This session will focus on the ethical considerations and dilemmas associated with an attorney’s membership on a nonprofit board. Panelists will discuss questions to consider before joining a nonprofit board, provide guidance on appropriate ethical boundaries for attorneys contributing to a board’s work, and give real-world examples of conflicts of interest and other ethical issues that have occurred in this context.

Produced by the Tennessee Bar Association and West Tennessee Legal Services, this program is designed to equip attorneys with the skills and confidence to create, strengthen, and support the work of nonprofit organizations.

Registration for this webcast is FREE. However, 1.50 hours of CLE credit is available for a $50 processing fee.

Presenter Bios

RITA GIBSON RAYFORD is a founder of Strategic Legal Advocates PLLC and has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of nonprofit management, fundraising/development, compliance, and higher education. She has served as a Chief Development Officer, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, a Managing Attorney, and a member of senior executive leadership teams. During her career, she has had the opportunity to teach in the areas of administrative law, public administration, nonprofit administration, and family law. She has dedicated a significant portion of her career to advocating for veterans and access to justice initiatives. She obtained her law degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and holds a B.A. in Sociology and a Master of Public Administration. Ms. Gibson Rayford is a graduate of the Tennessee Bar Association's (TBA) Leadership Law Class of 2016 and serves on the  Executive Council of the TBA's Administrative Law Section.

CLAUDIA WILLIAMS HYMAN is the Pro Bono Staff Attorney with West Tennessee Legal Services.  She is a civil and human rights attorney and community engagement strategist who leverages in-depth research methods, community education, and person-centered legal representation to protect and expand the rights of historically underserved individuals and communities. She obtained a J.D. from Howard University School of Law, a master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Memphis, and a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. Prior to joining WTLS, she was the Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Mississippi.

HAROLDA BRYSON received her B.A. in Communication Studies from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law since 2017. Her areas of practice are municipal law, contracts and transactional matters, tax law, real property, and civil litigation.

BRANDE BOYD is an attorney at Butler Snow in Memphis, and is a member of the firm's Business Services and Finance, Real Estate, and Restructuring Practice Groups. She handles mergers, acquisitions, and commercial real estate transactions; assists clients with trademark registration and protection matters; and negotiates and drafts various commercial agreements, including privacy policies, terms of use, SaaS, and license agreements. In less than four years with the firm, Brande has negotiated more than $100 million worth of vendor agreements. She also has successfully registered trademarks for both local and Fortune 500 companies. She is a 2022-23 Fellow of the National Bar Association’s Associate Advancement Academy for Excellence.

SETH OGDEN is a Registered Patent Attorney focused on patent infringement litigation and patent prosecution in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, industrial chemicals, software and electronic devices.  He has represented patent litigation clients in both ANDA and traditional patent infringement cases.  Dr. Ogden has also provided noninfringement and invalidity opinions and strategic positioning reports in the areas of biotechnology (diagnostics and biologics), pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals and material science. In addition to patent matters, he has handled a range of trademark and copyright issues. Dr. Ogden previously practiced in Washington, D.C. Before that, he obtained his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Ogden has also represented pro bono clients before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the D.C. Superior Court.