have a voice or a hand in everything. You want to
strike the right balance between engaging and not
micromanaging.”
Sager, who reports to Chairwoman and Chief Exec-
utive Officer Ellen Kullman, spends a lot of time
meeting with company lawyers around the globe.
DuPont demands real diversity progress at its
“strategic partner” firms, and the legal department
holds itself to the same standard. “We realized that
we need to lead by example. People have biases and
Act. Russia has proven to be a particularly tricky
place for DuPont to operate, primarily because the
company lacks experience in the region. China, India
and parts of Central America have also posed cer-
tain challenges. “Nicaragua and Guatemala don’t
have what you’d consider to be healthy judicial and
ethical systems.”
and worked in the labor and securities group until
1980, when he went to Washington to work as a
registered lobbyist. After fulfilling several other roles
within the legal department, Sager became one of
four managing counsel in 1990 with responsibility
for litigation. Eight years later, he was named chief
litigation counsel and was promoted to general coun-
sel in 2008.
LITIGATION
With about 3,200 cases pending at any given time,
It’s about being proactive and not letting the
litigation run you.”
perceptions about chemical companies, and we want
to put our best face forward.”
DOING BUSINESS AROUND THE WORLD
DuPont’s international footprint creates some
unique challenges for Sager—the company has law-
yers in Geneva; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico
City; Shanghai, China; and Hong Kong, among other
international locales. “In some of these countries,
the rule of law is not firmly established. Things like
bribery are common occurrences. We have to get on
the ground and assess the situation to figure out
how to best position our businesses.”
Part of Sager’s job is to ensure the company
doesn’t run afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices
the legal department has plenty to keep it busy—
although Sager notes that about three-quarters of
those cases are “extremely defensible” asbestos
premises cases. The company’s general counsel
role is tailored for individuals like Sager who have
litigation experience. “It’s about being proactive and
not letting the litigation run you.” About 50% of the
company’s legal business is now handled under alter-
native fee arrangements.
PERSONAL
Sager grew up in Rhode Island. He and wife Nancy
have two sons—Zachary is a student at University
of Maryland School of School of Law and Andrew is
graduate student at Temple University working on a
sports management degree. The couple is active in
Wilmington’s philanthropic community. Sager sits
on the board of directors of the Minority Corporate
Counsel Association and the Delaware Law-Related
Education Center, among other organizations. When
not flying around the globe to attend to legal issues,
he enjoys trips to the family’s vacation home in Bethany Beach, Del.
ROUTE TO THE TOP
Sager is a career DuPont man with 34 years and
counting with the company. He was hired at DuPont
straight out of law school in 1976 (he got his juris
doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law)
A BOOK AND MOVIE
Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court, by University of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams,
and the first half of The Blind Side (the second half
of the film was pre-empted by legal work).
—KAREN SLOAN
An earlier version of this profile appeared in The
National Law Journal on April 19, 2010.
