Nicole S. Jones has been named general counsel of the combined company created by the health insurer Cigna Corp.'s purchase of pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Co., which was approved by the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice last month.

Bloomfield, Connecticut-based Cigna announced last Thursday its new leadership team under David Cordani, president and CEO, who also would hold the same post in the combined company. Express Scripts President and CEO Tim Wentworth would lead the health services business as president of Express Scripts and Cigna Services, subject to regulatory approval of the merger, which is expected to close by the end of this year.

Jones has been executive vice president and general counsel since June 2011, which is her second stint at the company. Before that post, she was senior vice president and general counsel at Lincoln Financial from 2010 through 2011.

From 2006 to 2010, Jones was Cigna's deputy general counsel, corporate secretary and chief counsel of domestic health service, securities and investment law. Earlier in her career she was in the corporate law departments of Johnson & Johnson and MCI Inc. and International Paper Company. She formerly was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell, according to a 2013 published interview and profile. She holds a law degree from New York University Law School.

When the transaction closes, Cigna shareholders would own roughly 64 percent of the combined company and Express Scripts shareholders will own about 36 percent. The combined company would be called Cigna and remain headquartered in Connecticut. The Express Scripts part of the company would keep its base in St. Louis, according to the companies.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is legal counsel and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison serves as regulatory counsel to Cigna. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom serves as legal counsel and Holland & Knight is regulatory counsel to Express Scripts.