Lawline is proud to present our annual list of Top Women Faculty of 2022. We’re thrilled to showcase the talented women who contribute to our mission of empowering attorneys to take charge of their personal growth with practical knowledge that accelerates their ability to grow and serve. This year's list includes accomplished women from a variety of practice areas and backgrounds, each with unique perspectives and experiences to share with the Lawline audience. In addition to their numerous achievements, honors, and recognitions, we’d like to recognize this group of women for taking time out of their busy careers to share their insights and expertise with the legal community. We couldn’t be prouder to work together with this amazing group of attorneys and leaders.
Leah Del Percio is the President, CEO, and co-founder of Trustate, one of the world’s fastest-growing estate administration platforms. Making her first appearance on the list, Leah taught an astounding 7 Lawline courses and received over 21,000 course completions on Lawline. Leah’s courses focused on the ins and outs of estate administration, from how to effectively use technology to atypical assets such as cryptocurrency. She also taught a highly regarded course on how to explain legal concepts to clients. One Lawline user described Leah as being “the best presenter yet - and I have been doing this for years now.”
Jessica Lynn Dagley is an attorney in the Chicago office of Akerman LLP. Her practice focuses on professional liability and commercial litigation, including the representation of attorneys, accountants, financial agents, corporations, and law firms. Jessica was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2019, 2020, and 2021, a distinction awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys in Illinois under 40. Jessica’s course “How to Ethically Practice from a Remote Office” was an invaluable resource for many attorneys newly navigating the world of remote work.
Ama Karikari-Yawson, Esq., is the founder of Milestales Publishing and Education Consulting and the author of The Talk: A Black Family’s Conversation about Racism and Police Brutality, Sunne’s Gift: How Sunne Overcame Bullying to Reclaim the Gift, and other bestselling books. Also featured on 2021’s list of Top Women Faculty, Ama participated in Lawline’s 2022 event “Access to the Legal Profession: How Law Firms Can Break Down Barriers to the Pipeline", teaching a session on Inclusive Interviewing. One user remarked, “This was an outstanding training. Beautifully framed, an engaging presenter, and many thought-provoking topics. Would love to see more CLEs from Ama Karikari-Yawson.” We agree!
Amy and Deepika taught one of 2022’s most viewed courses, Avoiding Privilege Pitfalls: Ethical Issues for In-House Counsel, which holds a perfect 5 star rating. Lawline members are effusive in their praise of the course, saying, “I recommend this CLE for all in-house lawyers!” and calling it “excellent: informative, practical, and current.”
Tracy and Laurie combined forces on their new program Attorney Licensure and the Impaired Professional (Update), which one user called “the best substance-related course I've seen in 20 years of practice.”
Patricia “Patti” Wilhite McCartney has been a licensed Texas attorney for more than twenty years and has practiced in multiple areas of law with an emphasis on medical malpractice, animal law, and estate planning. Patti is also a Naturopathic Doctor and an Animal Naturopathic Doctor. She is the author of Lawyers with Legacies. Patti presented four Lawline courses in 2022, covering a range of topics from advanced planning for companion animals to mental health and well-being for attorneys. One viewer of Patti’s courses said, “LOVE this course. Instructor is an inspiration.”
An esteemed constitutional attorney, Erica T. Dubno worked with Herald Price Fahringer for 20 years. She is one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Erica Dubno has received awards for her appellate advocacy and, together with Mr. Fahringer, has drafted criminal and civil appeals in the federal Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits, as well as the United States Supreme Court, and in the New York Court of Appeals. Teaching with Lawline for over a decade, Erica’s programs are highly rated and have over 50,000 total completions. Her recent course, in concert with Ameer Benno, SCOTUS Review: Spotlight on the Shadow Docket, has a perfect rating after almost 1,800 completions. Lawliners praised it as “very comprehensive and interesting”, and called it an “excellent, fast-paced, [and] informational presentation.”
Fostering transformation at the personal & professional levels as well as creating workplaces & cultures where employees thrive is at the heart of Dr. Erika Powell's work. For the past 17+ years, she has partnered with organizations to design, create, and facilitate leadership training, team building solutions, and employee development interventions. Over the course of her career, she has consulted on a variety of initiatives in the corporate, higher education, and non-profit sectors, both nationally and globally.
Erika and Alyssa teamed up for Becoming Race Literate: Dismantling White Supremacy in the Legal Profession from the Inside Out. In this interview-style CLE, they discuss white supremacy in the legal profession and its effects on both people of color and white people. Treating a difficult subject with candor and vulnerability, one Lawline user said of the program, “every attorney should be required to take this.”
Sarah Gervase has been Assistant General Counsel at the National Rifle Association since 2006. She lectures frequently on a broad range of firearms law, including self-defense, the Second Amendment, state constitutional arms provisions, preemptions law, gun trusts, civil rights actions, and state and federal firearms laws. She drafted the women’s amicus briefs on behalf of women state legislators in the D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago U.S. Supreme Court cases. Justice Alito cited and quoted her brief in the McDonald plurality opinion.
Sarah taught two courses on gun law and self defense for Lawline in 2022, garnering almost 3,000 course completions. One Lawline user described Sarah as “one of the best presenters I have seen. Her delivery, content, and clear information was very helpful.”
Devika Kewalramani is a partner and chair of Moses & Singer's Legal Ethics & Law Firm Practice which advises law firms, lawyers, and legal departments on ethical and legal aspects of law practice. She also currently serves as the firm's general counsel. Devika has been appointed by the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division as a member of the Attorney Grievance Committee for the First Judicial Department. She served as a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Restarting the Economy Work Group in 2020 which worked to develop guidance for reopening law firms in New York State. Devika was appointed a member of the New York Commission on Statewide Attorney Discipline in 2015 and served as a co-chair of its Subcommittee on Transparency and Access. From 2014 to 2020 she achieved Super Lawyer status in the Metro Edition of New York Super Lawyers®.
Devika’s Lawline course, “Ethics for Small Firm & Solo Practitioners: Common Challenges & Careful Compliance” highlighted the most common ethical violations that solo and small firm practitioners should watch out for to avoid getting into trouble. Viewers praised it as “very useful” and a “thorough overview” of the ethical pitfalls often faced by solo and small firm practitioners.
That’s right, a Lawline program featured not one, but two Trishas! Trisha Rich is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Chicago and New York offices, and serves as the national co-chair of the firm's Legal Profession Team, and as a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice. Ms. Rich also serves as the Deputy Professional Responsibility Partner for Holland & Knight's Chicago office. Ms. Rich is a national leader in the legal ethics community. She founded and coordinates the Attorney Defense Initiative, the nation's first privately sponsored pro bono initiative that focuses on assisting impaired lawyers facing disciplinary charges. Ms. Rich serves on the board of directors of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers as the organization's President-Elect and is a frequent speaker and author on a variety of issues related to ethics and risk management.
Their joint Lawline program tackled the common ethical, contractual, and fiduciary risks to lawyers and law firms associated with lateral transitions – which can include single lawyers, groups of lawyers, or entire firms merging together. One Lawliner called it “the best and most useful course this year.”
The recent program AI, Intellectual Property, and NFTs in the Metaverse: Legal Questions and Considerations was presented by a super team of accomplished women from McKinsey & Company.
Their program saw over 1,000 completions, and was praised by Lawline members on its “diversity of perspectives” and “fascinating information.” One user even said that the program was “eye opening - almost terrifying how proficient each speaker is with her area.”
Kristen Prinz is an employment lawyer, business counselor, and founder of The Prinz Law Firm. She focuses on providing clients with strategic and cost-effective legal and business planning solutions to assist business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals in building and realizing their potential. She has litigated employment law matters before state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level; administrative agencies including the EEOC, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Cook County Human Rights Commission; and numerous arbitration panels.
Kristen’s 2022 course Workplace Defamation: Can They Really Say That? has a nearly perfect rating after over 1,000 completions. But don’t take our word for it - one Lawline member raved, “Excellent presentation, in both content and style! Very informative, helpful, and engaging hour! Five stars!”
Whitney Schneider-White provides practical and innovative solutions to her clients navigating the consistently evolving privacy and data protection landscape. An Associate at Baker Hostetler, she advises clients on domestic and global privacy, data protection, and information governance issues. Whitney is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). In her program Cloud Computing - Client Compliance and Concomitant Considerations, Whitney breaks down a complex and ever-changing topic, and does “a great job of explaining technical issues”, as one viewer notes.
Fern J. Finkel, Esq. is a co-founding partner at Finkel & Fernandez, LLP, concentrating in elder law, estate planning, asset protection, benefits, and guardianships. Fern brings a wealth of experience and compassion to her clients. She is known for her skillful analysis of financial and personal circumstances and for providing practical planning to enable seniors and disabled clients to remain independent through advance directives, asset protection, benefits planning, and trusts. Fern has received numerous awards for her pro bono service, and has held leadership positions including President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) New York Chapter, Chair Elect of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Section, Chair of the Brooklyn Bar Association Foundation Law Committee, and Vice Chair of the Brooklyn Bar Association Elder Law Committee.
In 2022, Fern presented a two-part series on Advising Your Clients on Aging, garnering rave reviews. Focused on assisting clients to prepare for their futures, the series explored issues impacting their ability to remain independent in the community, the costs of long-term care, government benefits, and asset protection tools. One user commented, “Ms. Finkel has total command of the subject matter.”
Maddy Martin is the VP of Marketing for Smith.ai, which provides superior 24/7 law firm communication & intake services for phone calls, chats, and texts through a combination of skilled live agents and AI technology. She has spent the last decade growing tech startups from New York to California, and has expertise in digital marketing, small business communications, lead conversion, email marketing, SEO & content marketing, social media, comarketing, and event marketing.
Their program, Essential Tech, Tools, and Talent for Small Firms, helps small firms identify common law firm tasks and explains how to more easily complete them with tools that combine the best of human and machine intelligence. “They offered a lot of helpful, concrete advice,” said a Lawline member.
Passionate about sharing her expertise, Cari Sheehan taught 7 Lawline programs in 2022 alone. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Business Law & Ethics at the IU Kelley School of Business – Indianapolis where she currently teaches Commercial Law and Business Ethics. Additionally, Ms. Sheehan is an Adjunct Professor at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law where she has taught courses in Appellate Practice and Procedure and Torts. In practice, Ms. Sheehan is a part-time conflict attorney at Scopelitis Garvin Light Hanson & Feary advising on ethical issues. Her courses are consistently highly rated, with one Lawliner exclaiming, “I have been using Lawline for a few years now and that was one of my favorite sessions. Great job!!!”
Kathleen Parker is Partner at K&L Gates LLP’s Boston office, where she is a member of the labor, employment & workplace safety practice group. Kathleen focuses her practice on counseling international and domestic businesses on various employment issues, including preparing and revising internal policies, navigating pre- and post-employment relationships, and properly classifying employees and contractors. Kathleen's employment-related work is complemented by her significant experience representing clients in complex commercial disputes in both state and federal court, responding to inquiries from the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission, and conducting internal investigations in connection with government enforcement actions. Her 2022 Lawline programs focused on helping women and underrepresented groups in achieving equity in the workplace, especially in promotions and compensation. One attorney called it “among the best CLEs I have participated in.”
Lawline was fortunate to have to have 3 preeminent Members of Epstein Becker Green share their expertise in a timely update on state abortion laws in the wake of the Supreme Court's groundbreaking decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Lawline users praised the “diversity of their practice backgrounds to bring a well-rounded view of the impact of this decision on employers and employee benefits generally.”
We'd like to thank our top women faculty for their contributions to Lawline and the legal community at large. We're inspired by their legal expertise, their leadership, and their commitment to growth. We're honored to work with an incredible group of leaders.
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