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GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.

Exclusive: GC Forum Honors Nine In-House Counsel Who Made a Difference in 2014

SAN ANTONIO – The Magna Stella Award is the Oscar for corporate general counsel. On Thursday night, the General Counsel Forum awarded nine gold stars to chief legal officers and assistant GCs from American Airlines, LyondellBasell Industries, Scott & White Healthcare, MoneyGram, Dell, Kinetic Concepts, University of Incarnate Word and the Metro Transit Authority of Harris County. The Texas Lawbook was there and has all the details.

Mark Curriden

Attn: General Counsel: What do You do when Domestic Abuse Affects the Workplace

Recent headlines about abusive NFL players, accompanied by dramatic video, have brought domestic violence into the forefront of the national conversation. What does a general counsel do when its his or her employee who is being abused at home? What are the ramifications if one of your employees is accused of abuse? These two experts provide practical guidance.

Mark Curriden

Exclusive – Xerox GC Don Liu to Texas Law Firms: “No Excuse” for Lack of Diversity

Don Liu minced no words over last week's God-awful findings by the Dallas Diversity Task Force. “There is no excuse. None,” Xerox's GC said. “The demographics of Dallas and Texas make hard for any law firm to justify these results.” Liu, who hires dozens of Texas lawyers to handle his company's legal business, recently fired a law firm because it refused to take diversity seriously. Clay Scheitzach says his boss "understands that a lot of law firms talk about being committed to diversity but their actions don’t back it up."

Mark Curriden

Exclusive: Fluor GC Carlos Hernandez Insists that Ethics Must Be Priority for Lawyers & Businesses

The General Counsel Forum honored Hernandez, a civil engineer-turned-construction lawyer, for a career committed to ethics, even during times of severe crisis. In an exclusive interview, Hernandez discusses his escape from Cuba as a boy, the tough days he spent as GC at grocery wholesaler Fleming and the need for increased diversity in law firms. “Carlos put a previous job as general counsel on the line," says Fluor asst. GC Craig Birchette. "He had to tell senior executives that their conduct was improper and that the CEO had to leave."

Mark Curriden

Exclusive: Fluor GC Carlos Hernandez Insists that Ethics Must Be Priority for Lawyers & Businesses

The General Counsel Forum honored Hernandez, a civil engineer-turned-construction lawyer, for a career committed to ethics, even during times of severe crisis. In an exclusive interview, Hernandez discusses his escape from Cuba as a boy, the tough days he spent as GC at grocery wholesaler Fleming and the need for increased diversity in law firms. “Carlos put a previous job as general counsel on the line," says Fluor asst. GC Craig Birchette. "He had to tell senior executives that their conduct was improper and that the CEO had to leave."

Mark Curriden

How to Become In-House Counsel

How did such a dynamic young attorney only two years out of law school land such an amazing position? Kelly Noblin of legal and executive search firm Newhouse+Noblin shares lessons learned from Newhook's journey to her dream job.

Mark Curriden

Gaining a Competitive Edge in Hiring

Whether it is an employers’ or employees’ market, there is always competition for the strongest candidates in the job market. In a tight labor market, it is even more critical to have a candidate-friendly hiring process.

Mark Curriden

Stephen Porter Settling in as New GC at Mortgage Contracting Services

Stephen Porter told his partners at Barrett Daffin last fall that he planned to retire at the end of the year after 23 years at the Addison-based law firm, but the retirement only lasted a few days. Porter discusses his first six months as general counsel at Mortgage Contracting Services and what he is seeking in outside counsel.

Mark Curriden

Exclusive: Gary Kennedy, GC of the Year, Departs American Airlines After 30 Years

As Gary Kennedy packed up his office, he discussed his 30 years at American and 11 years as chief legal officer. He talked about spending $500,000 a day on lawyer fees for the past two years as he led the airline through a bankruptcy reorganization that will be recorded as the most successful Chapter 11 in history. He engineered a $17 billion merger with US Airways and battled and then settled a major antitrust lawsuit with the federal government. In an exclusive interview with The Texas Lawbook, Kennedy shares his experiences with outside counsel, the in-house legal department he's leaving behind and his plans for the future. By all accounts, Kennedy is one of the most respected chief legal officers in the country. “I fell in love with the airline business,” he says. “It’s a very sexy industry. There is something about transporting people around the globe in a metal (or these days a composite) tube at 35,000 feet thousands of times a day, that just gets in your blood."

Mark Curriden

The Inside Story of American Airlines Settlement with DOJ

Next Monday, before the financial markets open, lawyers for American Airlines and US Airways will gather in the Dallas offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges on the second floor of the Crescent Court to sign the “closing papers” officially merging the two companies and creating the world’s largest airline. The closing, which will be more ceremonial than substantive, ends one of the most complex, expensive and successful corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history. This is the inside story of how the airlines settled the Justice Department’s lawsuit to block the merger – a lawsuit that the airlines, the federal government and nearly all legal experts said couldn’t be settled.

Mark Curriden

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