New Board Members
Elected Members:
Region 3 (Arizona, Southern California, Southern Nevada and Mexico)
Tracy Warren '99 J.D.
Tracy A. Warren graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1999 and has been an active part of the Irish community ever since. Prior to attending Notre Dame, Tracy graduated from The College of New Jersey (“TCNJ”) where she was named both an academic and athletic softball All American her junior and senior seasons. In her senior year, Tracy served as team captain and TCNJ won the Division III National Softball Championship. Next, Tracy won a graduate scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA with a Masters in Journalism.
Soon thereafter, Tracy served as a news and sportscaster at WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, PA. There, she won an Emmy for her sports reporting for ‘Best Feature’ entitled “Marketing Michael Jordan”. Tracy went on to serve as the first female sports broadcaster for the NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan WOOD-TV. At that time, Tracy also started her sports reporting with ESPN, Fox and other regional and national outlets where she served as play by play broadcaster and color analyst for women’s professional and collegiate basketball and softball. In 2000, Tracy served as the color analyst for NBC Sports at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. Today, along with her legal career, Tracy still calls women’s collegiate basketball and softball for ESPN, the Pac 12 Network and other regional outlets.
Tracy started her legal career in in 1999 and was hired by a Notre Dame alum to work at McGuire Woods in Baltimore, Maryland. After relocating to San Diego, California and working at several law firms, Tracy was appointed managing shareholder and opened Buchalter’s San Diego office. The Buchalter San Diego office started with two employees in February 2018 and is now approaching 72 employees. Buchalter, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, has twelve offices. San Diego is now the fourth largest office and represents diverse attorneys who collectively speak ten different languages. Tracy is licensed to practice law in California, New Jersey and Maryland.
Personal Statement
Since graduating from Notre Dame Law School, I have remained an active participant with Notre Dame alums, students, professors, professionals, athletes and coaches. In 2013, I was a featured speaker at the ‘Notre Dame Play Like A Champion Today’ educational series discussing leadership in sports in South Bend, Indiana. In 2019, I spoke at the Notre Dame Law School’s Sports Communications and Entertainment Law Forum on ‘Leading Today: Mitigating Risk from the Chair’. In 2020, I spoke as a guest lecturer for the Mendoza School of Business for the Notre Dame Women & Inclusive Leadership course. I also volunteered this past year with the Notre Dame IDEA center and offered guidance to students in their start up ideas and businesses. I have routinely participated in virtual and in person meet and greets with Notre Dame Graduates to assist in their transition from college to professional careers. I have mentored Notre Dame law students, hosted them at Buchalter’s San Diego office, and continue to offer assistance to current Notre Dame law students searching for employment in California. I am also a member of the Notre Dame Club of San Diego and have fed the homeless and participated in holiday events for the disadvantaged. I actively seek out Notre Dame Graduates who share the mission of serving the community, advocating for the minority, and having a faith centric base. I have assisted the current Notre Dame volleyball coach Salima Rockwell in her career path and have offered assistance to prior Notre Dame coaches in their professional journey. I work with several Notre Dame law alums as clients, many of them in the non-profit sector. I begin each day reading the Gospel Reflection from Notre Dame and seek to implement its teachings into my personal and professional life. I welcome the opportunity to continue to serve the Notre Dame family.
Region 7 (Michigan)
Qiana Lillard '98 B.A., '01 J.D.
Judge Qiana Denise Lillard earned a scholarship to attend the Roeper School where she graduated in 1994. Judge Lillard attended the university of Notre Dame where she earned a BA in English in 1998 and her JD in 2001. Upon graduation from law school Judge Lillard returned to metropolitan Detroit where she began her legal career working in the legal department of the Detroit Edison Company, presently known as DTE Energy. She later worked as an associate attorney in the legal department of Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association. Additionally, she worked for several years in the claims legal department of AAA Michigan where she focused on subrogation, uninsured motorist arbitration, first party PIP and RBI litigation, as well as third party auto negligence and homeowner’s tort liability cases.
In 2005, Judge Lillard began working as an Assistant Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney where during her 8-year career she focused primarily in the trials division as a specially assigned prosecutor for the special victims unit in the areas of elder abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence and as a member of the sexual assault team. She handled high-profile cases involving serial rapists, police officers charged with sexual assault, child homicides and other highly publicized assaultive cases. Judge Lillard is a lifelong member of Fort Street Presbyterian Church in Detroit where she currently serves as an elder. She has been a member of numerous organizations, including the Women Lawyers Association, the Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Young Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Michigan. She is currently a member of the Wolverine Bar Association, The Irish American Chamber of Commerce, The Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, and Immediate Past President of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan. Judge Lillard also chairs the Rules Committee of the Michigan Judges Association Board and is President of the board of directors of the Roeper Institute.
In addition to being a member of the St Thomas Moore Society Judge Lillard served as a director of the Notre Dame Club of Detroit from 2001-2015 and is currently a member of the club’s Lawyer Committee. She has also served as visiting faculty in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program at the Law School and in 2014 was awarded the Al McKenna Alumnus of the Year Award. Judge Lillard was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to the 3rd Circuit court in Wayne County on August 7, 2013. Her appointment was confirmed by the voters of Wayne County when she won her retention election in November 2014 and was reelected for a full 6-year term in 2018. She began her tenure in the Family-Juvenile Division and later served in the criminal division for six years. She is currently assigned to the civil division.
Personal Statement
As an undergraduate I was a dedicated student leader involved in many organizations including the campus NAACP the Black student union, the Student Alumni Relations Group and worked as a resident assistant. My dedication to service continued during my time at the law school where I worked as the Assistant Rector of Badin Hall, in the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic, volunteered with Big Brother’s Big Sisters of St Joseph County and served as President of the Black Law Student Association. During my seven years at the University of Notre Dame I was mentored and guided by many distinguished alumni such as Judge Anne Claire Williams, Dean Patricia O’Hara and Judge Willie Lipscomb who taught me the meaning of the Notre Dame Family. They impressed upon me the importance of giving back to the University by continuing to be a presence in the lives of students and participating in alumni activities. I have taken their advice to heart and over the past twenty five years I have continued in many ways to serve the university.
For over 10 years I served as a director in my local club and also three terms on the National Board of the Black alumni of Notre Dame including as regional director and secretary. I currently serve on the Detroit Club Lawyers Committee and have mentored several recent NDLS grads and other aspiring law students. Today we live in a country that seems more divided than ever along political and ideological lines. In difficult times like this, service to organizations and institutions we value is paramount. Over the years I have worked in many ways to recruit mentor and assist members of the Notre Dame Family. My involvement has shown me that it is through interacting with those who have had different life experiences and perspectives that we expand our minds and our world views. As we work together and grow we improve the University and help it to continue to live up to the ideals upon which it was founded. It is my honor and privilege to continue to give back to the community that has poured so much into me over the years. As a member of the Notre Dame family for nearly thirty years I have learned that service is not a sacrifice it is the standard.
Region 10 (Southern Connecticut, New Jersey and Southern New York)
Paul Carvelli '86 B.A., '89 J.D.
Paul, a graduate of Notre Dame (B.A. 1986) and Notre Dame Law School (J.D. 1989), is a co-founder and co-managing partner of Anselmi & Carvelli, LLP located in Morristown, New Jersey and New York City, serving clients both nationally and abroad. He has been named by Thompson Reuters as among the "Top 100 New Jersey Super Lawyers" each year since 2019 and "The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation" from 2013 to present. He is a Fellow of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (2015-present), Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (2011-present) and a longtime member of the New Jersey and Morris County Bar Associations.
From 1996 through 2021 Paul was a co-founder and co-managing partner of McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli, P.C. Before starting that firm, he worked following graduation from law school as an associate with Lowenstein, Sandler, LLP. He also served as a summer associate with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. During law school, Paul served as a Research Assistant for Professor Fernand Dutile (1988-89) and as a Resident Assistant (1987) and Assistant Rector (1988-89) of Flanner Hall. He has been an active member of the Sorin Society and the Notre Dame Club of Northern New Jersey since 1989.
Paul’s charitable efforts focus upon the Catholic Church and the autism community. He is a founding contributor and fundraiser for St. Paul Inside the Walls, a Catholic Center for Evangelization in Madison, New Jersey, having co-founded its Advocati Christi Group and co-authored two New Jersey state CLE-approved events, “The Trial on the Existence of God” and “The Trial of St. Peter.” In 2016, Paul co-founded a Special Needs Internship/Employment Program for the New Jersey Superior Court. He currently serves as a Trustee and General Counsel of Autism Tomorrow Corporation, a 501(c)(3) organization supporting programs for adults with autism based in New York City. He previously served as a Trustee and General Counsel for two 501(c)(3) schools for children with autism, Garden Academy in West Orange, New Jersey (2009-2015) and the Somerset Hills Learning Institute in Bedminster, New Jersey (2003-2009). He also served as a Steering Committee member for the Autism Center at Goryeb Children’s Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey (2015-2017).
Most importantly, Paul has two wonderful daughters, Theresa (aged 24), a part-time college student on the autism spectrum who ignited his involvement with the autism community, and Jessica (aged 23), a 2022 graduate of Notre Dame currently employed with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and attending law school beginning in the fall of 2023.
Personal Statement
Notre Dame lawyers have a special calling, to be more than just lawyers or even (for most of us) Catholic lawyers. As members of the Notre Dame community, we are called to practice our profession in a manner that serves our communities consistent with the values Notre Dame instilled in us.
For me, and especially as a Double-Domer and parent of a recent graduate, Notre Dame represents an ideal. It promotes and rewards hard work, integrity, compassion, fellowship and respect for others, and encourages community involvement and devotion to charitable endeavors, all while maintaining the highest professional conduct. It also encourages conscientious and compassionate professionalism: we may be adversaries without being adversarial. Put simply, membership in the Notre Dame community makes me want to be my best self for every personal and professional encounter -- and although I often fail, I keep trying.
Board membership with the Notre Dame Law Association is a high privilege. It conveys greater standing, impetus, and opportunity for me to serve our local and regional legal communities. From hosting Notre Dame-related events for area law students and graduates, to spreading the special camaraderie that binds our members and invites them to serve our communities, to assisting in recruiting and mentoring the finest students from our region, and serving as a sounding board, fund-raiser and resource for the Notre Dame legal community and a liaison to the Law School -- all of these enable me to better represent, with pride and humility, the values we cherish.
Region 12 (Delaware, D.C., Maryland, Eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia)
Ken Vorrasi '04 J.D.
Ken Vorrasi is a partner at Faegre Drinker in Washington, DC. His practice focuses on antitrust, advising c-suite management and boards of directors on the antitrust regulatory review of their strategic transactions and their defense of antitrust and merger litigation.
Ken joined Faegre Drinker following graduation from the Law School. He serves, and has served, in several leadership positions in his nearly twenty years at the firm, including on its partner compensation committee, hiring committee and as chair of the antitrust practice group.
Ken is active in Faegre Drinker’s long-time partnership with Catholic Charities, most recently in the representation and counseling of low-income DC-area residents and their families on a variety of matters including housing, custody, financial distress and educational opportunities.
Beyond his work on behalf of clients, Ken is active in his home community—whether it is devoting his time to school and parish activities at Blessed Sacrament or coaching CYO and little league sports teams. Ken and his wife Liz are blessed with two children, Kenny (12) and Ella (9). Together they work to serve the underserved and less fortunate in activities that provide food, clothing, and job opportunities to families in the DC-area.
Personal Statement
I have been passionate about Notre Dame since I was first welcomed to campus as a law student. I had been fortunate to that point to attend great schools and receive an excellent education. But I was told Notre Dame is different. “It’s going to change you, Ken,” I recall my good friend, an alum, told me. Well, Notre Dame is different. And us graduates, therefore, are different. That is what separates Notre Dame, its mission and its community apart. As one of my professors and life-long mentors explained – we are blessed with many talents and gifts when we arrive at Notre Dame, but Notre Dame teaches us how to use them. I believe that is the Notre Dame difference.
My time at the Law School has had an indelible impact on me as a person and as a lawyer. And I am reminded often of what my Notre Dame experience gave and taught me. I am humbled and grateful to join the NDLA Board. As a Board member, I hope to help Notre Dame carry out that difference – to help us continue to educate our students not just about laws and rules, but how to go about using the knowledge and gifts we have to help others, particularly those who have less than us.
I am the beneficiary of the Notre Dame community and the opportunities Notre Dame presents us. I continuously seek to create opportunities for fellow members of the community and have recruited over a dozen Notre Dame alumni to the firm. As a Board member, I strive to continue to pay that forward, to help make connections, open doors and create opportunities for the next generation of Notre Dame graduates through our exceptional alumni network.
It is both a personal and professional honor to serve on the NDLA Board and to further advance the mission of Notre Dame.
Regions 13/14 (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas)
Adam Russ '02 BBA, '05 J.D.
Adam J. Russ is an Equity Member in the Houston, TX office of Gordon Arata Montgomery Barnett and member of the firm’s Marketing Committee. Adam regularly counsels and advises clients in litigation and transactional matters across Texas and Ohio. Before relocating to Houston in 2018, he served as an associate and partner for thirteen years in the Commercial Litigation group at Frantz Ward LLP in Cleveland, OH. Adam graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 2005 and from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in 2002 with a B.B.A. in Finance and Business Economics, magna cum laude, and minors in Accounting and Politics, Philosophy & Economics.
Since graduation, Adam has been a highly engaged member of the Notre Dame Clubs of Cleveland and Houston. He has served for more than ten years as the UND Night chair across both cities. He helped lead various events for the ND Club of Cleveland's Young Alumni group. Adam currently is co-chair of the Notre Dame Club of Houston’s Lawyers Committee, after being a part of the inaugural lawyer committee founded in Cleveland in 2006. He serves the Law School community an ambassador to prospective students (NDLS Alumni Outreach Program – Region 13 Representative) and as a mentor to its current students (NDLS Summer Mock Interview Program – Volunteer; NDLS Mentorship Program – Attorney Mentor), including for the newly-created “First Generation” mentorship program. Beyond that, he has assisted as a guest instructor in the Law School’s Intensive Trial Advocacy program for more than a decade.
Active throughout the business and legal communities, Adam is a member of the Institute for Energy Law’s 5th Leadership Class, was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s 2011 Leadership Academy, and was a member of the Cleveland Leadership Institute’s Bridge Builders Class of 2015. He served as a member of the Ohio State Bar Association’s Council of Delegates and Young Lawyers Section Council member. He also served as an associate board member for Shoes and Clothes for Kids and as a regular volunteer for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
Adam is married to a fellow attorney, Jaclyn (Jackie) Staple, and they are the proud parents of a young daughter.
Personal Statement
For as long as I can remember, I have loved Notre Dame. Our school provided me with an experience that I cherish daily. I am committed to working tirelessly to give back to our students and alumni to help others achieve their own dream. Nearly twenty years after graduation, I remain engaged with the Law School by serving as an instructor in the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program, NDLS Alumni Outreach Program – Region 13 Representative, volunteer for the NDLS Summer Mock Interview Program, and as an attorney mentor through the NDLS Mentorship Program. I also regularly help connect alumni to each other in Texas and Ohio. I am honored to join the NDLA Board because I strongly believe in the Law School's broader mission—to educate a profession filled with “a different kind of lawyer.”
As a Board member, I continue efforts that have been near to my heart: recruiting diverse potential students, mentoring current students, and connecting our alumni to foster career opportunities. I see the Law School as having tremendous potential in the fast-growing markets within Region 13/14 to expand its presence and profile. That starts with improving our recruiting of a broad, diverse pool of incoming candidates from across the region. I also believe that opportunities exist to strengthen our ties to hiring firms and bar associations across the region to create enhanced employment opportunities. I look forward to improving networking and coordination across the various local Lawyer Committees to increase overall mentorship, referrals, and business connections. In the future, I wish to work with the NDLA Board to create an on-campus continuing education and networking/business development seminar to bring together our alumni who serve as in-house and outside counsel.
Notre Dame has had an immeasurable impact on my life and my career. I would be honored to be chosen to be a part of NDLA’s efforts and use my talents and experience to further advance the mission of Notre Dame and serve our students and alumni.
Region 17 (Florida and Puerto Rico)
Giovanni Angles '11 J.D.
Giovanni focuses his practice on international arbitration and complex business litigation. He represents individuals, corporations, and sovereign governments in international commercial and investment treaty arbitrations. He has handled disputes before such institutions as the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, the ICC International Court of Arbitration, and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. These representations include consultations on dispute resolution clauses and enforcement of arbitral awards in U.S. courts. He has also co-authored amicus briefs on New York Convention and arbitrability issues before the U.S. Supreme Court and Florida Supreme Court. Giovanni graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 2011. He was a member of the Notre Dame Law Review and served as Notes and Submissions Editor for Volume 86. Giovanni is a Board Member of the Miami International Arbitration Society, and Vice President of the International Arbitration Commission of the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA). He was also appointed by AIJA as Regional Representative for the United States (Florida) and served as co-academic coordinator for the 60th International Young Lawyers' Congress in Singapore.
Personal Statement
I am honored and grateful to my friends who have encouraged me to run for the NDLA Board. I have a deep appreciation for the opportunities that being a Domer has provided me. Even as a 1L, I met several NDLA Board members who went out of their way to offer me job hunting advice and invite me to social events. Over the years, I have paid it forward by informally mentoring NDLS students from my hometown, my law firm, and even random LinkedIn requests. As Region 17 Director, I am ready to assist ND students and graduates with their career advancement goals. Aside from my local alumni contacts, my cross-border practice and international bar association work includes lawyers across many foreign jurisdictions and practice areas. Whether through mentorships or by participating in board meetings and committee work, I hope to advance the mission of Notre Dame and the Law School as a member of the NDLA Board.
At Large (Young Alumni)
Claudia Tran '17 J.D.
Claudia Tran is native of Kansas City, Missouri and currently works with Hostess Brands as Corporate Counsel. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2014 with a BA in psychology and continued her education at Notre Dame for law school, graduating in 2017. While in law school, Claudia interned for Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer, the University of North Carolina Athletics Department, and the Notre Dame Athletics Department. She served on the Journal of Legislation and as the Alumni Relations Director for Student Bar Association. Following graduation, Claudia stayed with the local general practice firm she summered at before moving to the Kansas City office of the international labor and employment law firm Ogletree Deakins in 2019, where she focused her practice on single plaintiff employment defense. After three years at Ogletree, Claudia moved in-house to Hostess Brands in October 2022. She is currently enjoying fresh Twinkies and the benefits and challenges of in-house practice.
In addition to being an active participant in the Kansas City Notre Dame Law School Alumni group, Claudia also serves on the House Corporation Board for her sorority, Alpha Phi, at the University of Missouri. She lives in Overland Park, Kansas, with her husband, also a 2017 Notre Dame Law School graduate.
Personal Statement
Notre Dame alumni have had an enormous impact on the attorney I am today. I have been passionately involved with Notre Dame alumni, and in particular the Notre Dame Law Association, since my first year on campus. While in law school, many of my fondest memories involved getting to know NDLA Board Members past and present at happy hours and lunches, and during my second and third years at NDLS I had the opportunity to help organize alumni/student get-togethers. To this day, I continue to count members of the NDLA Board as friends and mentors. I’ve been lucky to secure internships and positions through working with Notre Dame alumni, but even more so, I’ve had many conversations with Notre Dame alumni who helped shape my personal and professional philosophies. Through every stage of my legal career, I have benefitted from the advice of Notre Dame alumni on how to succeed in law school, what practice area I want to go into, the art of private practice, moving in-house, and how to balance it all. I have been looking forward to the opportunity to give back to the community that has given me so much, and I am honored to serve as the At-Large (Young Alumni) NDLA Board position.