Elon Law has added five accomplished lawyers to its national advisory board, bringing insight from decades of experience in an array of law practice areas to advance the Law School’s groundbreaking approach to legal education.
“We are excited to welcome Jay Chaudhuri, John Fukunaga, Ed Lichtenstein, Susan Permut and Shawn Wooden to the Elon Law community and we are grateful for their service in support of Elon Law,” said Elon Law Dean Luke Bierman. “Elon Law’s program of legal education will be further strengthened and opportunities for Elon Law students and alumni will grow because of the involvement of these excellent lawyer leaders on the advisory board.”
“I am delighted by the expertise and energy of Elon Law’s new advisory board members,” said David Gergen, founding and current chair of Elon Law’s advisory board. “Working with Elon University’s leadership and the faculty and administration of Elon Law, our intention is to support and steward one of the nation’s most innovative, fearless and pioneering law schools. I have no doubt our new advisory board members will help us in pursuit of that goal.”
ABOUT ELON LAW’S NEW ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Jyoti “Jay” Chaudhuri is former General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell, who manages the 10th largest public pension fund in the United States, valued at nearly $100 billion. Previously, Chaudhuri served as Special Counsel to North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper (2001-2008). He was recognized in 2014 by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly as one of the “Leaders in the Law.”
Chaudhuri served as chair of the board of directors of the Council of Institutional Investors, whose more than 125 general members hold more than $3 trillion on behalf of beneficiaries. He has a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, a master’s degree from Columbia University and a law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Edward Lichtenstein is Managing Partner at The Law Offices of Edward Lichtenstein, P.C., in Chicago, Ill. He began with the firm in 1977 as an Associate, became a Partner in 1985, and then Managing Partner in 1990. Lichtenstein has focused his practice on representing individuals in the areas of personal injury, automobile collisions, worker’s compensation and medical malpractice.
Lichtenstein is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, Will County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association. He volunteers his services in support of the Ministerial Alliance, an organization of ministers whose mission is the improvement of the lives of the Chicago region’s disadvantaged south suburban residents through food and educational programs. A native of Chicago, Lichtenstein has a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University of Chicago and a law degree from DePaul University College of Law.
Susan I. Permut is Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at EMC Corporation in Hopkinton, Mass. She provides legal support for the Board of Directors and supervises a staff that provides legal services regarding corporate governance; general corporate matters; securities law; corporate compliance; investor relations and public relations matters; mergers, acquisitions & investments; employment law and real estate.
Permut is on the Board of Directors of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, the Advisory Board of Northeastern University School of Law’s NuLawLab and the Board of Trustees of Dean College. Her prior Board service includes the Council of Institutional Investors and the Association of Corporate Counsel (NE Chapter). Prior to joining EMC, Permut served as an attorney at Damon Corporation in Needham, Mass.; an associate at Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault in Boston; and an associate at Fenwick & West in Palo Alto, Calif. Permut is recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as an “In-House Leader in the Law” and by Boston Women’s Business as one of the “Top 10 Corporate Lawyers” in the region. She helped lead the EMC legal department to win the National Law Journal “Boston Best Legal Department” award in 2013 and was chosen as one of the Corporate Counsel “100 United States Rising Stars” in 2014. Permut received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Shawn Wooden is a Partner at Day Pitney LLP in Hartford, Conn., where he works in the firm’s Private Equity and Investment Funds practice. He also serves as the President of the Hartford City Council. Mr. Wooden was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers magazine. He was named one of the “Twenty-Five Investment Professionals to Watch” by Pensions and Investments magazine and one of Hartford County’s “Forty Under 40” business leaders by the Hartford Business Journal. He was presented with the Alumni Medal of Excellence by Trinity College and named one of the state’s “100 Most Influential Blacks” by the NAACP. Wooden has a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and a law degree from New York University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in Connecticut, New York and Washington, D.C.
ABOUT ELON LAW’S ADVISORY BOARD
The Elon University School of Law Advisory Board includes prominent judges, attorneys and business leaders who advise the university about the law school’s development. The board is chaired by David Gergen, who served as director of communications for President Reagan and held positions in the administrations of Presidents Nixon, Ford and Clinton. The board includes three former chief justices of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, a past president of the American Bar Association and accomplished lawyer leaders from across the country. Learn more about Elon Law’s advisory board here.
ABOUT ELON LAW
Elon University School of Law is leading innovation in legal education by integrating traditional classroom instruction with highly experiential full-time residencies-in-practice in a logically sequenced program of professional preparation. This unique approach to legal education provides graduates with the knowledge, skills and ethics focus necessary to excel as 21st century lawyers. Designed to accelerate professional maturation, Elon Law’s groundbreaking approach is accomplished in two and one-half years, which provides distinctive value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their professional careers. Learn more at law.elon.edu.