Attorney Biography

Prior to moving to Monterey, Ms. Woodruff Lyons worked as an associate attorney for two different elite multinational law firms. In that capacity, she advised multibillion technology companies, including Sony, Microsoft, and Apple, on various intellectual property legal matters. She advised on potential litigation risks, copyright and trademark licensing, and various aspects of contract law. For a legal matter regarding potential IP infringement of hoverboards, she was part of a small team that advised the third-party seller, Alibaba, that resulted in a complete win for the client. She successfully negotiated a post-separation significant employment contract with sensitive intellectual property assignment that allowed the company to maintain ownership of its logo.

Ms. Woodruff Lyons also has significant high-level federal government experience as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of the Interior. With the Interior, Ms. Woodruff Lyons reviewed and advised on historical contractual documents related the Indian Trust that governed the responsibilities of the Federal Government to specific lands.

Between 2014 and 2016, Ms. Woodruff Lyons was personally selected and hired by Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy at State to advise on congressional investigations. She was assigned to respond to the Select Committee on Benghazi. She was one of a handful of people in the State Department to be trusted with the knowledge that records existed from former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and was asked to review and analyze them. Ms. Woodruff Lyons advised the U.S. Department of State on all records and information management issues, including creating policies, procedures, and guidelines for record retention and release. In that same role, she personally prepared the witnesses who were subpoenaed to Congress, including witnesses who were present for the attack on the U.S. Embassy and Ambassador. She served as the interagency liaison, and led meetings with the CIA, DoD, White House, DOJ, and FBI on a weekly basis. She reported to the Office of the Secretary. Similarly, at the U.S. Department of Justice, Ms. Woodruff Lyons led the successful advocacy efforts on behalf of the Antitrust Division on important South Carolina legislation. She reported directly to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Barnett.

Between 2007-2012, Ms. Woodruff Lyons gained critical policy experience with a national non-profit called the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services. For CIMS, she advised CIMS on legal and policy concerns, including the WHO-UNICEF mother-friendly guidelines, and various website terms. In this role, she also served on the National Quality Forum as the CIMS representative member for the Consumer Council, setting medical device and food safety priorities and standards as a precursor to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. She was a permanent Change.org author that published various articles on health law. She also served as the representative member for the National Women’s Law Center’s Women & Health Care Coalition.

While her career path revolves around business law and advising business owners, Ms. Woodruff Lyons remains very active in the community. She serves as a representative for the Site Council for Carmel High School, which is a multi-year commitment. She currently is also active in three Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) with Tularcitos School (Room Parent & Talent Show Volunteer), Carmel Middle School (8th Grade Graduation Committee Chair & Ohana Day Volunteer), and Carmel High School (Sober Grad Night Committee and Student-of-the-Month Committee). She is the incoming Vice President for the Carmel High School "Padres & Madres." She is also an active member of the local Daughters of the American Revolution (Commodore Sloat Chapter). She is an auxiliary member of the American Legion Post 512 and a host family volunteer for the Rotary International Exchange Program with the Carmel-By-The-Sea, Carmel Sunset Center, and Carmel Valley Chapters.

During her spare time, Ms. Woodruff Lyons is an artist and a fiction writer. Her family includes her husband, their four children, their Golden Doodle, and their Siamese rescue. Together, they live in the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea.