Natalya G. Johnson, Esq. serves as Sr. Director & Senior Counsel for Johnson & Johnson. She is a is a skilled corporate counsel with expertise in employment strategies, litigation, and impactful community leadership. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, she represented private and public sector clients in federal and state litigation and trial matters. As a commercial litigator, she handled a wide variety of complex cases, involving business disputes, insurance, real estate, education, and health law.
Driven by her commitment to diversity and inclusion, Natalya seeks ways to impact her community. She currently serves as President of the Garden State Bar Foundation, Inc. (GSBF) and the Immediate Past – President of the Garden State Bar Association (GSBA). Under her leadership, the GSBA raised over a quarter of a million dollars and established its first endowed scholarship fund to advance various initiatives supporting the legal community, while providing scholarships to underrepresented law students.
Natalya also led the creation of a legal education Substantive Law series, highlighting diverse and women speakers. Responding to the needs of the profession in real-time, Natalya created the GSBA’s Wellness and Mental Health committee, focused on lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals. Following the formation of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Committee on Wellness in the Profession, Natalya was appointed to serve as one of its sub-committee Chairs. She also serves on Governor Murphy’s New Jersey Artificial Intelligence Task Force.
Supporting the advancement of the next generation of lawyers and industry leaders is extremely important to Natalya. She sits on the Equity and Inclusion Alumni Leadership Council of Cornell Law School and previously served on the Executive Board of Directors of its Alumni Association. She is also a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women. As past President of the Cornell Black Lawyers Alumni Network, Natalya led fundraising efforts in support of its George Washington Fields LLB 1890 Scholarship Fund and spearheaded alumni and mentorship programs around North America.
Natalya co-founded the Advancement Initiative (AI) in 2017. AI’s objective is to harness the strength of personal and professional networks to foster mentorship and opportunities in law and business. Committed to pro bono service, Natalya started her legal career as an attorney fellow with Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ). At VLJ, she helped eligible clients with criminal records address the civil legal barriers to successful community reintegration through its criminal record expungement clinic.
Beyond the law, Natalya previously served as a board member of the League of Women Voters NJ, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights. Natalya speaks regularly on a variety of topics, including employment law, career management, diversity in the legal profession, leadership, and faith.
Natalya has been widely recognized for her professional and community achievements. In 2019, she was named one of the 40 under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates by the National Bar Association; as well as a 2020 New Jersey Law Journal New Leader of the Bar; and a 2020 Professional Lawyer of the Year honoree by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law. She was named a ROI-NJ 2022, 2023 and 2024 Influencer and Women in Business lists, a Black in-house Counsel’s 2022 Black Diamond award honoree, and recognized by the Executive Women of New Jersey as a 2022 Salute to Policy Makers honoree.
The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and South Asian Bar Association of NJ honored Natalya with Community Service Awards in 2023. Recently, the New Jersey Law Journal recognized Natalya as the Attorney of Year at the 2023 New Jersey Legal Awards.
