CORPORATE COUNSEL: Honorees.

• Author: Bicknell, Lindsay
• Position: Cover story

As outside counsel, you help companies solve specific problems. But as in-house counsel, you have the opportunity to help a company develop short-term goals and long-term strategies. Join us in celebrating the 2019 Corporate Counsel honorees who are helping Utah's companies be their best today while laying the foundation for continued excellence.

Alissa Redd Owen

Associate General Counsel | Western Governors University

With a background in engineering, Alissa Redd Owen is uniquely suited to be a problem solver. Whether it's helping a friend resolve a family law situation or helping a 5,000-employee corporation establish its worldwide intellectual property portfolio, she is passionate about doing what she enjoys most: thinking critically. "Being a lawyer gives me a chance to advocate for and help others," Ms. Owen shares. "Law is all about problem solving."

As the associate general counsel for Western Governors University, not only is Ms. Owen thinking critically every day, but she is helping to deliver a positive result for the future. Her work with intellectual property at WGU helps keep the institution's, as well as the students', academic integrity as she proactively works to take down cheat sites and paper mills that facilitate dishonesty.

Anthony L. Plachy

Associate General Counsel & Data Protection Officer | Rakuten Marketing, LLC

Anthony L. Plachy knows all too well what working on tough cases can do to an attorney. "It was too heart wrenching," he shares. "I knew I needed to make a move." So he made the move to in-house counsel and he's never looked back. "What keeps me in-house is the partnership you get to have as a lawyer with the business. Outside counsel has it easy."

Working tirelessly with Rakuten Marketing, LLC, Mr. Plachy constantly pushes the company to be its best. Leading efforts to comply with GDPR and sifting through complex legalese to make the regulations understandable to their employees, he's lead the initiative to figure out the future of the company's marketing strategy even as new laws, like the CCPA, come stateside.

Beatryx Epps Washington

SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary | O.C. Tanner

Beatryx Epps Washington has always wanted to be a lawyer. "My grandparents were very involved in the Civil Rights Movement. I grew up learning about the impact that law can have on our society and its culture. I wanted to be able to use that to help people achieve their goals," she says. Now, working at O.C. Tanner with fresh eyes, she's able to give insightful guidance across a variety of subjects to top executives and help create a corporate culture worth being proud of.

Using her previous work experiences to guide the future of the company, Ms. Washington is focused on success. "The life of a lawyer is challenging and time-consuming," she says. "However, this is a rewarding profession where you get to learn something new every day."

Cara Baldwin

Associate General Counsel...