The COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis in the oil patch have meant difficult times for many businesses. There have been a record amount of corporate restructurings. There have been mergers out of necessity and some out of opportunity. While civil jury trials have been few, heated litigation disputes have continued.
Through all of this, general counsel and senior counsel at companies across North Texas have been called upon to do the best legal work of their careers.
The Association of Corporate of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are seeking to identify and honor those in-house counsel for the great legal work and leadership they performed in 2020.
Starting Monday, Oct. 26, The Lawbook and ACC-DFW will start accepting nominations for the 2020 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards. The nomination process will be open through Dec. 10.
Full details about the nomination guidelines will be published Monday, along with a live link to the official nomination form.
The 2020 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards winners will be honored at a ceremony on April 1 at the George W. Bush Institute. Last year, 350 corporate general counsel and other businesses lawyers attended the event.
The categories are:
M&A Deal of the Year honors a corporate legal department and its outside counsel for successfully guiding a company through a complex merger, acquisition, project or joint venture.
Business Litigation of the Year honors a corporate legal department and its outside counsel for success in a unique and complex trial, appeal or arbitration.
General Counsel of the Year, (Large, Medium & Small Departments) recognizes individual general counsel or chief legal officers for successes they achieved through their individual efforts and engagements.
Senior In-House Counsel of the Year, (Large, Medium & Small Departments) recognizes individual in-house senior counsel (not GCs or CLOs) for successes they achieved through their individual efforts and engagements.
Public Service & Pro Bono celebrates an individual corporate in-house counsel for her or his commitment and service to the community, pro bono and public service.
Legal Innovation honors an individual corporate counsel for game-changing, creative approaches to legal services.
Creative Partnership praises corporate legal departments and one of their outside law firms for original and unique ways they work together in the delivery of complex and strategic legal services.
Rookie of the Year celebrates a young lawyer (35 years or younger) who has been in-house for two years or less and has already achieved extraordinary successes.
Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion recognizes an individual corporate in-house counsel for her or his commitment and service to diversity initiatives.
Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a current or retired General Counsel or Assistant GC for her or his decades-long commitment to the legal profession and the corporate in-house counsel community.