Excerpts from How Firms, State and Local Government Attorneys Can Conquer Top Challenges

In this episode of the Perspectives podcast, sponsored by LexisNexis and hosted on Law.com, we’ll hear highlights from the May 27th presentation titled, How Firms, State and Local Government Attorneys Can Conquer Top Challenges. 

There’s a new legal landscape for government attorneys and the law firms that work alongside them. State attorneys general are approaching their work in new ways, spearheading litigation in targeted areas like data privacy and public health. And in the private practice world, there’s a complementary trend – a number of law firms are creating or building up their state AG practices in response.

The speakers in this episode include Karl Racine, Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia; Natalie Ludaway, Partner at Crowell & Moring; Betsy Miller, Partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll; Lisa Helem, Editor in Chief of The National Law Journal; Cheryl Miller, Senior Writer at The National Law Journal; and Teresa Harmon, Vice President, SLG at LexisNexis.

The full on-demand webcast can be found here: https://www.law.com/2020/04/14/how-firms-state-and-local-government-attorneys-can-conquer-top-challenges/

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 District residents. Over the course of his career, he has worked at the D.C. Public Defender Service, where he represented District 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 LLP

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, Natalie 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. Natalie 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 PLLC

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. Lisa also writes about law firm leadership, key D.C. lawyers and diversity. Earlier in her career, Lisa, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, practiced commercial litigation at an AmLaw 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 & 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.

Previously, Teresa led product and go-to-market strategy for law schools and law firm markets (with 50 attorneys or more).

Teresa joined LexisNexis in Dayton, OH in 2008 after obtaining her MBA from the University of Chicago. She also has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan.