FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The FAME Center for Fashion, Arts, Media & Entertainment Law Presents: The FAME 2016 Lecture
THE INTERSECTION OF LUXURY & LAW AT CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW
A Conversation with John D. Idol, CEO of Michael Kors, and Lee S. Sporn, General Counsel of Michael Kors
February 17, 2016 –- New York, NY -- Nearly 200 lawyers and law students gathered last night at Cardozo School of Law to hear a lecture by John D. Idol, CEO of Michael Kors Holdings Limited, and Lee S. Sporn, Michael Kors' Senior Vice President - Business Affairs and General Counsel. The lecture marks the start of the law school’s 2016 Fashion & Law Event Series, hosted by the Center for Fashion, Arts, Media & Entertainment Law (FAME Center) at Cardozo Law. The events are a continuation of ongoing talks and conferences about the intersection of business and law in the creative industries of fashion, arts, media and entertainment.
The relationship between a chief executive officer and the general counsel of any company is necessarily complex. The CEO’s mission to innovate, drive business, and expand into new products and territories is tempered by constantly evolving legal rights and obligations. That mission is particularly challenging for a business that is both public and global in nature.
During last night’s discussions, Idol asserted that a good general counsel must operate as a business partner, not just a person who knows the law. Both Idol and Sporn discussed the importance of creating a tone from the top focused on compliance, and that processes are in place to ensure that compliance issues are fully considered before any business action is taken.
When asked by Leslie Fagan, Senior Partner at Paul Weiss and the evening’s moderator, to describe how the general counsel functions as guardian of the company, Sporn stressed the importance of being fully integrated into the business to support its goals while ensuring compliance and minimizing potential liability.
Having worked together for over 25 years, these two executives brought a singular perspective to the challenges confronted in fully integrating the legal function into an entrepreneurial, driven business environment.
While discussing Sporn, Idol said, “one of Lee's great strengths is to sit down with the other party and use his wisdom and balance to get results.” Sporn said that, apart from brand enforcement, he considers litigation to be a terrible method of dispute resolution, stating: "if litigation occurs it means someone is being irrational." He said that focusing on face-to-face negotiations and an abundance of patience will eventually lead to a better resolution than what would result from litigation.
“The FAME Center is the place for lawyers to understand the creative industries and how to get ahead in a world where decisions related to brand and intellectual property are made in real-time with enormous consequences to the bottom line,” said Barbara Kolsun, co-director of The FAME Center at Cardozo Law. “It’s an incredible value for our students and lawyers in the field to get an inside look at one of the leading fashion companies in the world.”
The FAME Center at Cardozo School of Law, through its unique access to companies and professionals throughout the Fashion, Arts, Media and Entertainment industries, provides unprecedented training and development opportunities relating to the representation of businesses driven by the creative process.
The FAME Center offers rigorous academic coursework, as well as externships, clinics and symposia featuring industry leaders and practitioners, focused on the practical realities of counseling clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. The program is designed to teach students to confront business challenges which are evolving faster than ever in the era of social media. Through a collaboration among Cardozo’s faculty, industry leaders and other institutions focused on the creative arts and entertainment businesses, the FAME Center provides unique insights into the intersection of law and business in the fashion, performing and visual arts, entertainment, sports, industrial design, media, and film industries.
Leading fashion industry attorneys with decades of experience, Barbara Kolsun and Lee Sporn co-direct the FAME Center, which has been shaped by a dynamic advisory board of industry leaders.
For information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean of Communications
212.790.0237
DeNatale@yu.edu