Business Law & Leadership Gala Celebrates Dedicated Lawyers, Nonprofits, and Communities

On May 1, 2018, more than 350 leaders from the legal, financial, and nonprofit sectors are expected to gather at Gotham Hall in Manhattan for Lawyers Alliance for New York's Business Law & Leadership Gala. This charitable event is the premier annual gathering of business and transactional lawyers committed to pro bono legal services for nonprofits that are improving the quality of life in low-income communities across New York City.

This year's distinguished honorees are:

Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify
Horacio Gutierrez is Spotify's General Counsel and Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs. Mr. Gutierrez is responsible for overseeing Spotify's legal, regulatory, and government affairs around the world, and serves as corporate secretary to its Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez heads Spotify's global commercial licensing team, a business function responsible for licensing activities with record labels, music publishers, and other right holders. Spotify is a music, podcast, and video streaming service available in 65 markets worldwide. Prior to joining Spotify, Mr. Gutierrez spent 18 years at Microsoft in progressively higher positions, eventually becoming the General Counsel and Corporate Vice President. Spotify's corporate social responsibility activities leverage technology to bring the power of music to underserved communities to enrich the lives of individuals and families and bring about social change. The company has partnered with schools, districts, and educational nonprofits to implement initiatives that use music to enhance early childhood learning and empower youth of all ages to uncover their unique voices and speak out on issues impacting their lives and communities. The company also has spearheaded numerous initiatives to promote diversity in the music industry and encourage customers and visitors to donate to charitable causes around the world.

Trish Walsh, Voya Financial
As Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Trish Walsh oversees all aspects of Voya's Law, Compliance and External Affairs department, serving as an advisor to senior management and the Board of Directors on legal, compliance, securities and corporate governance matters. This year, Ms. Walsh also assumed responsibility for Corporate Development and Corporate Audit. She also serves on the company's Executive Committee. Voya Financial helps Americans plan, invest, and protect their savings for retirement. Prior to joining Voya, Ms. Walsh worked at Cigna, Inc.; Massachusetts Mutual Life; and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Voya's corporate social responsibility initiatives include a commitment to creating financially resilient youth and a financially literate workforce to maintain America's competitiveness as a nation and ensure a secure future for all people. In addition, the company helps people with special needs and disabilities, and their caregivers, plan for the future they envision through its Voya Cares program. This year, Voya Financial attorneys participated in a pro bono clinic for several Lawyers Alliance nonprofit clients working in quality education and community arts. This pro bono legal assistance helped clients navigate issues related to a guest artist agreement, a community partnership, independent artist contract, and services agreement. Ms. Walsh currently serves on the Boards of the Life Insurance Council of New York and Partnership for After School Education.

Marla G. Simpson, Brooklyn Community Services
Marla G. Simpson, President and Executive Director of Brooklyn Community Services (BCS), has a deep connection to the nonprofit sector, spanning 40 years. Before joining BCS in 2012, Ms. Simpson spent 22 years in the public sector, including time as Investigations Chief in the New York Attorney General's Charities Bureau and as New York City's Chief Procurement Officer, managing a $15 billion portfolio of public contracts. Previously she was an attorney in both the public interest and private sector. Ms. Simpson is an active member of both the Governor's Not-for-Profit Government Contracting Advisory Committee and the Mayor's Nonprofit Resiliency Committee. Brooklyn Community Services has been a Lawyers Alliance client since 1999, with nearly 20 cases over the years. Founded in 1866, BCS is one of the oldest and largest nonsectarian, multi-service community-based providers in Brooklyn, serving more than 20,000 people each year in its 28 locations. This year BCS was the recipient of the New York Community Trust/Nonprofit Coordinating Committee Nonprofit Excellence Award (Gold Prize), recognizing achievement in nonprofit management practices.

Aric Press, Partner, PP&C Consulting, will act as the evening's Master of Ceremonies for the fifth consecutive year. Mr. Press is the former Editor-in-Chief of The American Lawyer and its parent company, ALM Media. He is a founding Partner of PP&C Consulting, a group that works on strategy, positioning, and client relationships for law firms and legal departments.

Lawyers Alliance Board Chair Larren M. Nashelsky states, "This year's Business Law & Leadership honorees and their institutions have demonstrated a dedication to helping communities in need through nonprofit involvement. Horacio, Trish, and Marla's leadership, along with Lawyers Alliance's staff and volunteers' expertise, is making New York City a better place to live and work."

For event details, visit www.lawyersalliance.org/gala.php.