Nancy Geenen

Biography

Nancy J. Geenen, MA Ed., JD, is a Founder and the
Managing Director of Suann Ingle Communications, a
member of the CompassLys Group.
Suann Ingle Communications helps attorneys and executives
deliver great presentations, integrating the principles
of graphic design, focus group and jury research,
purposeful communication techniques, and interactive
presentation technology to achieve consistent and effective presentations in
the courtroom or the boardroom. Nancy formulates strategy and trains her
clients in presentation and communication skills. As a practicing lawyer, Nancy
has tried or arbitrated over 150 business disputes, including commercial, financial,
and intellectual property cases. She counsels clients on risk assessment
and litigation management, consults with trial teams in bench and jury
trials, settlement, mediation, and arbitration, and offers trial skills training to
law firms.
In 1998 and 1999, Nancy worked in Geneva, Switzerland for the United Nations
Compensation Commission as team leader and senior legal officer.
While working at the UN, she investigated and prosecuted over $10 billion
in contract claims and other business injuries filed by 420 business entities
from 45 countries and incurred as a result of the 1990 Gulf War. Nancy
was named a Northern California SuperLawyer in business and intellectual
property litigation from 2004 through 2010.
In 2010, Nancy was elected to the inaugural class of the Forever Influential
Business Women Hall of Fame by The San Francisco Business Times. During
her three terms as Managing Partner for the Northern California offices of
Foley & Lardner LLP, Nancy joined the list of Most Influential Business Women
in the Bay Area for six consecutive years. She also served three terms
on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce with
two consecutive terms as an at-large member of the Executive Committee.
A current member of the Women’s President Organization, she served one
year on its Board of Directors.
With over 25 years of legal and management experience in the United States
and Europe, Nancy speaks and writes frequently on leadership, risk analysis,
and jury trial presentation. Her recent articles and presentations in81
Ten Daily Habits of a Leader
clude: Business Development for Attorneys: Using Trial Consultants with End
Clients, The Jury Expert, The American Association of Trial Consultants, January
2012; Eureka! Moments on the Path to Successful Visual Presentations
in the Courtroom, The Jury Expert, The American Association of Trial Consultants,
September 2011; Networking: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, SF Bar
Association, January 2010; Foundations for Developing and Implementing
Strategic Plans, UC Hastings College of Law, Leadership Academy for Women,
July 2010; Women Leading Law Firms, Law Practice and Management,
Bar Association of San Francisco, January 2010; Managing Partner Q&A,
Law Practice Magazine, December 2008; Taking Risks, Making Decisions, &
Other Challenges of Women Law Firm Leaders, UC Hastings College of Law,
Leadership Academy for Women, July 2008; Effective Mentoring of Women
Attorneys, Retaining & Developing Women Lawyers, ACI, December 2007;
Club v. Business, Managing the Evolving Law Firm, American Legal Administrators,
National Conference, 2005; Beating the Odds: Success Strategies
for Creating Gender Equity in the Legal Profession, State Bar Association of
California, 2004; Developing Law Firm Leaders, Edge International, 2003;
Courtroom Psychology and Trial Advocacy, Richard Waites (2003), contributing
writer on Opening Statements.