Alumni Q&A with Nichelle Levy

Catch us up! What professional and personal milestones have you achieved since your time at Loeb?

After my time at Loeb, I went in-house to Time Warner Global Marketing as director of business affairs. This was my first in-house opportunity and exposed me to intellectual property (trademark) licensing, business operations, multimedia and dealmaking. I also was part of a network of African American professionals at Time Warner and was mentored by several senior executives who helped guide my career. During my time there, I had my children—two boys, now men: Sidney (Tre), 21, and Nicholes (Nic), 19.

My husband landed an opportunity in Charlotte, North Carolina, and after a transition period, I found a great opportunity as an associate with a regional firm in their Sports & Entertainment, Intellectual Property and Corporate practice groups. It was there that I learned about the business of NASCAR. I also had the opportunity to be on M&A teams, work on health care joint ventures and develop a privacy practice at the firm—using the tools I had honed at Loeb & Loeb.

It was through the connections I made at NASCAR that I learned of an opportunity when they brought their digital rights back in-house and formed NASCAR Digital Media. This new entity needed a lead counsel with technology, IP, digital, privacy and compliance experience. Thanks to my time at Loeb and with my previous firm, I had that unique skill set. In my time at NASCAR, I have gone from digital counsel to my current role as vice president, deputy general counsel and head of privacy.

Personally, I’ve had the opportunity to participate on nonprofit boards and serve in leadership, including several regional and national leadership roles with Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Are there any skills or lessons you acquired at Loeb that you’ve taken on your career journey?

Absolutely. As part of the Entertainment and Advertising groups, I learned the importance of attention to detail and constantly improving and learning new skills from Jim Taylor, Terri Seligman, Ken Florin, Po Yi, Seth Gelblum and several others.

The digital space is a dynamic and fast-developing one; you have to be curious and have a desire to learn new skills to be a resource to clients. Loeb also has an external-facing marketing team that helps it showcase its depth of experience to the world through conferences and publications.

At Loeb, I learned the importance of not only being a talented lawyer but also listening to clients and seeking to understand what it is that they need and to provide great customer service.

What does being a part of Loeb Reconnected mean to you?

It means being part of an incredible network of talented lawyers who are collegial, warm and friendly. I was honored to have been selected by Loeb to serve as a summer clerk and then to receive an offer into the Entertainment department out of law school. I believe those opportunities changed the trajectory of my career and put me on a path to the type of subject matter I was eager to practice within. I would welcome the opportunity to meet other alumni and current lawyers at Loeb.

Can you share a specific Loeb memory that you are fond of?

I have many—holiday parties, associate gatherings, working with Michael Zweig and Chris Carbone on the Moses Productions v. Sweetland Films litigation case and finding critical documentation that helped crack the case, and going to the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Gala with other Loeb lawyers and meeting Pattie LaBelle and Nile Rogers.

But the one I’ll mention occurred on just my second day of work, September 11, 2001. I took the train to work that morning and witnessed a small plane going into the World Trade Center. When I arrived at the office, I did not grasp what had just happened. As the news began to filter in, lawyers and staff gathered in conference rooms, watching the television and consoling one another, including me, a new colleague. We were eventually told to go home. I lived in New Jersey and could not get home, but I had a dear friend who was in town staying at a local hotel. A senior associate in the legal department reached out to check on me that day and in the days that followed. After a few days at home, we slowly resumed our work, but with sensitivity and compassion for one another. That is the type of place that Loeb is to me.

What about Loeb’s environment made your experience unique?

For me, it was always about the work. On any given day, I might have to develop a 50-state consumer protection law overview, research a new federal privacy law, prepare a talent agreement for a movie cast, review a contract for a lighting designer for a Broadway show—you name it. No day was ever the same. The partners were generous with their time and their knowledge as they worked to bring new associates along. As an associate looking to develop in the advertising/entertainment space, I couldn’t have asked for a better learning environment.