Rudy Rodriguez recently found a new home with another strong brand with a fiercely loyal customer base serving kids and families. He spoke with The Lawbook about his move.
Remembering Lynn Bozalis — ‘Such a Vivid Light Now Gone’
Texas General Counsel Forum CEO Lynn Switzer Bozalis lost her battle with cancer. She was 60. North Texas Tollway Authority GC Dena Stroh said Bozalis “brought energy, good humor and drive to succeed. FullSpeed Automotive General Counsel Kelvin Sellers said she “had such an incredible spirit” and is “a big reason for the success of the Forum.” And Halliburton CLO Van Beckwith said Bozalis was “the consummate leaders’ leader. She brought an extraordinary excellence to every situation. Lynn simply made life better.”
P.S. — 2024 DFW Corp. Counsel Awards Big Winners: Keurig Dr Pepper, Texas Capital, Arcosa, Toyota, Texas Pacific Land
More than 400 corporate general counsel, senior in-house counsel and prominent business lawyers across North Texas celebrated the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards Thursday night at the George W. Bush Institute. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook presented awards to 15 in-house counsel who achieved extraordinary successes during the past 18 months.
FirstService Residential GC LaToyia Pierce Frink is a ‘Proactive Agent of Change’
Change management requires a leader who values continuous learning and team building. It begins with empathy and effective listening to identify how to best utilize each person’s skills for team success. This role is similar to that of a point guard or a quarterback, where collaboration and a broad perspective are key to achieving larger organizational goals efficiently.
Upon becoming vice president of legal affairs and general counsel at FirstService Residential Inc., LaToyia Pierce Frink began the task of uniting six regional offices into one cohesive team to consolidate the company’s legal approach and streamline its strategies, and improved internal communication to inform managers about cross-regional legal issues that could impact their work.
For these attributes and more, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have selected Pierce Frink as one of two finalists for the 2024 DFW General Counsel of the Year Award for a Midsize Legal Department, which is six to 20 lawyers.
Dallas Cowboys Deputy GC Kaleisha Stuart is ‘Absolutely Unwavering in Her Commitment to D&I’
Kaleisha Stuart was the only Black lawyer working in-house for an NFL team when she joined the Dallas Cowboys legal team in 2016. “Over the years, legal departments have grown and diversified,” Stuart told The Texas Lawbook. “Noticing this trend, I decided to create a group for the Black women lawyers working at NFL teams. The goals of the group were to make Black women taking on these new roles feel immediately welcome, to have a safe, supportive outlet to share ideas or ask questions and to make new friends.”
As deputy GC for the most valuable sports franchise in the world, Stuart has achieved some extraordinary successes in business, law and diversity. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving of recognition for the DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion than Kaleisha,” Cowboys CFO Tom Walker said. “Kaleisha’s leadership ‘off the field’ in our internal DEI initiatives has been instrumental since early in her career here, which is matched only by her success ‘on the field’ in helping guide our legal department through a period of unprecedented business growth. If you get five minutes to spend with her, you’ll understand why I feel as strongly about her recognition as I do.”
Keurig Dr Pepper Legal’s ‘Visionary Leadership’ and ‘Transformational Influence’
Anthony Shoemaker tracks his success as a lawyer and a leader back to his high school days when he worked at a local golf club repair shop in the Houston suburbs. He learned a lot and has implemented those life lessons in his three years as the chief legal officer at Keurig Dr Pepper. The results have been extraordinary successes for Shoemaker, for the corporate legal department he leads and for the $15 billion Plano-based company, which is why the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Keurig Dr Pepper as one of two finalists for the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Corporate Legal Department of the Year.
Cancer Care and Counsel: Caris GC Russ Denton’s Formula for FDA Success
As general counsel at Caris Life Sciences, Russ Denton has made a significant impact in just two years, gaining the respect of both executives and outside counsel. His expertise has facilitated the launch of FDA-approved products while successfully leading an appeal that corrected a District Court’s legal misapplication. Outside counsel praises Denton for his ability to navigate complex M&A deals and multi-faceted litigation, always aiming to minimize risks for the company. His innovative approach and skillset are why he is the recipient of the 2024 DFW General Counsel of the Year Award for a Small Legal Department.
Texas Pacific Land GC Dobbs Navigated ‘Sensitive Board Dynamics’ at ‘Pivotal Time’
When Micheal W. Dobbs took his first in-house job and joined Texas Pacific Land Corporation in August 2020, the pandemic was raging and the company was in the midst of arguably the biggest change in its more than 132-year history: transitioning from operating as a liquidating business trust to a Delaware corporation. He is now the senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of TPL, which is one of the largest landowners in the state. Dobbs and his outside counsel at Sidley have been named as one of two finalists for the 2024 Business Litigation of the Year Award by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook.
Helmerich & Payne’s Debra Stockton Takes It to the Limit in Patent Litigation Victory
Helmerich and Payne International Drilling learned in 2020 that a direct competitor and sometimes business partner was suing H&P claiming that it had infringed on eight of Nabors’ patents related to technology on its automated drilling products and sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The plaintiffs sought an immediate preliminary injunction to stop H&P’s sale of the disputed products and asked the federal judge for an expedited jury trial. Working under intense pressure and deadlines, H&P GC Debra Stockton aggressively led H&P’s discovery efforts, initiated an investigation into Nabors’ own automated drilling technology and filed counterclaims of infringement against Nabors. This case is an incredibly rare example of an accused party “flipping the v” and vindicating itself from baseless allegations of wrongdoing while at the same time exposing the aggressor party as the real wrongdoer. Citing this extraordinary courtroom success, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook named H&P, Stockton and Baker Botts as one of two finalists for the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year.
From Criminal Minds to Corporate Combos: How a Random Assignment Sealed Justin Johnson’s Deal-Driven Destiny
Jacobs GC Justin Johnson began his legal journey inspired by criminal law depicted in TV dramas. Initially pursuing criminal defense, he worked on felony appeals during law school. However, a 2L summer assignment shifted his focus to M&A. Captivated by its pace and complexity, Johnson is now known for his ability to calmly direct complex deals — and that’s why he is a 2024 finalist for the DFW M&A Deal of the Year Award.