Lakshmi Sarma Ramani's practice is a true reflection of the diversity of her 25 year legal career spanning roles in government, private practice, in-house, and now, as an OGC. "Each opportunity has played a key part in shaping my skill-set," says Lakshmi.
Starting with the state tax and taxpayer privacy work she did for the Pennsylvania Dept. of Revenue, Lakshmi then transitioned into private practice where she worked as a public finance attorney, representing municipalities, government agencies, universities and hospitals, and also advising various tax-exempt organizations. These skills would serve Lakshmi well when she later moved to an in-house counsel role at Sprint, negotiating spectrum leases with public and private entities. "Around the time I went in-house, technology-related privacy issues were becoming more prevalent," notes Lakshmi. And over the course of the next 12 years, while in-house with three different organizations, all of these capabilities – tax, finance, government contracts, privacy and technology – would help grow Lakshmi's broad-based transactional and privacy practice to include marketing, promotional and publishing matters.
A common thread throughout Lakshmi's career has been her commitment to making an impact on people and communities and supporting public-private partnerships. Whether helping with local municipal economic development projects or global-scale development initiatives, "I've always wanted to be a lawyer who helped to make the world a better place," explains Lakshmi. Some of her most meaningful projects include the work she did while at Sprint in support of the post 9/11 public safety spectrum re-banding program, as well as creating the first impact investment note for The Nature Conservancy.
As an OGC, Lakshmi has been able to sustain this commitment by helping her clients engage in a variety of impactful initiatives. Recently, she supported a client in negotiating terms with a foreign government to create a trust fund that would provide sustainable funding for barrier reef protection, and another client with establishing public-private partnerships to support the expansion of equitable access to fresh fruits and vegetables to some of the most remote communities in the United States.
"This diversity of work is one of the main reasons I chose to join OGC over 7 years ago," says Lakshmi. She now serves as a fractional GC for both multinational for-profit and non-profit organizations, leveraging the same approach she relied upon while working in-house. "By getting to know my clients – their companies, missions and needs – I'm able to provide practical, supportive legal advice and risk-mitigation solutions that enable, not impede, their goals." For these clients, Lakshmi regularly handles a range of contracts with public and private entities, including vendors, funders, and collaborators; advises on consumer and children's privacy matters; and supports promotional initiatives like sweepstakes, contests and influencer promotions.
"For other clients, I play a supporting role as ade factoAGC, providing help with discrete projects or simply adding legal bandwidth." Lakshmi also advises a number of B2B software and AI/tech companies on privacy and data security matters, such as drafting privacy policies and assisting with data breach notification matters. "OGC gave me (and still does) the opportunity to continue expanding my skill-set, while maintaining flexibility and control over my schedule." All of this made possible by 25+ years of broad, diverse experience and a passion for helping others.
More about Lakshmi Sarma Ramani
Lakshmi is co-author of the Nonprofit Knowledgecolumn featured in the Association of Corporate Counsel's DOCKET, as well as a regular contributor to the firm's blog. She also serves as OGC's Director of Compliance and Ethics. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking vegetarian cuisines, gardening, and spending time with her family.