WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA), the largest regional bar association for in-house counsel, tonight announced the winners of the 7th Annual Corporate Counsel Awards. The awards honor the work of the region’s leading in-house counsel practitioners over the past year in the categories of Outstanding Chief Legal Officer, Outstanding In-House Counsel, Outstanding Law Department, and Community Service. Held at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, Va., the awards reception attracted a crowd of more nearly 400 people from the legal and business communities.
Chosen from a field of 18 finalists, the winners of the 2011 WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards include:
- Outstanding Chief Legal Officer — Stephanie Tsacoumis, Georgetown University
- Outstanding In-House Counsel — Joseph C. Figini, CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc.
- Outstanding Large Law Department — The AES Corporation
- Outstanding Small Law Department — Carey International, Inc.
- Community Service Award — Patrick McGlone, Ullico Inc. (individual); Verizon Communications Inc. (legal department)
“The 2011 Corporate Counsel Awards recipients and finalists exemplify those traits that all in-house counsel strive to attain and hone — measured and trusted judgment, legal and business acumen, professionalism, vision, leadership, and dedication to community and pro bono service, to name a few. All of these individuals and legal departments are assets to their respective organizations, and it is our great privilege to recognize them today,” said Stephen C. Dwyer, WMACCA president and general counsel at the American Staffing Association. “It is wonderful to see the excitement these awards generate among the finalists and winners, and among their friends and colleagues.”
“The honorees are a very prestigious group of individuals and legal departments, and their accomplishments are a great reminder to the local legal and business communities of everything that in-house counsel do for their organizations. We are proud to celebrate the energy, creativity, integrity and intelligence of these lawyers and their departments,” said Anne L. Milem, vice president and associate general counsel of Sallie Mae, Inc., who is also a WMACCA Board member and chair of the Corporate Counsel Awards.
Stephanie Tsacoumis, vice president and general counsel of Georgetown University, was named Outstanding Chief Legal Officer for her work as the primary negotiator, strategist and draftsman of an agreement to establish Georgetown’s first on-line distance learning program. The university believes that Nursing@Georgetown will be a huge source of revenue and provide a new business model for service-delivery by other programs at the school. She also made crucial changes to the university’s securities offerings practices that made it possible for Georgetown to get federal stimulus funds to build a new state-of-the-art Science Center.
Joseph C. Figini, senior vice president and general counsel of CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc., was named Outstanding In-House Counsel for leading the legal due diligence, negotiation of the merger agreement, regulatory filings and settlement of shareholder litigation associated with CGI’s merger with Stanley Associates Inc., a deal that transformed CGI’s federal business and marked its re-entry into the defense and intelligence market (as CGI Federal). He was also recognized for the work he has done to build a legal and compliance system at CGI Federal, quickly and successfully integrating that entity into the parent organization.
The global legal department at The AES Corporation was named Outstanding Large Law Department for its hands-on involvement in AES’ pending acquisition of DPL Inc., parent company of the Dayton Power & Light Company, and its work to structure and negotiate a joint venture in Turkey with Koc Holding that promises to open up business opportunities for AES throughout Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and Russia. AES’ lawyers were also recognized for combining dispute resolution duties with community relations efforts as they worked with the local community and governmental authorities in Chile to overcome local opposition to construction of a power plant in that country.
The three-lawyer department at Carey International, Inc. was named Outstanding Small Law Department for managing a major restructuring of the company’s equity and refinancing of its debt, culminating in new owners and an entirely new Board of Directors. The legal department was also recognized for playing an instrumental role in the company’s launch of a new, mid-tier chauffeured transportation service using less expensive, fuel-efficient vehicles, promoting the new product to regulators and handling the challenges associated with a new product roll-out.
There were two winners named for the Community Service Award. Patrick McGlone, vice president and acting general counsel of Ullico Inc., received individual honors in recognition of his extensive record of leadership in community service and pro bono activities that includes several roles that are not often pursued by in-house lawyers, including serving as an officer and member of the Board of Governors of the D.C. Bar and as an officer of the Council for Court Excellence, a D.C.-based nonprofit, non-partisan organization that works to improve the administration of justice in local and federal courts. McGlone also has a long history of high-level involvement with Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc., a D.C. nonprofit dedicated to reducing HIV infection in the African-American community.
The legal department at Verizon Communications Inc. also received the Community Service Award for creating and implementing a robust pro bono program in which more than one-half of the Northern Virginia lawyers participate, many in more than one capacity. Verizon has taught classes at J.E.B. Stuart H.S. in Falls Church, VA, as part of Street Law’s Corporate Diversity Pipeline Program; worked with immigrant survivors of domestic violence to secure the immigration status to which they are entitled; partnered with the National Veterans Legal Services Program to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder apply for special benefits; and participated in a Wills on Wheels Clinic with the Fairfax County Bar Association and Clinic in a BoxSM with the D.C. Bar Community Economic Development Project. Verizon also played an important role in persuading the Virginia Supreme Court to change its corporate counsel pro bono rules so that more in-house counsel could perform these crucial services.
In addition to the night’s competitive awards, WMACCA honored Frederick J. Krebs, former president of the Association of Corporate Counsel, with its Corporate Counsel Career Achievement Award. Krebs dedicated 35 years of his career to in-house practice, including 20 leading ACC, “The In-House Bar Association.” He joined ACC as the Executive Director in 1991, and brought with him a wealth of experience from his roles as an association executive, in-house attorney and lawyer in private practice. During Krebs’ tenure, ACC became an international association with active members in more than 75 countries, and membership increased from 7,900 to more than 25,000 individuals representing more than 10,000 organizations. ACC also greatly expanded its services for members and promoted change in the legal profession, including creating the ACC Value Challenge and developing groundbreaking pro bono programs and initiatives. Krebs served on the WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards judging panels from 2005 to 2010.
The finalists were selected from a large pool of nominations submitted by the legal community at large in response to an open call for nominations. The panel of judges for the Corporate Counsel Awards included:
- Mike Daniels, Chairman, GlobalLogic, Inc.
- Henry E. Dugan, Jr., President, Maryland State Bar Association, and Partner, Dugan, Babij & Tolley LLC
- Stephen C. Dwyer, President of WMACCA, and General Counsel, American Staffing Association
- Anne L. Milem, Chair, WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards, Board Member of WMACCA, and Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Sallie Mae, Inc.
- Darrell G. Mottley, President, D.C. Bar, and Principal Shareholder, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
- Veta T. Richardson, President and CEO, Association of Corporate Counsel
- Ryan M. Schwarz, Managing Director, NaviMed Capital
- George W. Shanks, President, Virginia State Bar, and Partner, Miller, Earle & Shanks, PLLC
- William M. Treanor, Executive Vice President and Dean, Georgetown University Law Center
- Louise M. Wager, VP, Government Contract Lending, TD Bank
The Corporate Counsel Awards were created in 2005 in celebration of WMACCA's 25th anniversary. In just seven years, the WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards have become a well-recognized and sought-after honor for members of the in-house community in the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Virginia and suburban Maryland. For a list of all previous Award winners, please visit http://www.acc.com/chapters/wmacca/awards.cfm.
About WMACCA
With more than 1,900 members, the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA) serves the professional needs of in-house counsel in Washington, D.C., the Commonwealth of Virginia, and suburban Maryland. WMACCA is the largest chapter of the global Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). WMACCA members can participate in more than 70 substantive networking and professional development programs each year. WMACCA has been active in issues and education to encourage advancements in the standards of corporate legal practice. More information about WMACCA is available on its Web site: http://wmacca.acc.com.