Comcast announced Friday that the managing partner of Davis Polk & Wardwell will become its general counsel in April.

Thomas J. Reid will be taking over the role of senior executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for the Philadelphia-based telecommunications conglomerate. He will report directly to Comcast CEO and chairman Brian L. Roberts.

“I am thrilled Tom is joining our company. Tom has deep and broad global experience that spans all of Comcast's legal needs,” Roberts said in the press release. “With his unique blend of skills and versatility, Tom is ideally suited to help us navigate the future. We look forward to his sage counsel for the entire organization.”

In the press release, Reid said he is happy to join Comcast.

“I am honored to be joining Comcast as it continues to lead and transform many industries across the globe,” Reid said in the press release. “Having worked alongside Comcast for many years, I know first-hand what an exciting company it is. I have had the great privilege of working with Art Block as he has grown and created one of the most respected legal groups in the U.S.”

Additionally, Reid told Law.com on Friday that he wouldn't have left Davis Polk if he thought he left anything undone.

After graduating from Columbia School of Law, Reid began working at Davis Polk in 1987. From 2000 to 2003, Reid worked as the managing director in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley. He rejoined Davis Polk in 2004 and became chairman and managing partner of the firm in 2011.

Reid replaces Comcast's longtime general counsel, Arthur Block. A spokesperson for Comcast said when Block first started working at Comcast in 1989 he was one of four in-house attorneys in the legal department. Comcast was one of Block's clients while he was at Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen in Philadelphia. As general counsel of Comcast, Block helped navigate acquisitions such as AT&T Broadband in 2002, NBCUniversal in 2011 and Sky in 2018.

Block was not available for comment Friday.

“I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Arthur Block, who will be retiring after serving the company for 30 years in our legal group and for two decades as our general counsel,” Roberts said in the press release. “Art helped us grow Comcast through some of the largest and most transformational acquisitions. He helped establish and maintain the integrity and ethical culture of our legal team and high standards throughout the company—for this, and much more, we are so grateful.”