Finest General Counsel in America Selected by The Burton Awards Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2017

New York, New York: The Burton Awards Program, held in association with the Library of Congress, presented by Lead Sponsor Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association, announced the General Counsel who will be honored as “Legends in Law.” The eighteenth anniversary of the Burton Awards Program will be held on May 22, 2017 at the Library of Congress.

Tom Sager, partner at Ballard Spahr, and Les Parrette, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Compliance Officer of Novelis Inc., who co-chair the Legends in Law Committee stated that “the winners were selected based on the following criteria: an outstanding reputation in the legal profession and a demonstrated track record of addressing complex matters of national or global significance in a specialized area. The honorees have also evidenced leadership, creativity and a uniqueness in approach to resolving challenges confronting their corporate clients. Finally, they are highly respected by the bench and bar for their integrity and professionalism.” Lisa Rickard, a member of the Honorary Board of Directors of the program and U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform president, which sponsors the Legends in Law program, said, “Certainly, this is one of the highest honors a general counsel can achieve in a career. Congratulations to these truly exemplary executives who set the highest professional standards for all others to follow.”

This year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will receive the “Book of the Year in Law Award” for her work, “My Own Words.” During the program, the Justice will be interviewed on the impact of her book. Moreover, Connecticut Attorney General and President of National Association of Attorney General, George Jepsen, will be the guest speaker at the Legends in Law luncheon.

A special luncheon will be held for the Legends in Law honorees, to be followed by the awards program in late afternoon. In the evening, a gala is planned and after the dinner the event features a performance by impressionist and comedian, Darrell Hammond. All the events will be held at the Library of Congress.

The following General Counsel will be honored for their exceptional careers in law:

Apple, Inc.
Bruce Sewell
Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Bank of America Corporation
David G. Leitch
Global General Counsel

CBS Corporation
Lawrence P. Tu
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer

COFCO International Ltd.
A. James Shafter
General Counsel

CSL Limited
Greg Boss
Executive Vice President Legal & CSL Group General Counsel

General Motors Company, LLC
Craig B. Glidden
Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Honeywell
Kate Adams
Senior Vice President & General Counsel

PayPal Inc.
Louise Pentland
Executive Vice President, Chief Business Affairs & Legal Officer

Syngenta AG
Christoph Maeder
Group General Counsel & Company Secretary

The Home Depot
Teresa Wynn Roseborough
Executive Vice President, General Counsel, & Corporate Secretary

Toys “R” Us, Inc.
N. Cornell Boggs, III
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
Sandra Phillips Rogers
Group Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer

WGL Holdings, Inc. and Washington Gas
Leslie T. Thornton
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

THE BURTON AWARDS

The Burton Awards, established in 1999, is funded by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit, academic effort devoted to recognizing and rewarding excellence in the legal profession. The Burton Awards honors the finest accomplishments in law, including writing, reform, public service and interest, regulatory innovation, and lifetime achievements in the profession. The honorary and distinguished members of the Burton Awards Board of Directors include the following leaders in law: Former Chief Judge Richard Posner, 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; Judge Alex Kozinski, 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals; U.S. Senator John Cornyn; U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.; U.S. Senator Mike Crapo; U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet; Supreme Court Justice Carol Corrigan of California; Yabo Lin, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Jane Sullivan Roberts, Partner, Major, Lindsey & Africa; Lisa Rickard, President, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform; Elissa Lichtenstein, Director, Public Services Division, American Bar Association; Thomas L. Sager, Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP; Les Parrette, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer, Novelis Inc.; James M. Rishwain, Jr., Chairman of Emeritus, Pillsbury Winthrop LLP; Betty Whelchel, Head of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, BNP Paribas SA; and Stephen R. Mysliwiec, Partner, DLA Piper LLP (US).

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

This prominent institution is one of the most celebrated and distinguished libraries in the world. It was established on April 24, 1800, and since that time has grown to become one of the largest repositories in history. The Library of Congress functions as both a national library and as the research arm of the U.S. Congress. It contains more than 32 million catalogued books and more than 62 million manuscripts.

WILLIAM C. BURTON, ESQ.

The Founder and Chair of The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement is William C. Burton, Esq., a partner at the law firm of Sagat|Burton LLP. He is a former New York State Assistant Attorney General, a former New York State Assistant Special Prosecutor, and is the author of the first legal thesaurus ever written for the legal profession, entitled BURTON’S LEGAL THESAURUS. The book is now in its 5th edition and quickly approaching its 35th anniversary. When the book was released, the Association of American Publishers recognized it as “one of the Most Innovative and Creative Projects of the year.” In 2011, Mr. Burton was presented the highest honor given by the second largest association of law professors in America, The Legal Writing Institute, for “significantly advancing the cause of legal writing in the profession of law.” More recently, he was awarded the “Blackstone Award” by the Friends of the Law Library of Congress, for “embodying and promoting the best ideals of the institution.”