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PAUL A. BOKOTA 7 Hodgenville, Irvine, CA 92620 * (H) 949-653-2608 * (C) 949-235-8405
[email protected] (Member of CA, IL, & IN Bars) SUMMARY Deputy General Counsel with significant in-house and law firm experience. Mana ged US legal department of multinational company, including all litigation and t ransactional matters and staff of attorneys and paralegal. Directed contract, l itigation, antitrust, acquisitions, intellectual property, FCPA, warranty, envir onmental, OSHA, marketing, risk management efforts. Oversaw international litig ation and international corporate restructuring. Extensive commercial litigatio n experience, from case evaluation, through discovery, trial and appeals. Able t o manage all aspects of in-house legal department. CAREER OVERVIEW DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL, James Hardie Building Products, Mission Viejo, CA - (200 4-December 2010): James Hardie engages in the manufacture and sale of fiber cem ent building products for interior and exterior building construction applicatio ns. Currently headquartered in Ireland, it has operations in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and Europe. Revenues are approximately $1.3 billion, with 80% earned in the US. Achievements included: * Managed US legal operations, $4 million legal budget, and sta ff of seven; managed both US and international outside counsel and reported dire ctly to General Counsel; implemented Serengeti billing software to monitor advis or costs; * Developed strategy and vision for US Legal Department and ultimately responsib le for all commercial litigation and commercial contracts; managed outside couns el as to litigation strategy and budget - reduced US legal spend; oversaw all pr oduct liability litigation (product defect, warranty and asbestos), including in ternational litigation issues; managed international intellectual property portf olio, valued in excess of $600 million; managed intellectual property litigation ; * Oversaw mergers and acquisitions, US antitrust issues (Sherman Act and Robinso n-Patman Act), and US warranty/Magnuson-Moss, marketing, advertising and regula tory issues (i.e., OSHA and EPA); oversaw global enterprise risk management ass essment related to legal risk; * Interacted daily with manufacturing segment of company and sales force; provid ed advice on sales agreements, rebate agreements, supply agreements, distributio n agreements; * Directed Company Compliance Program for antitrust, environmental and document retention; developed document retention policy and trained business units on the policy Managed major international corporate restructuring: * Responsible for international corporate/tax project to change domicile of pare nt company from The Netherlands to Ireland, involving $20 million in advisor cos ts; * Managed personnel and coordinate tax, legal and IP valuation advisors in US, A ustralia, Ireland and The Netherlands; communicated regularly with CEO and Board ;
* Assessed complex tax, accounting, governance, public relations and intellectua l property issues in each jurisdiction and cross-jurisdictionally; * Successfully moved parent company to new jurisdiction. PRINCIPAL ATTORNEY, Payne & Fears LLP, Irvine, CA - (1998-2004): Performed all aspects of litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution; specialized in contrac t disputes, unfair business practices, labor & employment, construction defect, trade secret disputes, antitrust, trademark infringement, insurance, securities and health care. LITIGATION ASSOCIATE, Bingham, Summers, Welsh & Spilman, Indianapolis, IN - (19 94-1998): Litigated in areas of corporate law including product liability (inclu ding asbestos and tobacco), commercial litigation, labor & employment, patent i nfringement, antitrust, medical malpractice, health care law, securities law, co nstitutional law, insurance defense and coverage. JUDICIAL CLERK, Hon. S. Hugh Dillin, United States District Court, Indianapolis, IN - (1992-1994): Researched and drafted final opinions and orders on dispositi ve and other motions related to securities fraud, Title VII, section 1983, contr act disputes, antitrust and RICO, among others. SENIOR CONSULTANT, Andersen Consulting, Chicago, IL - (1987-1989): Designed and programmed information systems for Title Insurance, Retail and Health Care indus tries; participated in internal marketing and public relations campaign. EDUCATION Harvard University, A.B. Government, magna cum laude (1987) Indiana University School of Law, J.D, magna cum laude (1992) University of CA, Irvine, Certificate in International Business (2001) COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Chairman of Finance Committee, Irvine Unified School District (2006 - Present) President, Brywood Elementary School PTA (2004-2006) Board Member, Northwood Courtside Homeowners Association (2006-2010) Certified Soccer Referee, AYSO (2005-Present) Assistant Coach, Irvine Girls Softball Association (2005-Present)