Over the past few years, corporate counsels have evolved to become their company’s biggest utility players. These executives have their hands in everything from M&A to human resources, data privacy, compliance, environmental and social governance, litigation, and more, liaising between many departments and ensuring different teams come together to meet larger business goals. “Corporate governance is not the cop on the beat, but an orchestra conductor,” says Anna Alvarado, managing director, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary for Dallas-based Texas Capital Bank. “When everyone is transparently in tune, it’s a huge competitive advantage.” Alvarado and the 28 other finalists in D CEO’s 2023 Corporate Counsel Awards raise their batons each day to help everything come together to create smooth enterprise operations. In a market filled with some of the best legal talent in the nation, the following North Texas in-house counsels stood out. Here, they share recent wins, challenges, and how they see their roles continuing to shift in the future.
General Counsel: Solo
Daniel Carter
Daniel Carter says becoming a chief legal officer and chief people officer within five years of graduating from law school is his greatest professional achievement.During the past year, he helped select and implement an employee performance evaluation and recognition tool for Irving-based RailPros’ more than 1,000 employees, among other milestones.
Mauri Hinterlong
Heyco Energy Group general counsel and vice president of real estate, land, and legal, Mauri Hinterlong, helped the company acquire the Viura field in Spain. Now, it is making another acquisition. “We are currently closing on a scheme of arrangement to purchase all outstanding shares of Egdon Resources,” Hinterlong says.
Amber Robinson
Amber Robinson has led legal for Dallas-based software company Improving since 2020 and says she is proud that her team has closed eight acquisitions in three years across three countries while representing a seller. “I view the legal department in a supportive role that offers effective and enabling services to all aspects of the business,” she says.
Jeremy Spiegel
North Texas concrete company Capform didn’t have a legal department before Jeremy Spiegel, despite completing concrete projects for some of Dallas’ biggest stadiums, museums, and more. He says his legal approach relies on not being afraid to ask questions: “Identify the problem and then ask several thorough questions,” he says.
Laura Tarantino
Executive vice president, general counsel, compliance and privacy officer for Oceans Healthcare Laura Tarantino addresses legal and regulatory issues in healthcare. “Most recently, we helped pass legislation in Texas that removes the requirement that behavioral health providers pay court costs when a patient is involuntarily committed,” she says.
General Counsel: Large
Tim Cheathem
Executive Vice President and General Counsel Tim Cheatham helped take The Michaels Cos. private when the company was purchased by Apollo Global Management in 2021. “It has taken a different type of counsel, as we’re answering to a different set of shareholders,” Cheatham says. This past year, he helped guide Michaels through a class action lawsuit where it was the plaintiff, winning the company $19 million in a short time frame.
Bryan Erman
In 2016, Bryan Erman took an in-house role after a career litigating oil and gas, securities, and commercial litigation issues, including helping lead a team in a multi-national $2 billion lawsuit. “I chose an in-house position because I was intrigued by the opportunity of mixing a legal role with a business role,” Erman says. In 2023, he helped Matador Resources Co. close the $1.6 billion acquisition of Advance Energy Partners.
Carol Lowry
About seven years ago, Essroc Cement Corp, where Carol Lowry worked as vice president, general counsel, and secretary, was acquired by Heidelberg Materials North America. “I assumed I would be separated as a redundancy, and I was surprised that Heidelberg’s management invited me to move to Dallas to lead the legal department,” she says. She has since helped the company onboard five new attorneys.
Deputy Associate General Counsel: Midsize
James Bristow
“We do our best to be a launching pad and not an obstacle,” James Bristow says of the legal department he leads at EnLink Midstream. In the past year, Bristow has helped the company win several key litigations, navigate new cybersecurity initiatives, earn dismissals of multi-district litigation, and more.
Brad Nitschke
Parkland Health’s Brad Nitschke worked for nearly 14 years at Jackson Walker before shifting his career to focus on hospital operations and regulations. “We’ve helped the organization grapple with post-COVID staffing pressures and the operational impact of moving from pandemic-era regulation to a
legal and regulatory ‘new normal’ state,” he says.
General Counsel: Small
What is one moment you will never forget in your career?
“During my first jury trial, the judge asked me, outside the presence of the jurors but in front of counsel, whether I was old enough to practice law. It confirmed that even judges are biased. I’ll also always remember sitting in the courtroom and watching the Department of Justice prosecute Elizabeth Holmes.”
Stephanie Byrd, Hall Group
“One evening, I explained to a judge why bailiffs and attorneys wearing confederate flag pins does not instill a feeling of equity and inclusion—despite being historically significant. The next day, I noticed that that judge mandated that individuals do not wear the confederate flag during court proceedings.”
Tasha Grinnell, The Container Store
“At my first franchisor, we were sued for fraud under the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law. The stakes were high, as the lawsuit was considered a “bet-the-company” matter. Communicating our win to our CEO and witnessing his reaction will be etched in my memory as a career-defining moment.”
Josh Nicosia, Smoothie King
“I was a senior associate working on what was my largest transaction at the time. My mentor and senior partner had to leave the country, and I had to manage the final weeks of negotiation of the primary and ancillary deal documentation. It was like being thrown into the deep end and realizing you can swim.”
Gavin O’Connor, European Wax Center
In-house Counsel
Karleen Finnegan
Karleen Finnegan joined Spirit Realty Capital in 2017 and says she will never forget attending the bell ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange a year after helping close a spin-off transaction. “That day was such a neat experience and potentially a once-in-a-career experience for me,” she says.
Carrie Nie
As senior counsel, real estate for Peloton Interactive, Carrie Nie has advised company leaders around decisions for its global real estate footprint. “I’ve also expanded my role to include M&A and corporate legal guidance and have been leading the company through divestitures and strategic partnerships,” she says.
Christopher Pappaioanou
Christopher Pappaioanou has helped guide Envoy Air over the past eight years from a shrinking workforce to one of the U.S.’s largest regional airlines with more than 19,000 employees and 140 locations. “I have the opportunity to take on challenges, which have a meaningful impact on Envoy and its employees,” he says.
Community Service
Josh Dazey
In addition to guiding Arlington-based U.S. Energy Development Corp. through rapid growth and a $225 million purchase of wells in Midland, Josh Dazey helps provide refugee services in Fort Worth. Here are some of the ways he’s given back:
Dazey has volunteered with and served on the board of Refugee Services of Texas, helping asylum seekers acclimate to the U.S.
Through the organization, he helps families grocery shop, practice English, set up phone and internet, and more.
Julie Sherman
Julie Sherman joined HVAC giant Lennox as assistant general counsel in 2017 and has helped guide the company through supply chain challenges during the pandemic. In her free time, she works with Equest, an equine therapy organization. Sherman volunteers to help children and adults with diverse needs perform activities and therapies with horses. She serves on Equest’s board and was chairwoman in 2022. Before Equest, she mentored youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Up and Comer
Rocio García Espinoza
Rocio García Espinoza demonstrated attorney skills at a young age: she advocated for her immigrant parents and helped them solve problems as non-native English speakers. Now, she is senior counsel of real estate at Rosewood Property Co. “My work is very meaningful to me; it builds communities,” she says.
Raymond Palmer Jr.
Raymond Palmer Jr. joined Fluor Corp. in 2021, shortly before it sold its equipment and fleet business to One Equity Partners in a $73 million deal. He now often takes the lead on M&A transactions and has worked on deals with European, Australian, and South American businesses, navigating various regulations.
Emmanuel Nwakibu
While in college, Emmanuel Nwakibu worked as an intern when Heinz was acquired by Warren Buffett. “Watching a multi-billion dollar organization almost singularly turn to the legal team for guidance is what made me go into corporate law,” he says. He has worked with Hunt Oil Co., Coca-Cola, and Kaplan North America.
Champion of Diversity
Richard Rosalez
Richard Rosalez has championed diversity since his days at MIT, where he led diversity admissions recruiting and campus programming. At Samsung, he helped found Unidos, a Hispanic employee research group. “We celebrated our second anniversary,” he says. He was also appointed to the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council.
Danielle Needham
Bell Textron Deputy General Counsel for Global Labor and Employment Danielle Needham is the chair of the company’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council. “I do my best to use my voice as a differentiator in the legal community, to raise awareness on the issues females still face in today’s society and workplace, and to celebrate and honor those who have opened doors for me and others,” she says.
Deputy / Associate General Counsel: Small
Rebecca Chartan
For the first five years of her career, Rebecca Chartan was an assistant district attorney in the Bronx. “I handled more than 500 misdemeanor and felony cases,” she says. She then went into private practice and moved to Dallas in 2011 to specialize in labor and employment. Over the past year, as deputy general counsel for MV Transportation, she resolved more than five class-action suits, including four California wage and hour class-action suits.
Thomas Conner
At Mission foods, a company under Gruma Corp., director and corporate counsel Thomas Conner helps the company navigate a variety of business issues. In the last year, he completed a full revision of its commercial and employment templates. “It was an extensive effort but an important project to complete,” he says. He is also responsible for the company’s litigation docket and reviews many of its documents with customers and vendors.
Jennifer Schultz
As assistant general counsel for Randa Apparel & Accessories, Jennifer Schultz wears many hats: She addresses marketing, advertising, HR, litigation, commercial agreements, privacy, and more. In the past year, she increased the company’s push toward omnichannel and digital approaches, revamped website operations, including privacy and consumer rights, and onboarded a new CIO. She is also helping the company navigate AI.
Corporate Counsel Awards: Winners and Finalists
General Counsel (Large)
Winner: Bryan Erman, Matador Resources Co.
Finalists: Tim Cheatham, The Michaels Cos.; Carol Lowry, Heidelberg Materials North America
General Counsel (Midsize)
Winner: Anna Alvarado, Texas Capital Bank
General Counsel (Small)
Winner: Stephanie Byrd, HALL Group
Finalists: Tasha Grinnell, The Container Store; Josh Nicosia, Smoothie King; Gavin O’Connor, European Wax Center
General Counsel: (Solo)
Winner: Amber Robinson, Improving
Finalists: Daniel Carter, RailPros; Mauri Hinterlong, Heyco Energy Group; Jeremy Spiegel, Capform; Laura Tarantino, Oceans Healthcare
Deputy/Associate General Counsel (Large)
Winner: Jeanette Teckman, Match Group
Deputy/Associate General Counsel (Midsize)
Winner: James Bristow, EnLink Midstream
Finalist: Brad Nitschke, Parkland Health
Deputy/Associate General Counsel (Small)
Winner: Jennifer Schultz, Randa Apparel & Accessories
Finalists: Rebecca Chartan, MV Transportation; Thomas Conner, Mission Foods
In-House Counsel
Winner: Carrie Nie, Peloton Interactive
Finalists: Karleen Finnegan, Spirit Realty Capital; Christopher Pappaioanou, Envoy Air
Champion of Diversity
Winner: Richard Rosalez, Samsung Electronics America
Finalist: Danielle Needham, Bell Textron
Community Service
Winner: Josh Dazey, U.S. Energy Development Corp.
Finalist: Julie Sherman, Lennox International
Up and Comer
Winner: Emmanuel Nwakibu, Kaplan North America
Finalists: Rocío García Espinoza, Rosewood Property Co.; Raymond Palmer Jr., Fluor Corp.
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