Michael Holston

When he took over as the Palo Alto company's general counsel last year, he stepped into the middle of a legal storm. The company was being investigated for spying on journalists. As the company's outside counsel for 10 years, he knew how to weather it out and broker a settlement. Currently, the company's top legal adviser has had his hands full in all sorts of interesting matters. This year alone, the company acquired Plano, Texas-based Electronic Data Systems Corp. for a hefty $13.9 billion. The company also settled patent infringement lawsuits in June against Taiwan-based Acer Inc. In addition, he also serves on the Advisory Board of Corporate Pro Bono, a project between the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Pro Bono Institute.