Alliant Insurance Services has promoted one of its longtime in-house lawyers to general counsel.

In a press release Thursday, the Newport Beach, California-based independent insurance brokerage firm announced Jennifer Baumann as its GC and corporate secretary. She started her new role Jan. 1.

Baumann served as Alliant's assistant GC for more than a decade.

In her new role, Baumann is responsible for mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, litigation and equity. Baumann was already engaged in those aspects of Alliant's legal matters as assistant general counsel, according to a 2015 press release. She told Corporate Counsel that she'll now be more involved in the legal team's strategy.

“In my role as assistant general counsel, I managed the contracts and equity team and partnered a lot with our different corporate business departments,” Baumann said. “In this role it's more of that but at a higher level. So I'll be managing the legal department as a whole vs. just a part of it. I'll be working more on the front lines in strategic positions as a business team.”

Baumann began her in-house career at Alliant in 2008. In 2015, she received the First Chair Award for excellence in legal counsel in the “top assistant general counsel” category.

“Jennifer is a dynamic professional who is daily setting high standards for excellence in legal counsel and insurance,” Alliant's chairman and chief executive officer, Tom Corbett, said in a 2015 press release announcing Baumann's win. “She has made a powerful and lasting commitment to our organization and is a true reflection of our commitment to excellence, innovation, and leadership.”

Prior to Alliant, Baumann was an associate at Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton and Thompson & Alessio, both in in San Diego. She earned her J.D. at the University of San Diego School of Law.

“Jennifer has a deep expertise and long track record of success in the insurance industry and has played a central role in providing the legal strategy and framework for Alliant during a period of extraordinary growth and expansion,” said Alliant's chairman and chief executive officer Tom Corbett in a press release Thursday. “There is certainly no one more prepared and qualified to take the reins of our legal department.”

Baumann replaces Ken Zak, who led Alliant's legal team as GC and corporate secretary for 11 years. According to the press release, Zak has spent more than 30 years in the legal field and now plans to retire.