Biography
Andowah Newton is Vice President, Legal Affairs and Head of Litigation at LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Inc., where she manages a variety of legal disputes, litigations, and other legal matters for approximately 30 luxury brands including Dior, Fendi, Bulgari, Céline, Domaine Chandon, Benefit Cosmetics, Givenchy, Guerlain, Hublot, Loro Piana, Rimowa, Make Up For Ever, TAG Heuer, and Thomas Pink. Ms. Newton directs legal strategy and advises C-suite executives and other senior management located in the United States, Europe, and Asia on matters involving intellectual property, consumer class actions, advertising, marketing, product liability, environmental claims, breach of contract, personal injury, regulatory and internal investigations, and debt recovery. Ms. Newton also created and leads LVMH Legal Department’s Pro Bono Program.
Before joining LVMH in 2015, Ms. Newton litigated complex commercial cases for approximately eight and a half years at top law firms in New York City. She taught mid-level and junior associates courses on legal research, legal writing, and Accounting for Lawyers. She also dedicated significant time to pro bono work, obtaining asylum and protective orders for pro bono clients and providing legal advice to detained immigrants.
Ms. Newton began her legal career as a judicial clerk for the First Vice President Judge of the International Criminal Court in The Netherlands. During law school, she worked as a summer associate at top law firms in New York and Paris.
Before law school, Ms. Newton earned her CPA and worked for four years as an auditor at PwC, where her main clients included Viacom, Sony Music, Thomson Reuters, and Ziff Davis Media, and as an internal auditor at The Estée Lauder Companies where she reviewed internal controls at brands such as MAC, Aveda, Origins, and Stila. She completed summer internships at Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey and Paris.
Ms. Newton earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University, where she majored in Accounting and minored in French. She possesses dual law degrees in U.S. and French law from Cornell Law School and The Sorbonne.
Ms. Newton is fluent in French and proficient in Spanish. She is an avid international traveler and has traveled to almost 50 countries and lived in six. Ms. Newton performs at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and other renowned venues as a Soprano I in the NY Choral Society and has served on its Board of Trustees. For the past twelve years, she has served as a mentor, legal debate coach, and legal debate judge for high school and law school students in the Legal Outreach and Inroads programs. She loves Zumba, photography, and interior design.