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Corporate Counsel Names Microsoft Corporation's In-House Attorneys as "Best Legal Department" for 2010 |
| by Lee Feldman, - 05/20/2010 |
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| "Legal Departments at Discover Financial Services, Hewlett-Packard Company, and The Williams Companies Are Selected As Finalists in Annual Competition " |
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Corporate Counsel Names Microsoft Corporation's In-House Attorneys as "Best Legal Department" for 2010
Legal Departments at Discover Financial Services, Hewlett-Packard Company, and The Williams Companies Are Selected As Finalists in Annual Competition
NEW YORK, May 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ALM's Corporate Counsel today announced the selection of the in-house attorneys of Microsoft Corporation as winners of the magazine's fifth annual "Best Legal Department" competition. Corporate Counsel's editors also named the legal departments of Discover Financial Services, Hewlett-Packard Company, and The Williams Companies as finalists. Profiles of the winner and finalists, including online video interviews, will be featured in the June issue of Corporate Counsel, out today, and on the magazine's website at www.corpcounsel.com.
The in-house legal department at Microsoft was selected for achievements including the settlement of the company's longest and most expensive antitrust legal battle, a fight with the European Union over opening its Windows operating system to rivals' browsers. Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith and his legal team spent months last year hammering out the details of the 61-page settlement, including 24 videoconferences and 34 conference calls with lawyers representing EU regulators. The settlement was a major win for a legal team which has set out to prove that it can resolve disputes amicably, despite Microsoft's reputation for aggressively fighting legal disputes to their bitter end.
In addition to its settlement and litigation successes, the 459-lawyer group was cited for its steps to increase efficiency in the face of budget cuts, and for its diversity and pro bono efforts, including helping laid-off workers get free computer training and representing immigrant children in court.
"As always, the competition among the finalists was extremely tight, but Microsoft's use of a conciliatory approach to bring resolution to a landmark case that had dragged on for years stood out," said Anthony Paonita, editor in chief of the magazine. "Equally important to our decision was the quality of their litigation and IP work, as well as their efforts to bring real diversity to their department."
The magazine's editors cited Discover Financial Service's legal department -- one of the smallest to ever enter the competition with just 34 members - for its creative problem solving and innovative use of staff. For example, its tiny litigation team (just one full-time attorney and two part-time lawyers) handled over 1,000 legal matters in 2009, while resolving 11 of 14 pending class action suits. Working with outside counsel, the team collected $2.75 billion last year from an antitrust suit it won in 2008 against Visa Inc. and MasterCard Incorporated. It was the third-largest antitrust victory in history.
The more than 400 lawyers in HP's global legal team were recognized for work that included a complete overhaul of HP's compliance system. That involved identifying close to 50,000 employees who dealt with the public sector side of HP's business in 12 different countries, and making sure they had the right training to observe local corruption and bribery laws. Under the leadership of general counsel Michael Holston, the group has helped the company recover from boardroom scandals that prompted the departure of the company's CEO and previous general counsel and instituted a formal pro bono program, which is set to expand to encompass the company's large staff of international lawyers.
At The Williams Companies, the legal department's ability to analyze data and make projections helped it craft innovative fee agreements with its main law firms. Those deals have enabled Williams to cut its outside legal expenses by about 15 percent. Led by general counsel Jim Bender, the 39 attorneys for the natural gas company were also recognized for implementing a new compliance program, including companywide training on compliance guidelines and procedures, and for developing a comprehensive approach to discovery that has saved the company millions of dollars.
Winners were selected from responses submitted to a detailed questionnaire developed by the editors and reporters of Corporate Counsel and distributed to the general counsel of all Fortune 500 corporations. The magazine's editors and reporters evaluated submissions and selected the winners. The winner and finalists will be honored this fall at a joint event with Corporate Counsel's sibling publication The American Lawyer. The dinner will salute The American Lawyer's Lifetime Achievement Award winners, the 20 firms from the Am Law 200 selected for the magazine's "A-List," and the winners and finalists of Corporate Counsel's Best Legal Department competition.
The award-winning Corporate Counsel, the nation's leading magazine for general counsel and in-house attorneys at corporations across the country, is published by ALM in print and on the Web at www.corpcounsel.com.
ALM, an integrated media company, is a leading provider of specialized business news and information, focused primarily on the legal and commercial real estate sectors. ALM's market-leading brands include The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, GlobeSt.com, Insight Conferences, Law.com, Law Journal Press, LegalTech, The National Law Journal and Real Estate Forum. Headquartered in New York City, ALM was formed in 1997. For more information, visit www.alm.com.
ALM, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, GlobeSt.com, Insight Conferences, Law.com, Law Journal Press, LegalTech, The National Law Journal and Real Estate Forum are trademarks or registered trademarks of ALM or affiliated entities.
SOURCE: ALM
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| Contact Email: lfeldman@alm.com |
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| More Details: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/corporate-counsel-names-microsoft-corporations-in-house-attorneys-as-best-legal-department-for-2010-2010-05-19 |
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