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| | | | | | | | 3-2008
The Passionate Pursuit of Professional Development
Solo GC Alex Erlam on Deals, Departments and Dedication
For N. Alexander Erlam, solo general counsel of Vertical Screen Inc., balancing his professional responsibilities may be a smart career move and a practical necessity — but it's also a passion and a point of pride. Erlam not only acts as the emerging company's law department of one, overseeing all of the substantive legal work for the entire Vertical Screen family of companies, but he also plays key roles in the leadership of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (DELVACCA.)
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| | | | | | | | 11-2007
Healthy Management
MED3000 GC Bob Gallo
As a partner at Reed Smith, Bob Gallo managed multiple deals, each worth tens of millions of dollars, while at the same time juggling numerous clients, conference calls and deal closings, as well as directing the many associates under his management.
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| | | | | | | | 11-2007
Greener Pastures
SCA General Counsel Kevin Gorman on Environmentalism and World Travel
Kevin Gorman is more than happy to show a visitor the spectacular view from his office on the 26th floor of Philadelphia's Cira Centre. The vice president and general counsel of Swedish paper giant SCA points out landmarks in all directions and his tour includes detailed information about buildings and sites past, present and future. Gorman's obvious passion for Philadelphia was, in large part, a driving force behind the decision of his employer to locate its headquarters in the city's newest office tower.
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| | | | | | | | 9-2007
Pittsburgh Pirates GC Larry Silverman
More than four out of five workers in the United States are working at jobs they don't love, according to a survey released earlier this year by CareerBuilder.com. But while many of us trudge through our day, waiting for 5 p.m. to roll around, Larry Silverman is enjoying his dream job.
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| | | | | | | | 9-2007
GC Satisfied: Medco GC David S. Machlowitz on Tough Times and Triumphs
Like many general counsel, David Machlowitz began his career working for a law firm. After 10 years in private practice at three different firms, and 20 years in-house in three different companies, Machlowitz says he couldn't be happier in his present job at Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based Medco Health Solutions Inc,
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| | | | | | | | 7-2007
Team Spirit
Carnegie Mellon GC Mary Jo Dively Helps Launch Start-Ups in The Steel City
If Mary Jo Dively could offer one piece of advice to other university general counsel, it would be: "Get to know the faculty."
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| | | | | | | | 7-2007
Bottom Line: Diversity
DuPont's Thomas L. Sager on Why
Diversity Is a Business Imperative
Fifteen years ago, when Thomas L. Sager, vice president, assistant general counsel and chief litigation counsel for DuPont, sought to create a system that offered instructive principles aimed at improving how DuPont's corporate law department represented its client, he had no idea that the result — the DuPont Legal Model — would revolutionize the way corporate law departments across the United States conduct business.
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| | | | | | | | 7-2007
Risk Management
Radian Group GC Teresa Bryce Takes the Right Opportunities at the Right Time
Ask Teresa Bryce about sub-prime mortgages and she will launch into a lively and cogent explanation of the recent crisis in this segment of the mortgage market, its impact on the mortgage business in general and on her company, Philadelphia-based Radian Group Inc., and her predictions for the future of the industry.
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| | | | | | | | 5-2007
The Upside of Downsizing
Glatfelter Inc. GC Jeffrey Norton Trades in Large Law Department Resources for Small Department Challenges — and the Chance to Help His Company's Busi
Leaving the security of a large legal department at a multi-billion dollar company to become the general counsel of a company with a much smaller department, almost non-existent legal support and few places to turn for assistance, would be a risky — almost unthinkable — career move for most corporate attorneys.
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| | | | | | | | 5-2007
Judging Amy
Amy Feldman, General Counsel of the Judge Group, on Education, Mediation and Talk Radio
Amy Feldman has a very simple take on the law: "What you don't know could get you sued." Feldman translates this philosophy into action in her work as general counsel at the Judge Group, a placement firm headquartered in Conshohocken, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia, where she provides employees with the skills and training they need to understand the legal aspects of their work.
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| | | | | | | | 5-2007
Return on Investment
Former Mellon Financial Corp. GC Michael E. Bleier Takes 25 Years of Experience Into Private Practice
For many Americans, especially overworked attorneys, age 65 is the year of emancipation. The time when they can permanently trade dress slacks for Bermuda shorts, and morning coffee for mimosas. When they can leave their pressure-filled days behind and reflect on a great career that was.
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| | | | | | | | 5-2007
New Energy
NRG Energy GC Drew Murphy Makes the Move from Private Practice to the Corporate World
Drew Murphy was perfectly happy with his 15-year legal career with New York-based Hunton & Williams, where he was head of the firm's energy practice. Sure, he admits, as he approached his mid-40s, thoughts of shifting gears did occasionally enter his mind. But, "being in-house was something I had never really considered," he says.
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| | | | | | | | 3-2007
Small But Nimble
Karen Silver, GC of Corporate Office Properties Trust, on the
Benefits and Challenges of a Leanly Staffed Law Department
To many in-house attorneys, the very mention of their organization's general counsel conjures up images of the Great and Powerful Oz – a person running the show from behind a thick, impenetrable curtain through which no mere mortal (or everyday corporate lawyer) may enter.
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| | | | | | | | 3-2007
Student Government
Jeffrey Cooper, Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Imagine that you have to tell the parents of a student that they are not entitled to see their daughter's grades, information about her campus activities or even the notes of her visits to the school medical center. The parents are irate — after all, they are paying their daughter's tuition. But not only is it the school policy, it's the law — and it's Jeffrey Cooper's job to keep the student's school records private. No, Cooper is not a teacher or guidance counselor. He's chief counsel for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PSSHE), the state's largest education provider.
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| | | | | | | | 3-2007
Innovation: High-Tech Start-Up Plextronics Inc. Develops a Revolutionary Legal Team
The success of any entrepreneurial technology company requires two critical components: the development of the company's technology and the capital to fund operations. Either component alone is not enough, and technology start-ups need legal help on two different fronts – intellectual property development and protection, and raising money.
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| | | | | | | | 11-2006
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Henry Hopkins, GC of T. Rowe Price, on the Power of Persistence
Attorneys are always on the move these days, going in-house, trading in corporate life for the corner office and private firm practice, changing companies, switching industries or dedicating themselves to public service. Not Henry H. Hopkins, chief legal counsel of T. Rowe Price, a global investment management firm headquartered in Baltimore.
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| | | | | | | | 11-2006
H.J. Heinz Company GC Ted Bobby Looks to the Future
Even from his outlook on the 60th floor of the U.S. Steel Building — the tallest structure in Pittsburgh — where the sounds of the grind and hustle of the city below cannot be heard, Theodore "Ted" Bobby, senior vice president and general counsel of the H.J. Heinz Company, cannot escape the cacophony of the recent proxy fight for control of the company.
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| | | | | | | | 11-2006
Compensation: $0
Pro Bono GC Geoffrey W. Peters Gives Back to Nonprofits
In today's corporate climate, it is the rare general counsel whose compensation package has not been reported, analyzed and ranked by some local, regional or national publication – and scrutinized by other GCs.
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| | | | | | | | 9-2006
Spin Control
LANXESS General Counsel Marcy Tenaglia Smooths Transition During Spin-Off
Imagine for a moment that the company you've dedicated your life to for the past 20 years forms a new venture comprised of their underperforming businesses units. Then you're told you are among the employees who will be transferred to this new entity, which doesn't even have a name yet. Management is temporarily calling it Newco, an abbreviation for "new company."
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| | | | | | | | 9-2006
The Other Side of the Mountain
Retiring GC Sharon Owlett Guides PEC Solutions Inc. to the Top of Merger Mountain and Finds a New Job on the Other Side
After shepherding Fairfax, Va.-based PEC Solutions Inc. through an initial public offering, the technology stock market bust and a subsequent securities class action lawsuit (ultimately dismissed), as well as several acquisitions, general counsel Sharon Owlett thought she had enough notches on her legal belt.
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| | | | | | | | 9-2006
The Aquino Factor
Frank Aquino, solo-GC for EA Environmental, Science and Technology, and President of Baltimore ACCA, on firm lawyers, formulas for success and Friday
Some people arrive at their positions in life with lots of fanfare. Others get there the hard way: Working diligently, suffering inauspicious — perhaps even humiliating — starts, taking their lumps, and finding ways to maximize their opportunities.
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