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Scott Barlow

Scott Barlow is a general counsel who doesn’t chain himself to a desk in an office. The 37-year-old is as comfortable advising the executives at online advertising and marketing firm ValueClick, Inc. as he is in a courtroom defending the company against lawsuits. A benefit of his position with the Westlake Village-based company is that he can get as involved in a case as time permits, Barlow said. “It’s very rare in a company of our size for the general counsel to be involved in litigation,” Barlow added. A native of Florida who graduated law school in Ohio, Barlow came west when he got a job as a litigator with a San Francisco law firm. The partners of that firm started a company called Mediaplex, Inc., a firm specializing in digital advertising, customer relationship management, and agency management, and Barlow was named general counsel and secretary. ValueClick acquired Mediaplex in 2001, bringing Barlow to the company’s headquarters in the Valley. At the time of the acquisition, ValueClick had employed 250 people and brought in revenues of $60 million. Today, the company has 1,100 employees and revenues of $650 million. As general counsel, Barlow manages the litigation filed against the company, handles filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and keeps abreast of legislation that may affect how the company does business. He oversees a staff of three attorneys, five paralegals and coordinates with outside attorneys working for the company. In an industry that didn’t encourage integrity and loyalty Barlow stood out, said Gregory Raifman, a former executive with Mediaplex who recommended that Barlow stay on as ValueClick’s general counsel. He figured Barlow as a keeper because he would be there day in, day out for ValueClick, Raifman said. “You don’t think of general counsel as being one of your key or significant guys in a young growing company but what brings a company down fast is a lawsuit,” Raifman said. “It was helpful Scott had litigation experience.” ValueClick’s growth has come primarily from acquisitions of seven private companies and two public firms. Once the acquisition was set, that’s when Barlow stepped in to hammer out the details. He also keeps a close eye to make sure that the lawyers on both sides aren’t driving the deal; arguing with each other, escalating costs and being unproductive. “My job is to make sure the deal is driven by the business people,” Barlow said. With his litigation background, Barlow set a policy to play hardball with lawsuits and establishing a reputation of not rolling over when faced with allegations of wrongdoing. A 2001 case in which a plaintiff claimed a denial of stock options resulted in the plaintiff receiving no money and ValueClick awarded $200,000 on a cross-complaint that the plaintiff had stolen trade secrets. Mark R. Madler

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