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NEW YORK CITY—Womble Bond Dickinson was well-represented at the Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC) Career Strategies Conference , as firm attorneys Vonnetta Benjamin, Loryn Buckner, Sonny Haynes and Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke represented the firm at the fourteenth annual professional development event.
The CCWC Career Strategies Conference took place Oct. 10-12 in New York City. Attendees had dozens of breakout sessions to choose from on such topics as:
- IP Issues that Keep GCs Up at Night;
- 5 Effective Ways to Manage the Crisis that Derives from a Product Gone Wrong;
- 10 Must-Dos when Conducting an Internal Investigation;
- How to Succeed as a Business Partner to Your Business Clients; and
- Advanced Employment Law Issues in Employment Discrimination Cases.
Corporate Counsel Women of Color is a not-for-profit organization of women attorneys of color who serve as general counsel, assistant general counsel, corporate counsel, in-house legal counsel, and in other capacities for Fortune 1000 companies, Forbes 2000 companies, not-for-profit corporations, and other entities in the United States of America and abroad. The organization was formed in 2004 to provide a support network to in-house women of color and to facilitate networking around the nation and abroad, promote career advancement and the success of in-house women of color, and promote all aspects of global diversity in the legal profession and workplace.
Vonnetta Benjamin is an experienced and detail-oriented litigator who focuses her practice on product liability litigation, complex litigation, and healthcare and medical malpractice litigation. Utilizing her significant automotive experience, Vonnetta recently seconded as an in-house attorney for a national company responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service for a global automobile manufacturer in the United States.
Loryn Buckner ’s litigation practice is focused on defending tobacco companies in “Engle” progeny cases in Florida as well as guiding insurance and local government clients in complex litigation. Her areas of mass tort experience include actions involving product liability, personal injury, fraud, bad faith, and unfair and deceptive trade practice. Her local government litigation experience includes representing county agencies, elected officials, and law enforcement officers in constitutional claims under 42 U.S.C. §1983 and state law tort claims.
Sonny Haynes has a broad range of litigation experience from complaint to verdict and on appeal. She regularly defends lawsuits involving product liability, civil rights, governmental torts, and employment discrimination. In addition, Haynes has extensive experience advising charter schools and education management organizations in the areas of board formation and support, charter applications, and school policy and compliance matters.
Alexandra Villarreal O’Rourke leads Womble Bond Dickinson’s Financial Regulatory team and co-leads the firm’s Fintech team. She draws upon her background in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to advise clients on mission-critical compliance questions and risk management as well as state and federal financial regulatory engagement, investigations, and enforcement. She also has significant experience on Fintech and Artificial Intelligence regulatory matters and helps clients navigate the evolving legal terrains on those topics.
