New top lawyers are taking the helm of legal departments as companies reopen (and reclose) corporate offices and retail locations across the U.S.

General counsel and chief legal officer appointments seem up again similar to reported in-house moves in May, a surprising development as economists in early June said the start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a recession. But highly regulated industries like health care and data privacy are still prioritizing the job hunt for a top lawyer if there is a vacancy. Some appointments announced in June named top lawyers who had been hired earlier in the year, possibly a public relations strategy to not make an announcement during the height of the pandemic as legal departments battle the public health crisis.

June had some unique moves. The Zoom Video Communications chief legal officer became the chief operating officer, while the company's videoconferencing product evolved into a pandemic must-have to stay in touch. The Valero Energy GC took on the chief financial officer role, a rare move for a lawyer. After Twitter weathered an attack by President Donald Trump over classifying tweets with a fact-checking warning, the social media network hired a former FBI GC.

As for companies hit especially hard by COVID-19, diner chain Denny's named a new GC as locations slowly reopened and Ticketmaster lost its GC as most public events remain canceled.

With the start of midyear hiring, it remains to be seen how the in-house hiring market will fare in the summer and fall in the shadow of the novel coronavirus.

How is your company treating legal department hiring right now? Please let me know at [email protected].

 

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Announcing Two Incredible Keynote Speakers for the Women, Influence & Power in Law Conference

WIPL is known for having some of the most engaging and energizing keynote speakers attend to share their thoughts, experiences, war stories and tips on effective leadership. And this year is no exception. This year, we are grateful to welcome two remarkable women come and inspire us: Tina Tchen, the President and CEO of the "Times Up" Legal Defense Fund and Paula Boggs, Founder of Boggs Media LLC and Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Law and Corporate Affairs at Starbucks from 2002-2012. READ MORE

No vaccine is ever 100% effective, which is one reason why serious efforts to develop them take place on many levels, involving many players. In the context of COVID-19, much of this work is taking place on an expedited basis—"pandemic speed"—but that does not mean any relaxation of standards.

- Karen Linehan, GC and executive vice president of legal affairs of French pharma giant Sanofi, discusses the risk involved in developing a vaccine for COVID-19.

 

What's Happening

 

 

Paying It Forward

Michelle Fang, CLO and vice president of car-sharing marketplace Turo, and Joe White, corporate counsel at StandardAero, are two in-house lawyers who've decided to join the Pay It Forward initiative to mentor Black lawyers.

The initiative was created by the chief marketing officer at apparel brand Bombas as a way to mentor Black individuals looking for new career opportunities or career advice.

"There is a reason you see a lack of representation from Black and brown faces in law firms, corporate boards of directors and at the highest levels of corporations," White said. "That is simply because the folks already in those rooms network with people who look like them and come from similar backgrounds."

Every Friday in her calendar from now to September is booked, Fang said, for virtual mentoring sessions.

 

The Analytic Approach to COVID-19

Matt Galvin, global vice president of ethics and compliance at Anheuser-Busch InBev, has taken an analytical approach to predict compliance issues.

With the creation of the BrewRight apps four years ago, Galvin said he uses algorithms and machine learning to see the likeliness a vendor will interface with the government.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the beer company switched gears to maintain ethics and compliance such as using alcohol from nonalcoholic beer production to make hand sanitizers for health workers.

"Fortunately, we have a CEO who has been insistent on prioritizing the safety of our workforce and the safety of our value chain while managing and operating our business," he said. "Some of that was about pivoting different lines about what we were creating."

 

The Value of Consumer Data

Today the California Attorney General's Office will begin enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act. But some companies may still be struggling with one requirement in particular: publicly disclosing the value that consumer data holds to their operation.

The CCPA revisions published in March prohibits businesses from offering a different price or service based on a consumer's willingness to exchange personal data, unless that difference is "reasonably related to the value of the data."

Dominique Shelton Leipzig, co-chair of Perkins Coie's ad tech privacy and data management practice, said many companies don't even list data on their accounting statements along with other intangible assets such as trademarks or copyrights.

"Initially, I would be surprised if you saw a lot of companies with actual dollar amounts in their valuations," she said. "I think what you'll see is an attempt to explain how data will be valued. And we think that's a sufficient explanation to start getting a handle on this in this evolving area."

 

 

Health Care Contract Attorneys Needed

In-house legal departments are requesting health care law specialists more amid the COVID-19 pandemic as states and courts open back up.

Sara Bahmani, vice president and director of legal processes at Tower Legal Solutions, explained legal departments for health care companies are under pressure to complete projects as the pandemic winds down.

"We were seeing that [health care] companies are hesitant to do remote document reviews," Bahmani said. "Those companies with sensitive market data are more willing as courts are opening up."

 

Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards

 

  Corporate Counsel's Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards awards deadline for submissions is July 8.

We are looking for general counsel and law firm partner applicants in the following categories:

Crisis Management: Industry – General Counsel Banking & Finance Insurance Transportation & Infrastructure Manufacturing & Chemicals Technology, Media & Telecom Retail & Consumer Goods

In-House & Law Firm Awards Innovative Leadership Thought Leadership Collaborative Leadership Women's Legal Awards General Counsel of the Year/Managing Partner of the Year Lifetime Achievement

If you know a general counsel or law firm partner who qualifies for a WIPL award, then please apply here.