Career series: Jill Goldman, American Bankers Association

Tell us about the course of your career

My career path has never been a straight line but rather a winding road. I graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in theatre and a BSc in telecommunications with the goal of pursuing a career in theatre and entertainment.

But being a “starving artist” didn’t appeal, and I could not bring myself to take an unpaid internship in Los Angeles or New York. I moved back home to South Florida and took a job at a local TV studio to work as a post-production editor. I was miserable just “doing a job” and not having a career, and knew I had to go to graduate school to study either medicine, law, or business.

With my theatrical background and experience as a college debater, I figured law was my best bet. I spent my lunch hours studying for the Law School Admission Tests and applied to schools thinking that I would pursue entertainment law.

I was accepted to University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law (FPLC) and taking that place was the best decision of my life because it changed the trajectory of my career path. Not only did I change lanes, but I also jumped racetracks altogether.

While at FPLC, I was fortunate to work as a legal extern for Dawn Buonocore-Atlas, vice president, enforcement and assistant general counsel at Calvin Klein. Dawn directly inspired my passion for IP, especially trademarks, and I will be forever grateful to her.

I passed the New York Bar and worked my first few years in law firms—what I assumed was the right path for a young lawyer.

But deep down I knew I wanted to recapture the in-house experience I had at Calvin Klein and become a zealous advocate for one client and not just represent a few billable minutes to many. Fortunately, the opportunity to become an in-house attorney came up at the American Bankers Association (ABA), based in Washington, DC.

I have used this opportunity to grow from assistant general counsel to associate general counsel to the position of vice president, IP and contracts. During my 15 years at ABA, I have been the sole IP expert managing the entire IP portfolio for the last seven years.

Outline a typical day in your role

A typical day consists of emails, emails, and more emails. With the virtual environment imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is my main form of communication now—except when I have booked calls on Zoom.

I recall some sage advice from a law professor that the easiest way to get into ethical trouble is by failing to be responsive to your client. That is why I try to respond in some manner within 24 hours, even if it is just to say when I will get back to them with an answer. I spend most of my day addressing questions from staff on a variety of topics.

This can include a member bank’s question on a wide variety of topics ie, compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act 2003, which sets the rules for commercial emails, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.