The National Black Lawyers, a professional and educational organization, selected McGuireWoods partners Wanda French-Brown and Mirlande Telfort for its list of Top 100 Lawyers in New York and associates Natasha Cooper and Natalina DePina for its list of Top 40 Under 40 lawyers in Atlanta.
The National Black Lawyers is a professional and educational organization comprised of African-American attorneys who have demonstrated excellence and achieved outstanding results in their careers. Membership is by invitation only and is based on peer nominations and third-party research.
French-Brown is a patent litigation attorney who handles patent infringement matters in federal courts and before the U.S. International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. She represents clients in a range of technologies, including wireless communication and mobile devices, LCD and LED, biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare diagnostics and pharmaceuticals with a concentration in Hatch-Waxman litigation.
Telfort advises banks, private equity funds and other investors in debt financing transactions. She counsels clients who lend to, or invest in, companies in a range of industries, with a focus on healthcare, manufacturing, technology and retail. McGuireWoods selected Telfort as its representative to the 2019 Fellows Program of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, which promotes the development of lawyers from diverse backgrounds and prepares them for leadership roles.
Cooper represents financial institutions, broker-dealers and investment advisers in consumer and regulatory matters. She serves as outside general counsel to one of the nation’s leading broker-dealers and advises major corporations and financial institutions in commercial and securities litigation and employment-related matters. Cooper serves as chair of the Litigation Committee for the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Committee.
DePina advises and represents financial institutions, retailers and other organizations in individual and class actions in state and federal courts. Before attending law school, she worked at a multinational investment bank and financial services company and a privately owned investment firm. Before joining McGuireWoods, she served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in the District of Massachusetts.
“We are proud that The National Black Lawyers has recognized these outstanding attorneys as leaders and rising stars in their practices,” said Ava Lias-Booker, chair of McGuireWoods’ Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “Wanda, Mirlande, Natasha and Natalina make important contributions to the firm and our clients and deserve these prestigious honors.”