An expert in corporate law, contracts and finance, and a member of the New York and Connecticut bars, Gary Perlman drafts and negotiates all agreements and oversees all legal work at ICON. He says, “On one hand, 90% of what I do is strictly transactional – legal contracts with clients and media providers. On the other, I never lose sight of the fact that our real job here is to provide value to our clients, and that before they can do business with us, they need to become comfortable with who we are and what we do.”
Contrary to the stereotypical view of lawyers, Mr. Perlman prides himself on being able to “see the big picture and not get too mired in the details. That’s how you find creative solutions to contractual issues.” Before coming to ICON, Perlman clerked for the Honorable Eugene P. Spellman, U.S. district judge, southern district of Florida, then worked in the New York office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. He also spent time in similar roles for an apparel business (“much shorter deal cycles!”) and as general counsel for MRI, another corporate-barter firm, the assets of which ICON acquired in 2001. Says Perlman, “When I joined ICON, the company had no legal department. I’ve been inventing my own job description ever since.”
A native New Yorker, Perlman received a BA degree from the University of Michigan in 1987 (to which he continues to give his undying devotion) and graduated on the dean’s list from the Fordham University School of Law, J.D., in 1990, where he was an editor of and published in the Fordham International Law Journal.
