Juniper Networks Inc. designs and markets network infrastructure equipment and software that underlie the Internet, mobile Internet and cloud computing. Its products include routers, network traffic management software, virtual private network and firewall devices, data center and intrusion detection and prevention systems. The Sunnyvale-based company also does consulting and support services for customers, which include phone and cable companies, content and social networking providers, large enterprises, government agencies and universities. The company reported 2011 revenues of $4.45 billion.
THE QUICK BIO
Mitchell Gaynor joined Juniper Networks in 2004 as vice president and general counsel. In 2011, he became executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of a department that stood at six lawyers when he arrived and now numbers more than 35. Gaynor graduated in 1981 with an A.B. in history from UC-Berkeley and thought about being a history professor but eventually reasoned “that law would offer the chance for a little more success and the opportunity to do a lot more things.” He graduated from UC-Hastings law school in 1984 and took his first job as an associate at now-defunct Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison as “a general purpose business and securities lawyer.” The one thing Gaynor was never cut out for was litigation, but “I found that I had an ability to understand technology businesses and I really enjoyed working with those companies, contributing to their growth.”
