Break into Practice:1L Career Summit

As the first lawyer in her family, the first person from her high school to

attend Princeton University, and a Harvard Law School graduate, Sydney Montgomery (Forbes 30 Under 30) has used her platform since 2012 to help students break down generational barriers and step confidently into their future. 

As the daughter of military and immigrant parents and as a lower-income college student, Sydney battled insecurities, financial challenges, and debilitating chronic illnesses to defy societal labels and expectations. Now, as a TEDx Speaker and Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur Sydney inspires others to believe in themselves, find their voice, and confidently pursue their goals no matter their background or obstacles. Sydney holds a B.A. in English from Princeton University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a Masters of Theological Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from UC Irvine, and a Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education from UNC Charlotte. Sydney is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and has been featured in Inc., Forbes, US News, Medium, CNBC and others.

Her TEDx talk, “First-Generation Graduates Drive Business Success,” has over 155,000 views.

Liscah Isaboke is the Founder and Managing Partner of Isaboke Law Firm, a Charlotte-based business and intellectual property law practice serving clients locally, nationally, and internationally. A cum laude graduate of both East Carolina University and North Carolina Central University School of Law, Liscah is recognized for her strategic approach to legal problem-solving, blending sharp legal acumen with a deep understanding of business growth.

She has guided entrepreneurs, startups, and established companies through complex transactions, trademark and copyright protection, contract negotiations, and litigation. Her firm’s mission is rooted in empowering business owners to build on a solid legal foundation, protect their intellectual assets, and create generational wealth on their own terms.

Beyond her legal work, Liscah is a speaker and educator, known for translating complex legal concepts into practical, actionable insights for business owners. She has spoken at business expos, youth entrepreneurship programs, and industry events, sharing her expertise on how to structure, protect, and scale a business.

When she’s not advocating for her clients, Liscah invests her time in fellowship, community engagement, and developing resources that make legal protections more accessible to entrepreneurs at every stage of growth.

Amanda M. Reed, Esq. is an accomplished attorney, community leader, and advocate dedicated to helping individuals and families protect their legacies through comprehensive estate planning and administration. As Owner and Managing Attorney of Reed & Thompson, PLLC she is recognized for her strategic approach, compassionate client service, and unwavering ethical standards.

Amanda serves as Chair of the Concord Police Foundation and President of the Cabarrus County Bar Association, where she champions initiatives that strengthen the legal profession and support the community. Her commitment to service has earned her a place in the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society every year since 2018, as well as recognition as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. She is a lead volunteer for the North Carolina Bar Association’s Wills for Heroes program and founder of the Hometown Hero program, which honors and uplifts first responders.

A sought-after voice on leadership, service, and the law, Amanda combines professional excellence with a passion for giving back. Outside of her practice, she enjoys DIY projects, a competitive round of bingo, and time with her husband and their three children.

Ta’Chelle Jones is a first-generation college graduate, born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK. She earned a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Human Relations with an emphasis in Human Resource Development from the University of Oklahoma.  Before law school, she worked as a human resources business partner and recruiter in the education and insurance industries.  Ta’Chelle earned her J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law where she was the Executive Editor of the OCU Law Review and a moot court competitor in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition. While in law school, she spent two summers in Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP’s Houston office as a Summer Associate. 

In 2023, Ta’Chelle moved to Houston to join Norton Rose Fulbright’s Commercial and Energy Disputes Team as a litigation associate. Her practice consists of complex commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution in the energy, infrastructure, and financial sectors.

Larry Gibson is an attorney in Jackson Walker’s Houston office whose practice focuses on corporate and securities matters.

While in law school, Larry served as a student attorney for the Racial Equity in Education Law and Policy Clinic, assisting in drafting legislation focused on reducing police presence in grade schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Larry also worked with Jackson Walker’s Corporate & Securities group as a summer associate in 2021 and 2022, assisting with various business matters including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital, and name, image, and likeness deals.

Before attending law school, Larry was a ninth-grade math teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, via Teach For America.

Edward A. Vergara is the Co-Head of Seward & Kissel’s Trusts & Estates Practice.

Ed advises individuals, fiduciaries, and closely held businesses on a broad range of issues related to tax optimization and succession planning. His client base consists primarily of founders, executives, fund principals, and other investors and business leaders.

Ed ensures that individual clients have appropriate core estate planning in place as a fundamental starting point for any engagement. Beyond those basics, the primary focus of Ed’s practice is helping client’s maximize efficiency in business transactions, ownership structures, and succession events.

Many of Ed’s clients have cross-border interests and families. He often works with taxpayers acquiring or managing foreign assets or changing residency, including both pre-immigration and expatriation planning for the United States, as well as changes of residency and domicile between U.S. jurisdictions. Ed often coordinates with advisors in multiple jurisdictions to help clients manage tax, reporting and succession issues both in the United States and in the jurisdictions where assets or other stakeholders are located. He also works with fiduciaries and beneficiaries of foreign trusts and foundations managing U.S. tax and reporting considerations.

Khalil Bryant, an associate at Haynes Boone's Houston office, works primarily in the Corporate Practice Group. Specializing in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, securities, and the cutting-edge areas of digital assets, blockchain, and cryptocurrency, Khalil brings a dynamic approach to legal counsel. His background includes a juris doctorate degree with a Law and Business certificate from Vanderbilt, leadership roles in various school and community organizations, and recognition as the 6th Circuit's Distinguished Law Student by the American College of Bankruptcy in 2022. Khalil's experience and leadership make him a pivotal asset to clients navigating complex corporate landscapes.

Jordan Rosenfeld is a Baltimore-based litigator who serves as the Hiring Partner at Saul Ewing LLP.

Jordan focuses his practice on bet-the-company disputes, as well as litigation of varying sizes in the real estate development space. Through dispositive motions practice, Jordan has eliminated more than a billion dollars of exposure for clients.  

Jordan regularly tries high-stakes cases. He has defeated claims at trial that would have rendered clients insolvent, and he has won multimillion dollar verdicts on the plaintiff’s side.

Munis Safajou is an associate in Norton Rose Fulbright's Dallas office.

Dorianna Phillips is Fisher Phillips’ Director of Attorney Recruiting. She provides strategic direction to and oversight of the firm’s Recruiting Department and develops, implements and manages strategies and processes to advance the firm’s strategic talent recruiting imperatives. In this role, Dorianna works closely with firm leadership, including the department and industry team leaders, and chief and office administrators, in achieving firm-wide consistency in recruiting strategies, processes and policies. Dorianna is a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and works with committees firm-wide to design and implement programs to facilitate the firm’s goal of recruiting and retaining talented lawyers and staff. Her philosophy is: “People hire people, not firms. Our mission is to hire not only brilliant individuals to work on challenging matters, but to hire talented team members who seek to work in partnership with clients and their teammates. At Fisher Phillips, we hire individuals who want to do their best work while championing others within the walls of the firm and in our communities.” Dorianna brings over 15 years of law firm experience to her role in recruiting and several years of advertising and marketing experience. Dorianna is a frequent speaker at legal events.

With over 30 years of investment management experience, Steve Nadel seeks to deliver a practical, solutions-based approach to his clients tailored to their particular needs. His ultimate goal for each engagement is to help drive business success, and not just provide strong legal advice. Through his large network, he is able to source industry trends and intelligence, which he seeks to impart on a real-time basis as part of his process to a wide variety of clients ranging from start-ups to very large, prominent institutions. His personable, highly responsive, pragmatic manner has earned him the reputation of being a “go to” lawyer in the alternative investment management arena.

He advises his clients through all aspects of their business life cycle from inception to growth to maturity on issues including: structure and formation, personnel and compensation situations, marketing and capital raising, strategic initiatives, and regulatory matters.

Steve joined Seward & Kissel in 1997 and became a partner in 2001. He is the lead author of numerous thought leadership pieces produced by the Firm, and is a highly sought after media source and speaker. He is recognized by Chambers, Legal 500 and other publications as a leading lawyer in investment management and, in 2022, Steve became just the seventh attorney inducted into the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for hedge funds and alternative investments. The Legal 500 Hall of Fame highlights individuals who have received constant praise from their clients for continued excellence.

Lauren R. Jackson is a legacy-focused attorney committed to developing the next generation of social engineers. She currently serves as the Dean of Career Services at Howard University School of Law, her alma mater.

A proud graduate of Howard Law, Lauren also holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.P.A. from Seton Hall University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at the Howard University School of Divinity.

Her career spans impactful roles with the Human Services Council of NYC, the NY State Department of Human and Civil Rights, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C., and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She has gained judicial insight through externships and clerkships with the Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson and the Hon. Magali M. Francois.

Lauren is a recognized voice in career development, DEI, and HBCU law school pipeline work. She is active in WALRAA’s Diversity Committee and holds national leadership roles in NALP, including Co-Chair of the Law School Career Chiefs Group, Chair of the HBCU Pipeline Project, and a member of the DEI Steering Committee.

She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Sigma Iota Legal Sorority, Inc., the National Coalition of 100 Black Women - D.C. Chapter, and serves on the board of the Howard Law International Alumni Association.

Ian is a partner in NGE’s Intellectual Property practice group. From the largest public companies to top-flight middle-market businesses to startups, Ian focuses his practice on advising clients to build and protect their brands. Ian is highly skilled in all areas of trademark law, including clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and transactions. Ian has devised and implemented trademark enforcement campaigns to prevent infringements of some of the best-known brands in the world. Clients routinely look to Ian for creative and pragmatic solutions to their most difficult trademark issues.

Ian has substantial litigation experience across all areas of intellectual property, including in trademark, trade dress, patent, advertising, and copyright disputes. He litigates in federal courts around the country, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), and the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division (NAD) and National Advertising Review Board (NARB). Ian takes a practical approach to litigating, partnering with clients to best position them to advance their business goals.

Ian was selected by World Trademark Review for an individual ranking in the 2023 edition of the WTR 1000, paired with NGE’s trademark group receiving the highest gold-band rating amongst Illinois law firms. Based on client references, WTR 1000 described Ian as a “skilled partner” who “brings his creative and pragmatic approach to major players.” Super Lawyers magazine recognized Ian as an “Illinois Rising Star” in intellectual property litigation each year from 2014–19. He serves as a member of the firm’s Summer Associate Hiring Committee. Prior to joining NGE, Ian was an intellectual property litigation partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he successfully litigated numerous high-profile lawsuits through trial and appeal.

Jani Tillery is a Chief Attorney at Maryland Legal Aid.  Jani holds a J.D. from Thomas Cooley Law School and a B.A. with Honors in Spanish from North Carolina Central University.  Prior to becoming a Chief Attorney, Jani was the Supervising Attorney at Maryland Center for Legal Assistance in the Montgomery County District Court Help Center.  Before joining Legal Aid,  Jani worked in private practice where she focused on special education law.  Jani also spent ten years at the Children's Law Center in Washington D.C., as a staff attorney and supervising attorney in the medical-legal partnership program.  She specialized in housing, special education, guardianship, SSI, and Medicaid denial cases.  Jani also mentored and trained pro bono attorneys in special education cases.  Earlier in her career, Jani was a victims' rights attorney at Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center representing victims of violent crime at the federal and state level.  As a victims' rights attorney, Jani represented victims in court, participated in appeals and conducted numerous trainings for judges, police officers, and members of the community.  She was awarded the Maryland Governor's Citation and Victim Assistance Award for providing outstanding service to victims of crime.

Jeanine’s career has been defined by her unwavering commitment to the legal profession, intellectual property, and empowering underrepresented professionals. As an IP Attorney, she has expertly navigated complex matters across trademark law, production, marketing, and content liability, advising on strategic branding initiatives, anti-counterfeiting strategies, and legal challenges across global jurisdictions.

Through Seating, Jeanine is transforming the landscape for young professionals and law students. Her social enterprise provides mentorship, workshops, coaching, and a robust job board, addressing gaps in representation and resources for minority law students. By connecting them with relatable role models and industry insights, Jeanine continues to open doors and create pathways to success in the legal profession.

Danielle K. Little has extensive experience handling complex tort, labor and employment, premises liability, landlord tenant, ADA compliance, auto liability, public entity liability, business litigation, real estate, contractual disputes, appellate, civil rights and criminal defense matters. Danielle’s practice has included the representation of both plaintiffs (including, government classified and managerial personnel) and defendants which has enabled her to have a keen awareness of the complexity of litigation from both sides.

Prior to joining GRSM, she was a Partner at another AMLaw 100 law firm where she handled general liability and ADA compliance matters. Little has extensive experience handling labor and employment, ADA compliance, complex tort, premises liability, landlord-tenant, auto liability, public entity liability, business litigation, real estate, contractual disputes, appellate and criminal defense matters. Little also has experience handling employment and licensure matters before the EEOC, the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, the California Department of Social Services, the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, the California Board of Registered Nursing and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Danielle’s written work has been published in The New York Law Journal, Diversity & the Bar Magazine, QBR: The Black Book Review and several literary publications. She has also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Long Island University and as an Adjunct Lecturer at City University of New York – Queens College, where she taught undergraduate Composition and Literature course.

Clyde Tinnen advises fund sponsors in connection with the formation and operation of private investment funds, capital deployment, securities law reporting, and compliance (e.g., Securities Act, Exchange Act, Investment Company Act, and Investment Advisers Act). Clyde also advises public corporations in Exchange Act reporting and public and private corporations in negotiating and structuring complex business transactions, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, secured and unsecured finance arrangements, public offerings, and private placements. Clyde also provides general corporate counseling and advice on various commercial arrangements. He is a partner in the firm’s Fund Formation & Investment Management and Capital Markets Practices. Clyde is the vice chair of the firm’s Transactions Practice.

Clyde’s clients compete in a myriad of industries including manufacturing, metals and mining, specialty chemical, nanotechnology, retail, lending, and private investment management. He has also represented family offices and limited partner investors in connection with investments in private investment funds.

Before joining Foley & Lardner LLP, Clyde was a partner at two other large international law firms. Prior to working as a lawyer, Clyde was a senior financial analyst for two public corporations.

Sarah Syed is an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she is a member of the technology transactions practice. Her practice focuses on intellectual property, licensing, and commercial transactions. She advises public and private companies, non-profits, investors, entrepreneurs, and other clients with respect to mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions, and the acquisition of intellectual property rights. She also drafts, negotiates, and counsels clients with respect to complex commercial agreements, including strategic alliances, collaboration agreements, end user licenses, development and consulting agreements, trademark licenses, and marketing agreements.

Sarah has experience advising clients ranging from early-stage start-ups to leading public enterprises across a broad range of industries, including artificial intelligence, electronic gaming, entertainment, social media, cryptocurrency and financial technology, SaaS, digital health and wellness, fashion and cosmetics, consumer internet and mobile apps, and smart devices.

Sarah also provides counsel for numerous pro bono clients, including work focused on mental health, education, community service, and immigration rights.

Kennedy is a member of Butler Snow’s Tort, Transportation and Specialized Litigation group. Kennedy graduated, magna cum laude, with her B.A. in Political Science from Howard University in 2021, and then earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Mississippi in 2024.