PracticePro

Friday, March 2, 2018
Haynes and Boone, LLP
1221 McKinney St #2100
Houston, TX 77010

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SCHEDULE

CONFERENCE & RECEPTION

Professional Development:  In this full-day conference, you will learn:

• Operations and economics of law firms and organizations
• How summer programs work, including the evaluation process
• Practical tools on how to excel in your assignments and exceed expectations
• How to maximize the opportunities presented in firm social events
• How to stand out in interviews
• How to create a career development plan, including identifying and building on your strengths
• Effective methods and habits for developing your professional brand internally and in the legal community
• Client expectations and introduction to business development
• How to develop a fulfilling and sustaining legal career

Recruiting:  Students who attend the conference will be invited to submit their application materials to PracticePro’s law firm partners and participate in various recruiting opportunities with the same.

TUITION & PRICING

Conference
Tuition – $ 350 (includes evening reception)
Register for the Conference here.  Click here for scholarship info.

Recruiting Reception

Admission to the Reception is complimentary for all conference attendees.  If you are only interested in attending the evening Diversity Reception, you may purchase your ticket – here.

SPEAKERS & INSTRUCTORS

Niki Khoshzamir Kahn (Moore), PracticePro 

Niki Khoshzamir Kahn (Moore) is the founder and CEO of PracticePro, and a lecturer at U.C. Berkeley School of Law. At PracticePro, she leads all aspects of the organization including product development, strategic partnerships, operations, and publications. Niki teaches transition-to-practice skills to law students and attorneys and speaks at law schools across the country. She also consults with law firms to strengthen training and diversity programs, including helping diverse and first-generation associates to succeed as attorneys. Niki developed a skills course The Junior Attorney for Berkeley Law in 2011, which she has been co-teaching since.

Prior to founding PracticePro, she was an attorney for over six years at the global firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP. She focused her practice on intellectual property litigation and trade sanctions compliance. Niki has extensive experience representing companies and individuals in federal and state courts, and in all stages of litigation including trial. She was recognized by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as one of the top “40 under 40″ professionals.

Niki is also the founder and former president of the Northern California Chapter of the Iranian American Bar Association. She received her B.S. in Biology, summa cum laude, from Texas Southern University, and J.D. from Berkeley Law.

Chevazz Brown, Jackson Walker

Chevazz G. Brown is Partner at Jackson Walker LLP, where he counsels and represents companies of all sizes in a wide range of commercial disputes involving contracts, employment, real estate, negligence defense, premises liability, government investigations, and finance.  Prior to joining Jackson Walker, Mr. Brown had the distinct honor of serving as law clerk to the Honorable Kenneth M. Hoyt of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

Mr. Brown is co-chair of the Houston Bar Association Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee, and has previously served as co-chair for the HBA’s Juvenile Consequences Partnership Committee and Communities in Schools Committee. He is also the Trustee and Treasurer for the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation and a member of the Board of Councilors for the Texas Civil Rights Project. In 2015, Mr. Brown was named a “Rising Star” by Thompson Reuters Super Lawyers.

Mr. Brown received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and his M.P.A. from The University of Texas at San Antonio. He received his J.D. from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he graduated summa cum laude as class Valedictorian.

Natalia Cornellio, Texas Civil Rights Project

Natalia Cornelio (“Nata”) is the Director of TCRP’s Criminal Justice Program. Natalia joins TCRP’s criminal justice reform efforts after serving as an assistant federal public defender for indigent persons accused of federal crimes in Houston, where she witnessed first-hand the overuse of criminal laws and incarceration, including against persons of color and indigent persons. She joins TCRP in 2017 as persons in Texas and the United States face heightened obstacles to justice and dignity. Nata has previously worked as a staff attorney for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and is a graduate of New York University and the University of Chicago Law School.

Veronica Cruz, Haynes and Boone

Veronica Cruz is an associate in the Labor & Employment Group at Haynes and Boone, LLP.  She represents employers in employment-related disputes in court and counsels employers of all sizes in their employment-related matters. Veronica graduated from the University of Houston Law Center with honors, where she also served as a Senior Articles Editor for the Houston Law Review and frequently competed on the school’s moot court team.  She received a bachelor of business administration and master of accountancy from Baylor University.  Prior to law school, Veronica worked for Deloitte in its audit group.

In addition to practicing law, Veronica is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board, as well as a member on the Houston Bar Association’s Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee.  In her spare time, Veronica enjoys spending time with her two dogs, exploring new restaurants, and attending Houston’s various cultural festivals.

Aparna Dave, Wells Fargo 

Aparna M. Dave is Senior Counsel for Wells Fargo & Company in Houston, Texas. She provides legal support to the company’s Corporate Marketing and Corporate Communications divisions. Her practice focuses on advising clients on legal issues with sponsorships, marketing promotions and campaigns, trademark and copyright law, social media, false advertising and deceptive practices, as well as developing policies and procedures in these areas.

Aparna strives to make a positive impact on the legal profession by helping to increase and advance diversity through her work as co-chair of the State Bar of Texas Minority Counsel Program, participation as a 2015 Fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, seat on the Advisory Board for the South Asian Bar Association of Houston and guidance as a mentor to law students.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Aparna worked as an associate with McGlinchey Stafford in Houston practicing civil defense litigation. Aparna is a 2002 graduate of South Texas College of Law in Houston and enjoys traveling, watching football and running.

Daniel Horowitz, The Law Office of Daniel D. Horowitz

Daniel Horowitz received his bachelor of business administration from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. He went on to receive his doctorate of jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law. While at the University of Texas, Daniel served as the treasurer of the Silver Spurs — an organization he continues to support as a member of its Board of Directors.

Daniel began his legal career as a law clerk at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, and Friend, joining the firm as an associate in 2005 and becoming a partner in 2011. His practice is devoted nearly 100% to plaintiffs’ personal injury. He handles a variety of lawsuits including catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, explosions, petrochemical accidents, pharmaceutical litigation, and vehicular accidents. In 2008, Daniel became Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Daniel is the current president of Houston Trial Lawyers Association. He has consistently been recognized in the list of Texas Super Lawyers® Rising Stars® in Texas Monthly and as a Top Lawyer for the People in H Magazine. He has also been listed in the Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers from Texas by The National Trial Lawyers. He has published articles and taught numerous classes and seminars throughout the country.

Monica Lopez, Jackson Walker

Monica is a second-year associate at Jackson Walker, LLP, in the Corporate and Securities practice group, where she mainly focuses on corporate governance and general corporate matters. Monica received her law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and graduated as Valedictorian of her class in May 2016. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Government with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Monica is also a Gates Millennium Scholar of the Class of 2004 and volunteers with the Gates Millennium Scholars Alumni Association to speak to current scholars about her transition from high school to becoming the first lawyer in her family. She also volunteers with the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network, a cause close to her heart. During her undergraduate years Monica lost both of her parents to cancer. Monica enjoys sharing her story with others as a way to inspire others to keep moving forward.

L. Renee Lowe, Harris County Attorney’s Office

L. Renée Lowe is a Sr. Assistant County Attorney with Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan’s Office. Renée has been a licensed practicing attorney for over 18 years. Currently, a health care and intellectual property and information law attorney representing the fourth largest public hospital system in the country, Renée provides legal advice and guidance on a full range of intellectual property matters, cybersecurity, data privacy and healthcare operational, transactional, litigation, compliance, and regulatory matters.

Before joining the Harris County Attorney’s Office, Renée enjoyed success as a litigation attorney for the City of Houston defending the City and its employees in personal injury, wrongful death, and civil rights actions. A native of Louisiana, Renée attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business and Accounting. After her first year of college, Renée joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves where she received an Honorable Discharge at the rank of Staff Sergeant after serving six years.

Renée’s professional career also includes a position as Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center where she teaches a health law course. Renée is also a member of the Houston Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Licensing Executives Society, and Houston Intellectual Property Law Association and serves on various committees within those organizations.

Renée received her Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. She also has two Masters of Laws degrees – Health Law and Intellectual Property and Information Law – from the University of Houston Law Center. When not working, Renée enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, photography, and fitness.

Yasser Madriz, Haynes and Boone

Yasser Madriz is a partner in the Business Litigation Section at Haynes and Boone, LLP. He concentrates his practice in complex high-stakes commercial litigation, covering a range of commercial issues, including business organization and complex transaction-based disputes, franchise-related controversies, energy litigation (oil, gas and power), contract disputes, and insurance and re-insurance coverage claims. Mr. Madriz has utilized his Latin American roots and fluency in Spanish to effectively represent Latin American clients in international and cross-border disputes.

Mr. Madriz is very active in the Houston legal community, including membership in the Houston Bar Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association, and the Houston Young Lawyers Association. His involvement with United Way earned him the designation of United Way Young Leader, and he was selected as a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow in 2012.  Mr. Madriz was also selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition, Thomson Reuters, from 2009-2012.

Mr. Madriz graduated with honors from McMaster University and received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Carlotta Ramirez, The Museum of Fine Arts

Carlotta Ramirez is an attorney and administrator at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, specializing in legal compliance as well as the formulation and implementation of museum policy. Working in an area where the law and museum administration intersect, Ms. Ramirez has had the opportunity to work with other attorneys, professional artists, museum curators, archivists and registrars on an assortment of legal projects. Her daily work at the museum spans a variety of legal practice areas, including contracts, intellectual property, trusts and estates, and tax, to name a few. As a licensed attorney in her 17th year of practice (the last 10 with The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston), Ms. Ramirez also runs a legal internship program at the museum, which provides local law students the opportunity to learn various aspects of art law in an institutional setting.

Ms. Ramirez received her Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, and law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Jessica Rivera, Universal Weather & Aviation

Jessi Rivera is a Senior Corporate Attorney for Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. At Universal, Jessi has many roles including supervising all of the legal work for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, managing Universal’s intellectual property and advising on data security and privacy issues. Prior to joining Universal, Jessi worked at Haynes and Boone, LLP in the mergers and acquisitions practice group. Jessi’s professional honors include being named as a Yellow Rose of Texas by Governor Rick Perry for her work on an election fraud case and being selected to the 2012-2013 State Bar of Texas Leadership Class.

Jessi obtained a Bachelors of Arts in Spanish and Politics from Messiah College and a Juris Doctor from Duke University. Jessi is fluent in English and Spanish and proficient in Portuguese. In her spare time, Jessi enjoys spending time with her three dogs and two cats and singing karaoke.

Jose Villarreal, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Jose C Villarreal is a partner in the patent litigation practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He specializes in litigation and dispute resolution, investigations, and strategic counseling relating to patent FRAND licenses and other intellectual property matters. He is also experienced in all phases of litigation from pre-trial through trial in federal courts and the hearings before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Jose has also appeared before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, involving interpretations of first impression under the America Invents Act. In addition, he has experience leading patent disputes involving coordinated strategies in district court and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.  Mr. Villarreal also has broad experience negotiating licensing agreements and advising on intellectual property matters related to private company investments, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Villarreal received a B.S. from the University of Florida, a Master of  Engineering from Cornell University, and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Herman Yue, Latham & Watkins

Herman Yue is an associate at Latham & Watkins where he specializes in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent litigation, including under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) and the Hatch-Waxman Act.  His matters span all phases of litigation, from pre-suit investigations, through trial, and appeals to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  He has also participated in inter partes review proceedings before the USPTO as well as administrative actions in the Japanese and European Patent Offices.  In addition to his bio/pharma work, Herman has litigated cases involving patents relating to fracking technology, medical devices, computer software, and digital displays.  Herman also routinely provides due diligence analysis and strategic IP counseling for clients.  His pro bono practice includes matters under the Fair Labor Standards Act; asylum applications; and habeas petitions.

Herman received a B.A. from Rice University, cum laude; a Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Research Fellow; and a J.D. from NYU School of Law, where he served as managing editor of the NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy.  He has also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Robert W. Sweet, Southern District of New York.  He has been recognized as a New York Metro and Texas “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers for several years.

Frank Wu, Haynes and Boone

Bio coming shortly.

DIVERSITY KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Kimberly Pilcher, ExxonMobil Corporation

Kimberly Pilcher is Assistant Chief Attorney at ExxonMobil Corporation in the Labor & Employment Law group for 19 years.  Leading the Labor & Employment law group at ExxonMobil, Kim first chairs cases in labor arbitration and handles a wide variety of labor and employment matters involving the National Labor Relations Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disability Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and harassment policy investigations – essentially anything employee related.  Prior to her role at ExxonMobil, Kim was in a sales role for over a decade selling credit and mortgage reports to financial institutions.

Kim serves on the Association of Corporate Counsel Board of Directors.  She received a B.B.A. from University of Texas at San Antonio, an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University, and a J.D. from Southern Methodist University.  In her spare time, Kim enjoys golf, running, triathlons, ice climbing, travel and cross stitch.

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