The FINANCIAL -- Corporate Board Member and FTI Consulting Highlight Top Performers in Legal Field at Awards Dinner in New York City
New York, N.Y., May 10, 2011– Corporate Board Member, publisher of Corporate Board Member magazine, and global business advisory firm FTI Consulting, Inc. hosted the fourth annual Legal Recognition Dinner last night at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, honoring distinguished general counsel (GC) and the top 25 national corporate law firms. The winners were selected by directors and general counsel of publicly traded companies as a part of the 11th annual America’s Best Corporate Law Firms study.
The event honored Larry D. Thompson, former senior vice president, government affairs, general counsel and secretary of PepsiCo, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments and commitment to the legal profession, as well as named America ’s Top 5 General Counsel. The top general counsel are: Michael S. Helfer (Citigroup Inc.); Don H. Liu (Xerox Corporation); Hilary Molay (Zale Corporation); Lewis G. Schwartz (Gartner, Inc.); and James E. Thompson (Chiquita Brands International, Inc.).
The event also paid tribute to 10 GCs to Watch as recommended by our past general counsel honorees, representatives of the top national corporate law firms and Corporate Board Member. This year’s GCs to Watch are: Suzanne S. Bettman (R.R. Donnelly & Sons Company); Michael R. Bramnick (NRG Energy, Inc.); Kelly McNamara Corley (Discover Financial Services); Michael D. Fricklas (Viacom Inc.); David R. Friedman (Citrix Systems, Inc.); David G. Leitch (Ford Motor Company); Sandra Leung (Bristol-Myers Squibb Company); Barry A. Posner (BioScrip, Inc.); Kim K.W. Rucker (Avon Products, Inc.); and Mitchell E. Zamoff (UnitedHealth Group, Inc.).
"You can't have a discussion in the boardroom today without including the risks and legal issues that are inherent in doing business as a public company," stated TK Kerstetter, president of Corporate Board Member. "The role of general counsel just continues to get more complex and intertwined among the CEO, the board and the corporation. It's a demanding job, and a good GC really can make a difference in today's global companies," Kerstetter said.
“This annual event provides the legal profession with a much-needed opportunity to honor the accomplishments of some of the most distinguished general counsel in the United States ,” said Neal Hochberg, senior managing director and segment leader of the Forensic and Litigation Consulting business segment, at FTI Consulting. “The role of general counsel has become increasingly more critical in advising the C-suite and board of directors and in assuring the success of companies in this changing environment, and we are excited to put a spotlight on these leaders, as well as some of the top law firms identified on this year’s ranking.”
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