Features December 2016

When pilots are learning to fly, they often use a flight simulator. It is, after all, much safer and less costly to crash a computer than an airplane. In a similar vein, GSE Systems constructs highly accurate computer simulators for nuclear and fossil fuel power plants, the petroleum industry and other industrial processors. These simulators […]

Often the hardest part of using new software is getting users onboard, not choosing the program or plugging it in. That was the case when David Vetter told Tech Data Corporation’s legal team he was going to use a different “matter management system” to manage cases, draft letters and perform daily tasks. Vetter recalls the […]

Growing up as the daughter of an attorney, Anna Mechling has had an interest in law for as long as she can remember. An experienced litigator, Mechling’s father imparted two pieces of advice that have long stuck with her. “He said law school teaches you a new way of thinking and he also always told […]

G&K Services is one of North America’s leading uniform companies. Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, G&K has been providing custom uniforms, facility products and services for more than 100 years. Since 2006, general counsel, vice president and corporate secretary Jeff Cotter has been helping the company maintain its stellar reputation for company culture and sustainable business […]

When Marvin Levine came to General Growth Properties (GGP) in 2011, it was a company long overdue for a change. Having recently emerged from bankruptcy proceedings that saw the real estate investment trust’s share price fall by 97 percent over a six-month period, Levine and incoming CEO Sandeep Mathrani were eager for the chance to […]

Over nearly 30 years with Kimball International, John Kahle steadily rose through the ranks at the furniture and electronics company. Starting out as an associate attorney in 1987, Kahle’s vision and business-minded approach to the legal function saw the attorney add executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary to his job title by 2001. […]

Darryl Mitchell took an unusual path on his journey to become chief legal officer at elevator manufacturer Fujitec America Inc. After five years in sales, the Columbia University grad returned to school to earn his law degree from University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1993. From there, Mitchell spent six years at law firms […]

As a high performance engineered materials company with an international presence, it takes a certain kind of general counsel to lead the legal team at Materion Corporation. With a degree in advanced international studies from Johns Hopkins University and a personal background that includes a number of connections to the European market, Greg Chemnitz has […]

Curtis Landherr has always been interested in the aviation industry. Before becoming general counsel at aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Aircraft in 2014, Landherr worked as a litigation attorney for a Kansas City-based firm where he specialized in product liability defense cases that often involved aviation clients. “Even though I wasn’t a pilot, I found those cases […]

Safety and efficiency do not always agree on construction sites, which is one of the reasons attorneys at OHL North America (NA) sometimes put on hardhats and give them a visit. “This is a tough business and all too often, you have the cover-my-ass type of mentality, but you have to create an environment that […]