Annual Recognition Dinner Honors Top Legal Performers

NEW YORK, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonight, Corporate Board Member magazine will host its third annual Legal Recognition Dinner at the Grand Hyatt in New York City honoring "America's Best Corporate Law Firms" and top general counsel.  The national law firm winners were selected by directors of publicly traded companies listed on the NYSE Euronext, NYSE Amex, and NASDAQ OMX Group stock exchanges and were highlighted in the 2nd Quarter issue of Corporate Board Member magazine.  

The Legal Recognition Dinner will also honor Curtis H. Barnette, former General Counsel of Bethlehem Steel Corp., with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments and commitment to the legal profession. In addition, the event will recognize five general counsel who have risen to the top of their profession, as well as 10 individuals named Corporate Board Member's "GCs to Watch." The five general counsel honorees are: Arthur R. Block, (Comcast Corporation); Noah J. Hanft, (MasterCard Worldwide); Edward S. Knight, (NASDAQ OMX Group Inc.); Steven C. McCracken, (Callaway Golf Company); and Carol Ann Petren, (CIGNA Corporation). The ten general counsel to watch are: Charles A. Berardesco, (Constellation Energy Group, Inc.); Michael J. Denton, (Curtiss-Wright Corporation); D. Cameron Findlay, (Medtronic Inc.); Eric F. Grossman, (Morgan Stanley); Brett J. Hart, (Sara Lee Corporation); A. Douglas Melamed, (Intel Corporation); Edward S. Nekritz, (ProLogis); Amy W. Schulman, (Pfizer Inc.); Christopher M. Todoroff, (Humana Inc.); Theodore W. Ullyot, (Facebook Inc.).  

"You can't have a discussion in the boardroom today without addressing the risks and legal issues that are inherent in doing business as a public company," stated TK Kerstetter, president & CEO of Corporate Board Member magazine. "The role of general counsel just continues to get more complex and intertwined between the CEO, board, and the corporation. It's a demanding job and a good GC can really make a difference in today's global companies."

Global business advisory firm, FTI Consulting, and Thomson Reuters are this year's sponsors for the recognition dinner. FTI Consulting is also a sponsor for the "America's Best Corporate Law Firms" study, which serves as a valuable resource to the over 38,000 directors and officers who subscribe to Corporate Board Member magazine.

A full listing of the top 20 law firms and general counsel honorees is available on the Corporate Board Member website at http://www.boardmember.com/2010legaldinner.aspx.

About Corporate Board Member

Corporate Board Member is the leading information resource for senior officers and directors of publicly traded corporations and large private companies. The quarterly publication provides readers with decision-making tools to deal with the corporate governance challenges confronting their boards. Corporate Board Member further extends its governance leadership through an online resource center, conferences, director training programs, roundtables, and timely research. The magazine maintains the most comprehensive, up-to-date database of directors and officers serving on boards of publicly traded companies listed with the NYSE Euronext, The NASDAQ OMX Group, and NYSE Amex stock exchanges. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with an editorial office in New York, Corporate Board Member is published by Board Member Inc. and is the sister publication of Bank Director magazine, the leading information resource for officers and directors of financial institutions. For more information, visit www.boardmember.com.

SOURCE Corporate Board Member