Nur Kara joined the corporate legal department at PepsiCo in January 2024 having never practiced marketing law.
But during the past two years, the native North Texan has played a monumental role in leading the legal efforts for major redesigns and portfolio transformations for more than 15 PepsiCo Foods brands, including top revenue-generating portfolios like Lay’s and Tostitos. Kara’s impact, according to PepsiCo executives, has been extraordinary.
A litigation associate at DLA Piper only 25 months ago, Kara said the biggest transition going in-house has been the ability for her to own brand clients, the relative autonomy to conduct her work and directly providing counsel to corporate business leaders.
“I find myself growing and thriving as a legal professional, shifting away from a highly specialized and billable-hour governed role to learning up on not just one new practice area — marketing/advertising law — but also on intersecting regulatory, intellectual property, nutrition science and communications concerns,” she told The Texas Lawbook. “Needing to be a business-focused generalist has increased my adaptability, legal acumen to quickly issue-spot and evaluate risks, relationship-building and communications, and project management skills.”
Kara’s achievements in such a short period of time, including:
- Substantiated more than 300 health and nutrient-content claims, reviewed packaging and labeling for compliance with Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations;
- Ensured alignment with school nutrition standards and advertising-to-children rules;
- Reviewed advertising materials across print, digital, and broadcast mediums — including Super Bowl campaigns;
- Led project and risk analyses for nearly 70 products;
- Drafted and negotiated more than 100 agreements, including nondisclosure agreements, service agreements, sponsorships, influencer deals, talent agreements, sweepstakes and contest rules and music licenses; and
- Co-founded the PepsiCo legal department’s pro bono program, building external partnerships with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and Emily’s Place, a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence.
“In every organization, there are individuals who quietly transform the culture, elevate the work and inspire those around them,” said PepsiCo Legal Director Candace Uduebor. “Nur Kara is one of those rare individuals. Before PepsiCo, Nur had no experience in marketing law. It is a true testament to her determination and mental agility that, in just two years, Nur has taken on and excelled in a new and evolving practice area, entrusted with many of the company’s core brands. In doing so, she has managed some of the business’s highest-profile campaigns from conception to launch, such as those for Super Bowl®, FIFA and premiere streaming partners, including TV commercials featuring union talent.”
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Nur Kara discusses the traits she seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with her and more.
“As the primary attorney for the largest core snack foods brands undergoing reformulations and innovations, Nur has substantiated complex product claims against rapidly changing federal and state regulations and counseled directors and executives on legal and regulatory risks,” Uduebor said.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Kara as one of two finalists for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Rookie of the Year.
“Nur joined PepsiCo’s legal team to advise Marketing clients on food advertising — a high-stakes, fast-paced domain where legal precision meets creative ambition,” said Uduebor, who nominated Kara for the award. “From day one, she distinguished herself as a trusted advisor, translating complex regulatory frameworks into clear, actionable guidance. Her ability to balance legal rigor with business pragmatism has earned her the respect of colleagues across departments.”
“Nur Kara is not just a rising star — she is a force for good,” she said. “She exemplifies the ‘PepsiCo Way,’ bringing our core cultural values to life through her work and leadership.”
Leanne Oliver, the recently retired PepsiCo Foods general counsel and now partner at Phillips Murrah, hired Kara away from the Boston office of DLA Piper to join the drink and food giant’s Plano-based legal department.
“Sometimes you get lucky, and a true shining star decides to move back to Dallas,” Oliver said. “That was the case with Nur. I knew immediately that she would be a perfect addition to our team and that she had the ability to make an immediate impact. From day one, Nur showed poise and confidence. While many lawyers struggle transitioning from firm life to in-house, it was seamless for her. She quickly earned the trust of her clients and became a valued member of the marketing legal team.”
Kara’s mother’s family was born and raised in Uganda. Her father’s family was from Tanzania. Former Ugandan President Idi Amin’s economic war and military dictatorship led to her family’s eviction from the region in 1972.
Her mother was 13. Her father was 18.
“They were given mere days to pack up their homes and livelihoods and were forced to seek asylum in the West,” Kara said.
Kara’s parents met while studying in the United Kingdom. After marriage, they immigrated to the United States and settled in the Carrollton area four decades ago.
“Their pursuit of the American Dream proved difficult,” she said. “My mom held many varied roles, as an airline agent and phlebotomist, and my father was a small-business owner. But they never wavered in their strength and determination to provide for me and my sister. Perhaps we kept them going and now they keep us going, as we aim to provide them in retirement with the small luxuries and restful moments they always deserved.”
Kara attended girls-only Hockaday School in Dallas, thanks to a scholarship. She attended the University of Chicago — also on scholarships — where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and human rights.
“My parents always pushed for my sister and me to have the best education, the power that would unlock a new world of opportunities for us,” she said. “I have been fortunate to live, study and work in Spain, Uganda, Egypt, India and the United Kingdom. I am a global citizen, always aiming to leverage my personal background and upbringing for good — to serve those individuals and communities less privileged, provide mentorship to aspiring students and young professionals like myself and hopefully continue to lay the familial foundation, as did my parents for me, that we can do and be and earn beyond our societally prescribed means.”
“By age three, I had developed the tenacity and passionate arguments required of a lawyer,” she said. “My uncle always said I’d grow up to be a lawyer. But along the way I envisioned careers as a writer or journalist, an academic or a path in global health and human rights policy advocacy.”
While studying at Hockaday and performing community service projects across Dallas, Kara first cultivated a passion for the liberal arts and human rights.
The University of Chicago was a time that “expanded my theoretical thinking and tested my character — not simply because of the harsh winters,” she said.
“I wanted to take my analysis of international treaties, policies and policing efforts outside of the classroom,” she said. “So I tutored students with intellectual, behavioral and socioeconomic disadvantages in Chicago Public Schools. [I] interned with Amnesty International, where I researched immigration, the death penalty and global genocides. [I] returned to my mother’s roots in Kampala, Uganda, on a summer grant, where I worked with a girls’ rights NGO focused on combatting sexual violence and child labor.”
Kara also used a post-college Fulbright-Nehru scholarship to lead a project in New Delhi, India, that focused on educating girls on menstrual health and hygiene rights.
She also pursued her passion for journalism as a freelance writer for trailblazing South Asian publications like Brown Girl Magazine.
Kara earned her master’s degree in health policy and finance at the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Then came law school with the help of Sidley Austin’s Prelaw Scholarship and the American Bar Association’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship.
“Seeking to bridge the gaps in health policy development, implementation and enforcement is what eventually led me to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for law school,” she said. “So, in sum, I guess I became all the things I wanted to in some form or fashion on my way to becoming a lawyer.”
Kara spent the first several months as a practicing lawyer working on pro bono projects courtesy of DLA Piper’s Krantz Fellowship.
In January 2021, she joined DLA’s product liability litigation team, where she worked on multidistrict mass tort and class action matters for major pharmaceutical, medical device and agrochemical manufacturers.
“I got the unique chance to take depositions, go to trial and interface with high-profile clients,” she said. “I took on leadership opportunities at the firm with recruitment, inclusion and business development efforts. But after a few years, I realized the work I enjoyed the most was not within the confines of briefing and discovery and the billable structure, but instead conducting risk assessments and directly counseling clients. I wanted to develop my legal skills as a generalist and strategic partner.”
Kara searched for roles in the pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries. That’s when she discovered on LinkedIn the marketing and advertising attorney role with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay in Plano.
“I thought about how great it would be to move back and spend more time with my aging parents, my sister and my no-longer-little niece and nephew,” she said. “I knew I wanted to join a global company with innovation rooted in science, social responsibility rooted in sustainability and a renowned company culture — all qualities to which PepsiCo subscribes—and it worked out.”
Joining PepsiCo at a time for innovation and reformulation, an evolving policy and regulatory backdrop required Kara “to learn up fast.” Her lack of prior direct marketing law experience also presented a challenge.
“I needed to understand varying brand personas, product histories and missions and business systems, while identifying how to translate complex regulatory frameworks into clear, actionable guidance,” she said. “Luckily, law firm life had trained me well with issue-spotting litigation risks, resolving numerous requests on tight timelines and engaging with life-science concepts.”
A critical challenge Kara faced was how to advise 15-plus brands, constantly shifting between each, and then effectively liaising with those in marketing, regulatory, R&D, supply chain, finance and public relations within each business operation.
The job required Kara to substantiate numerous product claims in compliance with guidance and regulations issued by the FTC, FDA, USDA and varying state laws. She also has advised on high-profile promotions and campaigns involving the NFL/Super Bowl, FIFA, streaming partners and premier talent and influencers.
“My biggest success has been serving as the primary attorney for some of the company’s legacy, top revenue-generating brands undergoing extensive portfolio transformations,” she said. “It has been an intellectually stimulating journey thus far. I will forever be learning the business, but I am proud of the work I’ve been able to accomplish in such a short time, achieving a role promotion and building strong, trusted relationships.”
PepsiCo Foods General Counsel Adrienne Mosley said Kara exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding lawyer.
“Nur’s insight, unwavering dedication and intellectual curiosity empower clients to confidently navigate emerging legal risks and seize opportunities in a rapidly evolving landscape,” Mosley said. “Nur’s empathy and creativity allow her to deeply understand challenges and trade-offs, which presenting ways to mitigate that serve the business goals while reducing risk.”
“What truly sets her apart is her emotional intuition — she understands people, their pressures and their goals,” she said. “That’s why her clients see her not as a legal checkpoint, but as a genuine partner who helps them move forward with confidence and clarity.”
Fun Facts: Nur Kara
- Favorite book: I’ve always been a bookworm. Exactly why I needed glasses at a young age — secretly reading past bedtime in the dark! Bookstores are where I’m a kid in a candy shop. I prefer books that offer an escape from my personal but remain relatable, like poignant memoirs and fiction novels highlighting minority and immigrant voices. Some that have stuck with me are The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs, A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum and An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.
- Favorite music group: Anything Bollywood or Pakistani indie! My husband has gotten us into the depths of Spotify.
- Favorite movie: It now takes me at least three days to get through a movie! I am always on the hunt for 30-minute shows — Shrinking on Apple TV being one of my recent favorites.
- Favorite restaurant: I’m always on the hunt for authentic Korean food, Chinese food and sushi. Too many favorites in the Dallas area, but Chef Sun’s Noodle & Dumpling and Mr. Sushi stand out.
- Favorite beverage: I’m on a matcha kick lately! Trying to perfect it at home with the right temperature, whisking and microfoam techniques.
- Favorite vacation: I took full advantage of my Fulbright year in India to travel the country. It is the most diverse country I have visited, with each state rooted in its own culture, food, languages and ethnic and religious groups. It’s been my most awe-inspiring experience traveling to over 15 cities across 10 states, probably my favorites being Amritsar and Varanasi for their spiritual immersions and Ladakh and Darjeeling for the vast Himalayas and stunning landscapes.
- Hero in life: Undoubtedly, my parents. I would not be who I am or where I am without their love, guidance and inherited values. I have seen them model great persistence, positivity, inclusivity and passionate service to others throughout all of life’s twists and turns. It is my pursuit to preserve and pass on their legacy as best as possible.