NEW YORK – Feb. 24, 2025 – Nikki Lewis Simon, global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, and Johnine P. Barnes, shareholder and chair of the Washington, D.C., Labor & Employment Practice, spoke at the National Bar Association (NBA)-Commercial Law Section (CLS) 38th Annual Corporate Counsel Conference (CCC), which took place Feb. 20-22 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Simon, a litigation shareholder based out of the firm’s Miami office, spoke on the panel “Shareholder Activism in Transition: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges Under a New Administration.” Barnes spoke on the CCC Signature Panel “Navigating the New Administration: Positioning for Success.”
The CCC attracts attorneys, judges, and law students from across the country, including public general counsels from many Fortune 500 and other corporations where they can attend continuing legal education panels with industry leaders and practitioners from across the country, networking events and dine arounds, a law firm/corporate counsel connections expo, and a festive awards celebration recognizing the NBA-CLS Cora T. Walker Awardee.
The NBA is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of predominately Black lawyers and judges. It has 84 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and affiliations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Africa, and the Caribbean. It represents a professional network of over 20,000 lawyers, judges, educators, and law students.
The NBA-CLS brings outside counsel members together with in-house counsel who seek to increase the diversity of their outside counsel ranks as well as to provide networking and education forums to address the interests of NBA members practicing in the area of Commercial Law.
Simon, a commercial litigator with more than two decades of experience, primarily designs and guides strategic initiatives and programs to deepen firmwide diversity and inclusion efforts that further enrich client engagements and community investments. Prior to assuming primary responsibilities on the business side of the firm, Simon has represented her cross-industry clients’ business objectives by protecting their capital – human, intellectual, and financial – against claims of wrongdoing in complex commercial and class action litigation. Those matters have spanned the panoply of issues and claims businesses often face, from discrimination to wrongful death, defamation to fraud and misrepresentation, professional negligence, and malpractice to breach of fiduciary duty and securities law violations.
Barnes represents companies ranging in size from Fortune 10 to small family businesses, government agencies and associations. She is experienced in labor and employment law and is nationally recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 for her practice, which includes but is not limited to counseling compliance and defending administrative and judicial claims under Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and other federal and state statutes. Additionally, Barnes is recognized by Lawdragon as a Lawdragon Legend, a Leading Lawyer in America, and as a Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyer. Barnes’ board service for both corporate and nonprofit entities allows her to bring a unique perspective marrying legal and business human capital strategies for clients, for which she has been recognized as a Diverse Business Leader by the Washington Business Journal. She also is experienced in handling non-compete agreements and contract disputes, trade secret matters, international disputes, white collar crime claims, property interest disputes and legislative matters.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Diversity Initiative: From its inception, Greenberg Traurig has been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Greenberg Traurig is a uniquely empowering and diverse firm built on a foundation of fairness, equality, and authenticity. Through its Social, Racial, and Economic Justice Action Plan, the firm has committed $5 million over five years to help combat systemic racism and support impoverished communities. In addition, the firm’s efforts have been recognized through its achievement of Mansfield Rule Certification Plus from The Diversity Lab, and by local, national, and global publications and organizations including Chambers and Partners. Web: https://www.gtlaw.com/en/general/our-firm/diversity X/Twitter: @GT_Drives.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2750 attorneys in 49 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2024 BTI “Leading Edge Law Firm” for delivering on client expectations for the future and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.