Law firm associates are often surprised at the lack of compensation transparency for in-house positions — particularly in states like Texas where disclosure is not required. But understanding a typical in-house counsel compensation package is a crucial part of considering a transition from a law firm to a corporate legal department.
Updated: ‘One Day Stands Out’ for Retiring Southwest CLO Mark Shaw
Mark Shaw has witnessed a lot of crises and successes during his 24 years as a lawyer for Southwest Airlines, but the day that stands out most is Sept. 13, 2001. “I will never forget seeing that first flight after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 taking off from Love Field,” Shaw told The Texas Lawbook in an interview Thursday. “It had been a horrible, tragic few days, but American flags were everywhere and seeing the spirit of everyone moving forward was amazing.”
Southwest announced Wednesday that Shaw, 61, is resigning as the company’s chief legal and chief regulatory officer on May 31 for family reasons. Shaw, who has been the general counsel since 2013, will remain with the company in an executive advisory role.
TGS GC Tana Pool is a ‘Leader by Example’
Tana Pool is a self-described “small town girl.” The adopted daughter of Texas panhandle cotton farmers, she had never traveled outside the U.S. before becoming a lawyer. Then, a decade ago, Pool became the general counsel of a global Norwegian-based energy data and intelligence corporation that has a $1.7 billion market cap. She now has offices in Oslo, London and Houston. She is doing M&A deals around the world.
During her 17 years at TGS and Quanta Services, Pool has done more than a dozen acquisitions and joint ventures, negotiated more than $1 billion in credit facilities and is now on the verge of closing TGS’ largest M&A transaction — the acquisition of Oslo-headquartered Petroleum Geo Services (PGS) for 9.3 billion Norwegian crowns (roughly $864 million) in a merger of equals. Recognizing her long list of extraordinary achievements, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are awarding Pool with the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Ascend’s Adel Sander Ensures Women are ‘Not Just a Pretty Face at the Counsel Table’
Adel Sander has been driven to succeed and advocate for others from the time she could talk to present day as director and deputy general counsel at Ascend Performance Materials. As a 2-year-old growing up in Baku, Azerbaijan, she pointed out to her mom that her dad in fact did split some of the domestic labor by going to the market every week. As an in-house lawyer, she bats for women and diverse professionals every day, whether it’s a new mom needing a part-time schedule, a female outside lawyer up for partner, a father who wants to spend more time with his newborn or a job applicant shunned by other employers because of their criminal history.
“I really, really like to push people into being promoted to the next level and to give people opportunity,” she said. “At one point or another, someone gave me an opportunity, so I like to return the favor.”
Sander is one of three finalists for the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston chapter and The Texas Lawbook’s 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. This is her story.
GC Hugo Testé is ‘an Indispensable, Hands-on Resource’ for Vopak
As a first-year lawyer at Mayer Brown in Houston, Hugo Testé was given a case that his partner told him he was “going to lose.” His new client was a 19-year-old Honduran mom and her three-year-old daughter seeking asylum. The son of Cuban immigrants, Testé said the case hit home right away. “After one meeting with my clients I knew that I couldn’t afford to lose,” he said.
Nineteen years later, Testé is the general counsel of Vopak, where he has guided the chemical, oil and gas and biofuels storage corporation through numerous transformation transactions. Testé’s 2023 successes are the reason that the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring him with the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (less than five lawyers).
GC Tabitha Bailey is ‘A Force to Reckon with for Many Years to Come’
For 18 months — from the last quarter of 2022 through the first quarter of 2024 — Tabitha Bailey faced trials and tribulations that few young corporate general counsel have encountered. As GC of Avantax, Bailey played a critical role in the $720 million sale of its TaxAct software business in October 2022. Days later, the Richardson-based wealth management firm became embroiled in an alleged data breach crisis that led to congressional inquiries, state and federal investigations, four class action lawsuits and hundreds of individual arbitrations, which required extensive communication with investors and the private equity fund buyer that was making noises about terminating the deal.
The excitement for Bailey was only starting. In the months that followed, Avantax faced its third activist challenge and proxy contest in three years, executed a $250 million tender offer, overhauled its executive compensation plan and successfully completed a $1.2 billion take-private merger with competitor Cetera. Earlier this year, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Lawbook honored Bailey with the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department. This is her story.
The Corporate Client: London Stock Exchange Head of Litigation Kay Lynn Brumbaugh
Kay Lynn Brumbaugh is a Dallas antitrust litigator who has been head of litigation for the London Stock Exchange Group since 2021. A former lawyer at Andrews Kurth and Strasburger & Price, Brumbaugh went in-house in 2017 and then became part of the London Stock Exchange legal team when LSEG purchased financial market data company Refinitiv, which had a market value of more than $20 billion.
Brumbaugh is also the focus of a new Texas Lawbook feature called “The Corporate Client,” which focuses on members of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Texas. In this Q&A, Brumbaugh discusses her position at LSEG, the challenges she faces, successes she has achieved and what her criteria are for hiring outside counsel.
Julia Simon Leaves Mary Kay C-Suite for Lynn Pinker
For 24 years, Julia Simon successfully navigated danger zones, intellectual property matters and litigation threats as the chief legal officer at Addison-based skincare and cosmetics company Mary Kay. On Wednesday, Simon started her new position as a partner at the Dallas litigation boutique Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann after retiring from Mary Kay.
“Twenty-three years is a long time. But when you love what you do and where you work, it seems like no time at all,” Simon told The Texas Lawbook in an exclusive interview. “That is especially true at a company like Mary Kay where I was able to use my legal knowledge and strategic thinking to protect entrepreneurial opportunities for women around the globe. I am proud of the compliance programs we built. I am proud of the important legal precedent we established through a complex litigation docket. I am most proud of the team that I led. They are absolutely incredible.”
Houston Corporate Counsel Unveils Rookie of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Winners
Cindy Dinh has been an in-house counsel for one year and nine months. Tana Pool has been a general counsel for two major companies spanning 17 years. Both are recipients of 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced Tuesday that Pool, who is the general counsel of global seismic data analytics company TGS, will receive the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement. In addition, ACC Houston and The Lawbook announced that Dinh, corporate counsel for Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, is the recipient of the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Rookie of the Year. Dinh and Pool were nominated by officials at their own companies.
Houston GCs of the Year — Houston Corporate Counsel Awards Finalists
Phillips 66 General Counsel Vanessa Allen Sutherland and Vopak General Counsel Hugo Teste have been named the Houston GCs of the Year for large and small corporate legal departments, according to the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook. ACC Houston and The Lawbook also announce that McDermott Chief Legal Officer Rachel Clingman and Mitsui U.S.A. General Counsel Linda Primrose have been named finalists for the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department, while Cardinal System Holdings GC Sara-Ashley Moreno and PURIS CLO Thomas Gottsegen are finalists for the Houston General Counsel of the Year for a Solo Legal Department. The Lawbook previously announced the finalists for M&A Transaction of the Year, Business Litigation of the Year, Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion and Senior Counsel of the Year for small, midsized and large corporate legal departments.
Senior Counsel at DNOW, LyondellBasell, Phillips 66, Virage Capital — Houston Corporate Counsel Award Finalists
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have selected LyondellBasell Lead Litigation Counsel Brittany Ringel Walton and Phillips 66 Senior Counsel Kristina McQuaid as the two finalists for the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department. In addition, ACC Houston and The Lawbook have chosen DistributionNOW Deputy General Counsel Jordan Chester as the sole finalist and thus the recipient of the 2024 Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department and Virage Capital Management Director of Litigation Funding Leslie Hillendahl as the winner of the 2024 Senior Counsel of the Year Award for a Small Legal Department.
Honeywell, Phillips 66 Finalists for 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel M&A Transaction of the Year
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have selected Honeywell International and Phillips 66 as the finalists for the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for M&A Transaction of the Year. For 2023, a year that recorded some huge mergers and acquisitions, an independent panel of judges selected by The Lawbook and ACC Houston cited the extraordinary legal work of the in-house counsel and outside lawyers on Phillip 66’s $3.8 billion take-private transaction of DCP Midstream and Honeywell’s $670 million acquisition of Compressor Controls Corporation.
First Reserve, Forum Energy and SilverBow Finalists for 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Business Litigation of the Year
The general counsel at First Reserve, the GC at Forum Energy Technology and the associate GC at SilverBow Resources all scored big courtroom victories for their companies last year and have been selected by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook as finalists for the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year.
Three Houston Corporate Counsel Recognized for Diversity and Inclusion Successes
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced Friday that in-house lawyers at Ascend Performance Material, Shell USA and Spire Resources are finalists for the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion.
Jacobs Deputy GC Chasity Henry, ‘An Advocate for What’s Right and What’s Fair’
Chasity Henry says a “funny thing happened” on her way to becoming a litigation partner. She discovered that she “was much more interested in the inner workings of our clients’ businesses … than I was about actually going to trial.” Only 43, Henry has had an enormous impact on the Texas legal profession in strategic in-house positions with corporate giants Dr Pepper Snapple, Kimberly-Clark, CECO Environmental and now Jacobs, a Dallas-based multibillion-dollar international technical services company. She has led billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions and been one of the strongest and most effective advocates of diversity and inclusion in the DFW area.
Since joining Jacobs as deputy GC in March 2022, Henry transitioned two large internal contracting units within the company to her working group, which expanded her team from 20 to 60 lawyers, paralegals and professionals. She revised their operating model to meet the evolving needs of the business. She led the creation of a contracting process map, which enabled Jacobs to identify and implement procedural improvements and coordinate and delegate tasks more efficiently. In January, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook awarded Henry with the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department.
Real Estate Counsel of Prominent San Antonio Family Office Returns to Haynes Boone
After nearly three years in-house with the real estate operating company for the San Antonio private investment firm of Whataburger’s founding family, George Hinchey is making a familiar move.
Q&A with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo GC Jeffrey Downing
The native Houstonian shares his early HLSR memories, what he’s learned 18 months into the job, how he manages all of the logistics of an event serving more than 2 million people over 20 days, and why it’s the best job he’s ever had.
Match CLO Jared Sine ‘Taking on More of a Strategy Role’ at GoDaddy
For eight years, Jared Sine has navigated multibillion-dollar M&A deals and bet-the-company litigation at Match Group. On Friday, Sine announced that he is leaving the dating app tech company on March 11 to become the chief legal and chief strategy officer with GoDaddy, a $15 billion web hosting corporation, starting March 18. Sine’s deputy at Match, associate general counsel Jeanette Teckman, will step in as acting chief legal officer.
“At the end of the day, eight years is a long time to be at any one place,” Sine told The Texas Lawbook in an interview Friday. “We’ve built a great team — a phenomenal team that I would be hesitant to challenge if I was an opponent. It’s been a fun ride to be part of the growth at Match.”
ACC-DFW and The Texas Lawbook Celebrate In-House Corporate Counsel Award Winners
Nearly 250 prominent general counsel, senior corporate counsel and partners at Texas law firms gathered Thursday night at the George W. Bush Institute to celebrate the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognizes extraordinary work and success of in-house counsel during the past year. Co-hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook, 15 corporate in-house legal departments were honored and 12 were presented with awards. More than half of the finalists were women and more than one-fourth were ethnic minorities — all demonstrated incredible achievements during 2023. The DFW Corporate Counsel Awards is the signature event in the partnership between ACC-DFW and The Texas Lawbook. The two organizations also co-host CLEs throughout the year. Three of the dozen award categories were contested. In each of the three categories, all of the finalists were qualified to win. But, of course, only one could. This story includes the details and lots of photos from the event.
Rachel Morgan: Pro Bono ‘Should Be the Highest Priority Work that We Do’
She’s handled pro bono cases for the Dallas Volunteer Attorneys Program for 20 years. She sits on the board of a very large foundation. She’s led a series of successful fundraisers, her most recent a record-breaking $1.3 million. She’s helping kids afford college at her alma mater. She saved a rescue dog named Ricky Bobby who does not have chemical burns, but does have bad skin.
Oh yeah, and her day job is general counsel of the country’s largest television station owner. But Nexstar Media Group’s Rachel Morgan has traveled down a long path to get to where she is today, hustling every step of the way.
For all of her achievements, The Texas Lawbook and the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth chapter have named Morgan the recipient of the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service.
Here is her full story.
Pioneer’s Akshar Patel Counseling the Board on the Biggest M&A Deal of 2023
Akshar Patel has always been a prodigy, graduating summa cum laude at 19 and law school at 21, where he was an editor at SMU Dedman School of Law’s International Law Journal. He had four years of corporate law practice on his resume and was associate general counsel at Flowserve Corporation at 26. Now a ripe old 38, Patel is the corporate secretary and vice president of legal at Pioneer Natural Resources, where he played a critical role in the October 2023 $64.5 billion acquisition of Pioneer by Exxon Mobil.
“He played an instrumental role in orchestrating the largest deal signed in the entire world in 2023,” said Gibson Dunn partner Jeff Chapman. “To quote the great sage Adam Sandler, ‘Not too shabby.’”
Citing his extraordinary work on the Exxon Mobil deal, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring Patel with the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Corporate Secretary/Legal Counselor of the Year.