Spiwe L. Jefferson

Deputy General Counsel at Amplify

Spiwe Jefferson leads teams and advises in core legal areas including: all aspects of HR and employment, regulatory compliance, ethics, anti-bribery, international law, government procurement, cyber and information security, complex commercial agreements, commercial insurance, business and legal risk mitigation, claims / disputes / litigation.

Spiwe is also a certified mindfulness practitioner and author of the book Mindful in 5: A Year of 5-Minute Meditations for People with No Time, available at myriad book outlets including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books.

My Articles

Group of humanoid robots lined up in a row.

Skills and Professional Development

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

ChatGPT and AI Applications for In-house Lawyers

AI-powered tools can help in-house lawyers be more productive. But be sure you understand the best ways to deploy the technology before jumping on the bandwagon. #ACCDocket #AI

Skills and Professional Development

5 Steps to Effective Mindful Leadership

The better we take care of ourselves, the more effectively we can serve our clients and stakeholders. While there is no quick fix or miracle cure, mindfulness can help lawyers reduce stress and improve leadership.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Autonomous Vehicles – Future Risks Come to Roost

The area of autonomous vehicle liability will continue to evolve for years to come. Notwithstanding technological novelty, it is unlikely that the existing body of law governing litigated claims will be swept away by sensors and batteries. More likely, new elements will be developed that build on and perhaps morph the laws we currently have.

multidistrict litigation, where multiple people are in individual circles. versus class actions, where multiple people are in one big circle

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Litigation Nightmares: How to Tame Class Actions and Multidistrict Litigation

This article touches on the similarities and differences presented by class actions and MDLs and offers a few pointers to tame those respective nightmares.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

7 Strategies to a Multidistrict Litigation Victory

Companies faced with an MDL can employ these seven strategies to mitigate exposure and exit the case at the earliest opportunity.

several documents being discussed around a table

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

7 Steps for Coronavirus Litigation Preparedness

The litigation underway suggests that additional consumer and commercial disputes will likely follow due to the outbreak of COVID-19. While it is impossible to predict the nature and extent of any related litigation, claims could develop in several areas.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

5 Checkpoints for Strategic Litigation Planning

The strategy you employ to manage your litigation portfolio can increase the likelihood of having satisfied stakeholders and sound fiscal management. This article includes checkpoints every litigation manager can use in an arsenal of successful strategies.

two women wearing winter clothes and holding hot beverages

Skills and Professional Development

3 Ways to Reduce Employee Stress During the Holidays

Holiday activities that cause the greatest stress include cleaning the house, cooking, and gift shopping — selecting the right gifts and maneuvering through lines and crowds to buy them. Since it is difficult to truly compartmentalize, holiday stress is likely to bleed into the workplace and affect employee morale and performance.

International Symbol of Access on a keyboard

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Is Your Website at Risk for ADA Litigation in the United States?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States requires certain businesses to accommodate people with disabilities. Lawsuits against large corporations, small businesses, and government entities with consumer-facing websites are on the rise.

Compliance and Ethics

Update: 5 Ethics Lessons Lawyers Can Learn from Michael Cohen

Regardless of your stance on the Cohen/Trump relationship, Cohen’s plight should serve as a cautionary tale to lawyers everywhere. It is especially relevant to in-house lawyers whose careers and daily work are often dependent on a single company with a sole group of business professionals.

Employment and Labor

Using a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to Halt a Former Employer's Noncompete

Courts generally dislike the restraint on trade inherent in noncompete agreements. The treatment of noncompete agreements is state and country specific, so when tackling a noncompete, a critical first step is understanding how the applicable jurisdiction views these agreements.

Employment and Labor

I’m Out! 7 Things to Do When a Key Employee Leaves

Key employees are highly valued, usually highly compensated, and have key decision-making roles in the organization. Their position and seniority also gives them access to deeply sensitive corporate information; they know where the bodies are buried! It is important to take measured steps to protect the company upon notice of the voluntary departure of a key employee.

Employment and Labor

Did We Say That? Taming Communications for Litigation

Poor or careless communications can affect the company’s reputation and compromise competitiveness. They can expose the company and individuals to civil or criminal liability, and negatively impact the company’s position in lawsuits and investigations.

Employment and Labor

No Bodies to Throw at Conflict Minerals: 9 Ways to Resolve the Ethical Problem

Our fictitious legal team look for ways to stay competitive in the face of significant requirements related to conflict minerals, with no authority to add headcount.

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

Why and How to Remove Metadata from Documents

Converting to PDF isn't enough. When converting the format of a document, whether it is from word to PDF or another form, the document’s original content is stored and preserved as metadata in the new PDF file.

Law Department Management

Technology, Privacy, and eCommerce

eReadiness: To Save the Company, Save the Right Documents

When good is not good enough, how do you establish a consistent, measurable, and defensible global document retention program with high accountability from senior leadership down the chain of command, without adding legal staff, hiring an army of consultants, or buying expensive technologies?