WMACCA Names Finalists for 2008 Corporate Counsel Awards

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA), the largest regional bar association for in-house counsel, today announced finalists for its 2008 Corporate Counsel Awards. The awards honor the work of the region’s leading in-house practitioners over the past year in the following categories -- Outstanding Chief Legal Officer, Outstanding In-House Counsel, Outstanding Law Department, and Community Service. Winners will be announced at the WMACCA 4^th Annual Corporate Counsel Awards Reception at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, in McLean, Va., on October 29, 2008.

The 15 finalists for the 2008 WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards are:

Outstanding Chief Legal Officer:

• Denise Esposito, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary, Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
• Sol M. Glasner, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, The MITRE Corporation
• Judith B. Kassel, Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, ICF International, Inc.
• Simone Wu, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, XO Holdings, Inc.

Outstanding In-House Counsel:

• David A. Kessler, Senior Corporate Counsel, Symantec Corporation
• Victor J. Miller, Vice President and General Counsel, Honeywell Defense and Space
• Andrew S. Mullin, Chief Counsel, BAE Systems Information Technology, Inc.
• Christopher R. Ryan, Deputy General Counsel, K12 Inc.

Outstanding Small Law Department:

• Airlines Reporting Corporation
• XM Satellite Radio Inc.
• XO Holdings Inc.

Outstanding Large Law Department:

• Altria Client Services, Inc.
• Capital One Financial Corporation
• Freddie Mac

Community Service Award:

• Brett B. Coffee, Vice President of Business and Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, Computer Systems Center Inc.

"The contributions made by in-house counsel to the successes of their organizations are immeasurable," said Kevin S. Lapidus, WMACCA president and senior vice president and general counsel, SunEdison. "We are very pleased to be able to recognize and honor our colleagues and their outstanding contributions. We congratulate the finalists and the many nominees."

The finalists were selected from a large pool of nominations submitted by the legal community at large in response to an open call for nominations. The panel of judges for the Corporate Counsel Awards is comprised of: Mike Daniels, Former Chairman, Mobile 365; Charles DeLeon, SVP, General Counsel and Secretary, GTSI Corp. – Event Chair; Mary E. Kennard, Vice President and General Counsel , American University – WMACCA Past President; Robert E. Gans, Senior Employment Counsel, Computer Sciences Corporation – WMACCA VP, External Relations; Fred Krebs, President, Association of Corporate Counsel; Kevin Lapidus, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, SunEdison – WMACCA President; Caroline Little, Former CEO, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive; Tom Mutryn, Chief Financial Officer, CACI Inc.; Manik Rath, Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, LMI – WMACCA President-elect; Louise Wager, Vice President, Commerce Bank; and Dendy Young, managing partner of McLean Capital, LLC

The Corporate Counsel Awards were created in 2005 in celebration of WMACCA's 25th anniversary. In just three years, the WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards have become a well-recognized and sought-after honor for in-house community in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and suburban Maryland.

About WMACCA

With more than 1,600 members, the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA) serves the professional needs of in-house counsel in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland, and Virginia. WMACCA is the largest chapter of the global Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). WMACCA members can participate in more than 60 substantive networking and professional development programs each year and are kept connected through monthly and quarterly newsletters and an annual membership directory. WMACCA has been active in issues and education to encourage advancements in the standards of corporate legal practice. More information about WMACCA is available on its Web site: http://wmacca.acc.com.