Lorna Lightfoot-Ware
Chief Legal Officer
Lorna Lightfoot-Ware is a seasoned attorney and strategist. She serves as chief legal officer at the Ad Council, a national nonprofit that works across advertising, tech, media, marketing and philanthropy to address the country’s most pressing issues. In her role, Lorna leverages her legal expertise and industry insights to guide the organization’s mission, combining her passion for social impact with strategic acumen.
Lorna advises executive leadership on strategic matters, including complex partnerships—managing the organization’s intellectual property portfolio and oversees licensing, third-party rights, nonprofit corporate governance, SAG-AFTRA matters, employment issues, production-related matters and overall risk assessment and mitigation. In addition to her legal contributions, she plays a key role in shaping organizational policies and strategies. She partners with stakeholders on compliance, policy and governance, with a focus on evolving legal trends and best practices.
Lorna graduated from Hamilton College and Howard University School of Law. Before attending Howard, she worked at the Public Broadcasting Service on the documentary Blacks in Science. After law school, she worked at Court TV, covering the O.J. Simpson trial for Primetime Justice. She then joined Spelling Entertainment, reporting to the VP of Legal Affairs as part of the Rights Management Team. As her visibility grew, Lorna continued working as an entertainment attorney in the music and sports industries.
Lorna has a passion for content and storytelling, particularly writing and developing narratives centered on the lived experiences of people of color. She focuses on inspirational and informative stories about African American experiences and recently contributed the cover essay to the award-winning We Are Hamilton edition of Hamilton magazine.
Lorna Lightfoot-Ware is a seasoned attorney and strategist. She serves as chief legal officer at the Ad Council, a national nonprofit that works across advertising, tech, media, marketing and philanthropy to address the country’s most pressing issues. In her role, Lorna leverages her legal expertise and industry insights to guide the organization’s mission, combining her passion for social impact with strategic acumen.
Lorna advises executive leadership on strategic matters, including complex partnerships—managing the organization’s intellectual property portfolio and oversees licensing, third-party rights, nonprofit corporate governance, SAG-AFTRA matters, employment issues, production-related matters and overall risk assessment and mitigation. In addition to her legal contributions, she plays a key role in shaping organizational policies and strategies. She partners with stakeholders on compliance, policy and governance, with a focus on evolving legal trends and best practices.
Lorna graduated from Hamilton College and Howard University School of Law. Before attending Howard, she worked at the Public Broadcasting Service on the documentary Blacks in Science. After law school, she worked at Court TV, covering the O.J. Simpson trial for Primetime Justice. She then joined Spelling Entertainment, reporting to the VP of Legal Affairs as part of the Rights Management Team. As her visibility grew, Lorna continued working as an entertainment attorney in the music and sports industries.
Lorna has a passion for content and storytelling, particularly writing and developing narratives centered on the lived experiences of people of color. She focuses on inspirational and informative stories about African American experiences and recently contributed the cover essay to the award-winning We Are Hamilton edition of Hamilton magazine.