Features

While you won’t find “process improver” on Wendy Hufford’s long letterhead, her colleagues at Chico’s FAS are fine with her adding the title to her formal roles at this upscale women’s clothing and accessories retailer. “I like to take something that might be working well and make it better and more impactful,” the energetic Hufford […]

Since the beginning of the pandemic, residential foreclosures across the county have largely been on hold due to government edicts, but as William “Marty” Ferguson states, things are picking up at “warp speed.” That’s keeping him busy. For nearly eight years, Ferguson has worked for Mr. Cooper, the third largest loan servicer in the United […]

As a school administrator, Whitney Walters-Sachs says the actions she takes—or does not take—create ripple effects throughout the community. “We operate in a complex system with many stakeholders with different interests and viewpoints,” she says. “Every decision sends a message about our mission and values, while setting a precedent to follow when similar circumstances arise.” […]

As the only in-house attorney at HCI Systems Inc., Wahid Guirguis is involved in all its operations, from compliance and regulatory matters to labor and employment and human resources. With few outside counsel, he spends his days working with managers and leadership of the company’s offices throughout California. He also handles contracts, reviews legal documents, […]

She arrived just a little late to weigh in on the actual transaction, Cetera Financial Group having purchased the independent financial planning channel of Voya Financial Advisors when Winnie Lee became deputy general counsel in June 2021. But there was integration for her to oversee and ways to streamline for subsequent acquisitions, this being how […]

After nearly three decades of practicing energy law at firms and in-house, Wendy Ellis might have thought she had seen it all in this segment. Well, almost. Last summer her long-time employer, DTE Energy, spun off its natural gas pipeline, storage and gathering division into a separate publicly traded company. So, who better provide legal […]

It’s quite the unique “B Corp meets self-determination” business model that Calista Corporation operates under, and it’ll likely be the subject of continued confusion and controversy. But at least something was cleared up in June 2021: For federal pandemic relief, this Alaska Native company indeed meets the definition of Indian tribe, as do the 11 […]

There’s something about pressure in any pursuit that can shape a lawyer’s character. For the British-born William Barker and his twin brother, Richard, it was the years spent as doubles partners in collegiate and professional tennis. Quite the record those Barkers blazed, first at Rice University where they racked up 35 victories in 2003 before […]

When William “Bill” Potter was hired as general counsel at University Loft Company, it was facing three lawsuits. Prior to his hiring, the company had been trying to address all three at once, which Potter described as a game of “Whac-A-Mole.” After studying the cases, each involving the federal government, he decided to implement an […]

In the world of Whitney Walters-Sachs, it’s dangerous territory to never say never—because you might just end up where you least expected to. That was her experience, anyway. Visiting her parents years ago as a young lawyer, her folks thought she should leave her high-profile job as a corporate attorney in New York City to […]