They led multibillion-dollar deals and won billion-dollar disputes. They are young lawyers who made their mark and seasoned leaders whose companies benefited from their wisdom. They used technology and good ole fashioned legal smarts to change the corporate law profession and how companies do business.
They are the finalists for the 2021 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognizes the hard work and successes of the corporate in-house legal community in North Texas.
More than 60 lawyers, law firms and corporate legal departments submitted nominations to the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and The Texas Lawbook.
ACC DFW and The Lawbook appointed seven panels of three judges who were screened to avoid any conflicts of interests. Those three-judge panels reviewed the submissions for their assigned categories and selected up to three finalists for each of the categories. In some of the categories, the judges chose only two finalists and selected a sole finalist – or a winner – in a few instances.
“The DFW Corporate Counsel Awards are not pay-to-play in anyway,” Texas Lawbook publisher Brooks Igo said. “The process is completely independent and set up to ensure that the best nominations recognizing the best legal working in the corporate law community is being honored.”
Today, ACC DFW and The Lawbook announce the following finalists for the 2021 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards:
M&A Deal of the Year finalists are Crescent Real Estate General Counsel Andrew Lombardi and Vizient Assistant General Counsel Gary Thompson;
Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion award goes to PrimeSource Brands Chief Legal Officer Navin Rao;
Rookie of the Year finalists are Pizza Hut Legal Director Jasmine Tobias and Toyota Managing Counsel Kelly Chen;
Business Litigation of the Year finalists are Southwest Airlines Senior Attorney Angela Mayeux and Match Group Associate General Counsel Jeanette Teckman;
Legal Innovation winner is Toyota Intellectual Property Managing Counsel Frederick Mau;
Pro Bono and Public Service award goes to Toyota Managing Counsel Olesja Cormney;
General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department finalists are Crestline Investors General Counsel Jesus Payan and Tuesday Morning General Counsel Bridgett Zeterberg;
Senior Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department finalists are Flowserve Associate General Counsel Susan Hudson and McKesson Corporation Chief Counsel Thomas Blanford.
Senior Counsel for a Midsized Legal Department goes to Neiman Marcus Assistant General Counsel Tasha Grinnell.
The Texas Lawbook will announce the remaining finalists Friday.