For the fourth consecutive year, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP was honored to be the presenting sponsor of the Charlotte Business Journal Corporate Counsel Awards held at the Carmel Country Club on February 23, 2017.  The 19 finalists were each introduced along with a picture from their high school yearbook, a statement on what they were thinking when the picture was snapped, and what advice they would give their younger selves given the opportunity.

The event underscored the essential role in-house counsel play in navigating the wide range of issues their organizations face on a daily basis.  During the ceremony, leading in-house legal professionals were honored for their commitment and dedication to their organizations.

Hedrick Gardner proudly partners with corporate counsel to help avoid and manage the ever present legal challenges their businesses face daily.  Through experience and collaboration, Hedrick Gardner lawyers have consistently helped corporate counsel achieve company objectives, while simultaneously working to manage both their internal and external resources to minimize risk.

Corporate counsel are constantly called upon to “add value” to their organizations. Hedrick Gardner is dedicated to supporting this effort and looks forward to strengthening our partnership as we aid corporate counsel to glean added value for their respective organizations.  In today’s business environment, the role of corporate counsel in law departments has dramatically changed and their importance has continued to increase.  Hedrick Gardner was pleased to have a part in honoring these outstanding individuals.

Here are this year’s winners:

2017 Corporate Counsel Civic Leadership Award

Winner: Joe Cogdell Jr., retired general counsel at Steag SCR-Tech Inc.

Diversity champion

Winner: Pamela Lamberson, assistant general counsel at Wells Fargo & Co.

Outstanding corporate counsel with departments of 30+ attorneys

Winner: Keith Atkinson, managing director and associate general counsel at Nuveen, a subsidiary of TIAA

Finalists: Kim Betz, general counsel at Ingersoll-Rand Co.’s fluid management, material handling and power tool division; John Grupp, general counsel at Ingersoll-Rand Co.’s Club Car LLC division; Todd Stillerman, assistant general counsel and director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s real estate structured finance

Outstanding corporate counsel with departments of 11-29 attorneys

Winner: Kevin Chapman, legal counsel for North America at Colfax Corp.

Finalists: Krista Bowen, vice president and associate general counsel at CommScope, Inc.; Lauren Tucker, global compliance manager and employment counsel at Sealed Air Corp.

Outstanding corporate counsel with departments of 2-10 attorneys

Winner: Tim Nohr, associate general counsel at Rack Room Shoes

Finalists: Alice Moore, assistant general counsel at Novant Health; Andrew Rink, associate general at Jeld-Wen Inc.

Outstanding general counsel with departments of 11-29 attorneys

Winner: Keith Smith, general counsel at Carolinas Healthcare System

Finalist: Brian Rudick, vice president and general counsel at Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions, a division of Honeywell International Inc.

Outstanding general counsel with departments of 2-10 attorneys

Winner: Taryn Mecia, vice president of legal compliance at Harris Teeter

Finalists: Richard Sedory, general counsel, senior vice president and corporate secretary at Wastequip LLC; Ginger Daly, general counsel at Polypore International Inc.

Outstanding solo general counsel

Winner: Kristen Hughes, general counsel at American & Efird

Rising star

Winner: Lauren Tucker, Sealed Air Corp.

Finalist: Marisa Nye, assistant general counsel at Bank of America Merchant Services

About Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP:

With nearly 90 attorneys located in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP is among the Carolina’s leading law firms for conflict prevention, conflict management and conflict resolution. Hedrick Gardner has built a strong reputation of representing clients ranging from small and medium size businesses to Fortune 500 companies including national retailers, transportation companies, financial institutions, health care organizations, insurance companies, and professional services firms.

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Media Contact:

Annie Saleh

Marketing Manager

Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo LLP

Phone: 704.319.5456 | Fax: 704.602.8063

asaleh@hedrickgardner.com