Alex Dimitrief spent more than 20 years at Kirkland & Ellis before making the leap to in-house, and he hasn’t forgotten his roots. ‘I remember how demanding clients were, and...

Alfred Pollard displayed ‘boldness and vision in partnering with outside counsel to launch what may be the largest collection of securities cases in history’, opines Peter Calamari of Quinn Emanuel...

As the brains behind Pfizer’s much-lauded Pfizer Legal Alliance, Amy Schulman’s inclusion here is somewhat inevitable. The alliance, created shortly after she joined the company in 2008, was set up...

Anastasia Danias’s background is in IP, but since moving in-house, she’s discovered that her skills can be utilized in a number of different ways: not only has she been managing...

Angela Hilt has played a leadership role in Clorox’s diversity initiatives; the company’s legal team has a strong record of retention rates, and the wider group has a solid corporate...

When iconic brand Converse set out to “claim back” its market in each key jurisdiction (having previously used a royalty model outside of the US), its legal department needed to...

Barry Beldin’s workload is described by one observer as ‘insane’. His responsibilities include supporting numerous special assets team members across the states, from Florida to Maine, and works very closely...

Bill Daly is in the enviable position of being able to combine his passion – sport – with his day job. He also happens to be one of the most...

Bob Marin says his greatest achievement at Panasonic has been ‘survival’. Given that his brief is to look after the North America region for a complex global organization, his comment...

The actions of one of Molex’s employees recently caused a major headache for the legal time as a potential crisis loomed. But Robert Zeitler coordinated a fast-paced and thorough investigation,...

When Bradley Turk made his first move in-house to Tishman Speyer in October 2007, he was unaware of the crisis that was about to hit the global real estate market...

Given Bryan Supran’s leading role in two major M&A transactions for Pfizer recently, his inclusion here should come as little surprise. The sale of its global nutritional buiness to Nestlé,...

Carlos Hernandez’s background is in engineering, and although he ended up on a different career path than originally planned, his interest in the manufacturing and construction industry has served him...

As one of seventeen board members for the Houston-based Association of Women in Energy, which is paving the way for women in the sector through peer-to-peer learning, Christina Ibrahim is...

Colleen Batcheler, who has worked for ConAgra since 2006, has been a driving force in the expansion of its legal department, which had previously been wholly outsourced. Batcheler has also...

Curtis Hall’s name springs to the mind of many law firm partners when asked who they recommend. He is widely credited with guiding the company through remarkable growth in the...

Given Honeywell’s vast array of brands, responsibility for its portfolio of trademarks, copyrights and domain names is surely not a straightforward task. But David Cohen handles it with aplomb, additionally...

For David Jaffe’s busy and growing legal department, receiving value for money from outside counsel is paramount. He recently conducted an experiment with his team, asking each to identify a...

KKR & Co’s transition to a public company has seen David Sorkin take an instrumental role in navigating it through this transitional phase in its life. Sorkin was its first-ever...

Following a three-year stint in BigLaw, David Wermuth moved in-house in 1999 and has not looked back since. ‘Early on, he quickly became indispensable to the execution of every transaction...

Deryl Couch sets a fine example to many in-house lawyers, who are often required to do more with less. Working with a relatively small team, he oversees acquisitions, divestitures, and...

Donald Rosenberg was the brains behind two new divisions of Qualcomm’s legal team, that have since ‘taken intellectual property protection to a new level’, observes Bill Urquhart of Quinn Emanuel...

The impact of the recession has seen homebuilder Pulte’s workforce reduce from over 16,000 to just over 3500. But not only has its legal team successfully worked to avoid litigation,...

It was Ethan Orlinsky’s passion for baseball that led him down the path of patents and trademark law. Prior to taking on the hard-won position at his dream organization, he’d...

Just over ten years ago, Greif did not have a legal department. Today, it has an in-house team to serve all its operations in over 50 countries. The department has...

Gerson Zweifach showed just how much he loves a challenge when he stepped into his first ever in-house role for Rupert Murdoch’s scandal-hit news empire. He started in early 2012,...

Gisèle Sutherland appears to be justified when she describes her specialist employee benefits team as a ‘jewel’ within BMO, as she recently led it through an immensely challenging period, when...

A partner at a global firm recently mused that no-one could stay ahead of, or out-smart, Harry Mixon. He’s developed a reputation for being able to cut straight to the...

Formerly one of Pfizer’s ‘star lawyers’, when Zoetis was spun out recently, Heidi Chen found herself involved in building a public company operation from scratch. As a result, she now...

Alaskan native Jaeleen Araujo has been advising Sealaska for a number of years in a number of different capacities. She used to advise the corporation, which has some 20,000 tribal...

James Mercer cares deeply about environmental issues, and in just over two years at HCP, has demonstrated this by driving forward the company’s sustainability efforts alongside its CEO. This included...

James Shea utilizes his expertise not only within his organization, but outside of it too. He is known as an active participant in Washington DC, where he takes part in...

If Walgreen exercises its option to acquire the remaining 55% of Boots in 2015, it is expected to generate some $130bn in revenue, and its legal department will grow from...

Jay Stephens has been with Raytheon for just over a decade, and in that time has successfully transformed the department from a reactive one to a proactive one. Not only...

State Auto has a unique corporate structure: 62% is publicly owned and 38% is owned by private shareholders. James Yano has been credited with developing practices and procedures to address...

Jeffrey Ferguson is a fine example of someone whose career has grown in concert with the organization he works for. He first began working with Carlyle as outside counsel, then...

When Hertz acquired Dollar Thrifty recently, it was the culmination of a long-fought battle of which Jeffrey Zimmerman was a key player. The transaction was littered with complexities; two different...

During Jennifer Clark’s tenure, RMR has increased its assets under management from $6bn to over $18bn, and its client base has multiplied substantially; it therefore goes without saying that its...

According to Matthew Previn of BuckleySandler, Jill Centella has all the qualities required to make a great litigator: ‘she is a tremendous tactician and has superb judgment. She knows when...

When BTG Pactual tasked Jill Wallach with creating an international legal department to support its global expansion, it was a coup not just for the company, but for many junior...

When the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe first hit BP in 2010, it was impossible to predict the breadth of issues that would befall the company. Fortunately, John Lynch had the foresight...

Working for a tobacco company means product liability litigation is something of an inevitability, and John Reilly has worked tirelessly to ensure it is handled in an efficient and cost-effective...

John Wombwell’s skills are impressive: he recently led the restructuring of the company to focus on offshore exploration (including significant acquisitions from BP and Shell in the Gulf of Mexico)...

Jonathan Drimmer has demonstrated real commitment to human rights issues, having joined the company in 2011 when it announced it would be implementing a new HRC program, to not only...

Joseph Impicciche has been advising non-profit organizations for the bulk of his career, both as outside and inside counsel. At Ascension, his role involves coordinating legal services for many major...

By his own admission, Josh McMorrow is ‘half-lawyer, half-businessman’, and there’s an abundance of evidence to support this. ‘I am not accepting the notion of a legal department as a...

Not only is Katherine Adams responsible for the legal, governmental, and security departments of a multibillion-dollar company – including close to 1,000 staff under her watch – but she’s also...

Katherine Adkins has a passion for innovation – so much so that she serves as executive sponsor of her company’s creativity and innovation efforts. This has seen TFS introduce workshops...

As Kathryn Park runs one of the world’s most substantial trademark portfolios, she has experience and knowledge that, fortunately, many others benefit from. As a past president of INTA, the...

Corporate America has much to thank Keith Agisim for; as chairman of the Financial Services Round table’s IP committee, he has played a key role in assisting Congress with the...

Kelly McNamara career history is both remarkable and rare. From her humble beginnings as an unpaid summer intern, she went on to become Discover’s general counsel (the company was spun...

Kenneth Schwartz is incredibly focused on providing legal services in the fastest, and most cost-effective way, to his organization. To achieve this, he favors an approach of consolidation and segmentation...

When Kent Magill joined Sara Lee just prior to the spin-off of its tea and coffee brand, he was immediately thrown into the deep end when the newly spun-off company...

The culture with Google’s in-house team, as one might expect, is very much in line with the rest of its business. Kent Walker acknowledges it may be viewed as ‘quirky’,...

As counsel for a company that serves around one in three households in the United States, Kevin Heiser has responsibility for a huge docket of cases. He is said to...

Kirkland Hicks describes his company, created via a merger in 2010, as ‘well run, with a great leadership team and an engaged and supportive board of directors’. His own leadership...

Larry DeRespino has a long track-record as a skilled commercial litigator, and he brought those to bear when he moved in-house at U-Haul. However, recognizing that he lacked the transactional...

Larry Thompson’s typical working day is a hectic mix of complex negotiations, overseeing litigation, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. But he somehow still finds the time to ensure that the...

Heading up T-Mobile’s major litigation team means Laura Buckland is tasked with a vast array of complex issues, and her approach has impressed the outside counsel she’s worked with. She...

And corporate counsel working for a non-profit organization could do well to take inspiration from Leslie Rosenthal. The Lincoln Center first tapped her in 2005 to oversee its transformation from...

Lily Chang is admired for her ability to deal with the many complex issues involved in working for a major financial institution. Joy Gallup of Paul Hastings LLP says ‘she...

Luke Mette, like so many of his peers, has a hard task on his hands to try to reduce legal spend. Recognizing that the billable hour cannot be abolished in...

It was something of a coup for PennyMac Loan Services when Mallory Garner agreed to come on board in early 2011. Garner has serious credentials when it comes to mortgages...

As a former M&A lawyer, Mark Finkelstein has an excellent head for business, making him a valuable asset for this highly acquisitive company. He believes the fact he had no...

Mark Holden, general counsel of one of the largest private companies in the US, is no stranger to publicity and controversy; Koch regularly makes headlines for its political stances on...

Marta Beckwith has previously been recognised as a rising star by the industry and been held up as an example to other aspiring women lawyers, via her inclusion in Inside...

Mark Engelmann of Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu describes Leheny as ‘vastly experienced and very highly regarded, both within her company and in the trademark community generally’. Responsibility for protecting...

Acting for an organization going through a major legal challenge is not for the faint-hearted, but it is testimony to Matthew Biben’s abilities that he not only managed tricky negotiations...

Any company that inhabits the world of digital advertising needs a privacy expert on their side, and in Michael Blum, San Francisco-based Quantcast has just that. Blum serves on the...

The timing of Michael Sosso’s arrival at BP is worth noting: it was June 2011, and the company was embarking on a divestment program to pay off debts associated with...

Neil Rosolinsky has demonstrated a number of ways in which in-house legal teams can make savings for their company. His first port of call upon taking on his role was...

Noreen Krall’s profile is sky high at the moment, due to her prominent role in Apple’s precedent-setting smartphone wars. The company’s very identity hinges on Krall’s decision-making skills, and she...

Parkin Lee’s appointment at Rockefeller five years ago was the latest landmark in a career that began as a design and project engineer for GE’s Aircraft Engine Group, and resulted...

Paul Dacier’s track record is nothing short of outstanding; he became EMC’s first ever corporate counsel in 1990, and in the years that followed has guided the company through a...

As anyone who oversees a globally spread-out team will know, it can be a challenge to foster enough camaraderie to make things cohesive. Paul Petta has 55 direct reports sitting...

GSK’s litigation head PD Villarreal is a big believer in early dispute resolution, through use of the MASTER program: ‘with disciplined application of the program, quick and inexpensive solutions can...

When Verizon faced a multi-week strike involving 40,000 employees in 2011, Randal Milch found himself personally reviewing more than 60 pending NLRB unfair labor charges and assessing the litigation suitability...

Seasoned trial lawyer Robert Hunter rarely has to step inside a courtroom these days. During his 15 years as the company’s GC, he has overseen the introduction of new safety...

PPL Corporation recently made headlines around the world when it convinced the Supreme Court to overturn a decision banning its use of foreign tax credits against the UK “windfall tax”...

According to Mark Grossman of Katten Muchin, Robert Sacks is ‘at all times level-headed’. Having served the company since 1987, he has a solid record of experience gained within the...

Robert Weber is something of a non-conformist in his world; he is vigorously opposed to the concept of non-lawyers having a stake in law firms, is open-minded when it comes...

Roderick Palmore is already a household name, having been repeatedly recognized for his efforts in the diversity drive. He literally wrote the book on the topic, in 2004 – A...

Ryan Patch is among a group of business leaders at B/E Aerospace who have helped its stock price rise from $6 to $70 per share over the past five years....

Sabine Chalmers has led her company through two landmark M&A transactions in recent years: there was the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch Companies for $52bn in late 2008, and the acquisition of...

By her own admission, Sandra Leung does not fit the typical profile of a GC. ‘I am not male or over 50, didn’t go to an Ivy League school and...

Hoogasian comes highly recommended by Mick Bain of WilmerHale, who says he is ‘one of the most impressive attorneys I have ever met.  He is an amazing tactical, strategic and...

As a lawyer sitting on Berkshire’s board of directors, Shar Heslam is something of a trendsetter in the private equity industry. She was the first specialist (ie not from an...

Simone Wu, who joined Choice Hotels in 2012, was recently named one of the nation’s most influential Asian American Lawyers. In her current role, she brings to bear 20 years’...

The number of lawsuits against DavCo – which holds the exclusive franchise in Maryland for Wendy’s Restaurants – has reduced considerably since Stacey Jackson came on board some fifteen years...

As pointed out by one of his many admirers, Stanton Dodge’s story is compelling. He is a true home-grown talent within DISH, having started out at its predecessor company as...

Stephen Cutler has been working for JPMorgan since 2007, and in that time has greatly impressed many observers. ‘He has a tremendous ability to simultaneously focus at a nuanced level...

Stephen Eisenberg’s philosophy is to ‘hit the ball down the middle of the highway’. As GC for the second largest credit union in the US, it’s a worthy mantra for...

UTC began trailblazing the death of the billable hour as far back as 2005, and Steven Greenspan, who joined in 2011, firmly agrees that the model ‘makes no sense’ as...

Teresa Sebastian says one of the reasons for joining Darden Restaurants in 2010 was that she liked its focus on diversity. ‘I want my team to reflect the restaurant employees,...

Thomas Sager has spent the entire duration of his career to date at Dupont, and in that time has certainly made his mark. He helped pioneer the Dupont Convergence and...

Timothy Triplett, President, Legal & Risk Management for Black & Veatch, previously was a name partner at a construction boutique. Since moving in-house in 2008, he has enjoyed inside counsel...

For Timothy Pratt, the decision to move in-house following 30 years in private practice was a risky move. He admits now, ‘frankly, I had doubts whether I could do this...

Todd Molz heads up a large department, and oversees the legal activities for 13 offices, but in spite of this, is remarkably hands-on. ‘He often engages in direct dialogue with...

Wendy Schick Dougall’s experience in the employee benefits arena is hard to beat – during her career to date she has served as in-house counsel, consultant, legal advisor, policymaker and...

William Deckelman is unafraid to experiment in his quest for effective outside counsel management. He’s open to exploring non-traditional service providers, often instructs firms that may not be the most...