In addition to serving as the firm’s chief culture officer, Lynnette has nearly 20 years’ experience as a litigator in a wide variety of civil matters. Specifically, Lynnette handles general and complex business litigation, mass and complex torts, hospitality, and general and professional liability matters. Clients rely on Lynnette’s extensive experience in defending high-exposure liability claims and disputes. She acts as National Coordinating Counsel for several major clients and directs the assignment of hundreds of commercial litigation matters nationwide. Lynnette also serves as the office co-managing partner in Washington, D.C.
Lynnette frequently provides legal counsel to diverse companies and municipalities in contract drafting, negotiation, and advising on best business practices. Moreover, she routinely advises on ways to identify, minimize, and manage potential risks and is thoroughly versed in tender and indemnification issues.
In both state and federal courts, Lynnette has been involved in every phase of litigation. She has substantial experience handling matters pertaining to the hospitality industry by working alongside in-house counsel to reduce claims, better manage risk and devise effective defense strategies against claims and litigation. Lynnette is known for consistently advising clients on identifying and mitigating liability risks, including strategies for risk-sharing or full absolution.
Lynnette regularly speaks on industry-relevant topics through conferences, panels and podcasts. Her litigation management and client service have made Lynnette a leader at the firm; she is an elected member of the firm’s board of directors, the Management Committee, and is an active member of the firm’s Culture and Belonging Committee.
Lynnette currently serves on the board of directors for the Washington School for Girls and is on the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Lynnette is also a member of the Washington Bar Association, the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, and is the former president of the Gate City Bar Association, the oldest African-American bar association in the state of Georgia. Lynnette is also a former member of Corporate Counsel Women of Color’s Advisory Board.
Among Lynnette’s many awards and honors are her inclusion in Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers in Corporate America; Georgia Trend ’s Legal Elite; and The Chief Navigators Magazine’s Top 10 Most Influential Women in Diversity & Inclusion. The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s Black Law Students Association named her Graduate of the Year, the Washington Business Chronicle honored her with its Diversity in Business award, and the Women’s Executive Network presented her with its Canadian Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (CEDI) Award.
Lynnette has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She currently serves as a commissioner for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC Water) as a representative for Prince Georges County, Maryland.
Prior to earning her JD from the University of Maryland, Lynnette graduated from Spelman College, cum laude, with honors in economics. While at the University of Maryland, Lynnette was a staff member for The Business Lawyer as well as an associate articles editor for the Journal of Business and Technology Law. Following law school, Lynnette served as a judicial intern to former Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears of the Supreme Court of Georgia.