GRIER C. RACLIN
** **** ********* **** ****: 314-***-****
St. Louis, Missouri 63105 Email: *****@******.***
CHIEF LEGAL/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Legal Group Management and Expense Control; Intellectual Property
Protection
International Operations; Domestic and Foreign Legal and Regulatory
Compliance
Complex Commercial and Financial Transactions -Acquisitions, Divestitures &
Financings
Accomplished Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, with in-depth
experience as General Counsel of Fortune 500 and other public companies,
and as Managing Partner and Partner of major corporate law firms. Known as
an effective and decisive leader, able to build and motivate high
performance teams and implement corporate strategies, while meeting expense
objectives. Highly skilled in managing complex domestic and international
litigation and transactions, as well as resolving corporate governance and
other legal issues arising in domestic and multinational operations.
Brings a diverse skill set and hands-on approach to directing major
corporate functions, such as Government Relations, Business Development,
Human Resources, Facilities Management and Procurement. A full CV can be
viewed at www.visialcv.com/graclin.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
THOMPSON COBURN LLP, St. Louis, MO; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL 1/2010-
present
Of Counsel
Largest law firm in St. Louis, MO, with nationwide practice in complex
litigation and corporate transactions.
Representing clients in the negotiation of complex commercial and financial
transactions, including litigation settlements; and providing advice on
corporate governance, securities, privacy and data security, and technology
issues. Separately providing business consulting advice to investors and
management consulting firms seeking to maximize the value they or their
clients derive from legal services, and serving as Adjunct Professor of
Securities Regulation at the Washington University School of Law.
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (NASDQ: "CHTR"), St. Louis, MO 2005 -
12/2009
Publicly-held, Fortune 500 ($7B, 16,500 employees) company, and the
country's third largest, publicly held cable company.
Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer; 2009
EVP, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Corporate Secretary; 2005-
2009
Member of the senior management team, reporting to the CEO and driving
dramatic improvement in the operational and financial performance of the
company's legal, regulatory, governmental relations and other corporate
departments. Specific actions included
. Managing the successful resolution of all litigation and contract
negotiations, including the recovery of more than two years' total legal
expense through a single plaintiff's action; the successful resolution of
numerous multi-million dollar patent infringement and consumer class
action suits; and resolving complex legal issues associated with more
than $14B in debt refinancings as well as day-to-day sales and operations
. Implementing programs to ensure compliance with all regulatory and
corporate governance requirements, including federal (e.g., SOX) and
listing exchange (NASDAQ) Board and corporate governance requirements
during periods of heightened scrutiny
. Hands-on management resulting in significant improvement in the
performance of the company's legal, regulatory and government relations
functions, such as reallocating responsibilities among inside staff and
outside counsel and consultants and renegotiating outside counsel
relationships to reduce external legal fees by more than 40% while at the
same time significantly improving client service and department morale
SAVVIS, INC. (NASDAQ: "SVVS"), Washington, D.C.; St. Louis, MO 2003 -
2005
Leading international provider of IT outsourcing, "Cloud," communications
network, data center, and internet access services to commercial
enterprises worldwide.
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Member of the senior management team, reporting to the CEO and directing
all legal and regulatory affairs and other corporate functions, including:
. Managing the successful negotiation of all major corporate transactions,
including the most significant sales of the Company's commercial
services, the acquisition of Cable and Wireless' U.S. assets for $150M,
and the integration of domestic and foreign data centers acquired from
Intel (along with the issuance of associated debt), almost tripling the
company's revenues (from $236M to $667M) in two years
. Devising and implementing programs to ensure compliance with all
corporate capitalization and other regulatory requirements associated
with entering and undertaking ongoing operations in more than 30 European
and Asian countries, while minimizing capital investment in foreign
corporate subsidiaries
. Managing all Board affairs to ensure compliance with all SEC and listing
exchange (NASDAQ) corporate governance and regulatory requirements
. Identifying opportunities and devising and implementing programs that
achieved tens of millions of dollars in cost reduction synergies in the
first year after the Cable and Wireless acquisition, greatly exceeding
corporate goals and expectations
GLOBAL TELESYSTEMS, INC. (NYSE, AMST, LUX), London; Washington D.C.
1997-2002
Leading provider of domestic and international voice and data services to
businesses throughout Eastern and Western Europe, Russia and Asia, which
grew to $1B in revenues with 4,500 employees in 20 countries
EVP, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel
Member of the Senior Management team, reporting to the CEO and directing
all legal and regulatory affairs and other corporate functions, and
managing all interactions with regulatory bodies in 20 European and Asian
countries, including:
. Managing the successful resolution of all foreign and domestic legal
issues associated with complex corporate transactions, such as the
issuance of $3.5B in foreign and domestic debt and equity (including the
first Eurobond offering); and the acquisition, reorganization and
divestiture of $3B in companies and assets located throughout Eastern and
Western Europe, Russia and Asia
. Managing the successful resolution of all major litigation and
governmental investigations, including foreign and domestic employment
and labor claims and U.S. FCPA investigations; and securing all
governmental approvals for numerous acquisitions and the initiation of
foreign operations Worldwide
GARDNER, CARTON & DOUGLAS, Chicago, IL; Washington, D.C. 1990 - 1997
300-attorney law firm with nationwide and international corporate
transactions and securities practice; later merged with Drinker Biddle &
Reath LLP.
Vice Chairman of the Management Committee; Managing Partner, Washington,
D.C. Office; and Chairman of Strategic Planning Committee (1995 - 1997);
Partner (1990 - 1995)
Represented multinational high technology companies and foreign governments
seeking to privatize major industries, and served as outside US General
Counsel to one of the largest cellular telephone system manufacturers,
managing complex commercial and financial negotiations, regulatory
compliance and the resolution of intellectual property and other
significant litigation and disputes.
. Doubled the firm's international practice involving the negotiation of
trans-border infrastructure sales and project financings, and the
representation of foreign governments in infrastructure projects
. Negotiated more than 4B in international infrastructure and consumer
equipment sales, financings and loan restructurings
HERON, BURCHETTE, RUCKERT & ROTHWELL, Washington, D.C. 1986 - 1989
Partner
HBR&R grew from start-up to become third largest firm based in Washington
D.C. Practice consisted of representing high technology companies in their
commercial negotiations, regulatory compliance and intellectual property
disputes, such as a major US satellite manufacturer in its negotiations to
launch communications satellites on Russian launch vehicles
. Led the successful defense of one of the largest international patent
cases; managing complex litigation in the U.S. and three foreign
jurisdictions and eventually settling for a substantial payment to client
SIDLEY & AUSTIN, Washington, D.C. 1981 - 1986
Attorney
Represented high-tech, infrastructure manufacturers in sales and
financings; enterprises pursuing commercial opportunities in outer space
(e.g., 3M Corporation's "thin films" space shuttle experiments); and major
videotape manufacturers in the U.S. Supreme Court's Betamax copyright
litigation. Long-term assignments with AT&T Bell Labs in connection with
the original deployment of cellular telephony and the division of AT&T into
the Regional Bell Operating Companies
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS (7th Circuit), Chicago, IL 1979 - 1981
Attorney and Senior Law Clerk to the Hon. Wilbur F. Pell
Senior law clerk and principal legal advisor to a member of the U.S. Court
of Appeals; attending oral arguments, performing legal research and
drafting judicial opinions
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
J.D., Northwestern University School of Law; Chicago, Illinois (1978)
Member, Editorial Board: Northwestern University Law Review
University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Chicago Illinois (1979-80)
Finance coursework in Executive MBA Program (relocated to DC before
completing degree program)
B.A. (Cum Laude), Northwestern University; Evanston, Illinois (1975)
Degree in Philosophy ( Highest Departmental Honors ( Phi Beta Kappa
George Washington University; Washington, D.C. (1982)
Certificate in Basic Electrical Engineering
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS and PUBLICATIONS
Past and present member of various corporate, charitable and civic
governing boards; currently including the Northwestern University Law
School Fund Board (National Chair), and the St. Louis Museum of
Contemporary ART; and previously including Golden Telecom, Inc. (NASDQ:
GLDN) (Moscow) and the Chairmanship of the Transactions Committee of the
Federal Communications Bar Association
PUBLISHED ARTICLES AND SPEECHES
Authored numerous articles, pamphlets and speeches, including "Buzz,
Cookies and Targeting; A Business Guide to Rapidly Expanding Data Privacy
Laws" (2010); "Managing Complex Litigation, A General Counsel's Perspective
... " a speech before the Association of Corporate Counsel, Chicago IL
(2010); "The Patent Laws Need Updating," St. Louis Post Dispatch (2008) and
"Competition In The Video Marketplace;" 2007 Telecommunications Symposium,
United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division; and other articles
appearing in The Wall Street Journal, The Northwestern University Law
Review, The Northwestern University Journal of International Law and
Business and The Journal of the National Law Center for the Public
Interest; and network television commentary