Management Company
Resume:
DIANE MILLER ESCH
Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042-9534
E-mail: *********@*****.***
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Experienced business attorney for Fortune 100 companies. Strengths include
legal and business analysis, communication, risk assessment, planning,
policy development and implementation. Uniquely effective in blending legal
expertise, business acumen, and incisive financial abilities to meet
strategic business goals. Recognized by clients and business leaders as a
strong communicator, strategist and key partner. Proven record for
delivering strategically sound, pragmatic management and proactive
strategies for businesses confronting change.
IN HOUSE COUNSEL EXPERIENCE
GENERAL MILLS, INC. (THE PILLSBURY COMPANY), Minneapolis, MN 1999-2002
Counsel
Provided counsel and performed transactional work for the Canadian
business, Children's Cereal Division, Bakeries and Foodservice and
Pillsbury North American divisions. Provided legal advice on all aspects
of advertising, marketing, sweepstakes, claim substantiation and
intellectual property issues including software and trademark license
agreements. Negotiated and drafted complex contracts. Managed trademark
portfolio of approximately 600 trademarks including search and clearance
plus various trademark litigation matters.
. Refocused business expectations for the development of a product
advantage claim against a major competitor who was also a major customer.
Persuaded senior leadership and cross-functional team of the
advisability of a more risk tolerant, smaller scale test for preliminary
results which effected a significant cost savings of $200,000 for the
company and preserved relationship with customer.
. Received company's highest honor and company-wide recognition as part of
the team responsible for completing the legal aspects of the sale of The
Pillsbury Company to General Mills.
. Developed strategies for monitoring and tracking key trademarks and
domain names to protect the brand.
. Leveraged internal resources to create website for NASCAR promotion
ensuring greater security and cost savings.
LAND O'LAKES, INC., St. Paul, MN 1997-1999
Senior Attorney
International legal counsel for the company. Responsibilities included
transactional work and creation of foreign corporations and joint ventures,
research of government regulations and foreign laws, board member for
several joint ventures, purchase of stock in foreign corporations, and
selection and retention
of foreign counsel. Managed company's patents and trade secrets including
litigation. Provided legal counsel for several divisions including
agronomy, agriculture and dairy foods, including managing litigation and
claims, negotiating, drafting and reviewing contracts including government
and commercial, creating limited liability companies and conducting real
estate transactions.
. Detected need for process to increase efficiencies for managing
intellectual property. Championed effort to shift company position,
resulting in the establishment of new company policies and procedures,
more cost effectiveness, and higher levels of client satisfaction.
. Created and implemented company's first trade secret policy and conducted
company wide training. Included developing, with the Director of Research
and Development, procedures for laboratory notebooks and plant protection
resulting in greater controls and protection of company's assets.
. Led cross functional effort to create numerous foreign corporations which
resulted in significant tax savings for the company. Responsibilities
included drafting incorporation documents, registering foreign
corporations, creating Board of Directors, serving as Board member and
negotiating joint ventures.
. Initiated, created and implemented company-wide corporate training
programs on topics including contract administration and preventative
law, attorney-client privilege and document retention. Resulted in
creating an environment in which legal was consulted on a proactive
basis.
. Awarded President's Award for work on the Mergers and Acquisitions Team.
THE QUAKER OATS COMPANY, Chicago, IL 1995-1997
Attorney, 1996-1997
Provided general corporate legal services including advertising, consumer
response and drafting distributor contracts. Assisted in-house litigation
counsel on civil litigation including legal research, preparation of trial
briefs and notebooks, and general trial preparation. Responsible for
worldwide ethics and compliance program.
. Analyzed and revised national sweepstakes rules for compliance with multi-
state laws, enabling the quick execution of national sweepstakes.
. Created the Office of Compliance News Information Bureau, reviewed
pending legislation and recommended compliance and regulatory actions and
coordinated compliance training.
. Devised and negotiated volume discount agreement for legal database which
resulted in a savings of $3,000 per month.
. Created strategies for the buyout of over 500 distributorship contracts
and conducted the negotiations as part of team.
The Quaker Oats Company
Law Clerk, 1995-1996
. Assisted in the development of the International Office of Compliance.
Developed reporting and recording procedures for senior management
consistent with Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
. Drafted contracts including transactional support on Securities and
Exchange Commission requirements, pension fund management and advertising
contracts assuring regulations were met.
. Researched and drafted EEOC position statements.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW, St. Paul, MN 2003 - Present
Adjunct Professor
Teaching Negotiating and Drafting International Business Agreements course.
Educated students on a transaction involving the international sale of
goods familiarizing them with relevant domestic law, foreign law and
international conventions. Trained students on drafting and negotiating
skills for an international distribution arrangement including Letter of
Intent, Confidentiality Agreement, Distributor Agreement and termination
letter.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, Paris, France 2009- Present
Professor
Teaching a seminar in International Business Law to French Executive MBA
students.
UNIVERSITY OF SAINT THOMAS, St. Paul, MN 2004 - Present
Adjunct Professor
Teaching Legal Environment of Business for the University of Saint Thomas'
College of Business. General survey course intended to familiarize MBA and
undergraduate business students with a wide variety of legal areas which
shape and affect the conduct of business transactions. Study includes
examination of business law rules and principles of particular relevance to
entrepreneurship, finance, management, and marketing. Specific topics
consist of contracts, warranties and product liability; agency and
employment relationships; business organizations; real estate transactions;
and debtor/creditor relationships.
EDUCATION
CHICAGO-KENT COLLEGE OF LAW
Juris Doctor
Moot Court Team - Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court
Competition
Winner - Team Competition, Midwest North Central Regional
Division
Best Oralist - Midwest North Central Regional Division
First Place Team, Oral Competition, Midwest North Central
Regional Division
Second Place - Team Brief, Midwest North Central Regional
Division
American Jurisprudence Award for the highest grade in Legal Drafting
Dean's List five of six semesters, Class rank - top 30%
Academic Scholarship Recipient
Certificate in International and Comparative Law
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude
Major: International Relations; Minor: Economics
BAR ADMISSION AND ASSOCIATIONS
ADMITTED: State Bar of Minnesota, 1998 - Licensed to practice law
ADMITTED: State Bar of Illinois, 1996 - Licensed to practice law
Minnesota State Bar Association,
International Law Section Council - Vice Chair, 2002-2003
Secretary, 2001-2002
Treasurer 2000-2002
Chair of the International Business Law Institute - 2003
Minnesota Women Lawyers,
Board of Directors 2001-2002, 2002 - 2004, 2005-2007; Treasurer 2004-
2005
Co-Chair Membership Committee 1999-2001
Co-Chair of the 1999 Mentor Program
Minnesota Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC formerly known as ACCA)
Board of Directors 2003; and Member
Illinois ACCA, Member, 1996-1997
Illinois State Bar Association
Corporate Law Departments Section Council, 1996-1997
League of Women Voters, Minnesota
Board of Directors, Secretary, 1992-1993
Jessup Moot Court Competition, Judge, 2002
The Emerging Leader, University of St. Thomas, Management Center, 2003
AIESEC alumni
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Kesko Corporation, Helsinki, Finland, Market Research Analyst (placed
through the AIESEC program)
University of Laval, Quebec, Canada, Summer French Language Study Program
Rotary Exchange Student, Strangnas, Sweden
Professor, International School of Management, Paris, France
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