General Counsel
North Canton, Oh
In-house counsel for multi-channel marketing company. Assumed General Counsel responsibilities in September of 2013.As General Counsel to the Suarez Corporation Industries family of companies (collectively, “ SCI”), my responsibilities had been quite varied. SCI is a multi-channel marketing/manufacturing company that employs hundreds of people, and is the developer, manufacturer, and marketer of the EdenPURE® line of home comfort products, among many others. SCI's affiliates and subsidiaries include: Suarez Manufacturing Industries; Chef Jon Molnar Specialty Food Company; (Joe) Namath Products; Biotech Research; United States Commemorative Gallery; Endless Youth & Life (nutritional supplements and health care products), HOF Player Representatives (Sports Agency), Retail Partner Enterprises; and International Home Shopping. SCI takes products from the design stage all the way through development, manufacturing, marketing (retail, direct mail, internet, print, television, radio, etc.), and eventual sale to consumers.As General Counsel, my duties included working with upper management at SCI to proactively identify, mitigate and address legal risks, both internally and in the external marketplace in most areas of the law including, without limitation, intellectual property, advertising/marketing, corporate governance, employment law, business law and litigation. More specifically, my duties included, without limitation: (i) drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements with third parties; (ii) protecting, enforcing and defending SCI’s intellectual property; (iii) assessing regulatory compliance issues; (iv) addressing privacy law and advertising issues (with a focus on claims and substantiation); (v) retaining/managing outside counsel; (vi) managing SCI’s litigation; (vii) advising upper management on corporate governance and corporate policy issues; and (viii) managing SCI’s legal budget.Experienced in crisis management and public relations.