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Biography

Clara Duffield is a solo practitioner with in-house and large firm experience including:

OUTSIDE GENERAL COUNSEL. Clara acts as outside general counsel for a range of businesses, offering thoughtful, business-savvy, and tailored advice.

CONTRACTS. Clara negotiates a broad range of general corporate and vendor contracts.

TECHNOLOGY. Clara represents both vendors and customers in SaaS, cloud, hardware, software, privacy, and professional services transactions.

START-UPS. Clara advises start-up clients on every aspect of establishing new businesses, including initial structuring, engaging vendors, bringing in investors, and providing equity compensation to employees, consultants, and advisors.

PRIVACY. Clara manages every aspect of privacy and cybersecurity, from both a regulatory compliance and intellectual property protection perspective, including drafting and updating internal and external policies, and negotiating third-party contracts and agreements.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE. From simple corporate leases to complex multi-property financings, Clara handles all types of commercial real estate transactions.

CORPORATE STRUCTURING. Clara works with clients and their third-party advisors to create appropriate and uniquely tailored corporate structures, and to modify and adjust those structures as necessary to accommodate growth.

COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS. Clara handles mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and many other similar matters.

AUDITS. Clara assists clients in managing every aspect of vendor and exchange audits.

DATA AND RESEARCH. Clara negotiates data and research contracts of every type, ranging from large exchanges and standard research to small, non-traditional data companies and bespoke studies.

EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIPS. From adding new exchange memberships to updating existing contracts, Clara establishes and maintains client relationships with worldwide exchanges.

ELECTRONIC TRADING. Whether developing and negotiating form electronic trading contracts for platform operators, or representing trading participants, Clara's electronic trading experience extends worldwide across all asset classes, programs, and structures.

ALPHA CAPTURE. Clara establishes and manages proprietary alpha capture platforms, and advises regarding third-party platforms.

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Areas of Law and Practice

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Jurisdictions

• Federal
• Illinois

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Employment History

• Owner | Duffield Law, P.C.

  2017 -

  • Acts as outside general counsel, including providing general legal advice, managing legal spend, and overseeing external counsel relationships, and provides overflow support to in-house legal departments with respect to vendor and customer relationships, technology, privacy, data security, regulatory compliance, and a wide variety of other transactional matters.
  • Negotiates and finalizes technology contracts, website and platform terms, data and research agreements, electronic trading agreements, alpha capture platform agreements, consulting agreements, non-disclosure agreements, SaaS, software, and hardware agreements, software distribution agreements, professional services agreements, loan documents, and other vendor and corporate contracts.
  • Counsels clients regarding a wide range of transactional matters, including start-up fundraising, corporate formation and structuring, intellectual property, data security, technology, data management and privacy, customer and vendor relationships, and other business matters.

• In-House IP, Technology, Data, Research, and Vendor Counsel | Citadel

  2010 - 2017

  • Lead internal and external attorney team in finalizing technology contracts, software licenses, SaaS and cloud contracts, vendor agreements, market data agreements, consulting agreements, research agreements, non-disclosure agreements, electronic trading agreements, market making agreements, master services agreements, colocation agreements, outsourcing agreements, employment agreements, loan documents, and many other types of contracts.
  • Supervised outside counsel in licensing and other intellectual property matters, privacy, data security, trademark portfolio management, leasing and real estate transactions, commercial agreements, and general transactional projects, including patent prosecution, internal corporate structuring, and vendor contract management.
  • Supported a wide variety of businesses, including front-office proprietary trading, client-facing investment management, registered broker-dealer, software and information technology services and sales, real estate and lending, and human resources, procurement, and other back-office functions.

• Real Estate and Hospitality Attorney | Baker & McKenzie

  2004 - 2010

  • Negotiated and drafted legal documents, including financing documents, letters, of intent, purchase and sale agreements, joint venture agreements, organizational documents, hotel management agreements, technical services agreements, legal opinions, letters of credit, mortgages, loan agreements, construction contracts, and leases.
  • Managed client relationships, including client interaction during all stages of transactions and managed due diligence for transactions, including the oversight of multiple associates and paralegals.
  • Coordinated with domestic and foreign local counsel for multi-state and international transactions.
  • Acted as de facto in house counsel on behalf of business clients, including overseeing litigation and settling disputes, negotiating and finalizing employment and confidentiality agreements, separation agreements, settlement agreements, brokerage arrangements, easements, leasing transactions, and construction agreements, and advising clients regarding a variety of legal and business matters.
  • Specialized in transactions relating to hotels, resorts, and tourism, including the purchase, sale and financing of hotel properties and the negotiation of hotel management agreements.

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Education

• J.D. | University of Chicago

  1999 - 2002

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Attorney Rating and Feedback

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Publications and Presentations

No Publications

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