November experienced a high volume of top lawyer moves, with a spike after Veterans Day and a slowdown toward the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, signaling the last hiring rush of 2019.

With major companies such as battery maker Energizer Holdings Inc. and meteorological forecaster AccuWeather Inc. naming new top lawyers, other companies recovering from a business-altering move appointed general counsel last month to help with the transition.

Biopharmaceutical company MiMedx Group Inc. announced it hired a new general counsel on the same day it agreed to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $1.5 million to settle allegations of accounting fraud. Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. hired an executive vice president and general counsel as it moves headquarters from Southern California to a Nashville, Tennessee, suburb. Spanish language television and radio company LBI Media Inc. hired a longtime Univision general counsel to be its general counsel amid its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. CoreLogic Inc., a real estate analytics and data powerhouse that was pulled into a federal antitrust investigation earlier this year, found a new chief legal officer in a former MoneyGram International Inc. general counsel.

The month also saw some high-profile general counsel leaving their posts. C. Allen Parker of Wells Fargo & Co. announced his pending departure in March after serving a seven-month stint as interim CEO. Belinda Johnson of Airbnb Inc., who started as the general counsel in 2011 and eventually became the chief operating officer, said she planned to move from the C-suite to the board of directors. Paul Jones of Harley-Davidson Inc. will leave the motorcycle maker after nearly a decade in the position. Christopher Culley of The Ohio State University left the general counsel post as the school deals with high-profile campus scandals to become vice president for enterprise initiatives at Georgetown University.

Culley has been in Ohio State's office of legal affairs for 21 years. He joined the school in 1998 as deputy general counsel for six years and then served as general counsel for the last 15 years.

Michael McKenna of the National Credit Union Administration announced he will be retiring after 30 years with the agency.

Jeannette Knudsen, of The J.M. Smucker Co.

Some general counsel had promotions to chief legal officer, a trend that seems to update the top lawyer's title, though their management over the legal department either stays the same or bleeds into other departments. Warner Bros. Television Group general counsel Jody Zucker had been promoted to the newly created role of executive vice president of legal affairs. Jeannette Knudsen, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at The J.M. Smucker Co., was elected to chief legal and compliance officer and secretary.

Like in previous months, the health care industry, especially with biopharmaceutical companies, has publicly shared more top lawyer hirings compared to other industries. Below are notable moves in November.

Education

Jeremy Colby was appointed general counsel of Niagara University in New York.

Colby, an alum of the university, comes from Webster Szanyi, where he was a partner, the university reported to The Buffalo News. He's been a town justice in Lancaster, New York, since 2015. 

He received his law degree from Boston University School of Law.

Environment

JoAnn Chávez, of DTE Energy.

DTE Energy in Detroit promoted JoAnn Chávez to senior vice president and chief legal officer.

Chávez, who was the senior vice president, deputy general counsel and chief tax officer, according to her LinkedIn profile, replaces Bruce Peterson, who plans to retire in January 2020 after joining the company in 2002.

The DTE announcement noted Chávez's accomplishments outside the workplace. She recently founded the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative, a Michigan nonprofit organization that focuses on economic equity and provides opportunities for first-generation Hispanic students, like herself, to graduate from college. Chávez also sits on the Cristo Rey Network and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute boards of directors. She is the past chairwoman of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board of directors and was recently appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the State of Michigan Women's Commission.

She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Law. 

PJM Interconnection LLC promoted Christopher O'Hara to the role of vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. O'Hara, who was deputy general counsel, replaces Vince Duane, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

O'Hara joined PJM in April 2017, according to a press release announcing his hiring as deputy general counsel. Before PJM, he worked at NRG Energy, where he spent 12 years in leadership positions, including general counsel for the company's two largest business units, Gulf Coast Region and Reliant Energy. 

O'Hara received his juris doctor from the University of Maryland.

Duane joined PJM in July 2003 and served as a board chair for PJM Technologies Inc.

"It has been my honor and privilege to serve PJM's employees and members for more than 16 years," Duane said in the company's press release. "I am proud to have been part of such an outstanding team doing extremely important work, and I know PJM will continue to forge ahead with innovation, integrity and outstanding service to its members."

North American Electric Reliability Corp.'s board of trustees appointed Sonia Mendonca to senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. The nonprofit international regulatory authority announced that Mendonca had been serving as interim general counsel and corporate secretary since September.

Mendonca previously served as vice president, deputy general counsel and director of enforcement. She joined NERC, which has offices in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, in 2011 and also served as NERC's acting general counsel from November 2017 to April 2018.

"I am very happy to have the opportunity to serve in this role and continue to work toward the transformation of the organization and the development of a new NERC culture," Mendonca said in the announcement. "It is an honor to have been selected, and I look forward to helping NERC and the ERO Enterprise succeed in our important mission."

She is a graduate of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Law School and of the American University Washington College of Law.

Finance

Change Capital, a corporate financing provider headquartered in New York City, hired Scott Bernstein as senior vice president and general counsel.

Bernstein was most recently counsel at Blakeley, a bicoastal creditors' rights boutique law firm, according to Change Capital's announcement. He also served in similar roles at regional powerhouses Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young and McCarter & English.

Prior to private practice, Bernstein served as a law clerk to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber of the Southern District of New York. Bernstein received his juris doctor from the New York University School of Law in 2002.

Lake City Bank hired Rick Donovan as senior vice president and general counsel. He assumes the general counsel role from Kristin Pruitt, who had been promoted earlier to executive vice president and chief administrative officer, the Warsaw, Indiana-based bank said in a statement.

Donovan joins the bank from Rothberg Logan and Warsco in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was a partner who counted Lake City Bank as a client. He worked at the law firm since 1993.

Donovan is a graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law.

Jin Han, of Scratchpay.

Veterinary industry financial technology startup Scratchpay in Los Angeles hired Jin Han as general counsel and chief administrative officer.

Han is the former chief lending counsel of Square Inc. Prior to Square, Han served as general counsel at Klarna US. Before Klarna, Han worked on the Apple Pay project as principal payments counsel at Apple Inc., according to Scratchpay's press release.

"Scratchpay is committed to addressing the needs of the pets and their owners first, which is a breath of fresh air for the industry," said Han in the release. "I am excited to be part of the company's mission and its accomplished management team."

Han earned his law degree from University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Anne Hoge has joined Robinhood, a company that allows individuals to invest on U.S. stock exchanges, as chief legal officer.

Before joining the Menlo Park, California-based Robinhood, Hoge served as general counsel at WhatsApp. She also held senior legal roles at NetApp Inc. and Yahoo Inc.

"Robinhood's passion for its customers and the profound impact the company has had on moving the industry to better serve people are truly inspiring, and I'm delighted to be joining the team," said Hoge in Robinhood's press release. "There's immense opportunity still ahead, and I look forward to working with the entire team to continue democratizing our financial system."

She received her law degree from University of Notre Dame Law School.

Health

X4 Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, appointed Derek Meisner as general counsel.

Most recently, Meisner was general counsel at Genocea Biosciences, another Cambridge-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Prior to Genocea, he served as general counsel of multiple Boston-based financial services firms, including prominent life science investor RA Capital Management. He was a partner at K&L Gates and branch chief in the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

"I am thrilled at the opportunity to work alongside this talented and dedicated team at X4 and am eager to contribute my background and expertise toward the company's continued growth and success as we advance novel therapies for rare disease patients with limited treatment options," Meisner said in the news release.

Meisner holds a law degree from the American University Washington College of Law.

ElleVet Sciences, a Portland, Maine, company that promotes hemp-based cannabidiol use for pets, named Stacey Evans as vice president and general counsel. 

Evans is a former federal attorney and member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary's Advisory Committee, ElleVet said in a statement.

"It is an honor to join such a rapidly growing company and industry," Evans said in the statement. "There is an abundance of legal misconceptions surrounding CBD in the animal health field, and I am eager to help clear these misconceptions up. I feel as though my entire career has been leading me to this exciting opportunity at ElleVet.

"It is my goal to ensure these products are readily available to all pets that can benefit from them," Evans added.

Evans is a graduate of Tulane Law School.

Kura Oncology Inc., a San Diego-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, appointed James Basta as chief legal officer, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary. 

Basta most recently served as senior vice president, chief corporation counsel at biotech company Biogen Inc. Prior to joining Biogen in 2006, he was a corporate and securities partner at Baker & McKenzie.

"I am excited to join Kura at a time when the company is well positioned for growth," Basta said in Kura's announcement. "I am impressed by the quality of its clinical programs, the depth of its senior leadership team and the opportunities that lie ahead. I look forward to working with the team, offering a balance of strong business partnering and corporate guardianship."

Basta earned his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law.

Rakuten Medical, a clinical-stage biotechnology company in San Mateo, California, developing cancer therapies, hired Dana Johnson as general counsel and corporate secretary.

Johnson most recently worked at Gritstone Oncology Inc., according to Rakuten Medical's announcement. There, she was the vice president and head of legal affairs and corporate compliance, her LinkedIn profile said, with holding the previous title of associate general counsel and chief compliance counsel. She also served as an associate general counsel at Dynavax Technologies and senior corporate counsel at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. 

Johnson is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Rubius Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is using genetically engineered red blood cells to create a new class of cellular medicines, appointed Maiken Keson-Brookes as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. 

Keson-Brookes most recently served as general counsel at Synlogic Inc. Prior to Synlogic, she served as senior vice president and general counsel at uniQure, a gene therapy company. Before uniQure, she was senior vice president and general counsel at Forum Pharmaceuticals. Earlier, she held legal roles at Genzyme and Biogen Inc.

"Rubius Therapeutics' ability to engineer red blood cells into potentially life-saving cellular medicines has the potential to transform patient care in a number of therapeutic areas," Keson-Brookes said in the company's statement. "I am excited to join such an innovative company and look forward to implementing the legal infrastructure necessary to support the advancement of our first product candidates."

Keson-Brookes holds a master of laws degree from King's College University of London.

Ardsley, New York-based Acorda Therapeutics Inc. promoted Andrew Mayer from deputy general counsel to president of international and general counsel. He replaces Jane Wasman, who is resigning from the company effective at the end of the year and will serve as a consultant to Acorda following her departure, the company said in a press release.

According to Mayer's LinkedIn profile, he started at Acorda as director of legal affairs in 2010. He was a corporate attorney at Life Technologies, formerly Applied Biosystems Inc., where he held the same position from 2000 to 2008. Before his in-house career, he worked at Paul Hastings.

Mayer graduated from Georgetown University Law Center.

Acorda's release mentioned Wasman plans to expand her role as a member of corporate boards and provide consulting services within the life sciences industry.

"I am proud to have been part of the team that grew Acorda from a private, clinical-stage company to a public, commercial company that has brought important new medicines to people suffering with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis," Wasman said in the release. "I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career focusing on boards and consulting, including with Acorda."

Austin, Texas-based Intiva Health, which provides a free credential management solution tool to the health care industry, named Craig Reid general counsel.

Reid has held a key legal role at HNI Healthcare, according to Intiva's press release, and worked at law firms Hay Compere and K&L Gates.

"I'm excited to join the Intiva Health family. I look forward to utilizing my experience to help Intiva Health continue to grow and transform medical credentialing," said Reid in the release.

Reid earned his juris doctor from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in Westlake Village, California, focused on developing immuno-dermatology treatments, appointed Keith Klein as general counsel.

Klein previously served as general counsel for Unity Biotechnology from January 2016 to May 2017, according to Arcutis' media release. From October 2006 to October 2015, he was general counsel for Kythera Biopharmaceuticals Inc., where he handled legal matters associated with its initial public offering and subsequent acquisition by Allergan plc in October 2015 for $2.1 billion. From 1991 to 2006, he held senior legal positions at Amgen Inc., including senior associate general counsel and lead counsel for Amgen's Global Commercial Organization. Prior to his in-house career, he was an associate with Cooley Godward and Allen Matkins. 

He holds a juris doctor from the University of California at Davis.

San Mateo, California-based WithMe Health LLC, which provides its Personalized Medication Guidance platform as an alternative to pharmacy benefit managers, welcomed Tom Smith as general counsel and head of compliance.

Smith began his legal career at Latham & Watkins. He has served as the general counsel of four venture capital-backed, technology-enabled health care companies, according to WithMe Health's media release. 

He earned his juris doctor and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Cerevel Therapeutics LLC, a company dedicated to treating neuroscience diseases, appointed Bryan Phillips as chief legal officer.

Phillips most recently served as the senior vice president of legal, human resources and information technology, general counsel and secretary for Surmodics Inc., an Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based medical technology company. Prior to joining Surmodics in 2005, Phillips served as patent counsel at Guidant Corp.'s Cardiac Rhythm Management Group, now part of Boston Scientific.

"I am thrilled to join Cerevel Therapeutics and work alongside this talented team to advance the development of new therapies for devastating neuroscience diseases," Phillips said in Cerevel's statement. "I look forward to supporting the effort to bring therapies to those patients who have been in need for far too long."

Phillips earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Hospitality

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., the nation's largest lodging real estate investment trust, hired Julie Aslaksen as executive vice president, general counsel and secretary. She succeeds Elizabeth Abdoo, who recently stepped down from the role, Host announced in a statement.

Aslaksen most recently served as vice president and general counsel at General Dynamics Information Technology, a global IT services company. Prior to GDIT, Aslaksen spent 14 years with General Dynamics Corp., where she served as staff vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary. She started her career as a corporate and finance associate with Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky in Washington, D.C.

Aslaksen earned her juris doctor from American University Washington College of Law.

Manufacturing

Vista Outdoor Inc., a global designer, manufacturer and marketer of products in the outdoor sports and recreation markets, promoted Dylan Ramsey to vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Ramsey has been with Anoka, Minnesota-based Vista Outdoor since its spin-off from Orbital ATK in February 2015, according to Vista Outdoor's statement. He previously served as Vista Outdoor's general counsel of business and corporate services and assistant secretary from 2018 to 2019, deputy general counsel from 2017 to 2018, and associate general counsel from 2015 to 2017. Prior to Vista Outdoor, he practiced corporate securities law in the legal department at Capital One Financial Corp. and with the law firms Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Linklaters.

Ramsey received his law degree from University of Virginia School of Law.

Machinery

Herc Holdings Inc., an equipment rental supplier in Bonita Springs, Florida, appointed S. Wade Sheek to senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

Most recently, Sheek was general counsel and secretary for Republic Airways Holdings Inc., according to Herc Holdings' news release. Prior to Republic Airways, he served as deputy general counsel and corporate secretary at Allegion plc. Sheek also worked as senior associate general counsel and assistant secretary at Ingersoll-Rand plc. His career experience also includes key securities and corporate counsel roles for UnitedHealth Group Inc. and The Home Depot.

Sheek graduated from Tulane University Law School. 

Real Estate

Whitestone REIT, a community-centered retail real estate investment trust in Houston, hired Peter Tropoli as general counsel.

Tropoli most recently as senior counsel at Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry, according to Whitestone's press release. He was general counsel, corporate secretary, and chief operating officer on the Board of Directors for Luby's Inc.

Tropoli earned his law degree at the University of Houston Law Center.

Chicago-based Bridge Development Partners hired Daniel Hemmer as its first general counsel.

Before Bridge, the company said in a statement Hemmer served as general counsel for five years at First Industrial Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust and leading owner and operator of industrial properties. Prior to Industrial Realty Trust, he spent 11 years as general counsel for CenterPoint Properties, an industrial property and transportation infrastructure developer. Hemmer practiced law at Warner Norcross & Judd.

Hemmer graduated from Harvard Law School.

Staffing

Volt Information Sciences Inc., a New York-based international provider of staffing services and managed service programs, promoted Nancy Avedissian to senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. 

Since October 2016, Avedissian has served as the company's senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, Volt noted in its press release. Avedissian's role will now include oversight of the company's legal function in Europe and Asia. She is based in Orange, California.

Prior to Volt, Avedissian served as general counsel and vice president of legal affairs at Worldwide Clinical Trials, a leading contract research organization. She also practiced as a transactional attorney at Milbank.

Avedissian graduated from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. 

Technology

Reynen Court LLC, which partners with law firms and corporate legal departments to adopt legal technology, announced Martin Levenglick has joined as chief legal officer and head of corporate development.

Based in New York, Levenglick most recently was a partner in VLP Law Group. Also a former Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe lawyer, Levenglick began his career at O'Sullivan Graev & Karabell, now O'Melveny & Myers, in New York.

"Over several decades I have watched with pride as a series of companies Andy created applied technology and innovation to take costs out of traditional business functions," Levenglick said in the company's press release. "With unprecedented backing of so many leading global law firms and influential technology vendors, Reynen Court has the potential to play a profound role in the modernization of the legal industry. I am thrilled to become a member of what by any measure is an extraordinary team."

He earned his law degree from New York University Law School.

AppLovin Corp., a mobile games application company, named Scott Shipman as chief legal officer.

Shipman most recently was general counsel at Sensity Systems, which was acquired by Verizon in 2016, according to AppLovin's press release. He spent 16 years at eBay Inc., where he served as associate general counsel and global privacy leader.

He holds a juris doctor in high tech law from Santa Clara University, where he later established and taught courses in a Privacy Law Certificate program.

ALC LLC, a first-party data solutions provider in Princeton, New Jersey, hired Jason Bier as general counsel and chief privacy officer.

Bier most recently served as chief data and privacy officer for Engine Group US, where he led the data partnership with LiveRamp Holdings Inc., according to ALC's announcement. He served as the chief privacy officer at Conversant, formerly ValueClick, and the general counsel and chief privacy officer at Dotomi. He also served as partner in the law firm Bier & Gutstein. 

Bier graduated from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. 

Transportation

Airports Council International-North America named Pablo Nüesch as its new general counsel. The Washington, D.C., airport trade organization said in a press release Nüesch will start April 16, 2020, and assume his new role July 1 after current general counsel Tom Devine retires June 30. 

For the past 21 years, Nüesch was an attorney at Spiegel & McDiarmid, where he counseled airport clients and represented their interests before federal agencies. Before Spiegel & McDiarmid, Nüesch represented the Richland-Lexington Airport Commission in Columbia, South Carolina. Earlier in his career, Nüesch was an airport consultant, providing advisory services in support of the management and development of airports and financing of airport projects throughout the U.S. and in the Caribbean. He has been an active participant in several ACI-NA committees.

Nüesch is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Devine rejoined ACI-NA as general counsel in April 2014. He also served as general counsel to the National Airline Commission in 1993 and spent six years as a Federal Aviation Administration attorney.