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Tracey Salmon-Smith

Tracey Salmon-Smith, a trusted adviser and pragmatic problem solver, assists clients with commercial and business disputes, employment litigation, securities law and internal investigations. As a former assistant United States attorney (AUSA) who also spent several years as in-house counsel for a global financial services firm, Tracey knows firsthand the pressures and challenges her clients face. Tracey is known for her composure under pressure and her commitment to achieving results.

Financial Services

Tracey represents brokerage firms and individual registered representatives in customer and employment arbitrations, litigation and regulatory matters. She offers her clients depth of experience defending claims brought in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations, including allegations of sales practice violations such as fraud, breach of contract, misrepresentation, selling away, unsuitability and churning. Tracey also defends clients in product-related litigation stemming from variable annuities, alternative investment products, mutual funds and preferred securities.

Regulatory Counsel

Tracey works with clients from initial contact to resolution to successfully manage regulatory inquiries, examinations and investigations by state and federal regulatory agencies and self-regulatory organizations. She also advises clients on current litigation and regulatory trends and issues, as well as e-discovery and information management.

As an employment litigator, Tracey defends corporate clients against claims related to age, race and gender discrimination; workplace sexual harassment; whistleblower complaints; unpaid wages; and wrongful discharge. She handles these complaints in court and in arbitration, including before the FINRA Dispute Resolution Division. Tracey also handles internal investigations and high-stakes class and collective action matters.

Speaking Engagements

Highly respected throughout the legal community, Tracey is much in demand as a speaker before organizations such as the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Practicing Law Institute (PLI), American Bar Association (ABA), National Bar Association (NBA), New York City Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, The Knowledge Group and Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC).

In addition to her experience in private law firm practice, Tracey had the advantage of serving for seven years as in-house counsel for UBS Financial Services Inc., and seven years as an AUSA for the Eastern District of New York. During her time as an AUSA, Tracey held the positions of Acting Chief of Environmental Litigation and Chief of Bankruptcy.

Representative Experience

Successfully obtained a jury defense verdict for a multinational information technology company in the Southern District of New York in a matter involving claims of hostile work environment, race discrimination and retaliation.

Successfully represented a financial services firm in an arbitration matter involving claims of unsuitability, failure to supervise, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud related to investments in IPO purchases of closed-end funds, preferred stock and reverse convertible notes.

Obtained expungement for financial adviser and branch manager.

Represented a financial institution in a pregnancy discrimination matter in the Southern District of New York.

Represented a major retailer in an FLSA collective action in the Eastern District of New York.

Obtained summary judgement for a mass media corporation in an age and disability discrimination lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.

Successfully represented a gaming company in a gender discrimination suit, which was favorably settled after a jury trial in the Southern District of New York.

Successfully obtained expungement of arbitration matters from the CRDs of all four members of a broker team in a matter involving allegations of unsuitable recommendations.

Defended a financial securities firm in arbitration matters involving structured products.

Successfully defended a broker-dealer in a FINRA arbitration in which the claimant alleged unsuitability and failure to follow instruction, and subsequently obtained expungement for both respondent financial advisors.

Successfully defended a broker-dealer in a FINRA arbitration where the claimant alleged unsuitable recommendations for a variable annuity and improper switching of mutual funds.

Successfully represented a financial services firm in regulatory investigations.

Personal Interests

Tracey enjoys traveling, reading, cooking and mentoring young people.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

Education

K. Chike Odiwe

Kenneth Odiwe is the founder and principal owner of the Law Offices of Kenneth C. Odiwe, PC.

Attorney Kenneth Odiwe was born and raised in Vallejo, California. Growing up, he saw and heard about countless instances of police misconduct. He knew at a young age that becoming a civil rights lawyer was the path that he wanted to take. During his first year of law school, he immediately began working on police misconduct cases at the nationally renowned civil rights firm, the Law Offices of John L. Burris.

While at the Law Offices of John L. Burris, Kenneth Odiwe represented several families in police brutality and personal injury cases. Kenneth Odiwe is well versed in the handling of high-profile police misconduct cases throughout all phases of litigation.

The Law Offices of Kenneth C. Odiwe represents victims of police misconduct, police brutality, police corruption, hate crimes, and personal injuries. The practice is based out of the Bay Area, California. Odiwe is licensed in the state of California but his federal practice allows him to represent clients in every state in the Country. Kenneth Odiwe has extensive experience representing clients in civil rights cases with a specialty in police misconduct actions. He has been widely recognized for his work in civil rights and personal injury litigation.

Kenneth Odiwe is a devoted civil rights and personal injury attorney with an outstanding track record for fighting for justice. He fights for people when powerful institutions violate their rights. He is emerging as an influential new voice in the fight for civil rights.

The American Bar Association selected Kenneth Odiwe to serve as the Vice Chair of their Civil Rights & Social Justice Committee. Further, the American Bar Association selected Kenneth Odiwe to be a Contributing Editor for their Litigation News Editorial Board. He has been invited on several occasions to publish articles for various sections of the American Bar Association and other well-regarded legal journals. Odiwe regularly publishes columns for the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal.

Kenneth Odiwe has received the highest peer-review rating for legal ability and ethical standards from Martindale-Hubbell. He has been peer-selected multiple times for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America and the Northern California Super Lawyers list. Kenneth Odiwe has been recognized by Lawdragon as one of the leading litigators in America, one of the leading Plaintiff consumer lawyers in America, one of the leading civil rights lawyers in America, as well as one of the attorneys expected to lead the legal field in the next generation. Odiwe has been recognized as a Top 100 lawyer by National Trial Lawyers as well as National Black Lawyers. Attorney Kenneth Odiwe has been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 lawyer by several prestigious organizations, including, the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. He is also a Life Member of the Million Dollar Advocate’s Forum, for those attorneys who have achieved multi-million-dollar awards or settlements for their clients.

Kelsey Jack

Mr. Jack is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and was a member of the American Bar Association's (SIL) Privacy, Cybersecurity & Digital Rights Committee. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center where he was a member of the Georgetown Journal of International Law and earned a Certificate in Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs. 

Mr. Jack participated in the Sponsor for Educational Opportunity (SEO) career program for investment banking before attending law school. He currently serves as a volunteer youth sports coach and mentor in his local community.

Practice Areas

Education

Admissions

Damani Ingram

Damani K. Ingram manages The Ingram Firm. Attorney Ingram received a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from the University of Maryland at College Park before receiving his law degree from the University of Baltimore, where he was a member of the Honor Council.

At the firm, Mr. Ingram is a litigator, advisor, and tireless advocate for his clients. He has represented clients in international transactions throughout Africa and the Middle East. In addition, he has provided legal representation for a multitude of clients within the surrounding Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area and throughout the United States.

Mr. Ingram regularly presents to civic groups and professional organizations. He also serves as a legal advisor to notable non-profit organizations within the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Attorney Ingram is a member of the Maryland Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Maryland Association for Justice. He has been recognized as a Top 100 attorney by the National Black Lawyers for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. He has also been recognized as a Maryland Super Lawyer for 2017 and 2018.

Areas of Practice

Bar Admissions

Education

Honors & Awards

Twyla Carter

Twyla Carter (she/her) serves as the Attorney-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer of The Legal Aid Society, becoming the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the organization in its 148-year history.

Prior to joining Legal Aid, Carter was the National Director of Legal and Policy at The Bail Project (TBP), a national nonprofit organization that pioneered a national movement to bring free bail assistance and pretrial support to thousands of low-income people every year. At TBP, Carter created the department’s strategic mission and directed the legal, policy, and advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels.

Carter has also served as a senior staff attorney in the Criminal Law Reform Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) national office, where she litigated local and state bail inequities and right-to-counsel protections in the federal courts and designed alternative bail and representation policies and procedures for targeted jurisdictions.

Prior to working at the ACLU, Carter was a public defender for ten years. She was the Misdemeanor Practice Director for the King County Department of Public Defense in Seattle, where she oversaw all misdemeanor casework across the four divisions of the department. As a Staff Attorney at The Defender Association, Carter handled felony and misdemeanor trial caseloads, represented juveniles, and appealed misdemeanor convictions. She won a published decision from the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division One, in State v. Green, which affirmed the due process rights of parents accused of trespassing in public schools.

Against the backdrop of legislative attacks against the teaching of white supremacy and anti-Black racism in schools, Carter serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors of The Who We Are Project. Founded by Jeffery Robinson, a renowned expert on the role of racism in the criminal legal system, the project aims to correct the social, legal, political, and economic aspects of racism in the United States through educational materials, including a feature-length documentary entitled Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America.

Carter is admitted to practice law in New York, Washington State, and numerous federal courts. She is a nationally recognized expert on bail reform and is a frequent speaker on all aspects of the criminal legal system, including police reform, right-to-counsel issues, and how to incorporate race and culture into criminal, death penalty, and civil cases.