Emmanuel Charles is an associate in the Miami office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. Mr. Charles is an experienced civil litigator whose practice centers on managing the full lifecycle of litigation, from initial investigation through trial preparation and resolution. His practice focuses on general and civil litigation, insurance defense, premises liability, products liability, commercial and business litigation, contract disputes, and personal injury defense.
Mr. Charles has extensive experience in motion practice, comprehensive legal research, and the execution of multifaceted discovery strategies. Throughout his career, he has established a record of collaborating with corporate stakeholders and partners to mitigate risk and achieve optimal outcomes through negotiated settlements and contested hearings.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Charles possesses a strong foundation in judicial and commercial analysis. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a summer law clerk for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida's Complex Business Litigation division. In that role, he researched and drafted bench memoranda for high-stakes disputes involving real estate contracts, employment law, business plans, patents, and fraud. This background allows him to approach case strategy with a unique perspective on judicial decision-making and statutory interpretation.
In 2016, Mr. Charles earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he was highly active in advocacy and negotiation. He competed in the Nelson Mandela International Negotiation Competition and the Board of Advocates Negotiation Competition. He also served as Vice President of the Black Law Student Association and Vice Justice of Phi Alpha Delta. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science from Florida State University.
Mr. Charles is licensed to practice law in Florida.
Memberships & Affiliations
- The Florida Bar
- National Black Law Student Association (NBLSA)
Awards and Honors
- National Black Law Student Association Small Chapter of the Year
Eric Akira Tate co-chairs the firm’s Global Employment and Labor Group. He represents technology and other companies in high-stakes (“bet-the-company”) trade secrets and employee mobility cases. He also represents boards of directors and companies in sensitive internal investigations, including #MeToo matters, whistleblower claims, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and disputes involving executives.
He advises companies on employment law compliance and transactional matters, including restrictive covenants, personnel policies and procedures, and employment issues arising in mergers and acquisitions across the United States and globally.
His recent board and executive dispute work includes defending a publicly traded UK company against a wrongful termination suit brought by a former U.S. subsidiary CEO; representing a TSX-listed Canadian company in claims brought by two terminated C-suite executives; advising a publicly traded Japanese investment firm in the separation of a C-suite executive; and handling the separation of a CEO and more than 20 U.S. executives for a publicly traded Japanese healthcare company, including defending related discrimination and wrongful termination claims. He also represented a Fortune 200 technology company in an internal investigation involving discrimination and harassment allegations against a C-suite executive who later resigned.
In trade secrets and employee mobility matters, he represented Uber during diligence in its acquisition of Ottomotto, an autonomous vehicle startup founded by former Google engineers. He also helped lead Uber’s defense in a later patent infringement and trade secrets misappropriation case that settled during trial in 2018. His broader litigation experience spans matters involving companies such as Williams-Sonoma v. Restoration Hardware, International Lease Finance Co. v. Air Lease Corporation, Melaleuca, Inc. v. Shaklee Corporation, and New Century Mortgage v. Encore Credit.
He has been recognized by Chambers USA for Labor & Employment, Best Lawyers in employment law, the Daily Journal as a top California labor and employment and trade secrets lawyer, Benchmark Litigation as a Labor and Employment Star, and was named to Law360’s Employment Discrimination Editorial Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
He is active in professional leadership, including service with the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section, where he serves on the governing council and co-chairs a subcommittee on covenants not to compete and trade secrets. He has also held multiple leadership roles within ABA committees and conference planning groups, and has served as a mediator for the Northern District of California’s ADR program for nearly 15 years.
He is also a published author on employment law topics, including trade secrets, restrictive covenants, whistleblower standards, workplace bias, pay equity, and internal investigations, with work appearing in publications such as Today’s General Counsel, Daily Journal, LJN Employment Law Strategist, and Bloomberg BNA.
Beyond practice, he has held leadership and advisory roles in professional and community organizations, including founding and serving as president of Hapa Issues Forum, and leadership roles with the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. He is also involved in mentorship and professional development initiatives, including INROADS, 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, and the Level Playing Field Institute’s IDEAL Scholars Program.
Belinda R. Boone is Of Counsel with Marks, O’Neill, O’Brien, Doherty & Kelly. She is admitted to practice in New York.
Belinda graduated from SUNY Stony Brook with a bachelor’s degree in political science and she then attended The New York Law School. During law school, she participated in the Black Law Students Association, and served as the Treasurer of her school’s chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. During law school, Belinda served as an intern for the Hon. Judith Scheindlin, who was the Chief Judge of the New York County Family Court and is currently known as “Judge Judy.” She also participated in her school’s legal clinic, working on discrimination cases, and forming non-profit charitable organizations.
Since law school, Belinda has volunteered as a coach and mentor with the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Program, coaching middle school students for a tournament in Bronx County. Belinda has also volunteered as a guest judge at the Villanova Mock Trial Wildcat Invitational Competition, where she presided over undergraduate mock trials involving teams from competing schools.
Belinda has vast experience as litigation counsel and trial counsel in the field of personal injury, products liability, medical malpractice, and toxic tort matters.
Outside of work, Belinda enjoys attending concerts, playing the Irish tin whistle with a Traditional Irish music group, and swimming.
Education
- J.D., New York Law School
- B.A., State University of New York at Stony Brook
Bar Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
Practice Areas
- Casualty Group
- Healthcare & Catastrophic & Excess Loss
- Professional Liability
- Toxic Tort, Mass Tort, Environmental and Products Liability
Dionna Maria Lewis, Esq. is a Founding Partner of the District Legal Group, PLLC. As a trial attorney, she manages a nationwide and local litigation docket focused on labor and employment law, contract litigation, and risk mitigation for small businesses. She represents clients as first- and second-chair counsel in trials, administrative hearings, and mediations before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Dionna also serves as Of Counsel to the Fay Law Group, a boutique litigation firm based in Washington, D.C.
Dionna has extensive experience representing clients at boutique, mid-sized, and large law firms. She previously served as Senior Counsel at Alan Lescht and Associates, Senior Associate at Tully Rinckey PLLC, and Senior Associate at the Fay Law Group PLLC. Before founding the District Legal Group, she managed an active litigation docket involving labor and employment matters, civil litigation, and civil rights claims.
Her litigation experience includes appearances before state courts, federal courts, and administrative agencies, including the D.C. Superior Court, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (pro hac vice), U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Circuit Courts for Prince George's and Montgomery Counties, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Office of Special Counsel, Merit Systems Protection Board, and the D.C. Office of Human Rights. She handles matters arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act, and related state law claims involving employment discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, breach of contract, wrongful termination, and employment torts.
In addition to her legal practice, Dionna was appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Elections by Mayor Muriel Bowser, with her appointment unanimously confirmed by the D.C. Council on January 5, 2016. In this role, she provides oversight of the independent agency responsible for administering elections, voter outreach initiatives, adjudicating campaign and election-related matters, and ensuring that all eligible District residents have access to the electoral process.
Jamice Oxley earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 2010 after receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 2006.
She has been recognized as a National Black Lawyers NBL Top 100 – New York honoree for 2021–2022.
Committed to serving her community, Jamice serves on the Marlborough School Board of Trustees' Development Committee and Alumnae Council Board, is a Yale University Alumni Interviewer, and is a member of the Ignite Advisory Committee.
Jamice is admitted to practice law in California and is actively involved in several professional organizations. She previously served as Chair (2017–2018) and Vice President (2016–2017) of the Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law Section Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the Langston Bar Association's Entertainment Law Committee, and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association.
A frequent speaker on entertainment, intellectual property, and media law, Jamice has presented at numerous conferences, law schools, and industry events. Her speaking engagements have included programs hosted by the California Lawyers Association, USC Gould School of Law Entertainment Law Society, the American Film Institute, Digital Hollywood, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Loyola Law School, the Women in Music Wellness Summit, the Catalina Film Festival, the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association Conference, and the Western Regional National BLSA Conference. Her presentations have addressed topics including intellectual property and social media, influencer law, diversity in entertainment, content development and financing, entertainment and sports law, film distribution, and protecting creative assets.