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GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.

Shell’s Travis Torrence ‘Brings His Authentic Self to the Table’

Travis Torrence was in high school when his aunt, a school teacher-turned-political activist, sued her local government under the Voting Rights Act challenging the “at-large” election system. “She won,” Torrence said. “That was the first time I noticed the law being used to effectuate societal change — change that for that community was historic. I remember thinking that the law was the key to justice, fairness, equity and equality.”

Torrence, the great-great grandson of a slave who is now the leader of Shell USA’s global litigation bankruptcy and credit team, fearlessly tackles diversity, equity and inclusion. He is a pioneer on issues of the diversity pipeline and programs that support the LGBTQ community. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook named Torrence as one of two finalists for the 2022 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion.

Q&A: Dona Cornell

Premium-Only Content: Dona Cornell talks about her best day on the job and what she looks for in the next generation of lawyers.

University of Houston System GC Dona Cornell is a ‘Force and Trailblazer’

Dona Cornell took the GC job at the University of Houston System in 2002 because she thought it would be a slower pace. “I was so wrong,” Cornell said. “It is more like being in trial all the time.” Twenty years later, Cornell is still the chief legal officer for the university system, which has an annual budget of more than $1.8 billion, more than 10,000 employees and 77,000 students. She and her legal team confront groundbreaking issues, including the university’s invitation to join the Big 12 Conference, significant changes to higher education law including Title IX and how to handle classes during the pandemic.

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook award the 2022 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Nonprofit/Public Institution to University of Houston System General Counsel Dona Hamilton Cornell.

Q&A: Andy Wright

Premium-Only Content: Andy Wright dishes on what he sees as the most important business issue facing corporate legal departments and what he looks for in hiring outside counsel.

Talen GC Andy Wright – ‘No Issue He Won’t Tackle’

No corporate general counsel in the history of the Texas power industry has been involved in more multibillion-dollar deals or guided companies through as many business-threatening crises as Andrew Wright. He played a lead role in 2007 when private equity bought energy giant TXU for $45 billion. He co-led Energy Future Holdings through the eighth largest bankruptcy in the U.S. and co-led the subsequent spin-offs of Vistra Energy and the $18.8 billion Oncor sale.

Wright is now the GC at Talen Energy, where he is once again handling groundbreaking deals, dealing with the litigation aftermath of Winter Storm Uri and helping navigate his company through significant energy market challenges. Wright is also the 2022 Houston Corporate Counsel Award recipient for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.

Houston Transaction of the Year Finalists: Phillips 66 and GSFSGroup  

The panel that judged the Transaction of the Year category stated that both legal teams are “highly deserving” of the award. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook will honor the four and more than a dozen other corporate in-house lawyers on May 19 at the 2022 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards. The Texas Lawbook has exclusive details.

TX GC Forum Honors Mary Kay’s Julia Simon for Ethics and Law

Last week, the Texas General Counsel Forum honored Mary Kay Chief Legal Officer Julia Simon with its Robert H. Dedman Award for Ethics and Law. Kimberly-Clark Deputy GC Shonn Brown introduced Simon, calling her “a fierce advocate for justice and equity.” Simon said she accepted the award “knowing it’s my job to strive to live up to standards this award represents every day. I accept it knowing it’s not just for what I have done in the past but what I intend to do, now and in the future.” The Texas Lawbook has the exclusive details.

Dawud Crooms Joins Atlantic Aviation as GC

Dawud Crooms, an in-house lawyer who led Dallas retail giant 7-Eleven through 15 acquisitions with a combined deal value of about $30 billion during the past seven years, is the new general counsel at Atlantic Aviation, a private airline support-services operation. During his seven years at 7-Eleven, Crooms played a leading role in the convenience store chain’s purchase of Sunoco for $3.3 billion and its 2020 acquisition of Speedway for $21 billion.

Texas Mutual’s GC Retires After 26 Years as Workers’ Comp System’s Most Ardent Advocate

Mary Barrow Nichols retires Friday after 26 years as general counsel with a new startup building upon the wreckage in the mid-1990s of the Texas workers’ comp system. The new startup? Texas Mutual Insurance Co. “You are now the person who cares more than anyone else about how the new Texas workers’ compensation law works,” her then-mentor, David Brown, told her as she left Vinson & Elkins. “It turns out,” she says, “he has been right for 26 years.”

Exxon Mobil’s Tom Sikora: ‘The Master of International Arbitration’

Exxon Mobil senior counsel Tom Sikora has argued cases in scores of courts and tribunals in countries around the world. Sikora has led more than 50 international arbitrations with more than $80 billion at stake. He has tried cases against countries and national oil companies in more than 20 countries, including Argentina, Chile, Trinidad, Nigeria, Angola, Libya, Brazil, Canada, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

“There are few people in the world with the experience and skillset of Tom Sikora,” said Norton Rose Fulbright partner Kevin O’Gorman.

Sikora’s first international law case was in 1980. He was just 15. His family’s freedom was at stake.

Q&A: Tom Sikora, Exxon Mobil Senior Counsel

For Premium Subscribers: Exxon Mobil senior counsel Tom Sikora is considered one of the top international arbitration lawyers in the world. Sikora has led more than 50 international arbitrations with more than $80 billion at stake.Texas Lawbook founder Mark Curriden had the opportunity chat with Sikora about his remarkable career path and his outlook as a senior in house counsel at one of the largest corporations in the world.

No Surprises, No Inflated Bills – Four High-Profile Texas GCs’ Pet Peeves

The top legal officers at AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Toyota and Trinity Industries have strategic suggestions for law firms who want their business: Help them solve problems. Diversify your legal teams. Write brief, to-the-point memos. And be a team player, even with other law firms. They also have definite pet peeves for the firms they hire.

NAESB Force Majeure Provisions After Winter Storm Uri: Key Considerations for Legal Departments

Last year saw a flurry of litigation in Texas state and federal courts arising from the February 2021 extreme cold weather event known as Winter Storm Uri and whether it constituted a force majeure event under the terms of natural gas contracts. With the one-year anniversary of Winter Storm Uri upon us, and with many of these cases still winding their way through the courts, prudent players within the natural gas supply chain should conduct a review of their natural gas contracts to prepare for future adverse weather events. There are key considerations legal departments in the natural gas sector must consider when reviewing their company’s NAESB contracts.

Pizza Hut, Flowserve, Southwest Airlines, Crestline Investors, Crescent Real Estate Winners at DFW Corporate Counsel Awards

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.

DFW Corporate Counsel Awards Ceremony – A Sneak Preview

This Thursday, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook host the 2021 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards. Nearly 70 in-house corporate counsel were nominated. Fifteen independent judges selected 17 finalists who did extraordinary legal work in 2021. They include lawyers from Toyota, Southwest Airlines, Tuesday Morning, Flowserve, Match Group, Crestline Investors and Pizza Hut.

Photo: The family of the late Clarence Brown, who will be honored at Thursday’s ceremony.

Kathy McCoy: ‘A Visionary in the Ranks of Corporate Counsel’

Lawyers in the world of natural gas know Williams Companies Senior Counsel Kathryn McCoy, a former FERC lawyer who has led groundbreaking legal work developing a partnership involving LNG bunkering for ships in the U.S. She played a leading role in Southern Company’s sale of subsidiary Pivotal LNG to Dominion Energy, tackled legislation involving efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and handled major force majeure issues related to Winter Storm Uri. McCoy’s knowledge of the energy industry is unparalleled and her value to her new employer, the Williams Companies, is immeasurable. She is the 2021 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.

Two Final DFW Corporate Counsel Awards Finalists/Winners

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announce the finalists for the last two 2021 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards categories: GC of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department and Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department. In-house counsel at Pizza Hut and City Electric Supply are the winners.

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