• Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Sign up for email updates
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

  • Appellate
  • Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A
  • GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.
  • Firm Management
  • White-Collar/Regulatory
  • Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

Senior Counsel at DNOW, LyondellBasell, Phillips 66, Virage Capital — Houston Corporate Counsel Award Finalists 

April 1, 2024 Mark Curriden

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 (more than 21 attorneys).

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 (six to 20 lawyers) 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 (one to five lawyers). 

This is the sixth year that ACC Houston and The Lawbook have partnered on the annual Houston Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognizes the hard work, legal successes and leadership skills of general counsel and senior counsel at Houston area businesses. This year, ACC Houston and The Lawbook received more than 60 submissions.

“The contenders for this year’s Houston Corporate Counsel Awards shine a spotlight on the contributions legal professionals offer to their organizations’ strategic goals,” said ACC Houston Chapter President Melanie Kolterman, who is the general counsel at Five Star Management. “With representation across various industries and accomplishments, this collective underscores the rich tapestry of talent within our community. Congratulations to all the finalists.”

ACC Houston and The Lawbook will honor the finalists and announce the winners at a ceremony on May 15 at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Houston. In-depth profiles of each finalist will be published in April and May.

Net proceeds from the Houston Corporate Counsel Awards goes to fund The Texas Lawbook’s full-time pro bono, public service and diversity reporter and writer. More details can be found at TexasLawbookFoundation.org. 

The Lawbook previously announced the finalists for M&A Transaction of the Year, Business Litigation of the Year and Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. They are listed below.

“I look forward to the corporate counsel awards each year because it’s a time for our profession to honor our colleagues outstanding achievements,” said Marc Krasney, vice president of legal affairs at Bluepeak and a member of the ACC Houston board of directors. “I always say, as an in-house counsel myself, it’s a great compliment when one of my business leaders thinks all things legal just get done or look easy.”

“We lawyers know the job is much more complex and varied,” Krasney said. “It’s an even better compliment when the legal profession and The Texas Lawbook honors a fellow in-house counsel with an award for their excellence in getting things done and making the job look easy. And, at the Association of Corporate Counsel, we applaud every nominee and winner for their amazing achievements.”

Lawyers at the AZA law firm nominated Leslie Hillendahl of Virage Capital, Jordan Chester at DNOW and Brittany Walton at LyondellBasell. The legal team at Phillips 66 nominated their colleague Kristina McQuaid.

Houston M&A Transaction of the Year

The finalists for the M&A Transaction of the Year, which honors the work of the in-house legal department and the lawyers and law firms they hired to work on the deal are:.

  • Gindi Vincent, general counsel for Honeywell International’s integrated supply chain and procurement, and its outside lawyers at Arnold & Porter. Dionne Hamilton, Honeywell GC for Smart Energy and Thermal Solutions, nominated Vincent for the award.
  • Phillips 66 Deputy General Counsel Robert Task, P66 Managing Counsel Maine Goodfellow and P66 Assistant Deputy GC Jerarae Garland, and their outside counsel at Bracewell.

Houston Business Litigation of the Year

The finalists for 2024 Business Litigation of the Year, which also recognizes in-house counsel and the law firms they employed on the matter, are:

  • First Reserve General Counsel Erica Radcliffe, who was nominated by Vinson & Elkins; 
  • Forum Energy General Counsel John Ivascu, who was nominated by Yetter Coleman; and 
  • SilverBow Resources Associate General Counsel Jennifer Cadena, who was nominated by AZA.

Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion

The three finalists for the category of Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion are:

  • Adel Sander, Ascend Performance deputy general counsel, who was nominated by Foley partner Rachel Steely;
  • Hector Pineda, Shell USA associate general counsel for downstream and renewables, who was nominated by Shell senior counsel Eric Maddock; and
  • Sean Jamieson, general counsel at Spire Resources, who was nominated by Vinson & Elkins partner Quentin Smith.

To purchase a table to celebrate the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award finalists, please contact Texas Lawbook Publisher Brooks Igo at brooks.igo@texaslawbook.net. 

Mark Curriden

Mark Curriden is a lawyer/journalist and founder of The Texas Lawbook. In addition, he is a contributing legal correspondent for The Dallas Morning News.

View Mark’s articles

Email Mark

©2025 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.

If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Stories

  • Diamondback/Viper to Acquire Sitio Royalties for $4.1B
  • Legislature Revives 25% Judicial Pay Hike After Frantic Negotiations
  • Litigation Roundup: Intel Gets a Win in $3B VLSI Fight
  • What Two Former Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office Heads Want Business Leaders to Know About DOJ Corporate Enforcement in 2025
  • Legendary Trial Lawyer H. Lee Godfrey Dies

Footer

Who We Are

  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Submit a News Tip

Stay Connected

  • Sign up for email updates
  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Premium Subscriber Editorial Calendar

Our Partners

  • The Dallas Morning News
The Texas Lawbook logo

1409 Botham Jean Blvd.
Unit 811
Dallas, TX 75215

214.232.6783

© Copyright 2025 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.