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Corporate Governance

: The Race to the Bottom

Qwest and an Exemplary Legal Department

By J. Robert Brown

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We are a corporate governance blog and do not typically comment on corporate legal departments. Nonetheless we make an exception today to note the article by Amy Miller from Corporate Counsel on the Best Legal Department of 2008. The award went to the legal department at the telecommunications giant, Qwest, headquartered right here in Denver.

As the article rightfully points out (and anyone practicing in this community already knows), much of the accolades belong to Rich Baer, the general counsel. Brought over from Sherman & Howard (one of the oldest firms in Denver) during the Nacchio years, he rose to the top when Drake Tempest (the general counsel appointed by Nacchio and whose name came up in Nacchio's trial for insider trading) stepped down. Despite all of the turmoil during the waning years of Nacchio's tenure, the near bankruptcy of the company, and the raft of shareholder/investor law suits, Baer (with considerable help from another Sherman & Howard alum, Stefan Stein), managed to extricate the company from most of its legal problems and reinvigorate the legal department. As the article noted:

The 51-year-old GC has brought virtually all commercial contract negotiations, disclosure and corporate governance, trademark and immigration work in-house. Baer created more supervisory roles and opportunities for advancement. He's willing to take chances, whether it's letting lawyers work part time or from home, or embracing new technology to streamline operations. And he's diversified his staff, too, and encouraged everyone to do more pro bono work. "He's energized the entire department," says deputy general counsel Andrew Crain, who joined the company in 1997.

The legal department has already been recognized for its pro bono activities, including work at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.

The recognition from Corporate Counsel is a well deserved accolade for a top notch legal department and a top notch general counsel.

Full post as published by The Race to the Bottom on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).