Contact Nakia | About Nakia | ©Nakia P. Thomas 2016
NAKIA’S RESUME
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LAW SCHOOL 2002 – 2005
Degree: Juris Doctorate. Activities: Black Law Students Association: Vice President (2004-2005); Conference Co-Chair (2003-2004). Morris Fellow, mentor to first-year law students (2003-2005).
THE WHARTON SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA 2003 – 2005
Degree: Certificate in Business and Public Policy (obtained while fulfilling law school requirements).
BROWN UNIVERSITY 1996 – 2000
Degree: Bachelor of Arts, with Honors, in Ethnic Studies and African American Studies, with a specialization in Politics.
Activities: Co-Captain of Varsity Track & Field Indoor and Outdoor Ivy League Championship Teams (1999-2000) – Selected for All-East and All-Ivy honors. Elected Senior Class Officer.
Awards & Distinction: Joslin Award recipient, awarded for outstanding leadership to the university community. Selected as a Teaching Assistant for Engineering 9 – Management of Industrial and Non-Profit Organizations (taught a weekly class of 20 undergraduates).
PRIVATE PRACTICE
STELLE LEGAL LLC — Founding Principal New York City
Legal & Advisory Firm: Fashion, Art & Entertainment. 9/16 – Present.
IN-HOUSE COUNSEL
GLOBAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY — Corporate Counsel Princeton & New Brunswick
(via Axiom Law) Strategic Corporate Transactions: Global Manufacturing & Supply, Corporate Goods & Services. 5/13 – Present.
THE VANGUARD GROUP, INC. — Associate Counsel Malvern
Corporate Legal Services: Commercial, Corporate, Office of the Corporate Secretary. 8/09 – 12/12.
LEHMAN BROTHERS INC. — Summer Associate New York City
Office of the General Counsel. Summer 2003.
ELEKTRA ENTERTAINMENT GROUP — Summer Intern New York City
(A DIVISION OF TIME WARNER) Legal and Business Affairs. Summer 1999.
LAW FIRMS
DEWEY & LEBOEUF LLP — Associate New York City & Dubai
Transitioned to Dewey Ballantine with Partners from Reed Smith
Corporate: Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, General Corporate. 3/07 – 7/09.
REED SMITH LLP — Associate Philadelphia & New York City
Corporate and Securities: Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, General Corporate. 9/05 – 3/07.
REED SMITH LLP — Summer Associate Philadelphia
Corporate, Intellectual Property, Litigation. Summer 2004.
ELAM REAVIS LLP — Summer Associate Philadelphia
Entertainment Law. Summer 2003.
SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLP — Legal Assistant New York City
Corporate: Banking and Institutional Investing. 6/00 – 6/02.
TAVEL, THEA & BAKER LLC — Summer Intern New York City
Entertainment Law. Summer 1998.
NAKIA THOMAS CREATIVE — Founder & Creative Director New York City A Styling + Design Studio. 9/16 – Present.
STYLECHILE MEDIA — Founding Editor New York City
A Shoppable online lifestyle magazine. 00 – 02. 10/06 – Present.
BRONX LEGAL SERVICES New York City
Member, Board of Directors. 9/16 – Present.
MOORE COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Philadelphia
Advisory Board: MA in Art Education with an Emphasis in Special Populations. 3/12 – 3/16.
FASHION GROUP INTERNATIONAL, INC. Philadelphia
Member. 9/12 – Present.
METROPOLITAN CAREER CENTER Philadelphia
Member, Board of Directors. 2/10 – 6/ 11.
Panelist, Black Law Students Association – Women’s Conference. University of Pennsylvania Law School. Philadelphia, PA. 10/14.
Panelist, Charting Your Own Course Legal Career Conference – Delivering Anticipatory Services (What Top Performers Do). The Ritz Carlton. Philadelphia, PA. 2/13.
• New York • New Jersey • Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
• Fashion Journalism • International Travel • Cooking • Art & Design • Photography
ABOUT NAKIA
Nakia is a multi-media creative and lawyer based in New York City. Demonstrating an interest in the arts from an early age in her native Jamaica, Nakia began her creative career while simultaneously embarking on a career as a corporate lawyer.
Nakia provides creative direction and styling services for brands and individuals through Nakia Thomas Creative — a styling and design studio; documents fashion industry news and opinion on StyleChile –a shoppable online publication, which she founded in 2000 and re-launched in 2006; and provides legal and advisory services to clients in the fashion, art and entertainment industries via Stelle Legal.
Additionally, Nakia practices corporate transactional law for a Fortune 500 company, and is a cast member in WEtv’s Money.Power.Respect. — a docuseries focusing on lawyers in New York City.
Nakia served on an advisory board for Moore College of Art & Design, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Bronx Legal Services.