Adapting to Change: Litigation Trends Shaping 2024

Lisa is the Senior Director & Managing Counsel, Commercial & Government Litigation at Walgreens Co.

Afigo Fadahunsi is currently Global Chief Litigation Counsel at Verisk Analytics, Inc., a global data analytics, risk assessment and technology firm serving clients in the insurance, energy, government and financial sectors. At Verisk, Afigo manages and oversees litigation, regulatory enforcement matters and adversarial issues impacting Verisk and all of its subsidiaries, and is responsible for investigations, HR/employment, and intellectual property legal issues.

Prior to joining Verisk, Afigo worked as an associate at a large law firm and was a partner at a boutique trial firm, defending Fortune 500 companies in consumer class action litigation, environmental, pharmaceutical and medical device cases, business torts, and intellectual property disputes from inception to conclusion, and on appeal. Afigo has published several articles on developments in internet and intellectual property law, and on complex procedural issues. She also co-authored a book titled Preserving Appellate Complaints in Federal Courts (ABA Book Publishing, July 2020).

Jennifer practices in the area of intellectual property litigation . Ms. Forte represents clients in a range of intellectual property disputes, and has experience in patent, trademark, trade secrets, and copyright litigation. Ms. Forte has significant experience in the initial phases of litigation through summary judgment and trial, including document collection and review, motion practice, discovery and depositions, evaluation of cases with experts, damages analyses, and preparation of pretrial documents.

Ms. Forte has represented clients in matters relating to technologies such as networking technology, 802.11 wireless LAN technology, network security technologies, videoconferencing over the internet and video-on-demand systems.

Ms. Forte is a member of the firm's e-discovery practice group and has extensive experience managing all facets of e-discovery in complex intellectual property and general litigation matters.

Ms. Forte provides pro bono assistance to U.S. military veterans and community-based organizations with a variety of legal services, such as drafting life planning documents, assistance with disability claims, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Ms. Forte is a 2009 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and a magna cum laude graduate of Georgia State University.

Jennifer L. Conn is Global Chair of the Securities Litigation practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Ms. Conn is a commercial litigator and has extensive experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation and regulatory matters, with a particular focus on those matters involving securities, financial services, and accounting. She is recognized by Chambers USA for her securities litigation expertise. Quotes in Chambers USA from clients include: “Jennifer is a superb securities litigator. She is highly skilled and has a deep knowledge of the securities laws." and “Jennifer has the ability to be pragmatic and she is fiercely focused on what makes sense for her clients. She takes the time to understand her clients' businesses and the challenges they face.”

In addition to her practice at Paul Hastings, Ms. Conn is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia University School of Law, lecturing on securities litigation. She also regularly writes and speaks on various subjects, particularly those relating to securities litigation. For the past six years, Ms. Conn was the co-editor and a co-author of the Practicing Law Institute Treatise, Securities Litigation: A Practitioner’s Guide.

Ms. Conn received her Juris Doctor from Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She graduated, cum laude with distinction in all subjects, from Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences, with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. Ms. Conn also was a law clerk for the Honorable Lawrence M. McKenna, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

Yelena is a member of Woodruff Sawyer’s transactional insurance brokerage and SPAC teams. She advises clients on M&A- and IPO-related insurance solutions, including representations and warranties insurance and D&O insurance for SPACs. Yelena is a frequent speaker and author and serves as the M&A managing editor of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Today.

Prior to Woodruff Sawyer, Yelena oversaw the development of Bloomberg Law’s practical guidance, reference and analysis content covering capital markets, M&A and securities law and practiced as a senior capital markets associate at Clifford Chance and a corporate associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae.

Yelena received her BS in Economics from Cornell University and her JD from Fordham University School of Law.