Arne M. Sorenson, of Marriott International, is one of 46 Fortune 500 CEOs who holds a legal degree.
Of the 498 chief executive officers listed on the 2012 Fortune 500 list, 46 hold legal degrees. (Two chief executive officers hold CEO positions at multiple Fortune 500 companies, which is why there are 498 rather than 500.)
Eight of the CEOs are Harvard Law School alumni, while Columbia University's School of Law, Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, and the University of Virginia's School of Law can each claim three different CEOs on the list among their alumni.
[Read more about where the Fortune 500 CEOs went to law school.]
Below is the list of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who earned law degrees:
| CEO | Company (Fortune 500 rank) | Law school (name) (state) | Degree (year, if known) | U.S. News law school rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, Anthony J. | FirstEnergy (160) | University of Akron (OH) | J.D. (1975) | 119 |
| Anderson, Richard H. | Delta Air Lines, Inc. (83) | South Texas College of Law | J.D. (1981) | RNP |
| Blake, Francis S. | Home Depot (35) | Columbia University (NY) | J.D. (1976) | 4 |
| Blankfein, Lloyd C. | Goldman Sachs Group (80) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1978) | 3 |
| Braly, Angela F. | WellPoint (45) | Southern Methodist University (Dedman) (TX) | J.D. (1985) | 51 |
| Burke, Kevin | Consolidated Edison (209) | Fordham University (NY) | J.D. (1977) | 29 |
| Chambers, John T. | Cisco Systems (64) | West Virginia University | J.D. (1974) | 101 |
| Chenault, Kenneth I. | American Express (95) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1977) | 3 |
| Conway, John W. | Crown Holdings (296) | Columbia University (NY) | J.D. (1970) | 4 |
| Crane, David W. | NRG Energy (284) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. | 3 |
| Dauman, Philippe P. | Viacom (177) | Columbia University (NY) | J.D. (1978) | 4 |
| Diaz, Paul J. | Kindred Healthcare (444) | Georgetown University (DC) | J.D. (1988) | 13 |
| Dillon, David B. | Kroger (23) | Southern Methodist University (Dedman) (TX) | J.D. (1976) | 51 |
| Earley, Anthony F. Jr. | PG&E Corp. (179) | University of Notre Dame (IN) | J.D. (1979) | 22 |
| Engles, Gregg L. | Dean Foods (207) | Yale University (CT) | J.D. (1982) | 1 |
| Ettinger, Jeffrey M. | Hormel Foods (327) | University of California—Los Angeles | J.D. (1983) | 15 |
| Farrell, Thomas F. II | Dominion Resources (187) | University of Virginia | J.D. (1979) | 7 |
| Ferguson, Roger W. Jr. | TIAA-CREF (88) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1979) | 3 |
| Finnegan, John D. | Chubb (202) | Fordham University (NY) | J.D. (1975) | 29 |
| Frazier, Kenneth C. | Merck (57) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1978) | 3 |
| Greenberg, Lon R. | UGI (403) | Villanova University | J.D. (1975) | 101 |
| Haldeman, Charles E. Jr. | Freddie Mac (25) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1974) | 3 |
| Johnson, William D. | Progress Energy (286) | University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill | J.D. (1982) | 38 |
| Kandarian, Steven A. | MetLife (34) | Georgetown University (DC) | J.D. (1978) | 13 |
| Kearney, Christopher J. | SPX (446) | DePaul University (IL) | J.D. (1981) | 89 |
| Kinder, Richard D. | Kinder Morgan (311) | University of Missouri | J.D. (1968) | 79 |
| King, David P. | Laboratory Corp. of American (443) | University of Pennsylvania | J.D. (1982) | 7 |
| Lipinski, John J. | CVR Energy (477) | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—Camden | J.D. | 99 |
| Mathas, Theodore A. | New York Life Insurance (86) | University of Virginia | J.D. (1992) | 7 |
| McGee, Liam E. | Hartford Financial Services Group (131) | Loyola Marymount University (CA) | J.D. (1984) | 51 |
| Moynihan, Brian T. | Bank of America Corp. (13) | University of Notre Dame (IN) | J.D. (1984) | 22 |
| Ninivaggi, Daniel A. | Icahn Enterprises (223) | Stanford University (CA) | J.D. (1991) | 2 |
| O'Brien, Richard T. | Newmont Mining (257) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. | 3 |
| Otis, Clarence Jr. | Darden Restaurants (342) | Stanford University (CA) | J.D. (1980) | 2 |
| Rogers, James E. | Duke Energy (186) | University of Kentucky | J.D. (1974) | 62 |
| Roth, Michael I. | Interpublic Group (358) | New York University | LL.M. (1973) | 6 |
| Roth, Michael I. | Interpublic Group (358) | Boston University | J.D. (1971) | 26 |
| Rubright, James A. | Rock-Tenn (449) | University of Virginia | J.D. (1972) | 7 |
| Rust, Edward B. Jr. | State Farm Insurance Cos. (43) | Southern Methodist University (Dedman) (TX) | J.D. (1975) | 51 |
| Skaggs, Robert C. Jr. | NiSource (409) | West Virginia University | J.D. (1979) | 101 |
| Smisek, Jeffrey A. | United Continental Holidings (76) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1982) | 3 |
| Sorenson, Arne M. | Marriott International (217) | University of Minnesota—Twin Cities | J.D. (1983) | 19 |
| Starks, Daniel J. | St. Jude Medical (437) | University of Minnesota—Twin Cities | J.D. (1979) | 19 |
| Steiner, David P. | Waste Management (203) | University of California—Los Angeles | J.D. (1986) | 15 |
| Storch, Gerald L. | Toys "R" Us (194) | Harvard University (MA) | J.D. (1982) | 3 |
| Temares, Steven H. | Bed Bath & Beyond (294) | University of Pennsylvania | J.D. (1983) | 7 |
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