clients before the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as in proceedings at the administrative level. She advises corporations on both substantive federal and state regulatory issues that involve U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife in matters pertaining to product admissibility, audits, classification, import restrictions, investigations, marking, licenses, origin, penalties, and tariff preference programs.
Frances has assisted clients in a broad array of industries (e.g., agricultural, apparel and footwear, automotive, cameras, electronics, equipment and machinery, glassware, household goods, lighting, petroleum, and hand tools), providing creative tariff solutions and duty recovery options that enable clients to obtain significant duty savings. Moreover, in enforcement instances she has worked to mitigate substantially proposed customs penalties.
Frances was also a law clerk to the Honorable Evan J. Wallach at the U.S. Court of International Trade. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, she was an attorney at a boutique customs practice in New York City for over ten years. She is a licensed customs broker and has taught tariff classification and customs valuation
Michael Khorsandi, Esq.
Michael J. Khorsandi is an attorney at Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP – the nation’s largest law firm devoted exclusively to international trade, export and Customs matters. The firm represents a wide variety of clients worldwide, ranging from foreign governments, privately held corporations and Fortune 500 companies engaged in the manufacture, importation, exportation and distribution.
Rita Odin, Esq.
Rita M. Odin is Vice President and Trademark Counsel for the Estée Lauder Companies Inc. where she handles a variety of trademark and copyright related issues including licensing, conflict resolution, clearance and prosecution, client counseling and support on mergers and acquisitions. In addition, Rita acts as the dedicated lawyer for two of the 28 brands: Tom Ford Beauty and Jo Malone. Prior to joining Estée Lauder, Rita was an Associate at Fried Frank practicing intellectual property law and a Trademark Associate at Arent Fox. Rita started her IP career at the United States Patent and Trademark Office where she served as a Trademark Examining Attorney. She currently lives in Fairfield, CT with her husband and 3 year old daughter.
Claudia Ray, Esq.
Claudia Ray is a partner in Kirkland's New York office and a member of the Firm's IP Department. She represents clients across a wide range of industries, including entertainment and media, financial services, technology, and consumer products, in litigation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings involving copyright, trademark, Internet, and trade secret issues. Claudia also advises clients on pre-litigation issues, IP issues arising out of corporate transactions and licensing matters, and overall IP protection and brand-building strategies.
Chambers USA has ranked Claudia as one of America's Leading Lawyers for Business in 2008-2014, with clients describing her as a "leading authority throughout the country and beyond" and a "terrific and wonderful attorney" rapidly making a name for herself as an "outstanding courtroom performer." World Trademark Review (WTR) magazine has recognized Claudia every year since its inaugural ranking of the leading law firms and individual practitioners in the area of trademark law, in which clients noted they "would recommend her without hesitation" and praise her "amazing clarity of verbal and written expression." Claudia was honored in Managing Intellectual Property’s 2014 edition of IP Stars - Top 250 Women in IP and in the 2013 edition of the MIP IP Handbook, she was recognized as an "IP Star." She also has been recognized in The Legal 500 U.S. from 2010-2014 for her trademark litigation work, from 2012-2014 for her copyright work, and in the 2013 edition for her trade secrets work. Claudia was named by Law & Politics Media, Inc. as one of New York's "Super Lawyers" for 2006-2014 in the area of intellectual property litigation.
Howard Z. Robbins, Esq.
Howard Robbins is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department, and a co-head of the Strategic Corporate Planning Group.
In the traditional labor law arena, Howard represents clients in a broad range of industries, including sports and entertainment, retail and fashion, newspapers, pharmaceutical companies, hotels, educational and not-for-profit institutions (such as the Metropolitan Opera, Museum of Modern Art and other major museums and cultural institutions). As a member of the firm's Sports Law Group, Howard has been counsel to the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, National Football League and Major League Soccer, and has represented numerous individual NHL clubs. He regularly negotiates collective bargaining agreements and has represented employers in various industries in representation hearings and unfair labor practice trials before the National Labor Relations Board, and in scores of discharge and contract arbitrations. Howard also provides daily advice and counsel to clients in applying collective bargaining agreements and in complying with applicable labor laws. A recent article in The New Yorker magazine noted Howard’s reputation in labor negotiations, stating that “Robbins’s name is synonymous with tough management.”
As co-head of the Strategic Corporate Planning Group, Howard is often called upon to provide labor and employment advice in corporate transactions. He works with clients and investment bankers and negotiates with union representatives to facilitate these deals.
Howard's practice also includes a significant employment law component. In his practice, Howard represents clients in state and federal district and appellate courts and administrative agencies with respect to discrimination and employment disputes. Aside from litigation, Howard has an active counseling practice, providing practical advice to clients on issues like hiring, terminations, restructuring, wage-and-hour laws, WARN compliance, leave issues and other EEO compliance matters.
As a member of the International Labor & Employment Group, Howard often assists clients with cross-border labor and employment issues and coordinates with local counsel around the world.
Lee S. Sporn
Lee S. Sporn is Senior Vice President - Business Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Michael Kors (USA), Inc. and is responsible for its legal, human resources, store design, construction and facilities departments. Prior to joining Kors in 2003, Lee was the Senior Vice President, General Counsel at Kasper A.S.L., Ltd., owner of the Anne Klein and Kasper brands, and prior to that Lee was at Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation for 11 years, where he served as Vice President, Intellectual Property and Associate General Counsel, responsible for worldwide intellectual property enforcement, licensing and a wide variety of commercial and compliance matters. Lee served on the Board of Directors of the International Anticounterfeiting Coalition for a decade, and also served as its Chairman and an Executive Committee member. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School (class of ’86) and Cardozo Law School, and was the co-editor of Trademark Counterfeiting (Aspen Law & Business, 1999).
Kaiser Wahab, Esq.
Mr. Wahab has represented Fortune 500 to startup clients on the range of corporate transactional issues confronting businesses competing in technology, media, brand, and intellectual property driven environments. Beginning his career with Pryor Cashman, Sherman & Flynn LLP, he later joined Day Pitney LLP, where he handled licensing, trademark/copyright, and contractual issues for companies like Microsoft and UTC. In addition, he clerked at the US Court of International Trade and dealt with multibillion dollar anti-dumping claims involving importation of technology related goods.
Mr. Wahab counsels clients on negotiating/drafting technology, content, media agreements, in connection with outsourcing, licensing, contracting, e-commerce, social media, advertising, user relationships and other scenarios. He negotiates cloud computing and other technology services arrangements on behalf of enterprise customers, and advises clients on privacy and data security. He also advises on corporate structuring, including partnership agreements, equity incentive plans, and investor agreements. Finally, he structures venture capital and investor rounds into early stage technology ventures, brand ventures, and film and media ventures.
Mr. Wahab believes that being firmly committed to academia is critical to providing better client service and expanding his knowledge base. He teaches continuing legal education seminars to other practitioners, including those featured through Lawline.com and New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA). At NYCLA he was the chair of the Corporate Law Committee and is dedicated to providing access to other knowledgeable practitioners in the realm of corporate governance, litigation, technology via monthly seminars. He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University and adjunct faculty at NYU in the areas of media venture capital and media contracts.
Mr. Wahab also believes that legal publishing is key to rendering informed counsel to his clients. He is published regularly in the New York Enterprise Report on the topics of data privacy, business securities, and other topics. He has been published in Mashable and the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. In addition, he has spoken at Wikimania at the Harvard Law School, South by Southwest, Columbia University, Widener Law School, the School of Visual Arts, New York Law School, and other venues on law, policy, technology, and other topics that he has written on.
Mr. Wahab’s service commitment extends to the community as well. He served on the Board of the Cornell Asian Alumni Association where he worked to leverage Cornell’s infrastructure for community events (including a 300 person annual banquet to fund student scholarships), and events geared towards entrepreneurial learning. He also sits on the advisory board for Heart Gallery NYC, a non profit devoted to placing foster children with families. Finally, Mr. Wahab provides pro bono legal services to high profile online and social media driven ventures as a participant in Harvard Berkman Center’s Online Media Legal Network.
