In-House Counsel Institute

Pathways to Excellence: Leadership for In-House Counsel

Fordham Law School and DLA Piper

Are you a relatively new in-house attorney seeking insights on how to navigate the challenges of in-house practice? Are you an experienced in-house attorney looking to advance your role as a business partner? Are you currently in private practice looking to transition into an in-house role?

Fordham Law School and DLA Piper are developing a program that will provide you with the tools to be a strategic and impactful leader in your organization. It will enable you to serve your company with distinction through legal leadership, innovative problem-solving, and strategic vision. 

We have convened a prestigious board of advisors who serve or have served as high-level in-house counsel of major organizations to steer us in building this program and developing a panel of outstanding speakers with vast in-house experience.

There will be numerous opportunities to meet in-person to network and discuss issues related to the work of in-house counsel. Additionally, participants who meet the attendance requirements will receive a completion certificate at the end of the program.

  • Toni M. Jaeger-Fine, Senior Counselor and Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham University

    Amadeu Ribeiro, Partner, DLA Piper; Fordham Law LLM Alumni, 2017

    • Peter Alfano, Partner, DLA Piper
    • Alessandra Del Debbio, Vice President of Legal and Corporate Matters for Latin America, Microsoft
    • John Frantz, Partner, DLA Piper; former General Counsel, Verizon Business
    • Fabiana Leschziner, Chief Governance and Compliance Officer, Embraer
    • Barbara Levi, Group General Counsel and Member of the Group Executive Board, UBS
    • Augusto C. Lima, Deputy General Counsel, Molina Healthcare, Inc.
    • Donna Miller, Senior Counsel, DLA Piper; former Global General Counsel, Olympus Corporation
    • Nishat Ruiter, General Counsel, TED Conferences
    • Allen Waxman, Of Counsel, DLA Piper; former President and Chief Executive Officer, CPR; former General Counsel, Pfizer
  • Optional Introductory Session: Thursday, September 3

    Regular Program Dates: Thursdays, September 10 – December 10, 2025 (except November 26)

    9:00 - 10:00 a.m. (New York time)

    Online Via Zoom & Synchronous (sessions will NOT be recorded for future viewing)

  • Speakers from the 2025 program hold or have held high-level legal positions at the following companies. All speakers appear in their personal capacities. 

    • 3M
    • AB InBev (Anheuser-Busch)
    • América Móvil
    • Amplify
    • Banco Santander CIB
    • The Bank of England
    • Boehringer Ingelheim
    • Con Edison
    • Crédit Agricole CIB
    • Ericsson
    • FIFA
    • Grupo Globo
    • Google
    • Hunter Douglas
    • I Squared Capital
    • ICBC Standard Bank Group
    • Intesa Sanpaolo Bank
    • Interpublic Group
    • ITOCHU International Inc.
    • KPMG México
    • McKinsey & Company
    • Microsoft
    • Molina Healthcare, Inc.
    • MUFG
    • Nestle
    • The New Yorker
    • Paine Schwartz Partners
    • Pentalog Group
    • PepsiCo Latin America
    • Pfizer
    • Prosus
    • RELX
    • Sanpaolo Bank
    • Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda.
    • Sumitomo Pharma America
    • Toshiba Railway Europe
    • TED Conferences
    • TP - Link
    • UBS
    • Unisys
    • Verizon Business
    • Warner Music Group
  • CLE credit is approved for the 2025 program in accordance with the requirements of the New York State and New Jersey State CLE Boards for a maximum of 12 credits. CLE credits for the 2026 program, if any, may change from those provided below for reference.

    New York credits are non-transitional (experienced) in the following areas (subject to change):

    • 8.0 Professional Practice credits
    • 1.0 Cybersecurity, Privacy & Data Protection General credits
    • 1.0 Law Practice Management credit
    • 2.0 Ethics credits.

    New Jersey credits are in the following areas (subject to change):

    • 9.0 Professional Practice credits
    • 1.0 client management specific credit
    • 2.0 Ethics credits.

    Attendees seeking credit in another state must apply to their states' CLE Board for credit.

Program Fee/Payment

2025 rates are provided below and are subject to change for the 2026 program.

2025 Individual Registration: $1,750

Firms/organizations interested in sending five or more participants should contact [email protected] to inquire about preferential pricing.

Program Schedule

Please see below for our tentative 2026 schedule. Session details, speakers, and CLE information will be added as we get closer to the start of the program.

  • Session info TBD.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Session info TBA.

  • Date and session info TBA.