The Great Reflection: Burnout & The Growing Demands on In-House Counsel

Alex Breland is Counsel, Litigation & Employment at CDK Global, a leading provider of software solutions to the auto industry, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation and employment law.

Prior to joining CDK, he developed labor and employment experience across the private and public sectors, working at an AM Law 200 firm, the State of Illinois, and a leading provider of transportations services to counties and school districts.

Breland is Chicago-Kent College of Law alum who makes his home in Chicago, IL. He is a member of the State of Illinois Athletic Board, Board of Directors for Open Books, and Jessie “Ma” Houston Park Advisory Council.

Trisha is currently the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Medtelligent Incorporated. Medtelligent is a healthcare technology company that builds the industry leading operational software for assisted living communities "ALIS" (pronounced "Alice"). Trisha oversees Medtelligent's day-to-day operations and is responsible for leading and supporting Medtelligent's executive team. Trisha specializes in leadership and management training, recruiting processes, and scaling strategies. In her role as General Counsel, Trisha advises the board of directors and executive team on business development strategies, risk management, intellectual property protection, employment and policy matters, and regulatory compliance including HIPAA and HITECH compliance.

Before moving in-house, Trisha was a senior litigation associate at the Chicago area technology focused law firm Synergy Law Group LLC. At Synergy, Trisha practiced complex commercial litigation and concentrated on general business litigation, intellectual property, and employment disputes for entities ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Trisha received her J.D. at Chicago-Kent College of Law (2006) and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in its General and Trial Bars.

Daniel focuses his practice on issues relating to employment law, privacy, and information security. He represents clients nationwide in the realm of trade secret theft, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and breaches of fiduciary duties. Daniel also provides counseling to business on how to employ best practices and policies to better position themselves to litigate unfair competition claims. In addition, he helps companies conduct complex internal investigations regarding intellectual property theft, computer fraud and unfair competition issues. Daniel also has a robust practice in data privacy and information security issues, including matters related to biometric information and compliance with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. He has first-chaired several high-profile class actions involving consumer and employee privacy issues related to a variety of different technologies, and touching on several industries, including manufacturing, logistics, information technology and software design, marketing, health and medical devices, food, entertainment, and retail. Daniel is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), and a member of the Sedona Conference’s Working Group 12 on trade secrets.

Dennis Garcia is an Assistant General Counsel for Microsoft Corporation based in Chicago. He practices at the intersection of law and technology and provides a wide range of legal support to Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing and Operations teams across the United States.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Dennis worked as an in-house counsel for Accenture and IBM.

Dennis received his B.A. in Political Science from Binghamton University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut and Illinois (House Counsel). Dennis is a Fellow of Information Privacy, a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States and a Certified Information Privacy Technologist with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He serves on the Board of Directors of Illinois Legal Aid Online, the Minority In-House Counsel Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel – Chicago Chapter. Dennis is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Future of Legal Services.