Erica Williams
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
Erica Williams is a partner in the Government, Regulatory & Investigations Group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Erica focuses her practice on internal investigations and defense of companies and individuals accused by the government of involvement in securities law violations, white-collar crime, and other major business litigation disputes and crises.
Erica was previously a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama, where she advised the president and his senior advisors on legal and constitutional issues involving economic policy, financial regulation and reform, financial technology, trade, intellectual property, and data protection and privacy.
Before that, Erica spent 11 years at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for three chairmen. In this role, Erica managed the legal and operational functions of the SEC. She was responsible for evaluating and providing legal advice on recommendations from the SEC’s Division of Enforcement and examination policies and plans from the SEC’s Office of Compliance, Inspections, and Examinations. She also oversaw significant personnel, labor, and employment matters, working closely with the agency’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Human Resources, Office of General Counsel, and Chief Operating Officer. In addition, she served as a member of the SEC’s audit committee, operational risk management committee, and budget governance committee.
Earlier in her career, Erica served as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement Trial Unit where she investigated and litigated numerous complex, high-profile, matters arising out of the 2008 financial crisis and led a number of successful prosecutions, including cases involving insider trading, accounting fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and financial reporting.
Samira Shah
General Counsel
Moda Operandi, Inc.
SAMIRA SHAH IS THE GENERAL COUNSEL AND CORPORATE SECRETARY OF MODA OPERANDI, THE WORLD’S LEADING PLATFORM FOR FASHION DISCOVERY. SAMIRA JOINED MODA AFTER OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A GENERAL COMMERCIAL LITIGATOR ADVISING CLIENTS IN TECHNOLOGY,
BIOTECHNOLOGY, PHARMACEUTICAL, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND ACCOUNTING INDUSTRIES REGARDING A VARIETY OF LEGAL ISSUES INCLUDING CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, BUSINESS ORGANIZATION, SECURITIES LAW, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, CONTRACTS, EMPLOYMENT, AND PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY. SAMIRA SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HER CAREER AT THE FIRM OF CRAVATH, SWAINE & MOORE LLP. EARLIER IN HER CAREER, SAMIRA WORKED AT THE LAW FIRMS OF O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP, AND LANKLER SIFFERT & WOHL LLP AND HAD CLERKED FOR THE HONORABLE WILLIAM H. WALLS, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT JUDGE IN THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY.
SAMIRA EARNED HER J.D. FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, WHERE SHE WAS A HARLAN FISKE STONE SCHOLAR, THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE COLUMBIA HUMAN RIGHTS LAW REVIEW, AND A SUBMISSIONS EDITOR FOR THE COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF GENDER AND LAW. WHILE IN LAW SCHOOL, SAMIRA INTERNED AT AL-HAQ, THE WEST BANK AFFILIATE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS. BEFORE LAW SCHOOL, SAMIRA WAS AWARDED A FULBRIGHT FELLOWSHIP TO STUDY IN SYRIA, WHERE SHE ALSO INTERNED FOR THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES.
SAMIRA EARNED A BACHELOR’S OF ARTS IN NEAR EASTERN LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATIONS AND A MASTER’S OF ARTS IN MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.
Alan Konevsky
Chief Legal Officer (CLO)
tZero
ALAN KONEVSKY IS THE CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER AND BOARD SECRETARY OF TZERO, A FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY FOCUSING ON BLOCKCHAIN INNOVATION FOR THE CAPITAL MARKETS.
ALAN LEADS TZERO’S IN-HOUSE TEAM TO DRIVE GLOBAL REGULATORY INITIATIVES (WITH RESPECT TO ISSUANCE, TRADING, CLEARING AND SETTLEMENT OF DIGITAL SECURITIES, AS WELL AS RELATED TO CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND OTHER DIGITAL ASSETS), STRATEGIC TRANSACTIONS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, BOARD/CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, COMPLIANCE, COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, PRIVACY, CYBERSECURITY, PUBLIC POLICY AND OTHER CRITICAL ASPECTS OF THE COMPANY’S BUSINESSES AND OPERATIONS.
HIS REMIT ALSO INCLUDES BUILDING OUT AND OVERSEEING CORPORATE AFFAIRS MATTERS, INCLUDING INVESTOR RELATIONS, STRATEGY/COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE AND COMMUNICATIONS, AS WELL AS SHAREHOLDER-LEVEL OVERSIGHT OF TZERO’S BROKER-DEALER SUBSIDIARIES AND THE TZERO ALTERNATIVE TRADING SYSTEM (ATS). ALAN ALSO SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BOSTON SECURITY TOKEN EXCHANGE.
PREVIOUSLY, ALAN WAS THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND TECHNOLOGY COUNSEL AT MASTERCARD, WHERE HE AND HIS TEAMS HAD GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEGAL SUPPORT, GUIDANCE AND OVERSIGHT OF TWO ORGANIZATIONS -- CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT/STRATEGY/M&A/INTEGRATION AND ALL OF THE COMPANY’S TECHNOLOGY FUNCTIONS/INITIATIVES/OPERATIONS.
PRIOR TO JOINING MASTERCARD, ALAN WAS A MANAGING DIRECTOR AT GOLDMAN SACHS IN LONDON, WHERE HE HEADED LEGAL COVERAGE FOR PRIVATE EQUITY, CREDIT, REAL ESTATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTING IN EUROPE, AND WAS THE PRINCIPAL DEAL LAWYER RESPONSIBLE FOR OTHER STRATEGIC TRANSACTIONS IN THE REGION.
PREVIOUSLY, HE WAS SPECIAL COUNSEL AT SULLIVAN & CROMWELL, AN INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM, WHERE HE HAD A BROAD TRANSACTIONAL AND SECURITIES PRACTICE, AND WAS BASED IN THE FIRM’S NEW YORK AND LONDON OFFICES.
ALAN GRADUATED MAGNA CUM LAUDE FROM HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, AND SUMMA CUM LAUDE FROM COLUMBIA COLLEGE IN THREE YEARS, WHERE HE WAS ELECTED TO PHI BETA KAPPA.
RECOGNIZED IN NEW YORK SUPER LAWYERS AND AS A UK YOUNG DEAL MAKER OF THE YEAR. FREQUENT BOARD-LEVEL AND CONFERENCE SPEAKER (BLOCKCHAIN, CAPITAL MARKETS INNOVATION AND REGULATION, PAYMENTS, M&A AND STRATEGY), AUTHOR AND INDUSTRY GROUP AND THOUGHT LEADER. SOUGHT-AFTER CONTRIBUTOR TO A RANGE OF EXPERT NETWORKS.
Seth Krauss
Chief Legal Officer
Endeavor
SETH KRAUSS HAS SERVED AS THE CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER OF ENDEAVOR SINCE JUNE 2014. AT ENDEAVOR, MR. KRAUSS OVERSEES THE GLOBAL LEGAL FUNCTION, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, RISK MANAGEMENT AND PHYSICAL SECURITY, MANAGING A DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONALS LOCATED AROUND THE GLOBE.
MR. KRAUSS IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE DAY TO DAY AFFAIRS OF THE COMPANY. MR. KRAUSS CURRENTLY SERVES AS A DIRECTOR ON THE BOARD FOR THE MINORITY CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION (MCCA), A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES AND SUPPORTS DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION.
FROM 2007 UNTIL 2014, MR. KRAUSS SERVED AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL OF TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE INC. (NASDAQ TTWO). HE JOINED TAKE-TWO FROM MORGAN STANLEY, WHERE HE SERVED AS AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN THE LEGAL AND COMPLIANCE DIVISION FROM 2004 UNTIL 2007. AT MORGAN STANLEY, HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR COORDINATING ALL SIGNIFICANT REGULATORY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT MATTERS IN THE U.S. AND SERVED AS ONE OF THE FIRM’S SENIOR LIAISONS TO ITS REGULATORS.
FROM 1995 TO 2004, MR. KRAUSS SERVED AS AN ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE COUNSEL IN THE NEW YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS' OFFICE. AT THE DA'S OFFICE, MR. KRAUSS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING COMPLEX, LONG-TERM INVESTIGATIONS INTO VIOLATIONS OF SECURITIES, BANKING, ACCOUNTING, AND TAXATION LAWS AND REGULATIONS, WORKING CLOSELY WITH US FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATORS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AS WELL AS NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL REGULATORS AND AGENCIES.
AMONG OTHER MATTERS, HE CO-LED THE OFFICE'S INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN ENRON'S COLLAPSE. FROM 1992 TO 1995, MR. KRAUSS SERVED AS A TRUSTEE ON THE BOARD OF DUKE UNIVERSITY. HE HAS ALSO SERVED AS A DIRECTOR ON THE BOARD FOR THE LEGAL SERVICES ORGANIZATION, THE CENTER FOR FAMILY REPRESENTATION, AS WELL AS ON THE BOARD OF ADVISORS FOR THE ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NY AND THE MACDELLA COOPER FOUNDATION.
MR. KRAUSS RECEIVED HIS UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY IN 1992 AND HIS LAW DEGREE IN 1995 FROM THE SCHOOL OF LAW AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS.
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