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Allstate Insurance Company

2011 SAWIB WinnerCompany: Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL, USA
Entry Submitted By: Fowler White Boggs P.A.
Company Description: The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Founded in 1931, Allstate provides insurance products to more than 16 million households.
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Executive – Service Businesses – More Than 2,500 Employees

Nomination Title: Michele Coleman Mayes, Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):

Ms. Mayes serves as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Allstate Insurance Company. As General Counsel, she leads the Department of Law and Regulation and oversees and directs the Law Department’s practice groups including Corporate Governance, Corporate Litigation, Ethics and Compliance, State and Federal Affairs, Intellectual Property, Staff Counsel, Investment Law and Financial Law. She is responsible for guiding Allstate's strategy to foster sound governance practices and a healthy legal, political, and regulatory environment.

Through her leadership, Allstate’s Law Department played an instrumental role in noteworthy matters during 2010. The Department successfully resolved the company’s first ever multistate Market Conduct Examination in a little more than a year after the exam commenced. The examination included a detailed review of Allstate’s practices in 46 states. The successful resolution of the examination improved Allstate’s standing with regulators throughout the country.

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of all age groups from 4 – 34 years of age. Thus, the company is a proponent of the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act (“STANDUP Act”), which provides restrictions for teen drivers. During 2010, Allstate introduced the STANDUP Act in Congress in a critical effort to save lives.

With an eye towards fiscal responsibility, Ms. Mayes led the Law Department’s efforts to manage expenses aggressively. For example, the Department eliminated thousands of paper files as staff counsel offices moved to a paperless environment. This has also allowed the group to reduce its real-estate footprint. These practices are good for the environment and Allstate.

Shortly after joining Allstate in 2007, Ms. Mayes spearheaded an effort to aggressively expand the Department’s pro bono and community outreach programs. The effort resulted in the establishment of the Vital Communities Team. The Team now focuses on a number of key work streams– including urban high school debate competitions in Chicago and Detroit, the largest Street Law pipeline program in the nation, and pro bono assistance to victims of domestic violence, among other initiatives. In 2010, an Allstate sponsored debate team won the national championship and traveled to Washington D.C. to meet President Obama. In recognition of its commitment to Street Law, in April 2011, Street Law Inc. awarded Allstate’s Legal Department its 2011 Legal Diversity Pipeline Award.

Recently, Ms. Mayes co-authored a book, Courageous Counsel: Conversations with Women General Counsel in the Fortune 500. Courageous Counsel weaves together up-close-and-personal interviews with more than 50 women who have served as General Counsel at America’s largest corporations or have held executive management roles in their legal departments.

Ms. Mayes is a member of the boards of Legal Momentum, RAND Corporation and Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Ms. Mayes has received extensive recognition for her achievements, most recently, the National Association of Women in Law Ashley Dickerson Award and the Ethisphere Institute – 2011 Attorneys Who Matter. She mentors individuals on a regular basis and speaks frequently on the topic of diversity.

List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

http://www.allstate.com/about.aspx

http://www.allstatenewsroom.com/channels/Senior-Leadership-Team/releases/michele-coleman-mayes

http://www.allstatenewsroom.com/releases/9b9e9aee-0831-4582-b46e-8486d4b128e0

http://www.insidecounsel.com/2011/05/01/allstate-gc-paves-the-way-for-women-in-law

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXz-nHHZt0I

http://www.fowlerwhite.com/docs/MayesCCInterview.pdf

http://www.acc.com/aboutacc/newsroom/pressreleases/Allstate-and-Michele-Coleman-Mayes-Recognized-for-Commitment-to-Diversity-Outreach.cfm

http://www.superlawyers.com/illinois/article/In-Good-Hands/e857ec45-7c90-4469-a7ee-fab38a6a4220.html

http://www.womenworthwatching.com/michele-coleman-mayes/

http://www.lcldnet.org/about_us_leadership_michele_coleman_mayes.html

http://www.ms-jd.org/michele-coleman-mayes-%E2%80%93-questions-i-wish-i%E2%80%99d-asked%E2%80%A6things-i-wish-i%E2%80%99d-known

http://web.nccu.edu/law/events/2011%20-%20January/michelecoleman.html

http://www.diversity-executive.com/article.php?article_id=478&start=30158&page=5

http://www.gallaghersharp.com/useful_tools/Tips%20Newsletter.pdf


Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 100 words):

As Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Allstate Insurance Company, Ms. Mayes guides Allstate's strategy to foster sound governance practices and a healthy legal, political, and regulatory environment. Ms. Mayes is the recipient of numerous awards, including awards from the American Bar Association and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. She was named one of America's top black lawyers by Black Enterprise and one of the most Influential General Counsels in America by The National Law Journal. Ms. Mayes received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her JD from the University of Michigan Law School.