
Fashion Group International® of Greater Washington, DC, Inc presents
Fashion Business Workshops
A Workshop series aimed to provide fashion and creative industry focused entrepreneurs with knowledge, tools, and resources that will grow and strengthen their businesses.
Lessons on Legal – A panel of fashion law experts join us for an evening of education as we uncover the importance of trademarks, copywriting and common inquiries that arise in the fashion community.
Date: May 16, 2017
Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Location: Canvas Co/Work
1203 19th Street NW Washington, DC 20036
Tickets:
FGIDC Members – $15
Non-Members – $25
At the Door – $30
RSVP today, we look forward to connecting, learning and engaging with you at the #FGIDCWorkshops!


Hilary Jochmans – Moderator + FGIDC Member
Hilary Francoise Jochmans is president of Jochmans Consulting, LLC, a boutique government affairs practice. She works with clients to determine their policy goals in Washington and New York and to craft an appropriate and effective advocacy plan at the state and federal levels. She focuses on financial services, technology, economic development and fashion. Hilary has also written on political and regulatory issues of importance to the fashion and retail industry. Hilary has over 15 years of political and government experience in Washington and New York. Most recently before founding the company, Hilary was the Director of the New York State Governor’s Office in Washington for both Andrew Cuomo and David Paterson, and the Deputy Director for Eliot Spitzer. In that capacity, she served as the Governor’s chief liaison with Congressional leadership, the NY Congressional delegation and federal agencies. In addition, she worked to develop and execute the Governor’s federal agenda and lobbying strategy to advance the priorities of the state. Hilary also spent 11 years on Capitol Hill working for Senator Tom Carper of Delaware and for Congressman Gary Ackerman of New York. Hilary holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. In addition, she completed the Fordham Fashion Law Institute Summer Intensive Program. She is an active member of several bar associations including the New York City Bar Association Fashion Law Committee where she has organized and spoken on several panels including Wearable Technology Policy Updates, Made in NY, and Lobbying 101, as well as the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Design in the Digital Age and Cardozo Law School’s Conscious Couture: How U.S. Fashion Companies Are Addressing Problems in Overseas Garment Factories. She is admitted to the US Supreme Court Bar and the New York State Bar. Hilary is a member of the Women’s High Tech Coalition and the Fashion Group International DC chapter.

Nicole Cober – Panelist
Born to blaze trails, Nicole Cober’s entrepreneurial spirit was cultivated as the owner and operator of Soul Day Spa and Salon, a spa and hair salon chain that served as a revitalization catalyst in a burgeoning area of the Nation’s Capital. Over the course of nearly ten years, Soul would be acclaimed for its ingenuity, five-star quality service, and avant-garde branding. The spas were spotlighted in a number of national media outlets, including Essence, People, Allure, The Washingtonian, American Spa, Salon Today, The Washington Post, Upscale, Black Enterprise and the CBS Morning Show to name a few. Soul was featured on the Style Network’s reality show, “Ambush Makeover,” and earned recognition by the Washington City Paper for “Best Stylist” and “Best Spa.” A community champion, Nicole and her team annually partnered with Rachel’s Women’s Shelter in Washington, D.C. to provide complimentary services to residents. Having come full circle in her exciting professional journey, Nicole currently blends her entrepreneurial, business, and legal prowess to offer a distinct suite of services as the Principal Managing Partner of Cober Johnson & Romney. Affectionately known about town as “The Lawyerpreneur”, she takes the concept of business consulting a few steps further, providing a blueprint for gaining business clarity, portraying and positioning authentic brands, and legally protecting those brands, intellectual properties, and creative works. She empowers start-ups and local small businesses to reach their full potential with her creative effective branding and growth strategies. A zealous advocate for her clients, her experience spans a broad spectrum of industries, including entertainment, beauty, creative, and cosmeceutical. She is also a mentor for SCORE and an instructor for the “Emerging Leaders Initiative”; both programs are affiliated with the Small Business Administration. Further, Nicole is a sought-after media influencer who provides her expertise to an array of local and national media. She is a regular small business contributor for American Express OPEN Forum, Black Enterprise, and Citibank’s Women and Co., and she serves as a regular on-air small business consultant for Fox 5 DC and WJLA-TV’s NewsChannel 8. On Fox 5 DC, Nicole also served as the expert for the station’s “Business Savvy Sundays” series. She has also fostered strong relationships with radio outlets such as Sirius, WPGC, WHUR and WKYS and print outlets such as the Washington Post, Allure, Essence, Ebony/Jet, Washingtonian, and People. Nicole also shares her advice with audiences large and small as a public speaker and coach. Nicole is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Howard University School of Law. Prior to Soul Day Spa, Nicole was a litigation associate at Dickstein Shapiro, one of Washington DC’s largest and most renowned law firms. At Dickstein, she specialized in employment and antitrust law. Nicole was also senior law clerk for Chief Judge Annice Wagner of the DC Court of Appeals.

Mariessa Terrell – Panelist
Mariessa Terrell is a native Washingtonian who has been practicing law for over 16 years, specializing in trademark, copyright, licensing and contracts. Through her firm, SBC Law Group, Mariessa provides marketing, software licensing and intellectual property law services to a variety of corporate and business development clients. In 2003, Mariessa created Fashion Trademarks, a special division of SBC Law Group dedicated to addressing the unique needs of fashion designers, artists and cosmetic companies. In 2015 Mariessa assumed the role of Adjunct Professor at Howard Law School and Supervising Attorney of the Howard University School of Law IP Law Clinic. In addition to practicing law, Mariessa serves as the Executive Director of the High Tea Society, a mentoring program for girls. Mariessa also produces and hosts a 30 min episodic DCN television series featuring her alter ego Simone Butterfly Fabulous Freelance Fashion Investigator. The TV show is best described as “Fashion & Intellectual Property Attorney, Mariessa Terrell and her quixotic, animated, alter ego, Simone Butterfly, profiles District of Columbia innovators in the fields of fashion, culinary arts and design and advises on ways to protect their creativity using intellectual property law.” Tune in on Fridays at 9pm to watch on Comcast channel 13; RCN channel 16; Verizon channel 16; streaming live at http://video.oct.dc.gov/DCN/jw.html; or YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/SimoneButterflyCo.