Cherise Teasley

Corporate Counsel, VMware

2009 | New York, NY

University of Florida | Finance

“I loved my time at MSU College of Law. I learned so much in my classes and through my extracurricular activities, made great friends in the process, and developed the foundation necessary to be successful in the practice of law.”

Cherise Teasley provides legal support for IBM's customers in the financial services industry, which includes some of the largest banks in the world. “I draft, redline and negotiate various contracts and agreements, such as master services, intellectual property, software licensing, hardware and hardware maintenance, data privacy, and confidentiality agreements,” she said.

She also leads business teams in investigating issues that arise in current contracts and finding a solution. “Frequently I become engaged by the business teams in a multi-million dollar, ‘must-win’ deal that goes down to the wire and has complex commercial and legal issues, and therefore there is always a tough negotiation,” she said. “When the business team ends up winning the deal and getting it signed, knowing I played an important role in helping to get that deal done is very rewarding.”

Cherise’s Contracts course at MSU College of Law was incredibly helpful and pertinent to her role as a transactional lawyer. “Also, the Trial Practice Institute was vital to helping me speak clearly and concisely with the ability to persuade my audience, which is critical to my role as a negotiator,” she said.

During her time at MSU, Cherise also found that the professors at the Law College were “first rate” in terms of knowledge, teaching style, and availability to students. “Also, there are so many different types of organizations, programs, associations and clinics that students can get involved in,” she said. “I loved my time at MSU College of Law. I learned so much in my classes and through my extracurricular activities, made great friends in the process, and developed the foundation necessary to be successful in the practice of law. If I could go back and change anything, I wouldn't!”