Lisa Mon'a Brown

Lisa Mon'a Kpor is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Chicago office and a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. Her litigation experience includes a broad range of legal issues, including shareholder oppression actions, financial services litigation, product liability disputes, complex breach of contract suits and commercial landlord-tenant actions.

Ms. Kpor is also a member of the firm's Legal Profession Team. In that regard, she represents law firms, corporate legal departments and individuals on matters related to conflicts of interest, legal ethics consulting, attorney-client confidentiality and other professional responsibility issues. In addition, Ms. Kpor represents individuals in proceedings before the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission through the Attorney Defense Initiative – the first privately sponsored pro bono initiative in the nation that focuses on assisting impaired lawyers facing disciplinary charges.

In addition, Ms. Kpor is a member of Holland & Knight's Entertainment Law Team, which represents entertainment, media and advertising clients and other content providers who produce, license, acquire, use and invest in film, television, music and digital content for worldwide distribution. Ms. Kpor has represented musicians, authors, filmmakers and other creative individuals in negotiation of development agreements, option and purchase agreements, distribution agreements and related entertainment contracts.

During law school, Ms. Kpor participated in the Civil Litigation Clinic, where she represented clients during adversary hearings at the Champaign County Circuit Court. She coordinated the largest alumni banquet for the University of Illinois Black Law Student Association in the event's 20-year history. As an undergraduate, Ms. Kpor served as a contributing writer for The Oberlin Review – Oberlin College's student-run newspaper.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Kpor formerly worked as an intern with the Newport News Department of Social Services, the executive office of the mayor of Washington, D.C., and a host of other agencies.

Ms. Kpor is involved in community, civic and charitable activities in Illinois and beyond. She currently serves on the Chicago Leadership Council of The Posse Foundation, and she is a co-chair for the Emerging Leaders group of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Kpor remains dedicated to today's youth and mentors students through The Posse Foundation and The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Ms. Kpor also is a member of the Public and Charitable Services Committee at Holland & Knight's Chicago office.

Ms. Kpor's representative experience includes:

General Commercial Litigation

Represented national manufacturers in several product liability actions
Represented a municipal corporation in a complex breach of contract action against a subcontractor
Represented a national extended stay hotel as lead counsel during a bench trial in a commercial landlord-tenant dispute
Represented a regional contractor in dispute against former employees involving the enforcement of restrictive covenants, including non-competition and non-solicitation agreements
Represented a national insurance and investment company in a complex securities fraud and Ponzi scheme matter arising out of the conduct of a former agent, who pleaded guilty to fraud and financial abuse of the elderly

Shareholder Disputes Within Closely Held Corporations

Represented investors in fraud litigation against a majority shareholder
Represented a minority shareholder of a corporation in an action involving breaches of fiduciary duty, breaches of contract and tortious interference with contract
Represented a non-controlling, majority shareholder of a closely held company in a lawsuit against controlling shareholders and trustee for breach of fiduciary duty and shareholder oppression that resulted in the award of a $725 million judgment to the shareholder and related beneficiaries

Legal Ethics Matters

Represented a disciplined attorney in obtaining a modification of Illinois Supreme Court 764(b)
Represented a boutique law firm to ensure its expansion into additional states was ethically compliant
Represented an alternative legal service provider in litigation brought by its competitor under the Lanham Act and related state laws

Entertainment Law

Represented a best-selling author and television personality with the development of a television series
Represented an athlete in negotiations with a producer related to development of a film focusing the athlete's life story
Represented a beneficiary in connection with the negotiation of six major marketing, streaming, music publishing and catalogue distribution agreements for an international artist who died in 2016