Lisa Helem Lisa Helem, editor-in-chief of The National Law Journal.

Five years ago, a National Law Journal reporter spoke with the chief executive officer at a large law firm about a trend she was seeing. Firms appeared to be ramping up competition for lawyers with expertise working with state attorneys general as companies sought to resolve legal issues connected with state investigations and litigation.

"I think it's fairly clear that the attorney generals over the past several years have gotten more aggressive, and my expectation is that they will continue to do so," Cozen O'Connor chief executive officer Michael Heller told then-NLJ reporter Katelyn Polantz at the time.

By the estimations of many, the past five years have born out that prediction. Attorneys general are building multistate, and, in some cases, bipartisan coalitions, targeting areas like consumer protection, data privacy and public health. At the same time, firms have built up their state attorneys general practices in response to demand for that work.

On May 27, I'll moderate a panel of experts—District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, Crowell & Moring partner Natalie Ludaway, Cohen Milstein partner Betsy Miller and NLJ/Law.com reporter Cheryl Miller—to discuss the new legal landscape for state attorneys general and other attorneys in government and the law firms that work alongside them. Additionally, Teresa Harmon, vice president of the state and local government business for LexisNexis North American Research Solutions, will share a brief presentation after the Q&A.

Join us on our webcast, sponsored by Lexis Nexis.

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Time: 2 p.m. EST |11 a.m. PST

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: Complimentary

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The panel will discuss questions including, but not limited to:

  • What are some of the challenges and triumphs for today's state attorneys general?
  • What litigation areas have recently been priorities for state attorneys general and other government attorneys?
  • How have law firms responded to the increase in demand for state attorney general work?
  • How can state attorneys general and other government attorneys work within budget constraints and other resource limits to get critical litigation and transactions accomplished?
  • How are state attorneys general employing technological innovation to do their jobs?

Speakers:

Karl A. Racine • Attorney General   Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia 

Attorney General Racine draws on over 25 years of legal and leadership experience in his work on behalf of D.C. residents. Over the course of his career, he has worked at the D.C. Public Defender Service, where he represented D.C. residents who could not afford a lawyer, served as associate White House counsel to President Bill Clinton, and worked on criminal cases and complex civil litigation at private firms. While in private practice, he was elected managing partner of his firm, Venable LLP, and became the first African American managing partner of a top-100 American law firm.

 

Natalie O. Ludaway • Partner  • Crowell & Moring

Natalie O. Ludaway is a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., office and a member of its state attorneys general enforcement & investigations and advertising & media groups. With both government and private practice experience, Ludaway approaches matters with a true appreciation for the complexities of the regulatory, enforcement, and litigation spaces. She counsels and represents clients in connection with investigations, enforcement matters, and litigation. Ludaway also provides unique representation for clients engaged in matters with the government of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Council.

 

Betsy Miller • Partner   Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll

Betsy A. Miller is a partner at Cohen Milstein and co-chairs the firm's public client practice. Miller represents state attorneys general and municipalities in investigations and litigation involving consumer fraud. Previous roles for Miller include serving as the chief of staff and senior counsel to the D.C. attorney general and as counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Miller is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law.

 

Lisa Helem • Editor-in-Chief  • The National Law Journal | Legal Times 

Lisa Helem is the editor-in-chief of The National Law Journal. In this role, she oversees content and strategy for the publication, which covers the U.S. Supreme Court, litigation, federal agencies and key players in the legal profession. She also oversees publication of the NLJ's monthly magazine, contributed columns and special reports—which include the NLJ 500 and the D.C. Litigation Departments of the Year. Helem also writes about law firm leadership, key D.C. lawyers and diversity. Earlier in her career, Helem, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, practiced commercial litigation at an Am Law 100 firm and wrote for outlets including Newsweek and People magazines.

 

Cheryl Miller • Senior Writer  • The National Law Journal

Cheryl Miller, based in Sacramento, covers the California legislature, the state judiciary and state and local agencies, including the attorney general's office. She also reports on emerging industries, such as state-legal cannabis. She authors the weekly cannabis newsletter Higher Law.

 

 

Teresa Harmon • Vice President, SLG  LexisNexis 

Teresa Harmon is vice president of the state and local government business for LexisNexis North American Research Solutions. In this role, she serves practicing attorneys and government professionals in state & local government agencies. In this space, she is responsible for market strategy, marketing, customer satisfaction, and sales for legal research and practical guidance products. Harmon joined LexisNexis in Dayton, Ohio, in 2008 after obtaining her MBA from the University of Chicago. She also has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan.