ACC recognized members, chapters, and committees demonstrating unparalleled leadership, service, and commitment to the in-house counsel community during the 2016 ACC Annual Meeting.
WASHINGTON (October 17, 2016) - The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), a global legal association representing more than 40,000 in-house counsel in 85 countries, recognized members, chapters, and committees who have demonstrated unparalleled leadership, service, and commitment to the in-house counsel community this week during the 2016 ACC Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
“From diversity and pro bono initiatives to expanded resource and program offerings to strategic planning, this year's award recipients have reinforced ACC as the global voice of the in-house bar,” said Veta T. Richardson, ACC president and CEO. “Their innovative practices and efforts to drive change in the legal community at large has played an integral role in ACC's growth and development worldwide.”
Presented at the Annual Meeting Leadership Dinner & Awards Ceremony on October 16 and General Luncheon on October 18, the 2016 award winners are as follows:
- Robert I. Townsend, Jr. Member of the Year Award: Edward T. Paulis, III, vice president and assistant general counsel, Zurich North America, Inc.
- Matthew J. Whitehead, II Diversity Award (Corporate/Individual Categories): Discover Financial Services (corporate) and Susan E. Dunnings, vice president and associate general counsel, Lockheed Martin Corporation (individual)
- ACC Corporate Pro Bono Award (Corporate/Individual Categories): Duke Energy Corporation Law Department (corporate) and Peter Janiga, lawyer, MetLife Slovakia (individual)
- Jonathan S. Silber Committee Member of the Year Award: Katia Bloom, member of the ACC IT, Privacy & eCommerce Committee, and associate general counsel at ForgeRock.
- Outstanding Committee of the Year Award (Small/Large Categories): ACC Health Law Committee (small category) and ACC Employment & Labor Committee (large category)
- Breakthrough Performance Award: ACC Sports & Entertainment Committee
- Outstanding Committee Sponsor of the Year Award: Foley & Lardner LLP
- Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award (Small/Medium/Large Categories): ACC Israel (small; representing over 300 members), ACC San Diego (medium; representing over 600 members), and ACC Greater Philadelphia (large; representing roughly 1,500 members)
Additionally, ACC and the Pro Bono Institute recognized ACC Chicago as the winner of the Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Chapter Challenge. ACC Chicago added the most new general counsel and chief legal officer signatories to the CPBO Challenge Statement, which pledges that they will use their best efforts to encourage members of their law departments and the in-house counsel community at large to support and participate in pro bono service. The CPBO Challenge Initiative enables legal departments to identify, benchmark, and communicate their support for pro bono service. Launched 10 years ago, it has become the industry standard for in-house pro bono, with more than 155 signatories, representing law departments of all sizes and industries, spanning more than 44 countries.
For more information about ACC's award winners, visit www.acc.com/awards.