© 2018 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden
(Jan. 26) – Four general counsel leading multibillion-dollar M&A transactions involving the Energy Future Holdings bankruptcy and the legal department at Trinity Industries were the big winners at the 2017 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards announced Thursday night by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook.
More than 320 North Texas general counsel and prominent business lawyers gave legendary former EDS General Counsel Gil Friedlander a standing ovation when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The ACC-DFW and The Lawbook also presented Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards to AT&T Corporate Counsel Juanita Harris, LegacyTexas Bank Associate General Counsel Lennie Nicholson, ORIX USA Assistant GC Nicola Hobeiche, Liberty Mutual Corporate Counsel Kimberly Houston, FleetPride General Counsel Baron Oursler and RealPage General Counsel David Monk.
The biggest winners of the awards ceremony held Thursday night at the Bush Institute were the corporate lawyers involved in two monumentally complex and large-dollar legal matters of 2017:
- The $45 billion restructuring of Energy Future Holdings, which recognized EFH GC Andy Wright, former EFH GC Stacey Doré, Oncor GC Allen Nye and Vistra GC Stephanie Zapata Moore; and
- Trinity Industries GC Theis Rice and Deputy GC Sarah Teachout who guided the company to a precedent-setting victory in a historically large federal False Claims Act litigation.
Two subject matters dominated the comments of the award winners and presenters and continued to be the predominate discussion that continued into the reception following the award ceremony:
- The desperate need for corporate legal departments and law firm leaders to do a better job of addressing ethnic and gender diversity within the legal profession; and
- 10-ounce sippy cups sponsored by the Dallas litigation boutique Bailey Brauer, which marked the first time that corporate law groups meeting at the Bush Institute were allowed to take drinks into the plush theater.
Here is a list of the winners of the 2017 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards, presented by the ACC-DFW and The Texas Lawbook:
- Diversity of the Year Award: AT&T’s Juanita Harris and David McAtee;
- Non-GC for a Small Legal Dept.: LegacyTexas Bank Associate GC Lennie Nicholson;
- Non-GC of the Year for a Mid-sized Legal Dept.: Trinity Industries Deputy GC Sarah Teachout;
- Non-GC for a Large Legal Dept.: Liberty Mutual Corporate Counsel Kimberly Houston;
- Lifetime Achievement Award: former EDS GC Gil Friedlander;
- Pro Bono & Public Service Award: ORIX USA Assistant GC Nicola Hobeiche;
- GC of the Year for a Small Legal Dept: FleetPride GC Baron Oursler;
- GC of the Year for a Mid-sized Legal Dept.: RealPage GC David Monk;
- GC of the Year for a Large Legal Dept.: EFH GC Andy Wright and former EFH GC Stacey Doré, who is now the GC at Hunt Utilities;
- Business Litigation of the Year: Trinity Industries GC Theis Rice, Deputy GC Sarah Teachout with lawyers at Akin Gump, Gibson Dunn and Haynes and Boone; and
- M&A Deal of the Year: EFH GC Andy Wright; former EFH GC Stacey Doré; Oncor GC Allen Nye; Vistra GC Stephanie Zapata Moore; Kirkland & Ellis partner Andy Calder; former Jones Day partner Pat Villareal; Enoch Kever; and Vinson & Elkins’ Matt Henry.
The Texas Lawbook will publish a full slideshow Monday from the Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards reception and event at the Bush Institute.
© 2018 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.
If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.
[tribulant_slideshow gallery_id=”1″]