More than 150 fully vaccinated general counsel, senior in-house counsel and corporate lawyers gathered Thursday evening for the 2021 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards.
Thirteen trophies were handed out for categories ranging from Business Litigation and M&A Deal of the Year to Rookie of the Year and Legal Innovation. Five of the categories had multiple finalists.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook, the hosts of the annual DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, announced the following award recipients:
Senior Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department (21+ lawyers) was Flowserve Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer Susan Hudson;
General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (less than five attorneys) was Crestline Investors General Counsel Jesús Payán;
Rookie of the Year Award went to Pizza Hut Legal Director Jasmine Tobias;
M&A Deal of the Year went to Crescent Real Estate Group General Counsel Andrew Lombardi and Bracewell; and
Business Litigation of the Year went to Southwest Airlines senior litigation attorney Angela Mayeux and Ryan Law Partners.
The M&A Deal of the Year and Business Litigation of the Year honor both the in-house counsel and the outside lawyers who worked with them.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Southwest Airlines Chief Legal Officer Mark Shaw.
A panel of 15 independent judges reviewed more than 70 nominations. Those judges decided that there were seven categories that had a sole standout candidate. They included:
DFW Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department (six to 20 attorneys) went to former Neiman Marcus assistant general counsel Tasha Grinnell, who this past Monday became the new general counsel at Coppell-based retailer The Container Store.
The Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department was awarded to Denton Muse, the senior counsel at City Electric Supply.
Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service award went to Toyota Managing Counsel Olesja Cormney.
General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department was awarded to Pizza Hut Chief Legal Officer Lauren Leahy.
The award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion was given to PrimeSource Brands Chief Legal Officer Navin Rao.
The Legal Innovation Award went to Toyota Intellectual Property Counsel Frederick Mau.
You can read more about each of the honorees here. The Texas Lawbook will publish in-depth profiles of the awards winners and finalists in February.
Publisher’s Note: Thank you to our generous sponsors who are true partners in celebrating the tremendous work by the corporate in-house community in DFW. The 2021 sponsors include: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; Alston & Bird LLP; Androvett Legal Media; Ankura Consulting Group, LLC; Bailey Brauer PLLC; Baker Botts L.L.P.; Bracewell LLP; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP; Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P.; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Haynes and Boone, LLP; Kirkland & Ellis LLP; Locke Lord LLP; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; Munck Wilson Mandala, LLP; Newhouse + Noblin LLC; Perkins Coie LLP; Sewell Automotive Companies; Sidley Austin LLP; Validity Finance, LLC; Vinson & Elkins LLP.