Monica Welt Email & Phone Number

Columbus, Oh, Us

New York, New York, Us

Columbus, Ohio, Us

Columbus, Ohio, Us

• Reports to General Counsel, and the Board of Directors (Audit and Nom/Gov Committees).• Officer of a Fortune 1000 company with 35,000 associates, +1,300 stores, and 5 distribution centers spread across 48 states.• Responsible for SEC filings (10Q, 10K, etc), ESG Committee, Disclosure Committee, Business Continuity Steering Committee, insider trading compliance, and enterprise-wide Compliance & Ethics.• Lead attorney on key strategic, cross-functional initiatives including opening sourcing offices in China and Vietnam in 5 months, and Extreme Value sourcing turnaround.• Lead attorney supporting merchandise business function with deep involvement in global import sourcing, Extreme Value and closeout negotiations, comparative pricing and marketing, and new "Home Store" concept.• Chief Sustainability Officer responsible for launching and leading Big Lots' corporate social responsibility reporting (ESG/CSR).• Drafts, reviews, and negotiates business contracts, including B2B inventory liquidations, technology licenses, subscriptions, NDAs, and vendor/partner deals in US, Asia, and Europe.• Co-led nationwide response to COVID-19 pandemic for an "essential retailer" with no business closures, and a proactive response focused on associate safety using a best-in class home grown health tracking app.• Manages Compliance and Contracts/Corporate teams.

Columbus, Ohio, Us

• Architect and champion of Big Lots' Compliance & Ethics program. • Experienced lawyer providing guidance and oversight for Corporate Ethics & Compliance (Code, FCPA/Anti-Corruption/AML, Conflict of Interest, Tariffs and COO, etc.), Retail & Store Compliance (HazMat, food safety, recalls), Product Safety & Regulatory Compliance (CPSC, FTC, FDA, USDA, EPA, Product Safety Committee, Prop 65, private label claims), and Factory Social Compliance (Human Rights, Labor Rights, Enviro Health & Safety - EHS) and Enterprise Risk Management.• Legal advisor on omni-channel merchant, import & trade, product development & investigation, and marketing & advertising issues.

Columbus, Ohio, Us

• Compliance lawyer reporting to General Counsel and Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.• Built and launched Big Lots' first global Compliance and Ethics program, including development of compliance strategy, compliance policies for vendors, and programs and trainings for domestic teams and international agents.• Provides legal guidance on product liability risk management; international trade and import issues; omni-channel and marketing/advertising/promo, including instituting a system for product claims review and substantiation.

New York, New York, Us

Washington, Dc, Us

• Represented Fortune 500 clients in a range of industries, including transportation (automotive, aviation, railroad), food and supplements, drugs and devices, cosmetics, chemicals, appliances and electronics, and other retail products. • Defended clients in complex civil litigation ranging from product liability to contract enforcement, in state and federal courts as well as in mediation and arbitration, including multi-district class action alleging >$1 billion in damages from use of novel herbicide.• Used product liability defense experience to develop strategies for avoiding or minimizing class action litigation for core clients, including DuPont, Lockheed Martin, Tesla, Graco, MIllerCoors and Whirlpool.• Trained in-house counsel on risk management best practices, and counseled clients on potential consumer goods liability arising from various state regulations (e.g. California’s Proposition 65).• Specialized in go-to-market counseling and product liability risk management addressing the entire product life-cycle, including defending mass tort litigation in MDL proceedings.• Published regularly on product liability mass tort litigation, chemical risk management, FDA developments, Proposition 65 reforms, and TSCA reform developments.• Counseled food and dietary supplement clients, as well as Class II medical device and cosmetic manufacturers, regarding GMP, labels and ingredients for FDA and foreign regulatory compliance.• Worked as loaned in-house counsel for 5 months for Whirlpool to train new legal team members, develop legal review processes for the business units, and advise on marketing campaigns (i.e. claims substantiation, sweepstakes, channel & endorsement contracts, social media, joint ventures & online media).

Benton Harbor, Michigan, Us

5 month secondment to Whirlpool HQ as loaned in-house advertising and marketing counsel, to train new legal team members, develop legal review processes for the business units, and advise on marketing campaigns (i.e. claims substantiation, sweepstakes, channel & endorsement contracts, social media, joint ventures & online media) for KitchenAid small appliances, Maytag and Whirlpool large appliances, and launch of Everydrop filters.

• Lead member of national coordinating defense counsel team for two major petroleum producers in the MTBE toxic tort multi-district litigation. Responsibilities included finding and developing expert witnesses, preparing and defending 30(b)6 corporate witnesses at depositions, coordinating and running joint defense efforts regarding scientific experts, developing corporate history documents underpinned by document discovery spanning 50+ years, and overseeing the electronic discovery contract attorney team at client's corporate headquarters.• Coordinated the creation and implementation of an industry-sponsored long-term health effects study for a ground water contaminant.• Second chaired successful jury trial of product liability suit in DC Superior Court.• Defended client against allegations of non-compliance with a court-ordered injunction and environmental study addressing illegal discharges, and successfully renegotiating court order.• Prepared presentations to various state and federal agencies to forward clients’ interests.

New York, Ny, Us

• Analyzing regulatory and administrative law provisions, including pending legislative actions, to advise industry on trade strategy.• Drafting talking points for members of Congress and writing testimony for trade industry. • Lobbying Congress to support various domestic industry trade protection efforts.• Litigating international trade disputes before the Department of Commerce, the International Trade Commission, NAFTA and the WTO, including drafting complaints and responses, developing factual evidence, and preparing witnesses to testify on behalf of domestic steel and softwood lumber industries. • Investigating and drafting submissions to the Department of Commerce supporting the continued Non-Market Economy status of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.

Columbus, Ohio, Us

Supported and responded to constituents from the 33rd district in northeastern Ohio, centered on the city of Youngstown.

Jd

Ba With Honors & Distinction In Liberal Arts, With Dual Degrees In Classical Humanities And English

High School Diploma