General Counsel: Challenge to Stay Focused in a World of Organizational Distractions, Limitations and Restrictions

Bruce Ortwine, Joint General Manager and General Counsel, Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co, USA

The General Counsel of any organization plays a vital role in the success—or failure—of the organization, and his or her responsibilities legitimately span the full spectrum of that organization’s activities and operations. Because of the unique role that the General Counsel plays—trusted and ethical advisor to management and independent ombudsman for the organization and its owners—the General Counsel must always remain focused on the priorities of the job and try to minimize the inevitable distractions, limitations and restrictions that he or she faces on a daily basis. To remain focused may be a critical challenge to the General Counsel, yet it is a challenge that must be successfully addressed.

Bruce A. Ortwine is the Joint General Manager and General Counsel, Americas, of The Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co., Ltd., one of the largest Japanese banks in the world. He is also a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Compliance Committee, as well as the External General Counsel, of Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co., (U.S.A.), a New Jersey state chartered qualified bank and a major global custodian bank. He has worked at both banks since 1990. Before then, he worked at two different law firms in New York City, where he specialized in corporate, securities, banking, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and entertainment law. He has published numerous articles since the early 1990’s. He is admitted as an attorney in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and is a member of numerous professional organizations.

The Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. is one of the largest of the Japanese banks with offices in more than 20 countries. As a result of merger, effective April 1,2012, the name of the bank is Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited.