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Neil L. Zola Neil L. Zola became President of GCG in 2006. Under Mr. Zola’s leadership GCG has experienced tremendous growth and positioned itself to handle some of the most complex class action and bankruptcy matters in our country’s history. Mr. Zola’s leadership style includes hands-on management of some of the company’s most high-profile cases including the $512 million Auction Houses Antitrust Settlement, the $3.05 billion VisaCheck/MasterMoney Antitrust Settlement, the $6.15 billion WorldCom Securities Litigation Settlement, the $1.1 billion Royal Ahold Securities Settlement, which is the largest international securities settlement of all time, and the landmark BP Deepwater Horizon $7.8 billion class action settlement. In connection with the BP settlement, in 2012 Mr. Zola oversaw the creation of GCG’s 35,000 square foot processing center in Hammond, Louisiana, which was built, staffed and operational within two months of conception. Clients continue to seek out Mr. Zola’s expertise – both as a seasoned administrator and as a former litigator – on new projects since he is always available to consult on matters, regardless of their size. He has appeared many times in Court to explain the mechanics of administration programs. Mr. Zola is constantly working to innovate GCG’s process in the ever-changing administration landscape. Initiatives launched by Mr. Zola include: GCG’s centralized mail facility in Ohio, effectively linking the West Coast and East Coast operations of the company, the invention and development of GCG ICE™, a patented system for Institutional filers to submit electronic claims in Securities Cases, and the expansion of GCG’s West Coast presence in a new 50,000 square foot facility in Seattle. Mr. Zola was also instrumental in orchestrating GCG’s first ever acquisition in 2011 of Settlement Services, Inc. (“SSI”), an administration firm specializing in employment and discrimination class actions. Mr. Zola joined GCG in 2000 as the firm’s first General Counsel. He became Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer in March 2002 and was promoted to his current position in 2006. Prior to joining GCG he was a partner with a boutique securities litigation firm in New York City where he worked for nearly ten years on a multitude of complex litigation, including class action securities fraud, antitrust and consumer matters. Mr. Zola earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where he has served on the Board of the Law Alumni Association, and his B.A. in English, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Legal Service Award sponsored by Corporate Legal Times and Lexis Nexis. Mr. Zola has been a speaker on class action issues and has authored several articles, including, “Notice Requirement in the Wake of Orthopedic Bone Screw,” published in The New York Law Journal. |
