Vice president and general counsel | Honeywell Connected Enterprise
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Executive vice president and general counsel | Promethean
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Commercial transactions attorney | Amazon
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Associate general counsel | Meta
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Senior vice president and general counsel | Cox Automotive
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General counsel and vice-president | Harry Norman, REALTORS®
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General counsel | Aston Martin Lagonda North America
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Chief legal and administrative officer and corporate secretary | Newell Brands
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Vice president and general counsel | Relay Payments
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General counsel, corporate secretary | Unifi Aviation
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General counsel and corporate secretary | Coca-Cola Bottlers' Association
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Chief counsel rare disease | Pfizer
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Chief legal officer and secretary | Pindrop Security
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Executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary | J.M. Huber Corporation
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Vice president for business affairs and global general counsel | Vantiva Broadband
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General counsel | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
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Senior vice president, general counsel and chief ethics and compliance officer | Southern Company Gas
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Vice president and senior counsel | Wells Fargo
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Assistant vice president and senior legal counsel | AT&T
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Legal counsel | Accenture
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Chief counsel - global M&A and strategy | UPS
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Partner and deputy general counsel | McKinsey & Company
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In-house legal advisor | UPS
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Vice president, legal and general counsel | Porsche Cars North America
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Executive vice president, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer | Southern Company
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Senior vice president, general counsel and secretary | National Vision Holdings
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Associate general counsel | Porsche Cars North America
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Legal counsel | Nike
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Senior vice president and general counsel | Cox Enterprises
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General counsel | NCR Corporation
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Vice president and deputy general counsel | The Home Depot
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Chief legal officer and corporate vice president | Equifax
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Vice president, assistant general counsel, and chief privacy officer | Promethean
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Vice president, senior programming, and production counsel (assistant general counsel) | Gray Television
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Legal counsel | Microsoft
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Legal and compliance counsel | Apple
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General counsel, chief compliance officer and secretary | Kabbage, an American Express company
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Vice president and general counsel | Aprio
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Executive vice president, general counsel and secretary | Graphic Packaging International
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General counsel and chief compliance officer | Trellis Rx
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Deputy general counsel, chief compliance officer | Aura
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Associate general counsel | The Coca-Cola Company
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Executive vice president and general counsel | Change Healthcare
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Executive vice president and general counsel | Chick-fil-A
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In-house counsel for industry and solutions | Microsoft
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Associate general counsel | Bank of America
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Vice president and general counsel | Mercedes-Benz
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Associate general counsel | Meta
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General counsel and secretary | Riskonnect
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Senior vice president and general counsel | The Coca-Cola Company
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General counsel | Norfolk Southern Corporation
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Intellectual property attorney | Microsoft
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General counsel and chief administrative officer | Inspire Brands
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Senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary | Tractor Supply Company
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Vice president and legal affairs | UPS
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General counsel | North Highland
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Associate general counsel, privacy | WhatsApp
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Chief legal officer and general counsel | Delta Air Lines
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Vice president and deputy general counsel | The Home Depot
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Assistant general counsel | The Home Depot
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General counsel | Hermeus
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Executive vice president and general counsel | Reliance Worldwide Corporation
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Senior vice president, legal affairs | Warner Bros. Discovery
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General counsel | Mailchimp
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General counsel and corporate secretary | Vero Biotech
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Senior vice president and general counsel (until September 2022) | Emory University
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Senior vice president and associate general counsel | Truist Financial
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Executive vice president, general counsel and corporate security | The Home Depot
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Senior vice president and general counsel | Georgia-Pacific
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On behalf of everyone at The Legal 500, I am delighted, honoured, and excited in equal measure to welcome you to the first edition of our Atlanta GC Powerlist. This will mark the first time that The Legal 500 has produced a publication exclusively focusing on in-house counsel in Atlanta, and what better way to mark this occasion with the launch of the local edition of our premier title dedicated to highlighting the very best in-house lawyers around the world – The GC Powerlist.
It was a pleasure to lead the research for this project. The great enthusiasm of the lawyers that we spoke to was outstanding and inspiring, but the sheer level of innovative work that has been carried out in this region is even more spectacular.
The interviews I had the pleasure of conducting as part of the research for the Atlanta Powerlist were all illuminating. As an example, James Y. Kerr II, executive vice president, chief legal officer, and chief compliance officer at Southern Company, provided a thought-provoking interview for inclusion in this year’s list which is well worth reading. In it, he lays out the importance of the Covid-19 response in the company, and how to balance the risks that came along with it:
‘At the time that the pandemic began, we were 90% through completion of the only two new nuclear reactors being built in the United States, and we had a daily workforce of about 8,000 people showing up at the site. From a risk standpoint, from a technique standpoint and, frankly, from a governance standpoint, we had to make sure that the board understood that it was an appropriate decision to continue the project. We also had to balance the risk of stopping the project with maintaining first party health and safety of the company employees and the contractors on the site.’
In this edition, in-house lawyers strongly emphasise the increasing importance of legal technology, and how this could revolutionise the future of the law profession, while also acknowledging the cyber security threats that come along with its use. Not only has technology aided companies through the pandemic, with its vital role in remote and hybrid working, but the use of artificial intelligence, for example for contract management, is also beginning to allow in-house professionals to use their time more efficiently.
For stories from those who have been able to take the front line for their organisations, and further discussions on both the Covid-19 pandemic and the use of technology, read on to the interviews within.
A huge thank you to everyone who spoke to us as part of The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Atlanta 2023, and to our sponsors Morris, Manning & Martin for making this all possible. To those of you who were successful in making this year’s list: congratulations from myself and the rest of the GC Powerlist Research Team. You are part of an elite group of the most trusted, effective, and innovative in-house lawyers globally.
Elena Lewis | Lead Researcher – GC Powerlist Atlanta 2023
The GC Powerlist United States Atlanta was launched on 26th January 2023 with a private dinner held at The Chastain. The celebratory event was the first dedicated recognition of Atlanta’s leading general counsel and chief legal officers. Following introductory speeches from David Burgess, Publishing Director of The Legal 500 and Simon Malko, Managing Partner at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP, guests enjoyed a private dinner and the opportunity to share war stories from their roles, and to create a series of new networks and connections. Our thanks go to all who attended, and our gracious sponsors Morris, Manning & Martin LLP.
