The Alumni speaker series is designed to provide students with an opportunity to hear from motivating and inspirational alumni about their law school experience and career trajectory, followed by a networking reception.
If you are interested in participating as a speaker or for more information please email Gloria Serrano at gloria.serrano@law.northwestern.edu or call 312.503.0200.
2024-25 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
September 2024
Christina Martini (JD '94)
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Ted Blum (JD '92)
Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP
February 2025
Aaron Charfoos (JD '02)
Chair, Chicago Litigation Department, Co-Chair, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, Paul Hastings LLP
Judge Bill Boyce (JD '88) & Maria Wyckoff Boyce (JD '88)
Partner, Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP | Retired Partner, Hogan Lovells LLP
Thank you to our sponsor: Paul Hastings
2023-24 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
September 2023
Christina Martini (JD'94)
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP
October 2023
Megan Lawson (JD'13)
Senior Associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
February 2024
Charla Strong (JD'08), Errin Simpkins Travers
Senior Associate, Lexis Nexis Group, Inc - Senior Legal Counsel, CVS Health
Theodore Blum (JD'92)
Managing Shareholder, Chair, Atlanta Corporate & Security Practice
2022-23 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
September 2022
Carter Phillips (JD '77)
Co Director Northwestern University Supreme Court Clinic, Partner at Sidley Austin LLP
October 2022
Jay Clayton
Senior Policy Adviser, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Bill Benitez (JD-MBA '09) & Enoch Varner (JD-MBA '09)
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis | Partner, Kirkland & Ellis
January 2023
Gary Silverman (JD'86)
White & Case
February 2023
Tamera Sterling (JD'10)
Staff Judge Advocate, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
John Gasparovic (JD'10)
Executive Vice President, Chief Legail officer & Secretary, BorgWarner Inc.
2021-22 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
October 2021
Luis Pinedo (JD '98)
General Counsel at Rush Street Interactive
January 2022
Khoury Cooper (BA'98,JD '13)
Senior Manager, Music Business Development, Snap Inc.
February 2022
Kristen Jones (JD '09)
Director of Legal Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Senior Counsel at McDonald's Corporation
March 2022
Erik Connolly (JD'99)
Vice Chair, Litigation Practice Group & Co-Chair, Securities Litigation Practice Group
March 2022
Jordon Kruse (JD'97)
Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, Oaktree Capital Management, L.P
2020-21 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
September 2020
Alycia Broz (JD '98)
Partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
October 2020
Sherrese Smith (JD '96)
Partner, Paul Hastings
November 2020
Saat Shaikh (JD-MBA '11)
CFO and Partner, TowerPoint Infrastructure
January 2021
Angela Crawford (JD ‘ 98)
Co-founder, Crawford & Acharya pllc
February 2021
Karl Riley (JD '10)
Las Vegas Office Managing Partner, Cozen O'Connor
2019-20 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
September 2019 Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley Partners at Madison West Legal Search
December 2019 Kathleen Cronin (JD '89) Senior Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary CME Group
January 2020 Keat Crown (JD/MBA '11) Principal, Sterling Bay
2018 -19 Alumni Fire side Chat Speakers
September 2018
Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley
Partners at Madison West Legal Search
October 2018
E.J. Wunsch (JD '96) and Matt Zabel (JD '96)
General Counsel and Secretary at Wendy's VP Government Affairs at Target Corporation
November 2018
Sherilyn Peterson (BA '77, JD '80)
Partner at Perkins Coie
January 16, 2019
Harris Fischman (JD '05)
Counsel at Paul Weiss
January 30, 2019
Erwin Cruz (MSL '17)
Sr. Director, Intellectual Property Strategy & Management
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
February 13, 2019
Marguerite Griffin (JD '91)
Senior Vice President at Northern Trust Corporation
March 20, 2019
Priya Harjani (JD '00)
Deputy General Counsel at Northwestern University
April 10, 2019
Sherrese Smith (JD '96)
Partner at Paul Hastings
2017-18 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
March 2018
Ali Wing (JD-MBA '97)
Board Member
Casey's General Stores, Inc.
February 2018
Gail Hasbrouck (JD '74)
Boards of Advocate Health Care and the American Heart Association's Metro Chicago area
January 2018
Joe Harper (JD '05)
Partner at Dinsmore
David Boyles (JD '16)
Associate
November 2017
Parminder Batra (JD '12)
CEO & Founder
TraknProtect
October 2017
Lynn Watkins-Asiyanbi (JD-MBA '03)
Associate General Counsel
JBT Corporation
September 2017
Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley
Partners
Madison West Legal Search
2016-17 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
March 2017
Paul Gaynor (JD '90)
Managing Member
G&R Public Law and Strategies, LLC
February 2017
Kendrick Washington (JD '10)
Civil Rights Attorney
U.S. Department of Education
January 2017
Esther Joy King (JD LLM '13)
CEO
364 Social
December 2016
Lia Giovanni (JD '12)
Chief of Staff Kirkland & Ellis
November 2016
Peter Chan (JD '91)
Partner
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
October 2016
Michael Scudder (JD '98)
Partern
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
September 2016
Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley
Partners
Madison West Legal Search
2015-16 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
March 2016
Kathryn Mlsna (JD '77)
Associate Executive Director of American Academy of Periodontology
January 2016
John Grady (JD’96)
Partner
Grady Pilgrim Christakis Bell LLP
November 2015
Christina Martini (JD’94)
Partner
DLA Piper
October 2015
Marie Huber (JD’86)
SVP and General Counsel
eBay, Inc.
September 2015
Austin Wilson (JD’04)
Partner Madison at West Legal Search