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August 4th, 2022
Why Some Legal Chiefs Undersell Themselves During Pay Negotiations
Entertainment Partner Lisa E. Davis is quoted in the article, “Why Some Legal Chiefs Undersell Themselves During Pay Negotiations” published by Law.com. The article discusses how some GCs have been selling themselves short when negotiating their compensation packages, especially people of color and women. Lisa is quoted saying, “What I’ve seen is that often, people of color and white women tend not to negotiate as heavily or even know that they can really negotiate” and “As the chief legal officer, they’re thinking, ‘Well, I shouldn’t be hiring a lawyer to represent me.’” She adds, “And because there are so few people of color that have been at that level for a very long time, they just don’t have the institutional knowledge to know, ‘Hey, you’re a C-suite executive. Your deal can be negotiated.’”
The article details that some GCs shy away from getting aggressive during pay negotiations for fear of losing the job opportunity. In response to the executives having lawyers negotiate on their behalf Lisa says, “You can be the nice, exciting, dynamic executive that they want to hire. And I’m just the jerk that’s your lawyer, pushing for as much as I can get for you” and “There are some companies, particularly some tech companies, that don’t take kindly to having lawyers negotiate, even for nonlawyers. They just don’t want to deal with lawyers.” She adds, “So what some clients have done is hire me behind the scenes. I’m like Cyrano. And I’ll tell them what to ask for.”
Read the full article here. (Behind paywall)
Other Quoted
Game companies must be flexible to comply with changing laws
Emma Smizer was recently featured as a panelist at GamesBeat Next 2025 and quoted in a GamesBeat article discussing global regulatory compliance and its impact on the gaming industry. The panel examined how evolving policy frameworks create new opportunities for developers and platforms navigating global markets.
Smizer addressed compliance challenges under emerging laws, specifically citing the Texas App Store Accountability Act. She noted that this kind of legislation changes how developers and platforms interact with users: “App stores have to do this age verification, but so do software and hardware developers. Global compliance is complicated, even just across the states… We’re moving toward a world where you can’t just be willfully ignorant about the age of your users.”
Her analysis emphasizes a growing trend that age verification and child safety requirements are not only regulatory hurdles but also can create opportunities and growth for businesses and sectors. Read the full summary of the panel here.
November 25 2025
Copyright Guide or Policy Change? Project Divides IP Attys
Law360 quoted Jacqueline Charlesworth on the controversy surrounding the American Law Institute’s copyright restatement project. Ms. Charlesworth criticized the initiative as advancing a “revisionist theory” that could weaken copyright protections. She was among nearly two dozen advisers who resigned from the project, signaling deep concerns about its direction.
The article highlights a broader debate within the IP community: whether the restatement simply clarifies existing law or attempts to reshape policy in favor of users. Ms. Charlesworth’s perspective emphasizes the stakes for rights holders as courts and practitioners consider how much influence the restatement may carry. Read the Law360 article about the copyright restatement project here.
November 19 2025
Reports of ‘Click-to-Cancel’s Death May Be Premature
A Competition Policy International article quoted Holly A. Melton on the continuing impact of the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule , despite a recent Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision. Melton was quoted for her analysis of the FTC’s $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon over Prime subscription practices. In a blog post, Melton pointed to a clause in the agreement that anticipates future rulemaking around negative option features. “That’s not boilerplate,” she wrote. “It reads like a deliberate placeholder—future-proofing the settlement for the reappearance of Click to Cancel.” Melton interprets this as a strategic move by the FTC to potentially revive the rule through a new proceeding.
Melton’s outlook reflects a broader shift in the FTC’s enforcement priorities toward consumer-facing issues like subscription transparency and cancellation ease. She referenced Commissioner Mark Meador’s remarks about focusing on “everyday economic concerns affecting ordinary households” and noted that, even without immediate rulemaking, the agency’s litigation stance signals that subscription practices will remain a top-tier priority for the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Her guidance to advertisers and subscription services: “prioritize transparency, obtain affirmative consent, and make cancellation as effortless as sign-up. The ‘Click to Cancel’ may be down, but it’s not out,” Melton concluded, underscoring the FTC’s intent to keep its options open. Read the Competition Policy International post here.
November 11 2025
