WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACC National Capital Region today announced the finalists for its 2017 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 Paraprofessional, Outstanding Law Department, and Community Service. ACC National Capital Region will announce the winners during its Corporate Counsel Awards Reception at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, Va., on Thursday, October 26, 2017.

The finalists for the 2017 Corporate Counsel Awards are:

Outstanding Chief Legal Officer:

• Gerry Amann, General Counsel and Secretary, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Accenture Federal Services
• Kristin Campbell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Hilton Worldwide
• William Deckelman, Jr., Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, DXC Technology Company
• Tamara Jack, Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Blumont, Inc. and IR&D Inc.
• Walter Leach, General Counsel, EverFi, Inc.
• Gregory Nixon, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, DynCorp International LLC
• Barbara Wall, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Gannett Co., Inc.
• Christopher Winters, General Counsel, Appian Corporation
• Stuart Young, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, AECOM Management Services Group

Outstanding In-House Counsel:

• Stephanie Gilliard, Assistant General Counsel – Corporate, Indivior Inc.
• Nicolas Jafarieh, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Assistant Corporate Secretary, Sallie Mae
• Charles Neff, Director of Compliance, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
• Carl Peterson, General Counsel – Mid-Atlantic Business Unit, Titan America

Outstanding Paraprofessional:

• Karen Schultz, Legal Assistant, WeddingWire, Inc.

Outstanding Law Department:

• Appian Corporation
• CoStar Group, Inc.
• DynCorp International LLC
• Hilton Worldwide

Community Service Award:

• Stephen Otero, Senior Vice President, Chief Counsel - Litigation, Capital One - individual
• Freddie Mac (law department)
• HMSHost (law department)

"Once again, we are thrilled to celebrate the tremendous achievements and contributions of in-house lawyers and departments,” said Simone Wu, co-chair of the Corporate Counsel Awards, and senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and external affairs, Choice Hotels International, Inc.

"The work done by these finalists provides excellent examples of the integral role the in-house legal team plays in the success of an organization,” said Evan Farber, co-chair of the Corporate Counsel Awards, and chief legal officer, The Advisory Board Company

The finalists were selected from nominations submitted in response to an open call for nominations. The panel of judges for the Corporate Counsel Awards is comprised of the following leaders in the business and legal communities in this region:

• Afsaneh Ambrose, President of ACC National Capital Region, and General Counsel, Acumen Solutions, Inc.
• Kevin Buck, Chief Operating Officer, Association of Corporate Counsel
• Doris Henderson Causey, President, Virginia State Bar, and Managing Attorney, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society
• Mike Daniels, Chairman of the Board, LMI
• Evan Farber, Member of the Board of Directors of ACC National Capital Region, Co-Chair of the Corporate Counsel Awards, and Chief Legal Officer, The Advisory Board Company
• Patrick McGlone, President, D.C. Bar, and Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Ullico, Inc.
• Steven Museles, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, JBG Smith
• Camille Nelson, Dean and Professor of Law, Washington College of Law at American University
• Simone Wu, Member of the Board of Directors of ACC National Capital Region, Co-Chair of the Corporate Counsel Awards, and Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and External Affairs, Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Created in 2005, the Corporate Counsel Awards have become a well-recognized and sought-after honor for members of the in-house legal community in the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Virginia and suburban Maryland. For a list of all previous Award winners, please visit http://www.acc.com/chapters/ncr/awards.cfm. Registration for the Awards Reception is now open at http://www.cvent.com/d/2tqm13.

About ACC National Capital Region

With more than 2,400 members, ACC National Capital Region serves the professional needs of in-house counsel in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and suburban Maryland. It is the regional chapter of the global Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). ACC National Capital Region members participate in more than 80 professional development programs each year and keep connected through a variety of networking events and communications vehicles. The organization has been active in regulatory issues that affect the in-house bar, and in providing education to encourage advancements in the standards of corporate legal practice. The organization was first established in 1980 as the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA). It adopted the name ACC National Capital Region in 2015 to better communicate the area it serves and to support the ACC global brand. More information about ACC National Capital Region is available on its Web site: http://www.acc.com/chapters/ncr.