Member Spotlight - South Florida Women In-House Counsel Group

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Ana C. Velez

Senior Counsel

Verizon

Law School & Year: Cornell Law School, 2006

What impact has being a member of the South Florida Women In-House Counsel Group had for you?

Being a member of the South Florida Women In-House Counsel Group has been a deeply enriching experience as it has provided me with a space to connect with like-minded women lawyers who navigate similar professional landscapes and share common life experiences. One of the highlights was to serve as the Event Committee Chair which provided a rewarding leadership opportunity. Beyond the opportunities for leadership and networking, the true value of this group lies in the genuine friendships that I have made and in the sense of camaraderie that the group has which is very special. We are invested in each other’s growth and consistently show up for one another both professionally and personally.

What is your current role, and can you describe a typical day in your position?

As Lead Counsel for Verizon’s Straight Talk, Tracfone, and Walmart Family Mobile prepaid brands, I support the delivery of wireless services to over 11 million subscribers. My role is deeply integrated with our commercial teams, where I provide strategic guidance on everything from complex advertising law and contract matters to regulatory compliance and the ethical use of AI. There is rarely a “typical” day, as my priorities shift alongside the immediate needs of the business. On any given day, I might be attending a project kick-off for a major product launch, drafting comprehensive terms and conditions for a new service or plan feature, or reviewing television and social media assets to ensure compliance with FTC and state consumer protection laws. I often spend my time meeting with cross-functional partners to navigate the legal nuances of new service features or promotions, ensuring that our marketing claims are substantiated and our customer communications are transparent. Ultimately, my goal is to balance risk mitigation with a seamless customer experience for our prepaid subscribers.

What area(s) of law do you specialize in, and what drew you to this particular field?

I currently specialize in advertising and privacy law which has been an exciting “reinvention” of my legal career. After starting in commercial litigation and later serving as an inhouse legal generalist, I transitioned into a business line attorney role following Verizon’s acquisition of my prior company. As part of the team that supports the Chief Revenue Officer of our prepaid brands, I was able to lean heavily into my CIPP/US privacy certification as many advertising issues involve the use and sharing of data, including customers data. While I initially “fell into” this niche, I was fortunate to have a mentor earlier in my career who had trained me in advertising law, giving me a foundation I could build upon in this new chapter. Today, I find it incredibly rewarding to work so closely with our commercial teams and to be a strategic partner to the business rather than just a legal reviewer. I’ve learned that specializing not only provides deep professional satisfaction, but also creates a portable, high-value skill set that opens doors. I never imagined this path at the start of my career, but I couldn’t be happier with where it has led.

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to enter the legal field?

My first piece of advice is to spend time thoroughly researching the areas of the law that you are interested in and to speak with practicing attorneys before law school. It is difficult to gauge the reality of legal work from TV or from law school classrooms. While I knew I wanted to be an advocate from a young age, my time as a paralegal in a small firm still didn't fully prepare me for the realities of big-law commercial litigation as the way the smaller firm attorneys practiced was completely different from what I ended up doing.

Second, treat your career like a business. Even as a junior attorney, always look for ways to add tangible value to your organization. Finally – and most importantly – trust your intuition. If you feel that a work environment isn't the right fit, listen to that gut feeling. You shouldn't have to cut off a toe to make the shoe fit. Have the confidence to know when it’s time to move on to a place where you can truly thrive.

Edna Falla-Quintanilla
Head of Corporate Legal
FIFA

Law School & Year: Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia, 1999, post-graduate degree in Commercial Law at Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, 2001, and LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School in 2005

LinkedIn: Edna Falla-Quintanilla | LinkedIn

What impact has being a member of the South Florida Women In-House Counsel Group had for you?

It has been a privilege to be a member of the South Florida Women In-House Counsel Group for many years, and to witness its growth and impact in our community. Personally, this group has taught me the importance of building a strong professional network. As a foreign attorney, practicing law in a new country can be daunting. When you practice in-house, this is even more critical as you may not be surrounded by many other attorneys, and it can be difficult to fit in. When I found the SFWIHCG, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I met many talented colleagues ready to offer a helping hand, share experiences and build a community. Over the years, this community has grown stronger, and it is now a solid professional network that has opened doors for me and for many others. Whether you need help with referrals, job searches, the latest on data privacy regulations, how to use AI in your work or where to find the best legal software, this group is ready to lend a hand. And to top it all off, you will make lifelong friendships along the way!

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to enter the legal field?

One of the most rewarding parts of being in this group is the opportunity to meet younger attorneys and share some (hopefully) helpful advice. Something I always like to say is that you should not begin building a network only when you need it, because by then it will be too late. Building a professional network needs to be part of your daily life, and you can rest assured that those connections you have built over the years will be there for you when you need them.

Secondly, I urge younger lawyers to get out of their comfort zone, to raise their hands and volunteer to learn something new and expose themselves to different professional opportunities. This helps them build a stronger profile and can open doors for them in the future.

Finally, you should make it your job to learn the business of your organization. In-house attorneys are no longer confined to the four walls of the Legal Department. We need to become strategic business advisors and for that, we need to know how our organizations work, what are the top goals and challenges for the business, understand the industry and look beyond the legal world.

What inspired you to pursue a career in law?

At 10 years old, I already knew that I wanted to be a lawyer and I never changed my mind. I owe this to my dad, who had started Law School before I was born but had to suspend his studies to work full time to support our family. When I was in elementary school, he decided to go back to school, studying at night and working during the day. We engaged in lively debates over dinner about politics and legal issues and I loved going through his books. I was also intrigued by how most of the main characters in my history books were lawyers, from Generals to Presidents, and that relationship between law and power was fascinating to me. Over the years, my mom and teachers encouraged me to explore other career paths because I excelled in math — but who says lawyers can’t be great at math too?

Can you share a memorable or funny story from your time practicing law?

I recently went through a very drastic change of industries. After 14 years in the transportation and logistics sector with FedEx, I decided to join the sports and entertainment arena with FIFA. Doing this when I have over 20 years of experience practicing law has been humbling! I have always loved football and thought I knew a lot about the game, but I quickly found that I was entering a whole new world. When I met my new team, I wanted to share the things I had learned during orientation, like how a football field was called a “pitch” (who knew, right?) and they kindly just nodded. After a few days working together, I realized that everyone in my team was a football expert and they just did not want to make me feel bad! I have made the best out of acknowledging that there are many things I don’t know. Learning keeps you young!

Cindy Jacobs
Attorney
Salesforce

Law School & Year: University of Miami, School of Law, J.D. 1994

LinkedIn: Cindy Jacobs | LinkedIn

What impact has being a member of the South Florida Women In-House Counsel Group had for you?

As a founding member of this Group with Sira, I am honored to be part of the South Florida Women In-House Counsel. For me it is always important to “give back” as I have been so lucky in my several decade legal career to receive coaching and mentoring from several lawyers along the way. So, the impact for me is to “stop and be grateful” for all that I have learned and accomplished being an in-house attorney, and to meet and mentor the younger attorneys coming behind me. I love the camaraderie and collegiality of this group. We do a combo of fun and learning activities but all within a great group of women.

What inspired you to pursue a career in law?

My inspiration for pursuing a legal career actually came from my career in banking as a corporate loan officer for several years. After earning a Liberal Arts degree from Vanderbilt and spending several years living in Madrid, I pursued an MBA at the University of Miami to deepen my involvement in the business world. Following graduation, I joined Bank of America’s corporate lending program and advanced to an AVP/Commercial Lending Officer role.

In that capacity, I worked closely with outside counsel to structure and document complex lending transactions for corporate clients. Through that collaboration, I discovered a strong interest in the legal side of deal-making—particularly in crafting and negotiating the agreements that bring transactions to life. Encouraged by one of the attorneys I worked with, I made the decision to attend law school at the University of Miami.

From the outset, my motivation for entering the legal profession was grounded in transactions, rather than litigation. More than three decades after graduating from law school, I continue to find deep satisfaction in practicing law—on my own terms within a corporation and in the way that best aligns with my strengths and interests.

How do you align legal strategies with the overall business goals in your company?
In order to align legal strategies to the overall business goals of the company, your first step is to learn as much as you can about the company, its people, its products and services, its history, and its risk tolerance. I would recommend that when you start a new role it is a good idea to meet with persons from the various business areas to obtain background information about the company and its business and goals. Once you have spent a lot of time doing “due diligence” on the company and its people, you can then consider the legal strategies that you would consider important, and you will be more prepared to give solid guidance. To me, the most important skill you can work on is getting invited to the meetings all over the company, building trust with the business so that they come to get your advice and input early on and then make sure to publicize your “wins” when you are able to successfully support the business. End goal is to be invited to the meetings where your advice is sought after and not having to be brought in as an “after thought”. You always want to be top of mind to the business leaders. So, a coffee every few months with the leaders is important. It doesn’t have to be so formal, it could be grabbing a lunch or just a check in session of some kind.

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