Lecturer Bios
Helen Diana (“Heidi”) Reavis, Esq.
Helen Diana (“Heidi”) Reavis is Managing Partner of Reavis Page Jump LLP and leads the firm’s Employment Group. Ms. Reavis’ practice areas include corporate operations, intellectual property and media law, employment matters and dispute resolution. She regularly counsels on general company and organization matters, employment compliance, brand management and intellectual property development, as well as sensitive dispute resolution in a range of industries. Her work includes company expansion and restructuring, internal documentation and policy materials, executive compensation, employment agreements, hiring and separation arrangements, and internal company practices. She also counsels companies and organizations, as well as individuals, with respect to discrimination claims and the resolution of workplace issues. The firm also counsels companies and non-profit organizations on management and workplace training, internal investigations, regulatory matters, agency filings, as well as conciliation, mediation, arbitration and litigation. Early in her law career, Ms. Reavis worked abroad for several law firms located in Europe, Australia and Asia, and today the firm also assists companies entering the US market with an array of legal needs with particular focus on employment, intellectual property and business operations.
Ms. Reavis has been a guest lecturer at Columbia Law School, New York University, Georgetown University, the University of California, Fordham University School of Law, and others. She has contributed to and moderated panels arranged by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Practicing Law Institute, Oxford University, Georgetown University Business School, and industry organizations, conferences and film festivals. She has been Counsel to and Chairman of the Board of Women Creating Change (formerly the Women’s City Club of New York); Counsel to and on the Board and Executive Committee of Women Make Movies; and a member of the Women’s Forum. Ms. Reavis was formerly on the Board of the Friends Seminary School, where she was Chair of the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee and has always advocated the removal of “legacy” as a preference category in admissions. She been recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation for her successful work in Title IX desegregation in scholastic sports, and received the Women Creating Change coveted Centennial Civic Spirit Award for her transformational work in anti-discrimination, employment law, and the use of television and film for social and legal change. Prior to law school, Ms. Reavis worked and received essential training at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit and Trial Division.
Ms. Reavis also maintains an active film and television law and production practice, with particular emphasis on law-related subjects and legislative impact. Ms. Reavis and her husband, Steven M. Engel, have collaborated on television series and human rights films produced for major television broadcasters, in addition to productions for the United Nations and non-profit organizations. They produced the award-winning feature documentary film, ‘A Walk to Beautiful’, on the subject of obstetric fistula, infant mortality and maternal health care, for which Ms. Reavis, in her personal capacity, received an Emmy® Award. ‘A Walk to Beautiful’ was featured and won awards at over 35 film festivals around the world, including the Best Feature Documentary Award from the International Documentary Association, was among the feature films considered for Academy Award® nomination, and won the Best Documentary Emmy® Award for the television version of the film. This success along with their outreach led to US Congressional screenings, private funding and federal legislative initiatives to improve maternal and infant health care and education in developing nations. Ms. Reavis also co-executive produced the feature documentary ‘Missing in Brooks County’, which was used to educate Congress and led to recent federal legislation providing forensic aid and humanitarian relief along the US/Mexico border. She is currently producing the new feature documentary film, ‘Loud Enough’, about conflicting definitions of “consent” and abuses of prosecutorial discretion when it comes to prosecuting sex-related crimes, scheduled for release in 2023.
Ms. Reavis graduated with a B.A. from Smith College (magna cum laude, 1981), was First in Class at the University of Lund, Sweden (1983) and received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School (1986). She has had the highest Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer rating (5.0 out of 5.0) consistently since 1996, has been selected to Super Lawyers for the New York Metro area every year since in 2019, and was selected an Inaugural ALM Northeast Trailblazer in 2021. She is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Nicole Page, Esq.
Nicole Page is a Partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP and practices in the areas of entertainment, employment and intellectual property. Ms. Page leads the firm’s Entertainment Group.
Ms. Page advises producers of both non-fiction and fiction film, television, digital and cross-platform productions. She assists in everything from structuring financing, rights acquisition, cast and crew agreements, pre-publication review and fair use analysis, to distribution strategy and agreements. She also represents creative talent, athletes, models and authors in their various endeavors, and negotiates executive compensation deals for top talent at leading networks and entertainment companies. Having spent over a decade as Head of Business Affairs and Senior Development Executive at a production company, she understands production from a business perspective.
In her employment practice, Ms. Page assists both individuals and companies on a range of matters, including workplace discrimination and sexual harassment claims at the state and federal level. Her representation of both employers and employees provides Ms. Page with a unique, holistic perspective on the employment relationship. Combined with her entertainment practice, her expertise in workplace discrimination and sexual harassment claims brought her to the forefront of the #MeToo movement, representing female complainants in several high–profile cases. Additionally, she counsels clients on employment opportunities, negotiation strategies and equitable compensation packages. She also advises on and negotiates employment and separation agreements and provides outside general counsel services, particularly with respect to employment law compliance.
Ms. Page’s extensive intellectual property practice includes copyright and trademark protection and prosecution, as well as advice on branding and licensing matters in the worlds of media, fashion, lifestyle and sports. She has been Chair of the Board of Women Make Movies for many years and is active supporting numerous women’s and media advocacy non-profit organizations.
Ms. Page was selected to Super Lawyers for the New York Metro area in 2020 and 2021, and featured in Crain’s New York on the 2021 list of Notable Women in Law. She is admitted to practice in New York and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Deena R. Merlen, Esq,
Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the firm’s Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution.
In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. She also manages the firm’s anti-discrimination and harassment prevention programs.
In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets.
Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice.
In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more.
Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property.
Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.
Jill Kahn Marshall, Esq.
Jill Kahn Marshall is a Partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP and represents individuals and corporations as well as companies and medical practices in the areas of employment law, litigation and dispute resolution, and healthcare.
Ms. Marshall frequently represents individuals in the negotiation of employment and separation agreements, as well as claims involving discrimination and harassment in the workplace. She also provides counseling for individuals navigating complicated circumstances at work, including those related to parental leave and the transition back to the workplace. For her corporate clients, Ms. Marshall provides employment counseling, conducts internal investigations, drafts employment and separation agreements and employee handbooks, and defends against charges of discrimination. She also frequently conducts anti-harassment and discrimination trainings, having co-created RPJ’s original live and online training programs. Ms. Marshall has experience before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and its state and local counterparts, and has represented clients at trial in federal and state courts and in arbitration hearings. She regularly represents clients in the healthcare, technology and financial services industries. Ms. Marshall offers her clients practical, efficient solutions and is frequently able to resolve disputes prior to formal litigation.
Prior to joining RPJ, Ms. Marshall was an associate at Lichten & Liss-Riordan in Boston, a preeminent employment litigation firm, and a litigation associate at Chadbourne & Parke in New York.
Ms. Marshall is a 2019 and 2020 Super Lawyers’ Rising Star of the New York Metro area and is admitted to practice in New York and Massachusetts, as well as the District Courts for Massachusetts and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Ethan Krasnoo, Esq.
Ethan Krasnoo is a Partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP. He practices in the areas of complex commercial litigation, arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution, with particular expertise in employment, intellectual property, and entertainment and media. In addition to representing individual clients, he has represented publicly traded and privately held companies, including prominent fashion conglomerates, music publishers, performing arts organizations, insurance companies, hedge funds, asset managers, pharmaceutical companies, nonprofit organizations, hospitals and medical centers, law firms and consumer goods companies.
His areas of litigation and other dispute resolution have included breach of contract, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, insurance and securities fraud, antitrust, personal injury, First Amendment, malpractice, False Claims Act and other whistleblowing laws, trade secret, false advertising, trademark infringement and dilution, copyright infringement and rate-setting and royalty disputes. He has also advised entertainment and media professionals and non-profits on transactional and employment matters, including negotiations and terminations, and in protecting and expanding their intellectual property assets, and has advised clients across a spectrum of industries on data security. He has represented medical centers and educational institutions concerning a wide array of issues, litigation and dispute resolution.
With the initiation of new 2019 legal requirements for sexual harassment prevention training, Mr. Krasnoo also counsels and trains company management and employees on sexual harassment prevention designed to fulfill the 2019 and more recent requirements under the laws of New York State, New York City, Connecticut and California.
Prior to joining RPJ, Mr. Krasnoo was an Associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. He also served as Judicial Intern for The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer of the United States District Court, District of Columbia. Before working in law, he acted professionally Off-Broadway, in theaters across the country and in film and television. He is now the author of a new blog about the intersection of theater and the law called The Law Ally of Broadway.
Mr. Krasnoo has repeatedly been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for the New York Metro area and is admitted to practice in New York, the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and United States Tax Court.
Dr Olajumoke (“Jumo”) Ayandele
Dr. Olajumoke (“Jumo”) Ayandele is a Senior Research consultant with Reavis Page Jump LLP, working with the firm on its anti-discrimination and harassment prevention programs and publications. She is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NYU's Center for the study of Africa and the African Diaspora (CSAAD), a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Global Affairs, and a Senior Researcher with Reavis Page Jump LLP. In her most recent position as a Senior Researcher at The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), Dr. Ayandele supported the production of real-time data on political violence in Nigeria.
Dr. Ayandele is passionate about understanding the dynamic relationship and intersection between governance, human development, and political stability, including in the employment world. She has won numerous awards and grants to conduct her research, with visiting research fellowships at the National Defence College, Abuja and the Center for International Studies (CERI) at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).
A brilliant African Security Scholar, Dr. Ayandele continues to collaborate with international and regional decision-makers as well as government institutions in promoting human security initiatives and programs that can create a peaceful and secure Africa and world beyond. She holds a Ph.D. in Global Affairs from Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, an M.P.A. in International Development Policy and Management and a B.A. in Economics, both from New York University.
