Cancelling your registration will remove your access to the event. If you proceed, you will no longer be able to participate or access event-related materials.
Deleting your account will remove your access to the event.
Creating greater opportunity in the legal field starts with ensuring that educational resources are accessible to all aspiring legal professionals, especially first-generation and historically underrepresented individuals.
The goal of this free, three-day, virtual conference is to be the bridge helping first-generation and other marginalized aspiring legal professionals access legal education and the workplace, therefore affecting change in the workplace and our communities. We hope our conference will be an inspiration to aspiring law school applicants, current law school students, and young practitioners as they embark on their legal career.
Please note that this agenda is tentative and subject to change leading up to the conference.
Professor Khiara M. Bridges
Professor of Law - University of California at Berkeley
Khiara M. Bridges is a professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law. She has written many articles concerning race, class, reproductive rights, and the intersection of the three. Her scholarship has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, the California Law Review, the NYU Law Review, and the Virginia Law Review, among others. She is also the author of three books: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization (2011), The Poverty of Privacy Rights (2017), and Critical Race Theory: A Primer (2019). She is a coeditor of a reproductive justice book series that is published under the imprint of the University of California Press.
She graduated as valedictorian from Spelman College, receiving her degree in three years. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her Ph.D., with distinction, from Columbia University’s Department of Anthropology. While in law school, she was a teaching assistant for the former dean, David Leebron (Torts), as well as for the late E. Allan Farnsworth (Contracts). She was a member of the Columbia Law Review and a Kent Scholar. She speaks fluent Spanish and basic Arabic, and she is a classically trained ballet dancer.
Angela Winfield
Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer for LSAC
Angela Winfield is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for the Law School Admission Council. In this role, she provides leadership, vision, energy, and a unified philosophy to LSAC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on behalf of member law schools and the students who seek a career in law. Prior to her current position, Winfield was associate vice president for inclusion and workforce diversity at Cornell University, where she led the university’s affirmative action and federal contractor compliance programs, managed the university’s five identity/affinity-based colleague network groups, provided training opportunities for the 7,000+ member staff, oversaw religious accommodations, and served on the university’s ADA coordinator team. Winfield earned her JD from Cornell Law School and is admitted to the New York bar. She earned her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Sydney Montgomery, Esq.
Founder and Executive Director of Barrier Breakers, Inc.
Sydney received her B.A. in English and Certificate in French Language and Culture from Princeton University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. As the first lawyer in her family, She has used her platform since 2012 to help 4,000+ students break down generational barriers and step confidently into their future. She holds a graduate certificate in Independent Educational Consulting through UC Irvine and is in the process of obtaining her Graduate Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education online from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Sydney is an MDiv/MACEF Candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is a member of the Ethics Committee, the current Graduate School Committee Chair of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and a member of the National Association for College Counselors, among others.
Shani Butts, Esq.
Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid - Columbus School of Law
Ms. Shani J.P. Butts joined the administration of The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) in the fall of 2004 after practicing Bankruptcy and Civil Litigation with a small firm in Virginia. Assistant Dean Butts received her B.A. in Economics from The George Washington University in 1998 and her J.D. from Catholic Law in 2003. During law school Assistant Dean Butts served in leadership roles with the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, the Black Law Student Association, the Student Bar Association, and was one of two student members on the Admissions Committee. Assistant Dean Butts serves in a variety of volunteer leadership roles with the Law School Admissions Council. She began her involvement with the LSAC as an annual meeting presenter in 2007 and has served as a member of the Services and Programs Committee from June 2009 to May 2011and the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee from June 2013 to May 2017. Assistant Dean Butts served as appointee-at-large on the LSAC Board of Trustees and as trustee liaison to the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee from June 2017 to June 2019. She served on the LSAC Candidates and Schools Committee from June 2019 – May 2021. Later serving as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, chairing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research and Data Workgroup from June 2021 to May 2023. Assistant Dean Butts currently serves on the LSAC Board of Trustees chairing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) serving as programming chair for the PreLaw Education and Admission to Law School section. Additionally, Assistant Dean Butts is a founding member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Legal Profession Chapter.
Patricia Kinney, Esq.
Assistant Dean - Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Patricia Kinney has two decades of experience in legal education administration at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Starting as a first-generation law student and lawyer, she practiced in various fields before returning to her alma mater. She served as Assistant Dean of Admissions for 15 years and is now the inaugural Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion. Patricia advances diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is a frequent panelist on these topics. Her community involvement includes roles in local organizations and the Indiana Supreme Court’s Coalition for Court Access, highlighting her commitment to legal accessibility and service.
Vernadette Horne, Esq.
Senior Director of Career Services and Diversity Initiatives - Hostra University Maureen Deane School of Law
Vernadette Horne, Senior Director of Career Services and Diversity Initiatives, joined OCS in May 2005 after serving as Associate Director of Career Services at Brooklyn Law School for four years. In addition to her career counseling duties, Ms. Horne coordinates the many diversity internships and fellowships received by Hofstra Law, distributing them to students. She serves as the liaison with student affinity groups and professional affinity groups to increase networking and career opportunities for students. Ms. Horne also assists the Hofstra Law student affinity groups with programming and event planning. A long standing member of the New York City Bar Association, Ms. Horne is serving a 3 year term as Committee Secretary for the Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers, the Committee responsible for administering the New York City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program. She also serves as the Hofstra Law City Bar Fellowship Student Selection Committee leader. Prior to her tenure at Brooklyn Law, Ms. Horne was a litigation attorney, first with Haythe & Curley and then Coblence & Warner, where she specialized in asbestos litigation. She received her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. Ms. Horne also spent three years away from law practice, during which time she was an information consultant and project manager in a corporate communications company. Prior to attending law school, she worked in the personnel department of a large corporation, where she interviewed and hired entry-level employees.
Sydney Montgomery - Barrier Breakers®
Founder & Executive Director of Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
Dr. Nadia Castriota
Director of Student Success & Organizational Leadership, Admissions Advisor - Barrier Breakers, Inc
Dr. Nadia Castriota has over 20 years of experience in professional/graduate school admissions and student development and is truly dedicated to student success. She has previously been the Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Florida International University – College of Law, the Director of Admissions at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, the Assistant Dean at Albany Law School, and most recently the Director of Admissions at St. Thomas University School of Law. Dr. Castriota is originally from New York and relocated to South Florida to be closer to family and continue her career in academia, specifically enrollment management, student development, and DEI initiatives. Dr. Castriota earned her BS from Florida International University, MS from Nova Southeastern University, and her PhD in Ethical Leadership at St. Thomas University.
Meet with admissions officers from these schools and more!
View the full list of law schools attending and read more about their offerings HERE.
Jasmeene Burton, Esq.
Litigation Associate - Kirkland & Ellis
Jasmeene Burton is a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice spans state, federal and administrative courts at the trial and appellate levels. Jasmeene has experience in complex civil litigation, commercial disputes and antitrust matters. She also maintains a vibrant pro bono practice emphasizing disability and racial justice issues. Prior to joining Kirkland, Jasmeene served as a Student Attorney in the Carter G. Phillips Supreme Court Clinic at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She has experience writing cert. stage and merits briefs, and coaching oral advocates through moot arguments.
Philip Harrinarine
InGenius Prep
Phillip Harrinarine is a Former Admissions Officer with InGenius Prep based in Wilmington, Delaware. Born in Trinidad & Tobago, Phillip moved to the United States at the age of 2, where he was raised in South Florida. As a first-generation high school graduate, Philip went on to complete his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Florida Atlantic University, an MA in Public Administration at Villanova University, and a Juris Doctor at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.
In his professional career, Phillip has worked as the Associate Director of Admissions & Diversity Initiatives at Yale Law School and as the Assistant Dean of Admissions at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. In his most recent role at Villanova Law, he was responsible for making all final decisions for students applying to the school. Over the last several years, Phillip has worked privately with students, helping them craft successful applications to get admitted into their top schools of choice. Phillip also worked as a Senior Ambassador and Director of School Accounts for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), and now he brings his experience and education to his counseling services.
Phillip finds fulfillment and joy in supporting students through their journeys to higher education. By strategizing ways to highlight their life stories and the driving forces behind why they wish to pursue advanced education, Philip specializes in helping students become the ideal candidates in their college admissions—learning more about themselves and making the process an enjoyable one.
LeAndra Ross, MPA, AFC
Regional Director South, AccessLex Center for Education and Financial Capability - AccessLex Institute
Leandra is a senior-level relationship manager responsible for territory development and maintenance; educational trainer, delivering dynamic financial educational workshops and presentations in person and online; content expert, assisting with the creation of financial education programming and materials for 26 member law schools within the Southern region (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas).
Yolanda Ingram
Director of Access to Law School Education Programs - University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Yolanda D. Ingram. Esq. is currently the inaugural Director of Access to Law School Education Programs at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She joined Penn Carey Law in August 2021. Immediately prior to her current role, Director Ingram was the inaugural Bar Success Director at Drexel Kline Law for two years. Before Drexel, Mrs. Ingram served as Dean of Students and Director of Academic Success at Penn State’s Dickinson Law and Dean of Admissions for Washburn University School of Law. In addition to a variety of administrative roles, Director Ingram has also taught a range of courses, including prelaw, legal writing, legal ethics/professional responsibility, and bar preparation. Over the course of her twenty plus year career in legal education and higher education administration, she has volunteered and served on a variety of boards, committees and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit, Barrier Breakers, which seeks to support first generation, and minority students apply to law school. For ten years, she was the Asst. Dean for Student Affairs and the Director of the state’s only conditional admissions program and diversity pipeline program for college students, the Tennessee Institute for Pre-Law (TIP). During her decade at Memphis Law, the TIP program was able to substantially increase the state law schools’ diversity enrollment each year. Professor Ingram co-founded the Memphis Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program (SLIP) for diverse high school students. Prior to entering legal education and serving in various administrative roles, Ingram clerked for Judge Jay A. Daugherty of the Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Missouri. Before her judicial clerkship, she taught legal research and writing at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to teaching at Temple Law, she was an associate with the Kansas City, Missouri firm, Polsinelli Law Firm where she practiced in the areas of condemnation (eminent domain law), land use/zoning, landlord/tenant disputes, and property tax appeals. She earned her Juris Doctor (with Dean’s Honors) from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in English.
Mena Pirone, Esq
Founder & LSAT Tutor - LSAT LogicPro
Mena Pirone, Esq., is a Harvard Law School graduate and founder of LSAT Logic Pro, a specialized tutoring service focused on LSAT Logical Reasoning. After scoring in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, she began her career in intellectual property litigation before transitioning to full-time LSAT tutoring. With over 15 years of experience, Mena has developed a targeted approach that has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top law schools, including Stanford, Columbia, Yale, and Harvard. She is particularly dedicated to supporting first-generation and underserved students, emphasizing a personalized and dynamic tutoring style.
Fady Yatooma
Founder & LSAT Tutor - LSAT Mastery LLC
Fady Yatooma is an incoming 3L at Yale Law School who moved to the U.S. from Iraq in 2013. On his first attempt at the LSAT, he earned a 166 and found that he struggled with the Reading Comprehension section as a non-native English speaker. After a year of learning stronger study techniques, he improved his score by 13 points, earning a 180, and was admitted to Yale Law School. Through LSAT Mastery, he shares his proven study methods to help applicants achieve their maximum potential.
Marvin Fourte
Writer & Teacher Assistant - LSAT Demon
Marvin is a JD candidate at Stanford Law. He is an experienced Community Advocate working in the civic & social organization industry. Marvin has a strong business development background with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.
Carwina Weng
Legal Education Consultant
Carwina was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and immigrated to the US in 1968 as part of the "brain drain" that resulted from the abolition of national origin-based immigration quotas. She is a first-generation US college and law student. Carwina practiced in legal services for both the New York Legal Aid Society and Greater Boston Legal Services. Carwina became a clinical professor because she realized that she enjoys helping students to be better lawyers as much as she enjoys representing indigent clients. Now, she work for the Law School Admission Council to develop programming on professional identity formation, inclusive instruction, and pre-law preparedness. To relieve her stress, Carwina loves to bake, be in nature, read cozy mysteries, and travel. Carwina’s High 5 strengths are: coach, empathizer, focus expert, strategist, and catalyst.
Meet 1:1 with reps from these companies and win free LSAT prep courses, special discounts, scholarships, and fun prizes. More resources are added every week!
Full List of 2025 Vendors Coming Soon!
Janell Roberts
Associate Dean of Enrollment Management - Loyola Marymount University Law
Jannell Lundy Roberts’ nineteen-year tenure in higher education includes admissions, student services and financial aid. She joined the Loyola community in 2005 and works closely with senior deans and faculty to implement enrollment goals and policies. Ms. Roberts is an active member of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) including service on LSAC’s Investment Committee, Services and Programs Committee, and Diversity Committee, has served on the LSAC Board of Trustees, and has chaired several LSAC subcommittees and work groups. Ms. Roberts also serves with the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), as chair-elect for the Prelegal Education and Admission to Law section and as a board member of the Part-time Division Programs section.
Prior to joining Loyola, Ms. Roberts worked at USC Law School, Southwestern Law School and her alma mater, Loyola Marymount University.
Catherine Toppin
Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property - Lockheed Marting
Catherine Toppin is a dynamic business partner and intellectual property strategist with broad experience across the USPTO, law firms, and a Fortune 10 in-house legal team. She specializes in IP portfolio management, litigation support, commercial transactions, government contracts, and patent preparation and prosecution across diverse technologies—including software, hardware, and industrial systems. Catherine is also skilled in small business counseling and aligning IP, contractual, and data rights strategies with business goals. Known for her leadership in team building and process improvement, she brings a collaborative and business-minded approach to IP strategy.
Samira Jackson
Lobbyist & NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor - Manis Canning
Samira Jackson is a rising star attorney and University of Maryland alumna who brings a wealth of experience in law, advocacy, and strategic negotiation to her role at Manis Canning & Associates (MCA). Prior to joining MCA, Samira built a successful career in private practice, focusing on family law and professional sports contract negotiation. She made history alongside her mother, Edy Lawson-Jackson, as the first mother-daughter duo to become NFL-certified agents—offering clients full-service representation including legal counsel, endorsement deals, and post-career planning. Samira is deeply committed to community service. She mentors aspiring women attorneys through the Montgomery County Women’s Bar Association and provides pro bono legal support with Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County. She earned her B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her J.D. with a certificate in Intellectual Property from St. Thomas University’s Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. She is a member of the Maryland Bar.
Tabatha Robinson
Director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration
Tamara Robinson was appointed as the Director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration by Governor Wes Moore in January 2025. Robinson previously served as executive deputy director of economic development and acting chief equity officer for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, where she drove economic programs and social equity licensing policies for New York’s adult use and medical cannabis markets. During her tenure, the office awarded more than 50% of new cannabis licenses to social equity business owners. Robinson holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a B.A. from Stanford University.
Elizabeth C. Robinson
Senior Associate - Alston & Bird
Elizabeth Carlson Robinson focuses her practice on complex commercial disputes. She has experience representing clients across industries in litigation in federal and state courts, mediation, and regulatory enforcement matters. Liz also assists clients conducting internal investigations involving compliance and risk assessment. Before joining the firm, Liz was an associate at an international firm, working on complex commercial matters and white-collar investigations and defense. She received her J.D. from Harvard University, where she served as the editor in chief of the Harvard Journal on Racial and Ethnic Justice and participated in the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute clinic. She maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing primarily on criminal justice reform matters.
Ashley Hyman
Immigration Attorney - Lupton Law LLC
Ashley Hyman is Immigration attorney at Lupton Law, LLC, specializing in asylum support, crimmigration, and adjustment of status. She holds a JD from Temple University and a BS in Sociology from Saint Joseph's University.
Sydney Montgomery - Barrier Breakers®
Founder & Executive Director of Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
We’re excited to bring together a variety of diverse voices to share their experiences and expertise with you! Below are just some of the amazing legal professionals that you’ll be hearing from at our 2025 conference.
Khiara M. Bridges is a professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law. She has written many articles concerning race, class, reproductive rights, and the intersection of the three. Her scholarship has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, the California Law Review, the NYU Law Review, and the Virginia Law Review, among others. She is also the author of three books: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization (2011), The Poverty of Privacy Rights (2017), and Critical Race Theory: A Primer (2019). She is a coeditor of a reproductive justice book series that is published under the imprint of the University of California Press.
She graduated as valedictorian from Spelman College, receiving her degree in three years. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her Ph.D., with distinction, from Columbia University’s Department of Anthropology. While in law school, she was a teaching assistant for the former dean, David Leebron (Torts), as well as for the late E. Allan Farnsworth (Contracts). She was a member of the Columbia Law Review and a Kent Scholar. She speaks fluent Spanish and basic Arabic, and she is a classically trained ballet dancer.
Angela Winfield is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for the Law School Admission Council. In this role, she provides leadership, vision, energy, and a unified philosophy to LSAC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on behalf of member law schools and the students who seek a career in law. Prior to her current position, Winfield was associate vice president for inclusion and workforce diversity at Cornell University, where she led the university’s affirmative action and federal contractor compliance programs, managed the university’s five identity/affinity-based colleague network groups, provided training opportunities for the 7,000+ member staff, oversaw religious accommodations, and served on the university’s ADA coordinator team. Winfield earned her JD from Cornell Law School and is admitted to the New York bar. She earned her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Sydney received her B.A. in English and Certificate in French Language and Culture from Princeton University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. As the first lawyer in her family, She has used her platform since 2012 to help 4,000+ students break down generational barriers and step confidently into their future. She holds a graduate certificate in Independent Educational Consulting through UC Irvine and is in the process of obtaining her Graduate Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education online from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Sydney is an MDiv/MACEF Candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is a member of the Ethics Committee, the current Graduate School Committee Chair of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and a member of the National Association for College Counselors, among others.
Ms. Shani J.P. Butts joined the administration of The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) in the fall of 2004 after practicing Bankruptcy and Civil Litigation with a small firm in Virginia. Assistant Dean Butts received her B.A. in Economics from The George Washington University in 1998 and her J.D. from Catholic Law in 2003. During law school Assistant Dean Butts served in leadership roles with the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, the Black Law Student Association, the Student Bar Association, and was one of two student members on the Admissions Committee. Assistant Dean Butts serves in a variety of volunteer leadership roles with the Law School Admissions Council. She began her involvement with the LSAC as an annual meeting presenter in 2007 and has served as a member of the Services and Programs Committee from June 2009 to May 2011and the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee from June 2013 to May 2017. Assistant Dean Butts served as appointee-at-large on the LSAC Board of Trustees and as trustee liaison to the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee from June 2017 to June 2019. She served on the LSAC Candidates and Schools Committee from June 2019 – May 2021. Later serving as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, chairing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research and Data Workgroup from June 2021 to May 2023. Assistant Dean Butts currently serves on the LSAC Board of Trustees chairing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) serving as programming chair for the PreLaw Education and Admission to Law School section. Additionally, Assistant Dean Butts is a founding member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Legal Profession Chapter.
Patricia Kinney has two decades of experience in legal education administration at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Starting as a first-generation law student and lawyer, she practiced in various fields before returning to her alma mater. She served as Assistant Dean of Admissions for 15 years and is now the inaugural Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion. Patricia advances diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is a frequent panelist on these topics. Her community involvement includes roles in local organizations and the Indiana Supreme Court’s Coalition for Court Access, highlighting her commitment to legal accessibility and service.
Vernadette Horne, Senior Director of Career Services and Diversity Initiatives, joined OCS in May 2005 after serving as Associate Director of Career Services at Brooklyn Law School for four years. In addition to her career counseling duties, Ms. Horne coordinates the many diversity internships and fellowships received by Hofstra Law, distributing them to students. She serves as the liaison with student affinity groups and professional affinity groups to increase networking and career opportunities for students. Ms. Horne also assists the Hofstra Law student affinity groups with programming and event planning. A long standing member of the New York City Bar Association, Ms. Horne is serving a 3 year term as Committee Secretary for the Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers, the Committee responsible for administering the New York City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program. She also serves as the Hofstra Law City Bar Fellowship Student Selection Committee leader. Prior to her tenure at Brooklyn Law, Ms. Horne was a litigation attorney, first with Haythe & Curley and then Coblence & Warner, where she specialized in asbestos litigation. She received her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. Ms. Horne also spent three years away from law practice, during which time she was an information consultant and project manager in a corporate communications company. Prior to attending law school, she worked in the personnel department of a large corporation, where she interviewed and hired entry-level employees.
Dr. Nadia Castriota has over 20 years of experience in professional/graduate school admissions and student development and is truly dedicated to student success. She has previously been the Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Florida International University – College of Law, the Director of Admissions at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, the Assistant Dean at Albany Law School, and most recently the Director of Admissions at St. Thomas University School of Law. Dr. Castriota is originally from New York and relocated to South Florida to be closer to family and continue her career in academia, specifically enrollment management, student development, and DEI initiatives. Dr. Castriota earned her BS from Florida International University, MS from Nova Southeastern University, and her PhD in Ethical Leadership at St. Thomas University.
Jasmeene Burton is a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice spans state, federal and administrative courts at the trial and appellate levels. Jasmeene has experience in complex civil litigation, commercial disputes and antitrust matters. She also maintains a vibrant pro bono practice emphasizing disability and racial justice issues. Prior to joining Kirkland, Jasmeene served as a Student Attorney in the Carter G. Phillips Supreme Court Clinic at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She has experience writing cert. stage and merits briefs, and coaching oral advocates through moot arguments.
Phillip Harrinarine is a Former Admissions Officer with InGenius Prep based in Wilmington, Delaware. Born in Trinidad & Tobago, Phillip moved to the United States at the age of 2, where he was raised in South Florida. As a first-generation high school graduate, Philip went on to complete his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Florida Atlantic University, an MA in Public Administration at Villanova University, and a Juris Doctor at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.
In his professional career, Phillip has worked as the Associate Director of Admissions & Diversity Initiatives at Yale Law School and as the Assistant Dean of Admissions at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. In his most recent role at Villanova Law, he was responsible for making all final decisions for students applying to the school. Over the last several years, Phillip has worked privately with students, helping them craft successful applications to get admitted into their top schools of choice. Phillip also worked as a Senior Ambassador and Director of School Accounts for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), and now he brings his experience and education to his counseling services.
Phillip finds fulfillment and joy in supporting students through their journeys to higher education. By strategizing ways to highlight their life stories and the driving forces behind why they wish to pursue advanced education, Philip specializes in helping students become the ideal candidates in their college admissions—learning more about themselves and making the process an enjoyable one.
Leandra is a senior-level relationship manager responsible for territory development and maintenance; educational trainer, delivering dynamic financial educational workshops and presentations in person and online; content expert, assisting with the creation of financial education programming and materials for 26 member law schools within the Southern region (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas).
Yolanda D. Ingram. Esq. is currently the inaugural Director of Access to Law School Education Programs at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She joined Penn Carey Law in August 2021. Immediately prior to her current role, Director Ingram was the inaugural Bar Success Director at Drexel Kline Law for two years. Before Drexel, Mrs. Ingram served as Dean of Students and Director of Academic Success at Penn State’s Dickinson Law and Dean of Admissions for Washburn University School of Law. In addition to a variety of administrative roles, Director Ingram has also taught a range of courses, including prelaw, legal writing, legal ethics/professional responsibility, and bar preparation. Over the course of her twenty plus year career in legal education and higher education administration, she has volunteered and served on a variety of boards, committees and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit, Barrier Breakers, which seeks to support first generation, and minority students apply to law school. For ten years, she was the Asst. Dean for Student Affairs and the Director of the state’s only conditional admissions program and diversity pipeline program for college students, the Tennessee Institute for Pre-Law (TIP). During her decade at Memphis Law, the TIP program was able to substantially increase the state law schools’ diversity enrollment each year. Professor Ingram co-founded the Memphis Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program (SLIP) for diverse high school students. Prior to entering legal education and serving in various administrative roles, Ingram clerked for Judge Jay A. Daugherty of the Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Missouri. Before her judicial clerkship, she taught legal research and writing at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to teaching at Temple Law, she was an associate with the Kansas City, Missouri firm, Polsinelli Law Firm where she practiced in the areas of condemnation (eminent domain law), land use/zoning, landlord/tenant disputes, and property tax appeals. She earned her Juris Doctor (with Dean’s Honors) from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in English.
Mena Pirone, Esq., is a Harvard Law School graduate and founder of LSAT Logic Pro, a specialized tutoring service focused on LSAT Logical Reasoning. After scoring in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, she began her career in intellectual property litigation before transitioning to full-time LSAT tutoring. With over 15 years of experience, Mena has developed a targeted approach that has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top law schools, including Stanford, Columbia, Yale, and Harvard. She is particularly dedicated to supporting first-generation and underserved students, emphasizing a personalized and dynamic tutoring style.
Fady Yatooma is an incoming 3L at Yale Law School who moved to the U.S. from Iraq in 2013. On his first attempt at the LSAT, he earned a 166 and found that he struggled with the Reading Comprehension section as a non-native English speaker. After a year of learning stronger study techniques, he improved his score by 13 points, earning a 180, and was admitted to Yale Law School. Through LSAT Mastery, he shares his proven study methods to help applicants achieve their maximum potential.
Marvin is a JD candidate at Stanford Law. He is an experienced Community Advocate working in the civic & social organization industry. Marvin has a strong business development background with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.
Carwina was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and immigrated to the US in 1968 as part of the "brain drain" that resulted from the abolition of national origin-based immigration quotas. She is a first-generation US college and law student. Carwina practiced in legal services for both the New York Legal Aid Society and Greater Boston Legal Services. Carwina became a clinical professor because she realized that she enjoys helping students to be better lawyers as much as she enjoys representing indigent clients. Now, she work for the Law School Admission Council to develop programming on professional identity formation, inclusive instruction, and pre-law preparedness. To relieve her stress, Carwina loves to bake, be in nature, read cozy mysteries, and travel. Carwina’s High 5 strengths are: coach, empathizer, focus expert, strategist, and catalyst.
Jannell Lundy Roberts’ nineteen-year tenure in higher education includes admissions, student services and financial aid. She joined the Loyola community in 2005 and works closely with senior deans and faculty to implement enrollment goals and policies. Ms. Roberts is an active member of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) including service on LSAC’s Investment Committee, Services and Programs Committee, and Diversity Committee, has served on the LSAC Board of Trustees, and has chaired several LSAC subcommittees and work groups. Ms. Roberts also serves with the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), as chair-elect for the Prelegal Education and Admission to Law section and as a board member of the Part-time Division Programs section.
Prior to joining Loyola, Ms. Roberts worked at USC Law School, Southwestern Law School and her alma mater, Loyola Marymount University.
Catherine Toppin is a dynamic business partner and intellectual property strategist with broad experience across the USPTO, law firms, and a Fortune 10 in-house legal team. She specializes in IP portfolio management, litigation support, commercial transactions, government contracts, and patent preparation and prosecution across diverse technologies—including software, hardware, and industrial systems. Catherine is also skilled in small business counseling and aligning IP, contractual, and data rights strategies with business goals. Known for her leadership in team building and process improvement, she brings a collaborative and business-minded approach to IP strategy.
Samira Jackson is a rising star attorney and University of Maryland alumna who brings a wealth of experience in law, advocacy, and strategic negotiation to her role at Manis Canning & Associates (MCA). Prior to joining MCA, Samira built a successful career in private practice, focusing on family law and professional sports contract negotiation. She made history alongside her mother, Edy Lawson-Jackson, as the first mother-daughter duo to become NFL-certified agents—offering clients full-service representation including legal counsel, endorsement deals, and post-career planning. Samira is deeply committed to community service. She mentors aspiring women attorneys through the Montgomery County Women’s Bar Association and provides pro bono legal support with Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County. She earned her B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her J.D. with a certificate in Intellectual Property from St. Thomas University’s Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. She is a member of the Maryland Bar.
Tamara Robinson was appointed as the Director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration by Governor Wes Moore in January 2025. Robinson previously served as executive deputy director of economic development and acting chief equity officer for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, where she drove economic programs and social equity licensing policies for New York’s adult use and medical cannabis markets. During her tenure, the office awarded more than 50% of new cannabis licenses to social equity business owners. Robinson holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a B.A. from Stanford University.
Elizabeth Carlson Robinson focuses her practice on complex commercial disputes. She has experience representing clients across industries in litigation in federal and state courts, mediation, and regulatory enforcement matters. Liz also assists clients conducting internal investigations involving compliance and risk assessment. Before joining the firm, Liz was an associate at an international firm, working on complex commercial matters and white-collar investigations and defense. She received her J.D. from Harvard University, where she served as the editor in chief of the Harvard Journal on Racial and Ethnic Justice and participated in the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute clinic. She maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing primarily on criminal justice reform matters.
Ashley Hyman is Immigration attorney at Lupton Law, LLC, specializing in asylum support, crimmigration, and adjustment of status. She holds a JD from Temple University and a BS in Sociology from Saint Joseph's University.
We are grateful to all of our sponsors for their commitment to BIPOC and first-generation aspiring lawyers! If you’re interested in sponsoring this event, visit Break Into Law Conference Sponsorships or email conference@barrier-breakers.org." for more information.
Mike Spivey is an author of the Powerscore/Spivey Consulting Law School Admissions Bible, motivational speaker and the founder of The Spivey Consulting Group. He is a former senior and dean-level administrator at Vanderbilt, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Colorado law schools with responsibilities covering admissions, career, rankings and law school strategy.
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. Before that, he wrote columns for an online magazine named The Muse Collaborative under the pen name Knehmo. He endured the great state of Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
Sydney received her B.A. in English and Certificate in French Language and Culture from Princeton University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. As the first lawyer in her family, She has used her platform since 2012 to help 4,000+ students break down generational barriers and step confidently into their future. She holds a graduate certificate in Independent Educational Consulting through UC Irvine and is in the process of obtaining her Graduate Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education online from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Sydney is an MDiv/MACEF Candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is a member of the Ethics Committee, the current Graduate School Committee Chair of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and a member of the National Association for College Counselors, among others.
Natalie has worked as a financial wellness educator for over fifteen years. She has experience in various areas of higher education including graduate and undergraduate financial aid, career development, student success, and wellness programming. Natalie believes the route to financial success includes understanding a student’s background while helping them to develop and reach their financial goals. Prior to joining AccessLex, Natalie managed the Financial Fitness program at DePaul University creating a multitude of personal finance learning materials and games.
Mena Pirone graduated from Harvard Law School after scoring in the top 1% on her LSAT. She began her career in Intellectual Property Litigation with LSAT Tutoring as a simple pastime on the side. She soon came to appreciate the more significant impact she could have by helping others achieve their law school dreams and made LSAT Tutoring her full-time endeavor. Since that move some 13 years ago, Mena has developed a unique and targeted approach to the test which has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top schools like Stanford, Colombia, Yale, as well as her alma mater Harvard. She prides herself on her flexible and dynamic personalized approach to tutoring, and her focus on helping first-generation and underserved students (especially those of color) put their best foot forward as they begin their legal careers.
Jasmeene is a Princeton University graduate currently in her 2L year at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. As a neurodiverse woman of color who struggled to study the LSAT on her own, her mission is to help students of all backgrounds close the LSAT performance gap by offering affordable and effective personalized LSAT coaching.
LeAndra is an Accredited Financial Counselor® and the South Regional Director in the AccessLex Institute Center of Education and Financial Capability where she directs and manages the financial education programs and activities at ABA-accredited member law schools in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
She has 15 years of higher education and financial aid administration experience, and has passionately worked with students from a variety of backgrounds on making their college experience realistic and affordable. At a Midwestern law school, she had the unique opportunity to work directly with law students not only on financial wellness, but emotional, mental, and physical wellness also. It is where she gained her deep appreciation and advocacy for investing in the overall holistic health of the law student and the legal education profession.
After completing her B.A. in English, Yolanda attended Washburn University School of Law as a first-generation law student. She began her career at a mid-sized law firm and eventually became a law professor at Drexel University Kline School of Law. Her journey led her to her current role supporting underrepresented students in applying to law school.
Abigail Mbuvi is a Southern Illinois University at Carbondale graduate with a bachelor's degree in Photojournalism and Anthropology. Before joining Texas Law, she worked in the Office of Student Aid at The Pennsylvania State University, assisting undergraduate students and academic advisors as a financial aid counselor. Abigail has worked in financial aid for about ten years, with experience helping undergraduate and graduate-level students with their financial aid. She has also worked hard to create financial education programs to ensure a more holistic approach to financial aid offices in higher education. Beyond assisting students with financial aid, Abigail also enjoys cooking, hosting friends in her home, and card games.
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Gabrielle A. Best Husband received her undergraduate Bachelor's Degree from Washington and Lee University and her Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law. After years as a consultant, she followed her passion and pursued law to continue her commitment to advocating for others. After a judicial clerkship, Gabrielle continued her advocacy and litigation skills at a nationwide domestic law firm. She then transitioned to a real-estate boutique firm based in Washington, D.C. Gabrielle was led to follow her entrepreneurial spirit and founded G. Best Husband Law, PLLC, and concentrates her practice in domestic & family law and civil litigation. Her areas of concentration include divorce, custody and support, visitation, maintenance/support, equitable distribution, landlord and tenant, and defamation litigation.
Amani is an Associate at Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Her practice focuses on public and private mergers, and advising companies on compliance with global trade regulatory regimes. Amani graduated from Rutgers Law School - Newark, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the International Law and Human Rights Journal, President of the Muslim Law Students Association and a Teaching Fellow for the Minority Student Program. She served as the NJMLA Law School Liaison from 2019-2021.
Kaysia Earley is known for achieving exceptional results. As a Christian Attorney whose moral compass is grounded in faith and fellowship, she has gained a well-deserved reputation as a fierce litigator who zealously fights for her clients’ fundamental rights. Founding attorney for Earley Law Firm, PLLC, she focuses on both criminal and civil litigation and is a strong advocate for her clients. In 2022, she was honored as a member of The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.
Aisha Bah is a rising 2L attending the University of Notre Dame Law School where she's involved in the Black Law Students Association and the Student Bar Association. Prior to law school, Aisha was a Strategic Communications Coordinator for a full-service advertising agency where she created communication proposals, performed market research, and handled social media for clients. Aisha hails from Indianapolis, IN originally and earned her B.A. from Butler University in 2021. After law school, she hopes to practice litigation in a big city somewhere where there are endless things to do.
A Toronto native, Thomas received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland where he was a student-athlete on the DI Men's Swim Team, served as a Center of Student Success student-leader, and the student-Athletic Advisory Committee’s DEI Student-Executive. During his 1L year, he served as a 1L Section Delegate of the Student Bar Administration, and SBA Diversity Committee member. He is also a part of the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA), Black Law Students Association (BLSA), Corporate and Financial Law Organization (CFLO), Immigration Law Student Association (ILSA), International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the International Law Society. Thomas hopes to pursue a career in M&A law with a focus on pro-bono immigration. Fun Facts: He is a fan of Toronto sports and a proud owner of a German Shepherd puppy.
Angela Winfield is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for the Law School Admission Council. In this role, she provides leadership, vision, energy, and a unified philosophy to LSAC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on behalf of member law schools and the students who seek a career in law. Prior to her current position, Winfield was associate vice president for inclusion and workforce diversity at Cornell University, where she led the university’s affirmative action and federal contractor compliance programs, managed the university’s five identity/affinity-based colleague network groups, provided training opportunities for the 7,000+ member staff, oversaw religious accommodations, and served on the university’s ADA coordinator team. Winfield earned her JD from Cornell Law School and is admitted to the New York bar. She earned her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University.
With 13 years of law school administration experience and 20 years of legal experience, Valerie D. James serves as the Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Diversity Initiatives at the UOP McGeorge School of Law. She previously served as an assistant dean at UC Davis as well as at the law schools at UNT Dallas (founding) and the University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR). She holds a JD degree with honors from the UALR and an Arkansas attorney’s license (2008). Valerie’s professional career has focused on building and leading diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible higher education programs.
Akua Akyea leads a re-imagined office focused on supporting students and alumni in all practice areas. Before coming to Cornell Law School, she worked in Career Services and Public Interest at the University of Iowa College of Law and Yale Law School. Akua is a graduate of the University of Iowa Law School, where she served on the Journal of Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems and was a member of the Legal Clinic working on asylum petitions and §1983 cases. She has presented on international public interest careers, working with public interest alumni, and supporting students’ social justice goals at the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and Equal Justice Works conferences.
Lauren R. Jackson, M.P.A., Esq., is a social entrepreneur, attorney, and speaker who is passionate about elevating Black women and girls. As the Founder of Instilling My Ability to Naturally Embrace Excellence, Inc. (IMANEE), she is dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders and social justice advocates. Lauren has spoken on topics such as leadership development, the adultification of Black girls, and the school-to-prison pipeline at various events, including the Seeds of Fortune Leadership Academy, Educating Children of Color Summit at Colorado College, and The Black Girl Project Summit ,and the Young Enterprising Sisters Conference. In 2016, she was selected to attend the Inaugural United State of Women Summit in Washington, D.C. Lauren's legal career has involved working with organizations such as the New York State Department of Human and Civil Rights and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She was a judicial intern for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during her tenure on the District Court bench for D.C. and upon graduation, worked as a law clerk for Judge Magali M. Francois of the New Jersey Superior Court. Prior to her current role she practices as a Labor & Employment associate at a regional firm in New Jersey. She holds a Juris Doctor from Howard University, a Masters in Public Administration and a Bachelors in Business Administration from Seton Hall University, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Divinity at Howard University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Epsilon Sigma Iota Legal Sorority, Inc. Currently, Lauren is the Assistant Dean of Career Services at Howard University School of Law, where she continues to work towards empowering the next generation of social engineers.
Between his current role and previous experiences as a law school admissions officer, Sir has reviewed thousands of law school applications, counseled hundreds of students on admissions and financial aid, and aided the successful implementation of multiple pre-law diversity pipeline summer programs. Before entering law school admissions, Sir was a special prosecutor for the Dane County District Attorney’s Office in Madison, WI.
Ayana Dow advises broker-dealers, financial institutions and other global and domestic financial entities on a broad range of regulatory and enforcement matters. Ms. Dow also regularly counsels companies on compliance issues relating to Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and other self-regulatory organization rules and regulations. Prior to joining WilmerHale, Ms. Dow was an associate in the financial services group at another international law firm in Washington DC. She was previously a policy fellow in the Office of Congressman James Clyburn.
Paige Diggs is a staunch proponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and an empowering force for marginalized individuals. She received her J.D. and MBA from West Virginia University, along with her B.A. in Mass Communication and Journalism from Fresno State. Diggs currently serves as the inaugural Associate Athletic Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the San Diego State University Athletic Department. Diggs is a sought-after speaker for various organizations allowing her to share the importance of infusing DEI at all levels. Though Diggs has not taken the traditional route with her J.D., she has used the skills she acquired to propel her career in college athletics. In addition to her work in higher education, her extensive industry experience, education, and desire to see everyone win are foundational in her drive to have a meaningful impact on those she encounters.
Samira earned a B.A. in Communciation and Media Studies from The University of Maryland, College Park before earning her J.D. from St. Thomas University. She has over ten years of experience in the legal field and the sports realm, including being an NFLPA Certified Agent representing professional football players in the NFL. She was able to sign onto her first SRA with an active NFL client within 3 weeks of being NFLPA certified. She and her mother are the first NFL Agent mother/daughter duo to sign an SRA for an active client. In addition, she is also an agent on her husband’s NFL contract, they were college sweethearts, making them the first spousal, agent/client duo. In her current role at The Players Company, a collective of over 300 professional athletes committed to financial literacy and empowering our communities, she handles day-to-day legal and regulatory matters for the company.
Ted McKee was sworn in as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on June 20, 1994 and became Chief Judge of that court on May 4, 2010. He graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 1975 where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and earned several honors for outstanding academic performance. He began his legal career at a large Philadelphia law firm, but left there in 1977 to begin his career in public service. He has since been an Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Solicitor in the Law Department of the City of Philadelphia, and General Counsel to the Philadelphia Parking Authority. He was elected to a 10-year term as a Judge of the Court of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania in 1984. While a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Judge McKee chaired the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals by President Clinton shortly after being retained for a second 10 year term on the Court of Common Pleas. Judge McKee serves on the boards of directors of several nonprofit organizations and institutions including the Vera Institute of Justice, Syracuse University and the National Constitution Center. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors of Temple Law School, an honorary member of the Board of Visitors of Syracuse University Law School, and has been an advisor to the American Law Institute’s Project to revise the sentencing provisions of the Model Penal Code. Before becoming Chief Judge of the Third Circuit, he served on the Criminal Law Committee of the United States Judicial Conference. Most recently, Judge McKee was appointed to serve as a member of the National Academy of Science Committee on Law and Justice, and is one of the inaugural members of the Council on Criminal Justice, a national thinktank comprised of leading scholars, lawyers and judges that focuses on issues related to criminal justice and criminal justice reform. Judge McKee’s official travels have included Ghana, where he taught law and worked with the Ghanaian Supreme Court; as well as Russia, where he had the honor of addressing the Council of the Russian Judiciary on the Independence of the American Judiciary.
Jordan is a graduate of Harvard Law School, Class of 2021. Upon graduating from law school, he clerked for the Honorable John J. McConnell, Jr., Chief Judge for the District of Rhode Island. Currently, he clerks on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia for the Honorable Jane R. Roth. Upon completion of his second clerkship, he will be joining the Security and Exchange Commission’s Office of General Counsel in their Appellate Section. In his free time, he enjoys running, baking, consuming said baked goods, and spending time with his family. He is also very excited to be here today!
Alejandra Salinas is a partner at Susman Godfrey and co-chair of the firm's diversity committee. Named one of Houston’s “Top Women in Law” by The National Diversity Council, Alejandra represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex and high-stakes commercial litigation. She has successfully faced off against industry titans, including global media and technology conglomerates. Her client list ranges from large Fortune 500 retail and energy companies, to small businesses and individuals. She received her J.D. from Boston College Law School and her undergraduate degree in Management from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jolene Robin-McCaskill draws on experience and advanced degrees in science, engineering, and geophysics to assist clients with the management of their patent portfolios, patent prosecution and litigation before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Prior to joining the firm, Jolene utilized her B.S. in Electrical Engineering, M.S. in Applied Physics and Ph.D. in Geophysics as an Electrical Engineer, a Geophysical Experimentalist and a Petrophysicist with a Fortune 500 E&P company. Jolene’s background allows her to provide advice to clients on a spectrum of scientific and technical matters. Jolene’s experience includes managing the petrophysical drilling program for an international oil well, designing and constructing a novel experimental system for extracting acoustic properties of irregularly shaped rock samples, and providing engineering design and maintenance support for energy transmission facilities. Jolene is also committed to the advancement of female and diverse attorneys in the legal community. She serves as a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion, Women’s and Working Parents initiatives. Jolene is also an active member of “Stanford Where You Live,” Stanford University’s Alumni Organization.
Evita earned her BSc from MIT before going on to receive her Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from Harvard University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Before founding her own company, she was an Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she worked on patents and innovations. At TecHustle, she is working to build the AFi payment platform to support the payment needs of offline MSMEs, the backbone of African economies.
Chanille has over 20 years of litigation experience across the country. She focuses her practice on trademark, trade dress, and copyright litigation, representing prominent brands in the enforcement of their IP assets in District Courts, as well as opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.She is active in the legal community and is dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) both within Brooks Kushman and the greater legal community. As a part of these efforts, she has facilitated the firm’s partnership with organizations that share the firm’s commitment to diversity in the legal profession. Carswell is passionate about giving back to her community and prioritizes civic engagement activities to improve her local community.
Cameron D. Clark (he/they) is an Instructor and Supervising Attorney in Berkeley’s Policy Advocacy Clinic, pursuing legislative reforms to abolish administrative fines and fees imposed on youth who are involved in the criminal legal system. A civil rights attorney by training, Cameron previously litigated on behalf of clients to challenge solitary confinement and the sentencing of youth to life-without-parole. Cameron received his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he studied as a NAACP-LDF Earl Warren Scholar, a Harvard University Presidential Scholar, and managing editor of the Harvard Blackletter Law Journal.
Cam is an associate Reed Smith’s Pittsburgh office and a member of the firm’s Global Corporate Group. His practice focuses on advising clients in connection with public and private mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing, private equity transactions, corporate formation, corporate governance and financial transactions including debt financing and leveraged acquisitions. In addition, Cam is a member of On-Chain: Reed Smith’s Crypto & Digital Assets Group where part of his work has involved analyzing digital assets under the SEC’s Howey framework. Cam also has experience discussing the federal tax implications surrounding cryptocurrency investments.
Adabelle (Belle) received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2018 after receiving her A.B. in Neurobiology from Harvard College in 2014. After serving as a clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, she came to Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz’s Litigation Department.
Preetha Suresh Rini received her B.A. from Centre College and her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She now represents clients in complex business litigation and appeals at Robinson Bradshaw in Raleigh, North Carolina. Preetha also owns her own art business, Prints By Preetha.
Alice Foley received her B.A. from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2009 and her J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 2013. She has spent the past 6 years as Assistant Director for Enrollment Management at West Virginia University College of Law and previously served as an Admissions Counselor at the University of Kentucky School of Law where she spent much of her time traveling the country and meeting with students interested in law school.
Since her graduation from law school, Alice has been working in law school admissions - helping take as much stress out of the admissions process as possible. She is passionate about expanding access to legal education and has spent years working with first-generation law school students from the Appalachian region.
Carwina was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and immigrated to the US in 1968 as part of the "brain drain" that resulted from the abolition of national origin-based immigration quotas. She is a first-generation US college and law student. Carwina practiced in legal services for both the New York Legal Aid Society and Greater Boston Legal Services. Carwina became a clinical professor because she realized that she enjoys helping students to be better lawyers as much as she enjoys representing indigent clients. Now, she work for the Law School Admission Council to develop programming on professional identity formation, inclusive instruction, and pre-law preparedness. To relieve her stress, Carwina loves to bake, be in nature, read cozy mysteries, and travel. Carwina’s High 5 strengths are: coach, empathizer, focus expert, strategist, and catalyst.
Mena Pirone graduated from Harvard Law School after scoring in the top 1% on her LSAT. She began her career in Intellectual Property Litigation with LSAT Tutoring as a simple pastime on the side. She soon came to appreciate the more significant impact she could have by helping others achieve their law school dreams and made LSAT Tutoring her full-time endeavor. Since that move some 13 years ago, Mena has developed a unique and targeted approach to the test which has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top schools like Stanford, Colombia, Yale, as well as her alma mater Harvard. She prides herself on her flexible and dynamic personalized approach to tutoring, and her focus on helping first-generation and underserved students (especially those of color) put their best foot forward as they begin their legal careers.
DeAndré Aubry, a proud alum of Loyola High School, Howard University, and Southwestern Law School. He is a first-generation law student and the owner and founder of Legally Fit. As student body president in his 3L year, he created a free program called “Study with the President.” This program helped hundreds of students and made it abundantly clear that students were looking for help. From “Study with the President” came Legally Fit, which he has been running for the last 10 years!
Aaronette Carter, Esq., received her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida, College of Law. She also received a Master of Arts Degree in sociology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida. Ms. Carter is currently an attorney in Maryland. In 2001, she began her career as a solo practitioner, litigating cases in the area of family law, juvenile law, CINA law and criminal law. In 2003, she joined the Office of the Public Defender in Rockville, Maryland, as an Assistant Public Defender, representing indigent parents in child abuse and neglect cases.
Amaya is a recent graduate of Dillard University, where she earned a B.S. in Urban Studies and Public Policiy. Throughout her undergrad experience, she has conducted notable research on mass incarceration, juvenile recidivism, and microaggressions in the courtroom. She also created programming for Black women on campus and in her community through her work with In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda. As a student at Harvard Law School, she is a member of the Women's Law Association, First Class, and is the External Vice President-elect for the Black Law Students Association.
Abena received her B.S. in Biology from Clark Atlanta University before earning her J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. While in law school, she held several roles as a District and Federal Judicial Law Clerk. A public interest enthusiast, Abena chose to work at Maryland Legal Aid. There, she quickly ascended to the role of Senior Human Rights Attorney. She later assisted with launching the Baltimore City District Court location of the Maryland Courts Self Help Centers, as a Supervising Attorney. Abena has twelve years of experience in the legal field and previously held a position as an Administrative Law Judge for Maryland's Office of Administrative Hearings where she adjudicated hundreds of administrative hearings and proceedings. In her current role, Abena focuses on advising government entities on Special Education law.
Fareeda Brewington is currently Supervising Attorney at Women Against Abuse. Fareeda attended Suffolk University Law School where she received the Suffolk Public Interest Law Grant after her first year as a law student. That SPILG grant opened the door for her to be an intern at The Victim Rights Law Center which specifically assists victims of sexual violence with all legal matters. Fareeda's passion for assisting people experiencing violence lead her to Women Against Abuse where she started as a Staff Attorney in 2017 and then became the supervisor of the Fast Track Program which is a program that she believes in wholeheartedly. When Fareeda is not practicing law, she is spending time with her daughter Jewel in their South Jersey home.
Linda Sheryl Greene is Dean and MSU Foundation Professor of Law at Michigan State University College of Law and an elected life member of The American Law Institute. She previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Evjue Bascom Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Inaugural Vice Chancellor for Equity/Diversity/Inclusion at the University of California San Diego.
A graduate of Berkeley Law, she was a civil rights and constitutional law attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney who specialized in civil rights and constitutional law, and a Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. She was the Chair of the 1990 Wisconsin Conference on Critical Race Theory, President of the Society of American Law Teachers, the founder of the People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference movement, and Vice Chair of the Counsel on Legal Educational Opportunity.
She co-founded the Black Women in Sports Foundation, served the U.S. Olympic Committee as Chair of its Legislation Committee and Vice Chair of its Audit Committee, and was a member of the UW Madison Athletic Board.
She has lectured and advised on constitutional and civil rights issues around the world. This past March, she visited Chilean law schools under Fulbright auspices to lecture and advise on the proposed Chilean constitution. Her forthcoming book is THURGOOD MARSHALL, DISSENTING: TOWARDS AN INCLUSIVE CONSTITUTIONAL
DEMOCRACY (2023)
Terra Davis is the Chief Diversity and Talent Development Officer at Knobbe Martens. She is responsible for leading and integrating the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion, and talent development efforts, focusing on the recruitment, retention, and progression of diverse attorneys. Outside of Knobbe, she served as the 2020-2022 co-chair of the Legal Marketing Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Shared Interest Group and is a member of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals. Terra is a graduate of Howard University and received her DEI certification from Cornell University. She is passionate about DEI, serving marginalized communities, and pushing the needle forward for change.
Natasha earned her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. After clerking for Judge Thomas Motley on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and working as a trial lawyer for several Washington area firms, she began her present career in law firm recruitment. For over a decade, she has managed all aspects of Williams & Connolly’s associate and summer associate hiring, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and associate professional development, as well as the planning and oversight of the firm’s summer associate program and firmwide social events.
Chris An earned his B.A. from the University of Central Florida in 2016 and his J.D. from the University of Richmond in 2020. Chris is a director at Themis Bar Review focused on assisting students on their journey navigating the bar exam. His work focuses on providing insight, knowledge, and support to students during their bar preparation. At Themis, in addition to his role as Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Director, he oversees the essay grading and review program to ensure that each student receives high quality feedback and commentary on their legal writing from one of the hundreds of dedicated lawyers that support the program.
Before entering into the world of academic success, Chris was a government contracts lawyer at the U.S. Government Accountability office. There, on behalf of the U.S. Comptroller General, Chris wrote decisions on bid protest submitted to the agency.
Chris is the child of Cambodian refugees, first in his family to even complete grade school. He is passionate and committed to creating dialogue, opportunity, and possibilities for students from all walks of life--especially first-generation students.
Jacques Anderson is the Founder & CEO of Lean Into Your Design, a Human Design-centered coaching and consulting business dedicated to unlocking the full potential of individuals and teams. By merging the wisdom of Human Design with modern-day practicality and traditional executive coaching modalities, Jacques offers a unique roadmap for self-discovery and alignment, tailor-made for today's professionals. After graduating from Harvard Law School at 24, Jacques’ career began at Skadden in New York City, as a Mergers & Acquisitions associate advising on deals totaling $50B+. Trained by the executive coach for Steve Jobs and one of the global leaders in Human Design, Jacques provides insightful coaching sessions for individuals, business partners, founders, and teams seeking leadership, team-building, and innovative professional development services and experiences.
Angela Winfield is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for the Law School Admission Council. In this role, she provides leadership, vision, energy, and a unified philosophy to LSAC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on behalf of member law schools and the students who seek a career in law. Prior to her current position, Winfield was associate vice president for inclusion and workforce diversity at Cornell University, where she led the university’s affirmative action and federal contractor compliance programs, managed the university’s five identity/affinity-based colleague network groups, provided training opportunities for the 7,000+ member staff, oversaw religious accommodations, and served on the university’s ADA coordinator team. Winfield earned her JD from Cornell Law School and is admitted to the New York bar. She earned her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Mecca Aikens is a second-year student at Georgetown University Law Center. She is from Hinesville, GA. She graduated from Mercer University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, along with 2 minors in Philosophy and Law & Public Policy. At Georgetown, she is the Academic Chair of Georgetown's Black Law Student Association (BLSA), a Student Fellow for the Admissions Office, the Notes Editor for the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives, and a Barbri Student Representative.
Soukaina Sourouri, Esq. is currently a solo practitioner managing her own general practice firm in family law. She is currently serving as the first Arab-American and Muslim President of the Staten Island’s Woman’s Bar Association. She is a member of the 18B Panel in Richmond County Family Court as well as a member of the Part 36 Attorneys for Children Panel. She is the former court attorney for Family Court Judge Janet L. McFarland. She graduated from CUNY Law School in 2020. While attending law school at night, she worked for the Law Office of Rosa Pannitto, P.C. After graduation, she worked for the law firm of Glenn Yost prior to becoming a court attorney. Ms. Sourouri is also a Member of the Richmond County Bar Association, Staten Island Trial Lawyers, and Columbian Lawyers of Brooklyn. Since 2017, she has been a volunteer at CUNY! Citizenship Now, assisting in legal screenings for green card holders applying for citizenship.
Maia Botero is a first-generation Colombian law student. She worked as a Case Manager and Legal Assistant before starting law school. Maia always had dreams of attending the University of Miami School of law and after working extremely hard during her first year of law school she finally made that dream a reality when she transferred from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law to Miami Law. Maia now serves as the Trial Team President, the SBA Transfer Senator and was just re-elected to serve as a 3L senator next year. Maia also Co-Founded the Fashion Law Society and will be acting as President of the organization at the University of Miami School of Law. After graduating law school Maia hopes to work as a litigator.
Richard Vincent Hill was elected as the first African-American male Clerk of Youngstown Municipal Court in 2023. He has been a Deputy Clerk in the Clerk of Courts office since 2000 and has served as the Criminal/Traffic Division Supervisor. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Youngstown State University in 1999 earning national recognition by being named to the Who's Who among students in American Universities and Colleges. Hill obtained his Master's degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Akron in 2004. Richard Vincent Hill is the first African-American male elected as Clerk of Youngstown Municipal Court. He serves as Trustee Board member of Third Baptist Church, a board member of the Greater Mill Creek Community Center, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc, a member of Robert's Deliberating Club, and a member of Ohio Association of Municipal and County Clerk of Courts
Pamela Winn, known as "The Face of Dignity For Incarcerated Women" is an activist of Atlanta, Georgia. The single mother of two is alumni of Harvard Kennedy School, Spelman College, Emory, and GA State Universities. Winn is national leader in women’s policy that includes ending prison birth, shackling, solitary confinement, and probation reform, advocating the passing of legislation in 23 states throughout the country. Winn has been invited to the White House, United States Commission Civil Rights, and United Nations to speak on “Incarcerated Women’s Issues”. Winn is a recipient of the 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and recognized by Forbes 50 over 50 Impact list of top women leaders for social change in the United States.
Alexandria L. Richards is a dedicated legal professional with a passion for advocacy and a commitment to excellence. Although family law is what initially drew her to law school, Alexandria developed a strong interest in labor law practice, inspired by her own experience as a micro-influencer and content creator. In her final year at Drexel, Alexandria served as Editor-In-Chief of Drexel Law Review, Volume XVI. As the first Black person to serve in this capacity at Drexel, Alexandria understands the importance of representation and mentorship within minority communities. Through this role, she developed a deep appreciation for diverse legal scholarship, recognizing its profound impact on creators and consumers. As Alexandria prepares to sit for the July bar exam, she stands poised to make significant contributions to the legal profession. Her unwavering dedication to professional growth, coupled with her fervent advocacy for social justice and community engagement, positions her as a dynamic and influential leader in the legal field. At the Break Into Law conference, Alexandria hopes to inspire and empower attendees with her unique perspective, commitment to excellence, and passion for empowering diverse individuals to create space for themselves in the legal world.
Vernadette Horne, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, joined St. John’s Law School in June 2021 after serving as Senior Director of Career Services and Diversity Initiatives at Hofstra Law School for 15 years. Ms. Horne currently serves as a member of the Diversity Committee for the New York State Bar Association and as the Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee for the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial & Federal Litigation Section.
Michael J. States joined the University of Wisconsin Law School in December 2021 as the Inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He also manages the Office of the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and the Office of the Assistant Dean for the Academic Enhancement Program at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Prior to coming to UW Law, he was the Assistant Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid, and Diversity Initiatives at The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Kansas and his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law, where he was president of the Black Law Students Association and a member of the Council of Presidents. Dean States began his law school administration career as the Associate Director of Admissions at the UIC Law School (then the John Marshall Law School). He has been the Director of Admissions at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law (then the Hamline University Law School), and the Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Stuart Graduate School of Business. From 2004 to 2015, he was the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Dean States is a member of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Schools and Candidates committee, a consultant for the Council for Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), Achieving Success in the Application Process program, and a member of the Executive Committee for both the Association of American Law School's section on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Legal Professions Chapter. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of Christian Brothers High School in St. Louis, Missouri.
Jermaine Cruz serves as Assistant Dean for Diversity & Inclusion at Albany Law School in New York State’s capitol city of Albany. He is a seasoned law school administrator and educator with over 20 years of legal education experience including, legal clinic and targeted program administration, JD admissions, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and strategy development. Dean Cruz is also an independent DEI consultant, facilitator and strategist with clients including Bennington College and the New York State Assembly.
A diverse set of experiences in legal practice, policy development, and communications inform his comprehensive and holistic approach to ensuring an accessible, equitable, fair, and positive law school experience for all law students rooted in clear and effective administrative and academic policy and procedure. Mr. Cruz has presented nationally on law school recruitment and retention strategy, diversity in the legal academy and general diversity issues and best practices.
Immediately prior to his appointment at Albany Law School, Dean Cruz served as Director of Admissions at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. He has worked in JD admissions at The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (his alma mater) and managed the administration and recruitment efforts of the clinical legal education program at Georgetown Law. He has worked in private practice at Hannon Law Group, LLP, in Washington, DC, where he focused primarily on complex commercial litigation and employment law.
Terra Davis is the Chief Diversity and Talent Development Officer at Knobbe Martens, where she is responsible for leading and integrating the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion, and professional development efforts, focusing on the recruitment, retention, and progression of its attorneys. Outside of Knobbe, she served as the 2020-2022 co-chair of the Legal Marketing Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Shared Interest Group. In 2024, she was elevated to the Legal Marketing Association International Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, the only organization in the legal industry dedicated to diversity practitioners. In 2024, Terra was selected to serve the California State Bar’s 10-member Council on Access and Fairness. She is a proud graduate of Howard University and received her DEI certification from Cornell University. Terra is passionate about DEI, serving marginalized communities, and pushing the needle forward for change.
Jazmín is a movement lawyer and community organizer dedicated to dismantling systems of oppression by working with BIPOC to demand and achieve a life of dignity. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The UndocuLawyer Firm, Jazmín collaborates with community organizations and organizing groups to ensure that minorities communities live a life with dignity. Since embarking on her journey in law, Jazmín has sought to combine her legal knowledge and skills with community organizing principles for systems change work, which she has done in her previous professional roles with the New Mexico Dream Team, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Bold Futures NM and the City of Albuquerque, as well as her volunteer roles as a board member of Emerge New Mexico, the University of New Mexico’s (UNM’s) Master of Public Policy Program, and Encuentro. In recent years, she has been named an Albuquerque Business First’s Top 40-Under-40 Honoree, received Enlace Comunitario’s Brindis a la Mujer Award in the Category of Policy and Law, the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association Rising Star Award, and had the honor of being a Co-Master of Ceremony for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 2019 Inauguration. Jazmin is a graduate of the UNM Anderson School of Management and the UNM School of Law.
Yvette Byes Edwards has been working in the post legal education field with law students in the Bay Area as they prepare for the bar exam, and with Academic Support teams at law schools, for 22 years. She has valued experience as an educator in the E-learning industry, and has been an Adjunct Professor for Early Bar Prep Multistate Subjects, as well as Professional Legal Writing. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law and enjoys seeing students thrive during law school as they take those final steps towards the ultimate goal of passing the bar exam, reaching one of the most rewarding achievements in their legal career.
Anthony is a lawyer, highly-rated motivational speaker, and a strategic law school admissions advisor with over 8 years of experience. Through his work with individuals, groups, and organizations, he empowers diverse voices in the legal profession and helps individuals overcome; adversity to reclaim their dreams. Anthony is also the founder of BecomingJD and the host of "Making the Case For Your Lawyer Dreams.
Jupiter is a non-traditional law student in every sense of the word. As a first-gen queer, non-binary student at Tulane Law in New Orleans, Louisiana, they have made it their mission to expand the concept of what a lawyer looks like by being unapologetically themselves in every space they enter. Their interests vary widely and include international law (both human rights and business), post-conviction capital appeals, entertainment law (think: influencers), and, most recently, real estate law. This summer, Jupiter is working with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to provide expungement services to remove the barriers to economic opportunity placed in front of those who have formerly been convicted of criminal offenses. Jupiter uses they/them pronouns.
Anais Holland-Rudd brings a wealth of legal expertise and a commitment to public service in her role as Associate General Counsel and Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”) Officer at the New York City Department of Investigation. She began her career as a prosecutor at the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, where she gained extensive experience handling a wide range of cases, from misdemeanors to serious felonies. Throughout her tenure, Anais demonstrated her expertise through successful litigation in hearings, grand jury presentations, and jury trials, all while managing various responsibilities such as witness preparation, investigations, and plea negotiations.
Transitioning into private practice after three years, Anais continued to excel, focusing on civil litigation matters. As an Associate at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP and Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch LLP, she specialized in financial services litigation and defending automobile manufacturers in asbestos matters. With a meticulous approach to pretrial management and a commitment to crafting proactive defense strategies, Anais navigated complex legal challenges with diligence and professionalism. During her time in civil practice, Anais occasionally assisted in criminal defense matters.
Anais's academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in political science from CUNY Baruch College and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Beyond her professional achievements, she is deeply committed to public service, dedicating her time to mentorship through Baruch’s Max Berger Pre-Law Program. Anais is also a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
In her current role, Anais demonstrates strong leadership as she manages public requests under FOIL and oversees inquiries regarding law enforcement disciplinary history. She also is involved where needed to assist in investigations and with any legal issue that arises at the agency.
Somi is an attorney and investor who works to provide minority and women-led emerging companies with access to capital and world-class legal advice on their entrepreneurial journey. At the same time, she’s pursuing her own entrepreneurial dreams after a relatively recent transition from working as a corporate attorney (in M&A, finance and intellectual property) at a New York big law firm as she explores this new journey of being a multi-hyphenate.
Somi is a Chicago-native and a proud alum of Tema International School in Ghana, where she was basketball team captain and entertainment prefect, Princeton University, where she studied Economics, French and African-American studies, and Harvard Law School, where she was president of the African Law Association and a senior editor on the Harvard Law and Business Journal. She also spent a semester studying at Sciences Po in Paris.
After college, she worked as an investment analyst for JP Morgan in Chicago, curating investment portfolios for the bank’s high net-worth clients and after law school, she spent 5 years at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York advising world-class Fortune 500 companies on all aspects of corporate transactional law.
Somi currently splits her time between New York and Accra, where her fur baby, the sweetest Rhodesian Ridgeback named Johnny Bravo, lives with Somi’s mom. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new countries (especially through their cuisine!), cooking, spending time with her friends, family and her four beautiful godchildren and working out.
Yolanda D. Ingram. Esq. is currently the inaugural Director of Access to Law School Education Programs at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She joined Penn Carey Law in August 2021. Immediately prior to her current role, Director Ingram was the inaugural Bar Success Director at Drexel Kline Law for two years. Before Drexel, Mrs. Ingram served as Dean of Students and Director of Academic Success at Penn State’s Dickinson Law and Dean of Admissions for Washburn University School of Law. In addition to a variety of administrative roles, Director Ingram has also taught a range of courses, including prelaw, legal writing, legal ethics/professional responsibility, and bar preparation.
Over the course of her twenty plus year career in legal education and higher education administration, she has volunteered and served on a variety of boards, committees and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit, Barrier Breakers, which seeks to support first generation, and minority students apply to law school.
For ten years, she was the Asst. Dean for Student Affairs and the Director of the state’s only conditional admissions program and diversity pipeline program for college students, the Tennessee Institute for Pre-Law (TIP). During her decade at Memphis Law, the TIP program was able to substantially increase the state law schools’ diversity enrollment each year. Professor Ingram co-founded the Memphis Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program (SLIP) for diverse high school students.
Prior to entering legal education and serving in various administrative roles, Ingram clerked for Judge Jay A. Daugherty of the Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Missouri. Before her judicial clerkship, she taught legal research and writing at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to teaching at Temple Law, she was an associate with the Kansas City, Missouri firm, Polsinelli Law Firm where she practiced in the areas of condemnation (eminent domain law), land use/zoning, landlord/tenant disputes, and property tax appeals.
She earned her Juris Doctor (with Dean’s Honors) from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in English.
Dr. Nadia Castriota has nearly 20 years of experience in professional/graduate school admissions and student development and is truly dedicated to student success. She has previously been the Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Florida International University – College of Law, the Director of Admissions at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, the Assistant Dean at Albany Law School, and most recently the Director of Admissions at St. Thomas University School of Law. Dr. Castriota is originally from New York and relocated to South Florida to be closer to family and continue her career in academia, specifically admissions and student engagement. Dr. Castriota earned her BS from Florida International University, MS from Nova Southeastern University, and recently completed her PhD in Ethical Leadership at St. Thomas University.
Tanvi is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions practice group and is also a registered patent attorney. Her practice includes all aspects of patent litigation, patent prosecution and global portfolio management, as well as licensing and due diligence counseling. She is co-chair of NGE's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She also serves on the firm's Summer Associate Hiring Committee and the Women's Leadership Network. Prior to practicing law, Tanvi worked as an engineer at Caterpillar, Inc. in the Electric Power Generation group. Tanvi’s education in electrical engineering and her technical background enable her to better understand her clients' complex technologies and protect their innovations. Outside of her practice, Tanvi is a member of Ms. JD, an organization dedicated to the success of aspiring and early-career women lawyers. From 2019 to 2022, Tanvi served on the volunteer board of directors. She also serves as a board member of the South Asian Bar Association Chicago Foundation, which is a voluntary bar association dedicated to the needs, concerns, and interests of the South Asian legal community in the Chicagoland area.
Tracy L Simmons is the Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs at Howard University School of Law. Prior to joining Howard University School of Law, Tracy L. Simmons worked for the University of San Diego School of Law as the Assistant Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid and Diversity Initiatives and she also worked for the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, as the Senior Assistant Dean for Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid. Along with two other law schools.
Additionally, Simmons has served as a consultant for the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Achieving Success in the Application Process program for over 15 years. She is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), serving as the Chair of the Pre-Legal Education and Admissions to Law School Section twice and as the Chair for the Part-Time Section. She has also served on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) Consumer Information and Law Student Information Task Force. Simmons also serves on the California System Involved Bar Association.
Most recently, Simmons is a co-founder of the Womxn of Color Collective for law schools professionals, co-chair of the newly formed Legal Professions Chapter of the National Association of Diversity Professional in Higher Education (NADOHE) has joined USD Law’s Children’s Advocacy Institute Council for Children (CAI) and is now a Board of Director with the nonprofit Barrier Breakers, Inc.
Simmons has been involved with the Law School Admission Council in a variety of roles, including serving on the Board of Trustees and as Chair for the Annual Meeting of Law School Professionals for the hybrid LSAC Annual Meeting in Florida in 2021. Other roles include serving on the Services and Programs Committee, the Forum Review Work Group, the Newcomers Workshop Planning Work Group, where she was chair; the Diversity Committee, the Annual Meeting and Educational Conference Planning Work Group, the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee and the 2018 Nominating Committee. She has also served as an appointee-at-large on the Board of Trustees and as trustee liaison to the Test Development and Research Committee, the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Simmons’ last committee was a two-year term on the Services and Candidates Committee.
She also served on the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) between 2014 and 2022, serving as President and Program Chair.
Simmons is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc. Simmons has a BA in Psychology with a minor in African American Studies and MA Education with an emphasis Multicultural Counseling from San Diego State University and earned her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.
With 13 years of law school administration experience and 20 years of legal experience, Valerie D. James serves as the Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Diversity Initiatives at the UOP McGeorge School of Law. She previously served as an assistant dean at UC Davis as well as at the law schools at UNT Dallas (founding) and the University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR). She holds a JD degree with honors from the UALR and an Arkansas attorney’s license (2008). Valerie’s professional career has focused on building and leading diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible higher education programs.
Rohan Gohel graduated from Villanova University in 2022 with degrees in Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy. He is currently a rising 3L at Duke Law. During his 1L summer, he worked at Lowenstein Sandler, and he is presently working at Milbank LLP. He is originally from Marlboro, New Jersey.
Sedinam Anyidoho is an Associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, where she has been working in their litigation group since September 2022. Previously, she was a Summer Associate at the same firm and served as an International Law Fellow at the DC Bar. Sedinam has also been a Systemic Lawyering Corp Member at Harvard University Systemic Summer Institute and an International Affairs Intern at Howard University Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. She is a graduate of the Howard University School of Law.
Sakshi Das is a rising 2L at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. She is the Vice President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, Social Media Chair of the Cyber Law & Data Privacy Association and a member of the Alternate Dispute Resolution team at her school. She is spending her 1L summer as a law clerk for a business and financial litigation firm in Baltimore, MD. As the first in her family to pursue any education in the US, she has found support in her community and is passionate about expanding access to similar support and opportunities for other minorities in the legal field.
Celina Vicioso is a second-generation New Yorker, a first-generation college graduate and law student, and a two-time start-up founder. Prior to law school, Celina spent seven years running marketing for high growth early-stage startups across the financial, real estate, and health technology industries. Celina is a former competitive horseback rider. When she’s not in law school you can find her drinking natural wine, walking her dog, and pitching vacation ideas to her partner Katherine.
Ahmad Malik advises clients on all aspects of patent litigation.
Before joining Faegre Drinker, Ahmad clerked at the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in various capacities. Most recently, he worked as a law clerk to the Honorable Cathy Bissoon, where he assisted with case management in both civil and criminal matters, and managed jury trials — including a patent infringement lawsuit. During his time with the district court, Ahmad also served as a rotating law clerk and handled assignments for all active judges.
Ahmad also has clerked for the Honorable D. Michael Fisher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Prior to clerking, Ahmad worked as an e-discovery attorney for an AmLaw 50 firm.
Ayana Dow advises broker-dealers, financial institutions and other global and domestic financial entities on a broad range of regulatory and enforcement matters. Ms. Dow also regularly counsels companies on compliance issues relating to Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA, and other self-regulatory organization rules and regulations.
Prior to joining WilmerHale, Ms. Dow was an associate in the financial services group at another international law firm in Washington DC. She was previously a policy fellow in the Office of Congressman James Clyburn. During law school, Ms. Dow was an intern for a global consulting firm and a law clerk for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Division of Market Oversight.
Keatrice is a 3L at Northwestern University from New York City. Before starting law school, she gained valuable experience as an SEO Fellow, working at Morrison & Foerster in New York. Keatrice recently completed an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management and is excited to return to law school to finish her final year.
Thomas de Xavier is a rising 3L at Georgetown University Law Center, where he serves as the Managing Executive Editor of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. He is actively involved in several leadership roles, serving as the Membership Co-Director of the North American South Asian Law Students Association (NASALSA), Co-President of the Georgetown South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA), and Student Bar Association (SBA) Academic Affairs Chair. These positions have allowed him to engage with diverse communities, advocate for student interests, and contribute to the improvement of academic policies.
Thomas has also gained valuable experience working at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Office of International Affairs within the Bureau of Consumer Protection, contributing to global consumer protection initiatives within the digital financial markets.
Inspired by his mother’s experience as a South Asian refugee during the Idi Amin dictatorship in 1972, Thomas is committed to public service and making a positive impact through his legal career. He is particularly interested in practicing corporate law with a focus on securities regulation. Prior to law school, he swam collegiately as a Division 1 athlete, balancing rigorous training with academic responsibilities.
As a first generation law student, Thomas values the importance of community and connection, and he is eager to share his experiences and insights with fellow students to support their academic and professional journeys.