© 2012 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden, JD
Senior Writer for The Texas Lawbook
Dena DeNooyer Stroh thought that she, as a career litigator, would never be considered a candidate for a corporate general counsel.
But in April, Plano-based Murchison Oil and Gas selected Stroh as its new general counsel and corporate secretary.
“Given my shift from litigation to primarily transactional work, I have been surprised at how well my litigation background prepared me to handle the various employment, contract, and corporate governance issues that arise,” she says. “Having been a generalist in litigation means that I have seen the aftermath of many different types of issues, which in turn means that my educated guesses (when I have to advise quickly) are likely to have a basis in the law, not just common sense.”
At age 38, Stroh is, by all accounts, one of the truly exceptional young lawyers in Texas. She is a former partner at Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail Shank, where she specialized in complex civil litigation and appellate law. Before that, she practiced for nine years at Carrington Coleman. In 2009, she served as president of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, which she says taught her how to be a leader.
“When I heard Dena was leaving, I think I got down on my knees to beg her to stay,” says Michael Hurst, a partner at Gruber Hurst. “Dena has a tremendous ability to get her arms around very complex issues.”
At Murchison, Stroh is responsible for all legal issues affecting the company, including contracts, regulatory, land, structuring, corporate governance, human resources, compliance and other matters. She also manages Murchison’s outside counsel relationships.
Stroh was part of a legal team representing Murchison Oil last December when the company’s president, John Murchison, approached her about the general counsel position. At first, she thought he was asking her about possible candidates, but it quickly became clear that Murchison was focused on her.
“I’ve basically changed positions – from lawyer to a businesswoman,” she says. “My job is to identify problems early so that I can nip them in the bud or fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.”
Stroh is a one-person legal department, but employs 10 to 12 outside firms on matters ranging from real estate deals, obtaining permits on drilling sites, corporate compliance matters, and issues involving the Bureau of Land Management.
Thompson & Knight has been Murchison Oil’s primary outside counsel for years.
“Thompson Knight is very good at what they do,” she says. “But I have a lot of discretion in deciding what lawyers I hire.”
Hurst, who practiced with Stroh for two years, says lawyers wanting to get work from Murchison need to “show Dena you have the knowledge and experience, but also that you have backbone.”
Stroh says she’s definitely experienced some “kissing up” by outside lawyers seeking to get hired by Murchison. She says she enjoys getting articles or white papers from lawyers on subject matters important to her and her company. She points to recent e-communications from Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Thompson & Knight as being extremely helpful.
“I want anything on oil and gas,” she says. “If I get a straight cold call from a lawyer I don’t know, I probably will not call them back.”
Stroh says U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn is one of her role models.
“Whenever I asked Judge Lynn to help us with the Dallas Young Lawyers, she always agreed,” says Stroh. “So, I believe in passing it on.”
A National Merit Scholar, Stroh received a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University in 1996. She also is involved with Habitat for Humanity, Dallas Children’s Theater, Dallas Bar Association, Attorneys Serving the Community, and Talented and Gifted Magnet High School Advisory Board. She was a member of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2011.
© 2012 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.