A couple years ago, Kelly Rentzel faced a daunting question: whether to disclose a mental illness to the world. The GC of Texas Capital Bank had known days of darkness stemming from her struggle with bipolar disorder. But in the process she has discovered that the public revelation of that struggle has meant as much to others as it has to her.
Ziosk’s Shruti Krishnan Makes Connections, Gets Deals Done
When complex deals become contentious – with emails flying and obstacles accruing and the transaction in danger of falling apart – Shruti Krishnan is likely to do something unusual: she picks up the phone and talks with opposing counsel. And now, as a top lawyer at Table Top, she is known as one of the most effective and personable dealmakers around.
Bracewell & Pier 1 Team Up for Major Securities Class Action Win
Two retirement funds sued Pier 1 and two of its executives in 2015 claiming they made false statements and misled shareholders about excessive inventory levels, which led to millions in financial losses. Pier 1 GC Mike Carter and Bracewell partners Stephen Crain and Bradley Benoit executed a near-perfect defense strategy to have the case dismissed.
Hunt Oil’s Michael Monroe Follows Projects from ‘Mere Idea to Fruition’
When Michael Monroe joined the Hunt Oil legal department in 2002 as a senior lawyer, company leaders had developed an innovative idea about building a massive, multibillion-dollar energy operation in Peru. From what seemed like far-fetched plans arose the first LNG producing plant in South America. And Michael Monroe was the guide.
State National’s Kate Nanney Hit the Ground Running with Markel Deal
Kate Nanney had been practicing law merely three years and was corporate counsel at Bedford-based State National Companies for only a few months when she was given a new assignment: work with some of the most experienced M&A lawyers in the world at Skadden Arps on a transaction to sell the company to a mega-insurance and investment firm for $919 million.
ETE-ETP: A Not So Simple Simplification
You would think a merger between two affiliated entities would be easy to pull off. Not so with Energy Transfer Equity’s purchase of Energy Transfer Partners, which is a finalist for the 2018 M&A Deal of the Year award by the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Brandy Treadway Guides J.C. Penney Through Turbulent Times
Brandy Treadway’s first task when she joined J.C. Penney in 2011 was to prepare an 8-K SEC filing announcing that Ron Johnson was being hired as the CEO. Much has happened since then and Treadway has been there to help the retail giant through it all. A major proponent of diversity, she is the fourth consecutive woman to be J.C. Penney’s GC.
Mauri Miller Guides Platinum Dermatology Through Growth
When Mauri Miller arrived at Platinum Dermatology Partners in May 2016, the business had three offices and 16 providers in Texas. Fifteen transactions later, Platinum has 33 offices and 83 providers in multiple states. Miller, who is 31, oversees Platinum’s M&A and has been integrally involved in each deal.
Celanese Selects Former CIA “Operative” As GC
MarketWatch says A. Lynne Puckett was a “principal” at the Central Intelligence Agency. Modern Counsel magazine once described her as a “CIA Operative.” Irving-based Celanese Corporation has two new titles for Puckett: Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
RealPage’s Cori Ulrich Loves Closing Deals
Cori Ulrich, deputy GC of RealPage, has been busy with acquisitions and capital-raising transactions during the past three years. Ulrich has spearheaded legal teams in executing 12 acquisitions ranging from $5 million to $300 million and CapM transactions, including a $450 million follow-on equity offering and a $345 million convertible debt offering.
Jennifer Brown Brings ‘Big-Picture Thinking’ to Farmer Bros.
Jennifer Brown loves coffee, especially South American coffee. She drinks three cups a day, no cream and no sugar. “It is a huge factor when you are a lawyer for a business and you really believe in the company and the product, and I love coffee,” says Brown, who is assistant GC at coffee manufacturer Farmer Brothers.
Toasting Last Year’s Winners and This Year’s Judges
The Texas Lawbook hosted a soiree honoring last year’s award winners, this year’s judges and ACC-DFW leadership. This is the inaugural DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards Alumni reception.
Daniel Gerber Makes Summit Financial’s ‘Visions Become a Reality’
During his four years at Summit, GC Daniel Gerber has handled five M&A deals, drafted hundreds of contracts and agreements, updated the privacy guidelines and procedures and helped the company avoid potentially costly litigation. Summit CEO Dale Young says, “Daniel’s execution makes visions become a reality.”
Capital One’s Elizabeth Chostner Engineered ‘Historic’ Mortgage Portfolio Sale
When Capital One’s financial services division decided to exit the mortgage origination and servicing business in 2017, it had a pretty sticky problem: How do you shed a portfolio of 113,000 mortgages valued at $17 billion in an orderly and cost-conscious fashion? Apparently, you task your Assistant GC Elizabeth Chostner to deal with the details.
Southern Glazer’s Lauren Mutti is ‘A Rock Star’
As lead labor and employment counsel at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Lauren Mutti handles everything from a $9 million litigation docket to sales compliance policies nationwide. She describes herself as the daughter of a “corporate gypsy,” but others describe her as a community-committed lawyer who is terrific at her job.
Brooks & Talbott – Two EnLink Lawyers, One Team, Lots of Growth
EnLink Midstream Partners CLO Alaina Brooks and Deputy GC Kendall Talbott have been a team for a half-dozen years. Together, they implemented a $13 billion simplification, brought several midstream projects online, eliminated dozens of nuisance lawsuits and sold a $3.12 billion interest in EnLink. Now they’re finalists for an ACC-DFW award.
Adeptus GC Tim Mueller: IPO, Bankruptcy, Private Equity in Three Years
Adeptus Health General Counsel Tim Mueller has seen good times and bad times. During a three-year period, Adeptus experienced wild expansion, did an IPO, had its market cap hit $1 billion, filed for bankruptcy and restructured with a new plan for steady growth. Through it all, Mueller’s legal counsel has been both sound and poised. The Lawbook has the story.
Interstate Batteries GC Kelvin Sellers is ‘Outrageously Dependable’
Interstate Batteries’ Kelvin Sellers has crafted partnership agreements with 200 retail stores, penned sponsorship contracts with NASCAR’s Kyle Busch, engineered the 19 percent acquisition of Aqua Metals and helped the company’s expansion into South America and China. Now, he is a finalist for the 2018 Outstanding Corporate Counsel’s GC of the Year Award.
Celanese & Anne Brooksher-Yen Stepping up for Immigrant Families
The images of children at the border, forcibly separated from their parents, were excruciating for Anne Brooksher-Yen, a mother of two kids. So, the senior associate GC at Celanese Corporation acted. Now, six Celanese attorneys have joined with lawyers at Haynes and Boone to represent eight immigrant families seeking asylum. The Texas Lawbook has the story.
Scott Young is Toyota’s Lawyer for Real Estate Law, Corporate Transactions and Pro Bono
As managing counsel for Toyota Motor North America, Scott Young is the automaker’s leading legal expert on commercial real estate development, lease negotiations and corporate transactions. He’s also developed a well-earned reputation for pro bono and public service.
AT&T’s Monumental 2018 Successes Make it Finalist in Three Corporate Counsel Award Categories
AT&T’s legal department won two huge courtroom victories against the federal government in 2018. The telecom giant defeated a $4 billion FTC false advertising case and demolished a DOJ antitrust challenge to its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. AT&T also made huge strides in promoting diversity in the legal profession. The Texas Lawbook has details.