About

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. Patch has made a series of bold moves to his legal team, growing it from just one lawyer to a whole team of qualified experts, who each specialize in a particular area (IP, contracts, and immigration, for example). Having a larger team doesn’t mean he can rest on his laurels; he admits ‘I work more hours as in-house counsel then I did as a partner in private law practice. Although I have greatly increased the staff, this only buys more time to deal with high-level matters’. Indeed, Patch embodies all the qualities of a modern-day corporate counsel, believing that it is crucial to ‘learn the speak’ within his business world. ‘We have three primary business segments within the company and they each have their own way of doing things’, he says. ‘Knowing what each segment means when they discuss operations or issues goes a long ways in gaining their trust and getting them to thereafter follow your guidance’. Patch’s dedication and work ethic is plain to see, and he expects high standards from his outside counsel – a trait sees him earn great respect from his counterparts. Carl Roston, of Akerman Senterfitt, describes Patch as a ‘rock star GC’.