Tony West, the newly minted CLO of Uber. Photo credit: Diego Radzinschi/ALM

Former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor and PepsiCo Inc. general counsel Tony West's appointment to become the next chief legal officer of Uber Technologies Inc. has lawyers abuzz.

The reaction from the legal community to West's hire has been largely positive, with many calling it a smart move for the San Francisco ride-hailing company that is facing a slew of legal troubles—from various lawsuits to federal investigations, including several criminal probes from the Justice Department.

Corporate Counsel asked lawyers who have worked with West—at PepsiCo, the DOJ and his former firm Morrison & Foerster—to share their thoughts about Uber's new legal chief.

West is the type of leader who “really inspires the best from his team” and will bring a number of beneficial skills with him to Uber, said Cindy Chang, an attorney who, until July of this year, was chief of staff and senior counsel in the office of the general counsel at PepsiCo. “I think that Tony, in every organization in which I've worked for him, has been a catalyst for change and he doesn't shy away from difficult issues,” said Chang, who, along with working with West for more than two years at PepsiCo, was also his colleague at the DOJ. “I think he is going to be a great asset to Uber in that respect.”

West's experience at the DOJ, Chang said, means he knows not just how the department runs enforcement investigations, but he also understands the way prosecutors think. That will be “extremely valuable to Uber,” she said.

Additionally, Chang said, his roughly three years at PepsiCo “gave him incredible experience in understanding the corporate culture.”

Arturo Gonzalez is the chair of Morrison & Foerster's commercial litigation and trial practice group. He was with the firm when West was a partner there from 2001 to 2009.

Gonzalez believes his former colleague is “a great hire” for Uber. In an emailed statement, he said West “is a very strong lawyer and has exceptional interpersonal skills.”

“They are lucky to have him,” he added.

Those who worked with West at PepsiCo said West was a strong leader who advocated for diversity and inclusion since his hire in 2014.

Dave Yawman, who last week was named West's successor at the Purchase, New York-based beverage company, said in an email Sunday that he considered West “a valued colleague and friend.” Yawman noted that West “was a strong advocate for our team, deeply committed to developing our talent, and worked hard to advance our critical priorities, such as diversity and inclusion. And he also looked at diversity as a key factor in choosing outside counsel.”

Joseph Hall, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, one of PepsiCo's outside law firms, said that he has seen West's passion for diversity firsthand.

“Pepsi has had a really long push to make sure outside law firms reflect Pepsi's own values of diversity and inclusion,” Hall said. “Tony has really tackled that with gusto and held firms' feet to the fire on that particular issue.”

Hall is a corporate finance attorney, so he said he wasn't working with West personally on most matters, but he saw how West acted as the company's top lawyer. Hall mainly interacted with the PepsiCo GC directly in more social settings, such as when the company held public events for outside counsel or when West visited Davis Polk's offices to speak with the summer associates.

“He's got a brilliant legal mind. He's got a personal charm and sense of humor that makes him a lot of fun,” said Hall, who was “surprised and saddened” about West's departure from PepsiCo. “He is a great client. The new board and CEO [at Uber] knocked the ball out of the park with him.”

Even lawyers on Wall Street had positive things to say about their experiences of working with West, who was once called the “top nemesis of big banks” by The New York Times and has been described similarly by other major media outlets. West gained the nickname after reaching settlements totaling north of $30 billion with Wall Street banks accused of duping investors leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.

Lucy Fato, general counsel of American International Group Inc., met West in 2014 while he worked as the No. 3 official with the DOJ and she was general counsel for McGraw Hill Financial Inc., now S&P Global Inc. At the time, the rating agency was among the businesses accused by regulators of defrauding investors around the financial crisis. Although the company's $1.375 billion settlement was ultimately reached with West's successor at the DOJ in 2015, Fato worked closely with West on the investigation until he departed from the agency.

She said West is “an outstanding choice” for Uber. “In addition to his stellar background and experience in the public and private sectors, his integrity and dedication to furthering corporate ethics and cultures of compliance is unparalleled. I cannot think of a better person to take on this role at a time when the company begins to shape its next chapter.”

Tony West, the newly minted CLO of Uber. Photo credit: Diego Radzinschi/ALM

Former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor and PepsiCo Inc. general counsel Tony West's appointment to become the next chief legal officer of Uber Technologies Inc. has lawyers abuzz.

The reaction from the legal community to West's hire has been largely positive, with many calling it a smart move for the San Francisco ride-hailing company that is facing a slew of legal troubles—from various lawsuits to federal investigations, including several criminal probes from the Justice Department.

Corporate Counsel asked lawyers who have worked with West—at PepsiCo, the DOJ and his former firm Morrison & Foerster—to share their thoughts about Uber's new legal chief.

West is the type of leader who “really inspires the best from his team” and will bring a number of beneficial skills with him to Uber, said Cindy Chang, an attorney who, until July of this year, was chief of staff and senior counsel in the office of the general counsel at PepsiCo. “I think that Tony, in every organization in which I've worked for him, has been a catalyst for change and he doesn't shy away from difficult issues,” said Chang, who, along with working with West for more than two years at PepsiCo, was also his colleague at the DOJ. “I think he is going to be a great asset to Uber in that respect.”

West's experience at the DOJ, Chang said, means he knows not just how the department runs enforcement investigations, but he also understands the way prosecutors think. That will be “extremely valuable to Uber,” she said.

Additionally, Chang said, his roughly three years at PepsiCo “gave him incredible experience in understanding the corporate culture.”

Arturo Gonzalez is the chair of Morrison & Foerster's commercial litigation and trial practice group. He was with the firm when West was a partner there from 2001 to 2009.

Gonzalez believes his former colleague is “a great hire” for Uber. In an emailed statement, he said West “is a very strong lawyer and has exceptional interpersonal skills.”

“They are lucky to have him,” he added.

Those who worked with West at PepsiCo said West was a strong leader who advocated for diversity and inclusion since his hire in 2014.

Dave Yawman, who last week was named West's successor at the Purchase, New York-based beverage company, said in an email Sunday that he considered West “a valued colleague and friend.” Yawman noted that West “was a strong advocate for our team, deeply committed to developing our talent, and worked hard to advance our critical priorities, such as diversity and inclusion. And he also looked at diversity as a key factor in choosing outside counsel.”

Joseph Hall, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, one of PepsiCo's outside law firms, said that he has seen West's passion for diversity firsthand.

“Pepsi has had a really long push to make sure outside law firms reflect Pepsi's own values of diversity and inclusion,” Hall said. “Tony has really tackled that with gusto and held firms' feet to the fire on that particular issue.”

Hall is a corporate finance attorney, so he said he wasn't working with West personally on most matters, but he saw how West acted as the company's top lawyer. Hall mainly interacted with the PepsiCo GC directly in more social settings, such as when the company held public events for outside counsel or when West visited Davis Polk's offices to speak with the summer associates.

“He's got a brilliant legal mind. He's got a personal charm and sense of humor that makes him a lot of fun,” said Hall, who was “surprised and saddened” about West's departure from PepsiCo. “He is a great client. The new board and CEO [at Uber] knocked the ball out of the park with him.”

Even lawyers on Wall Street had positive things to say about their experiences of working with West, who was once called the “top nemesis of big banks” by The New York Times and has been described similarly by other major media outlets. West gained the nickname after reaching settlements totaling north of $30 billion with Wall Street banks accused of duping investors leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.

Lucy Fato, general counsel of American International Group Inc., met West in 2014 while he worked as the No. 3 official with the DOJ and she was general counsel for McGraw Hill Financial Inc., now S&P Global Inc. At the time, the rating agency was among the businesses accused by regulators of defrauding investors around the financial crisis. Although the company's $1.375 billion settlement was ultimately reached with West's successor at the DOJ in 2015, Fato worked closely with West on the investigation until he departed from the agency.

She said West is “an outstanding choice” for Uber. “In addition to his stellar background and experience in the public and private sectors, his integrity and dedication to furthering corporate ethics and cultures of compliance is unparalleled. I cannot think of a better person to take on this role at a time when the company begins to shape its next chapter.”