ABOUT

I am an intellectual property attorney and mediator supporting legal professionals in complex, high-stakes environments where clarity, judgment, and credibility matter. I am licensed to practice law in both the United States and Brazil and work with clients globally.

For more than two decades, my work has sat at the intersection of intellectual property, negotiation, and dispute resolution, both inside global organizations and alongside legal leaders navigating consequential decisions under pressure.

I built my legal career in-house at multinational companies including Mars, Unilever, and BASF, serving in senior intellectual property roles with global scope. In those positions, I supported global IP strategy, brand protection, and business decision-making. Working inside organizations sharpened my understanding of how legal decisions unfold in real operating environments, under time constraints, internal pressure, and competing interests.

Over time, one pattern became clear: most legal breakdowns are not failures of legal knowledge. They are failures of communication, judgment, and escalation management under pressure.

Inely Cesna

That insight shaped the focus of my work today. In addition to my legal training, I pursued advanced studies in mediation, dispute resolution, and behavioral psychology, developing an approach that integrates legal rigor with a disciplined understanding of human dynamics.

I am typically brought in when technical expertise alone is no longer sufficient, when matters feel complex or charged, when trust has eroded, or when clarity is required to move forward responsibly.

Clients work with me as a senior advisor grounded in law, attentive to human dynamics, and steady when decisions carry legal, reputational, and organizational consequence.

  • UNCITRAL, Vienna 2025
  • Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference, Temple University, 2025, Creighton University, 2024
  • Southern California Mediation Association, Professional Development Programs
  • International Ombudsman Association
  • International Enneagram Association, Egypt, 2026
  • Tennessee Association of Mediation Professionals
  • Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, Conflict Resolution Program
  • Southern California Family Mediation, Mediators Training Program
  • Associação Brasileira de Propriedade Intelectual

Pro Bono Recognition

Virginia Access to Justice Commission
Pro Bono Service Honor Roll, 2025

Education

  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Dispute Resolution
    Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law
  • Master of Intellectual Property
    University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law
  • Juris Doctor Equivalency
    George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law
  • Advanced graduate training in psychology and behavioral analysis
  • Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
    University of São Paulo

Licensure

Licensed to practice law in the United States and Brazil

Mediation & Professional Training

  • Mediator, Conciliator, and Facilitator Training
    California Dispute Resolution Programs Act
  • Advanced Family and Dependency Court Mediation
    Southern California Family Mediation, Inc.
  • Certified Professional Enneagram Teacher Training

Additional academic publications and professional engagements are available upon request.

Inely-Cesna-at-UNCITRAL-conference