• Served as legal counsel to the Executive Branch of the Yap State Government, including the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and State agencies including the Department of Education, Department of Health Services, and Environmental Protection Agency;• Drafted and negotiated contracts between state agencies and outside vendors for information-technology, medical, and industrial services and equipment;• Monitored and advised state agencies regarding compliance with state and national government-bidding laws, as well as compliance with treaties with the United States;• Drafted and reviewed employment contracts for state agencies;• Represented the State in civil litigation and acted as prosecutor in criminal matters; and• Performed legal research and rendered legal opinions; drafted proposed legislation and agency regulations; testified at legislative hearings.

During my tenure with the Mississippi Secretary of State, I directed and advised a number of study groups created by the Secretary to reform our state's business and commercial laws, most notably in the areas of corporate law, trade incentives, trademarks, trade secrets, trade names, trusts, insolvency, solicitations of charitable donations, and the right of publicity. I presented these groups with extensive research, guided them toward their final recommendations, and drafted legislation implementing those recommendations, which our office then submitted to the state legislature for passage. I also met with individual legislators to advocate for the adoption of our office's proposed legislation.Some notable successes during my time with the Secretary of State include: passage of the Mississippi Fictitious Business Name Registration Act (Miss. Code Ann. § 75-93-1 et seq.), amendments to Mississippi’s trademark laws (Miss. Code Ann. § 75-25-1 et seq.), and major revisions to the state’s laws regulating the solicitation of charitable donations (Miss. Code Ann. § 79-11-501 et seq.).

• Drafted trademark, copyright, and software licensing agreements, as well as a wide range of other contracts, including franchise agreements, production agreements, sponsorship agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and other commercial agreements;• Counseled clients on likelihood of successfully obtaining federal trademark registration; performed trademark searches and analyzed detailed search reports; prepared and filed federal and state trademark applications;• Responded to USPTO office action letters and aided senior counsel in trademark cancellation proceedings;• Performed legal research and prepared legal memoranda regarding issues in the field of copyright law;• Aided in drafting pleadings and supporting memoranda for copyright infringement litigation.

Researched and wrote judicial opinions on a wide range of subjects, including, but not limited to, constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, domestic relations, torts, partnership and agency, and contract law. Consulted with judge regarding the outcome and rationale of judicial decisions.

Performed final edits for all feature stories, editing copy, making minor substantive revisions, and ensuring compliance with in-house style guide; designed layout for each issue and directed production team. Liaised with reporters in Washington, Houston, New York, and London offices in order to stay apprised of developments in particular stories and to ascertain whether daily deadlines would be met.

Authored articles analyzing daily affairs in the oil and natural gas markets; tracked SEC filings of major oil and gas firms; aided with production and layout of this daily publication.