Finalists

Celebrating her eighth year with Petco — the pet specialty retailer with more than 1,100 stores nationwide — Darragh Davis joined Petco as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary in 2004 to establish and manage its first law department. Davis provides legal oversight of all transactional, regulatory, government relations, and mergers and acquisition activity for Petco, and manages its commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution matters. She also leads Petco’s disclosure controls and procedures committee, and serves on its ethics and compliance committee.

Petco’s in-house Senior Employment Counsel Kristin Stockholm said, “Darragh epitomizes the leadership qualities and professionalism of a great general counsel. She walks the talk every day with the utmost integrity and civility, is a highly effective communicator and counselor, and consistently finds creative ways to promote work-life success and balance for her diverse team.”

Previously, Davis held positions as vice president and general counsel for Vista Information Technologies Inc., a national IT professional services firm; principal at The Resolution Law Group; vice-president and chief legal counsel of Newbridge Networks Inc., a public multinational networking equipment manufacturer; and as a member of the litigation and federal practice groups at Arent Fox, in their Tysons Corner, Va., and D.C. offices.

Davis has a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Stanford University. She is admitted to practice law in Washington, D.C., Virginian and Maryland, and is a California Registered In-House Attorney.

Darragh is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an adjunct  faculty member at the University of San Diego Law School for a course on in-house practice, and she serves on the San Diego Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is a past president of the Association of Corporate Counsel San Diego Chapter, past chair of the Virginia State Bar Construction and Public Contract Law Board of Governors, and faculty member for the VSB Professionalism Course.

A Virginia native, Davis lives in Scripps Ranch with her dogs, Apollo and Tatty, and cats, Venus and Di Milo. In her free time, she follows her interests in public policy, golf and equestrian sports.