They are in D.C. to fight the giant phone companies before the FCC. They are spending a Saturday building a playground near corporate headquarters in Atlanta. And one Friday per month, they spend the lunch hour in a bowling alley. Led by a highly decorated former Desert Storm infantry commander, the members of Cbeyond's legal department are action oriented.

Cbeyond is a publicly traded telecommunications company. When Bill Weber joined Cbeyond as its first attorney in 2006, he knew what it took to win highly contentious “David versus Goliath” regulatory battles against established carriers, after doing so for several years with Covad Communications.

Initiating a proactive approach to the legal function, Bill hired a former Covad colleague, Gene Watkins, and in 2007 they handled every state and federal regulatory proceeding themselves. As former commercial trial attorneys from large law firms, Weber and Watkins enjoy the front lines. By taking this mission critical work in-house, the legal department was able to pare its budget by 30%. Impressively, the legal department at Cbeyond became an actual profit center by generating more than $1 million from disputes with larger carriers and by solidifying Cbeyond's right to serve customers within Verizon's service territory.

Recently promoted to chief administrative officer, Weber oversees the legal, regulatory and human resources functions for this 1,500-employee company. Notwithstanding the title, Weber is no bureaucrat. Watkins describes Weber's style as “military hands-off,” which translates into trusting others to operate with autonomy once a strategy has been established. The legal department also includes a non-lawyer regulatory affairs expert and a paralegal.

Culturally, Cbeyond is a company that lets its hair down. It starts with an egalitarian cubical and business casual environment that extends to the C-suite. It includes a monthly workday bowling league across department lines. Finally, it extends beyond the workplace to proactive community service. Weber points out that good citizenship factors into promotions, and companywide initiatives include hands-on projects at least two Saturdays per year.

When Cbeyond adds its next attorney, Weber will be looking for “creative people with thick skins and a good sense of humor.” Yielding perhaps to his military background, Weber says he will utter an occasional expletive. I'll take his word for it, as our discussion was pretty clean cut. However, Weber does not know that I'm an outstanding bowler. So, the next time I'm in Atlanta, I'm going to join them on the lanes and get to know this fun loving, hard working group a little better.

They are in D.C. to fight the giant phone companies before the FCC. They are spending a Saturday building a playground near corporate headquarters in Atlanta. And one Friday per month, they spend the lunch hour in a bowling alley. Led by a highly decorated former Desert Storm infantry commander, the members of Cbeyond's legal department are action oriented.

Cbeyond is a publicly traded telecommunications company. When Bill Weber joined Cbeyond as its first attorney in 2006, he knew what it took to win highly contentious “David versus Goliath” regulatory battles against established carriers, after doing so for several years with Covad Communications.

Initiating a proactive approach to the legal function, Bill hired a former Covad colleague, Gene Watkins, and in 2007 they handled every state and federal regulatory proceeding themselves. As former commercial trial attorneys from large law firms, Weber and Watkins enjoy the front lines. By taking this mission critical work in-house, the legal department was able to pare its budget by 30%. Impressively, the legal department at Cbeyond became an actual profit center by generating more than $1 million from disputes with larger carriers and by solidifying Cbeyond's right to serve customers within Verizon's service territory.

Recently promoted to chief administrative officer, Weber oversees the legal, regulatory and human resources functions for this 1,500-employee company. Notwithstanding the title, Weber is no bureaucrat. Watkins describes Weber's style as “military hands-off,” which translates into trusting others to operate with autonomy once a strategy has been established. The legal department also includes a non-lawyer regulatory affairs expert and a paralegal.

Culturally, Cbeyond is a company that lets its hair down. It starts with an egalitarian cubical and business casual environment that extends to the C-suite. It includes a monthly workday bowling league across department lines. Finally, it extends beyond the workplace to proactive community service. Weber points out that good citizenship factors into promotions, and companywide initiatives include hands-on projects at least two Saturdays per year.

When Cbeyond adds its next attorney, Weber will be looking for “creative people with thick skins and a good sense of humor.” Yielding perhaps to his military background, Weber says he will utter an occasional expletive. I'll take his word for it, as our discussion was pretty clean cut. However, Weber does not know that I'm an outstanding bowler. So, the next time I'm in Atlanta, I'm going to join them on the lanes and get to know this fun loving, hard working group a little better.