Sistahs in Law Charity Gates

Intellectual property law is often considered the "sexiest" form of law. Learn more about this practice area from this week's guest who is an expert in the field. 

Kamanta  Kettle is a commercial litigator and "Top 40 Under 40" intellectual property lawyer recognized by the National Black Lawyers association. A child of immigrants from Jamaica, West Indies, Kamanta  received her JD from Cornell Law School and Bachelor's Degree, c*m laude from New York University. Kamanta  handles complex commercial disputes. Across a broad range of industries, including aeronautics finance and software engineering. In addition, she is a passionate trademark attorney who helps clients in the fashion, retail and beauty industries protect their brand assets. She is currently a Senior Attorney at Arent Fox Schiff. 

Sometimes a passion can be your life's work.  For this week's guest, fashion has always had a unique place in her mission and allowed her to design her own pathway into bridging it with the legal industry. 

Ashley N. Cloud founded The Cloud Law Firm, PLLC to educate and empower creative business owners with the tools and resources to establish and build their empires. 

She comes from a long bloodline of entrepreneurs ranging from the beauty industry to the trucking and food industries. Ashley graduated from Howard University with her law degree and Master's of Business Administration in supply chain management in 2016. While at Howard, Ashley worked to educate the local and broader community on fashion law as co-chair of Fashion Law Week and co-founder and president of the Fashion Law Society. Shortly after graduating from Howard, Ashley served as an Assistant Attorney General in the District of Columbia Office of Consumer Protection. There, Ashley advised local and national businesses on their marketing and advertising practices. 

Ashley's passion for supporting entrepreneurs, led her to serve as an attorney for the U.S. Small Business Administration. The first Black and highest ranked attorney to serve in her office as founder and managing attorney of The Cloud Law Firm PLLC, Ashley has successfully represented fashion and lifestyle brands before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

She has also negotiated numerous partnership deals on behalf of her clients. Ashley has also assisted our clients in navigating the complicated process of receiving funding and support from the federal government. Ashley speaks on numerous topics, including business formation and development, intellectual property protection, diversity in fashion, cultural appropriation, supply chain management and resources for creative entrepreneurs. Ashley is licensed to practice law in the state of New York, the District of Columbia, and is awaiting bar admission to her home state of Texas. 

When you first think about immigration law, the creative lives of artists and other innovators may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But for this week’s guest, her mission is to “serve artists and creative professionals by helping them secure artists visas, cement their brands, and monetize their artistry.”

Elektra B. Yao, Esq. is the founder and principal attorney at Yao Law Group law firm dedicated to international and domestic artists.Elektra earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, one of the top art schools in the nation. During her undergraduate university career, Elektra wrote, directed, and produced two documentaries (N*gga What? and The Choking Game) which were screened in Texas and New York City.

Elektra is a very active attorney and is a member of The American Immigration Lawyers Association, Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyer Association, and The New York City Bar Association, where she is a member of several committees.

As a multicultural attorney, with immigrant parents from Italy and Cote D’Ivoire, Elektra is fully fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish. She has lived, studied, and worked internationally in the US, the EU, and Africa. Not only does she understand the language her clients speak, she understands the cultural and artistic landscape of where they come from.

Elektra has successfully represented record labels, modeling agencies, production companies, individual artists, and creatives. Check out more on Elektra at yaolawgroup.com.

It's not everyday that you meet someone in jewelry law let alone a sistah! So many gems are dropped (pun intended) on this week's episode. 
Miya Owens, Esq. brings years of experience in business and intellectual property litigation, corporate compliance and two information privacy protection certifications to her roles at the Jewelers Vigilance Committee.
Before joining the JVC, Miya worked with a diverse client base at two prominent law firms, both specializing in intellectual property matters. During her time at both firms, she received recognition for exceptional service to her clients and her dedication to pro bono advocacy. She then focused on broker-dealer and anti-money laundering compliance matters at a well-known multinational investment bank.
In addition to earning her JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Miya graduated with honors in Technology and Communication from Baruch College, where she minored in Journalism.

Ever wondered what it's like to practice law in a foreign country? Well this week's guest has such a fascinating legal journey that traversed patent law in the United States to going overseas to establish a legal practice in France. 
Victoria Bennett specializes in global intellectual property protection, client counseling, business compliance, entertainment industry solutions, and licensing, with an emphasis on patent procurement in the United States and Europe.
She is a licensed attorney in the United States and qualified to prosecute intellectual property matters with the USPTO. Prior to working in the legal field, she was an analysis engineer developing weapons, space systems, and aeronautic systems for several U.S. government contractors.
She is also an accomplished film producer, having IMDB credits for short films shown at festivals around the world as well as occasionally managing the production of commercials in the US and France. She previously worked as a clinical law student in the prestigious Indie Film Clinic in New York.
She has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (2007) from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Juris Doctor (2013) from Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, New York. She is admitted to practice law in California*, New York and Florida.

2021 was quite a year! It marked the beginning of the Sistahs in Law podcast, which introduced the perspective of many talented Black women in law. I'm excited to continue the tradition with another season of brilliant stories and discussions with more successful Black women in law. Stay tuned for new episodes coming soon!