TMAE Summit RoundtablesMind the (Communication) Gap: Communicating Effectively with In-House Teams
Alt Legal Team | May 27, 2026
We’ll be making the most of our time during the lunch hour at the TMAE Summit by hosting small roundtable discussions on a variety of relevant topics. Each roundtable will have a host assigned to lead the discussion with pertinent questions, allowing you to share knowledge and resources and get to know your fellow conference attendees.
Roundtable Description
Effective communication between in-house trademark teams and outside counsel is essential but often harder than it sounds, especially when competing priorities, timelines, and expectations get in the way. In this roundtable discussion, Gernez Owens, Director of IP at NBCUniversal, will lead a discussion exploring practical strategies for improving clarity, responsiveness, expectation setting, and workflow coordination with in-house teams. Drawing on real-world challenges across organizations and jurisdictions, the conversation will focus on what actually works to maximize efficiency and ensure clarity. In particular, participants will discuss:
- Understanding in-house pressures and how they shape communication expectations
- Aligning on what each side needs: clear guidance, timely input, and proactive issue-spotting
- Building efficient workflows using templates, trackers, and shared processes
- Ensuring transparency, especially around delays, uncertainty, and bad news
- Navigating common pain points and cross-team dynamics, including global and cultural differences
View all TMAE Summit Roundtables here.
Learn more about the TMAE Summit here.
Roundtable Host
Gernez Owens
, Director of Intellectual Property, NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Gernez Owens is the Director of Intellectual Property at NBCUniversal Media, LLC, where she leads a team of paralegals managing global trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement. With experience in trademarks since 2008, Gernez has held roles from trademark docketing to trademark coordinator to legal operations, with most of her experience in-house at entertainment companies. During her off-time, you can find Gernez playing video games and editing content for the TMA Talk Show.