Early year hiring appeared high with March's newly named top lawyers, but the novel coronavirus pandemic may impact legal department hiring in the coming months. 

As COVID-19 created disruptions across the world throughout the month, legal recruiters say they're already noticing a lull in filling open positions. The slowness may be due to a drop in productivity with many employees, including in-house counsel, working from home when they may have never worked completely outside the office before.

Some companies may wait until after the pandemic ends to hire lawyers, while there is a possibility some companies will adjust to the workplace changes and keep their legal departments healthy with making necessary hires.

The majority of the new top lawyers had been hired prior to the pandemic, so the question of whether companies are filling vacant general counsel posts or leaving them vacant may not be answered until the summer.

March saw the hiring of a new general counsel at Wells Fargo & Co. as the San Francisco-based bank still struggles to overcome the fake account scandal from 2017. Ellen Patterson replaces C. Allen Parker, who had arrived at Wells Fargo post-scandal and served as interim CEO. The general counsel at Brinks Home Security actually took the interim CEO helm this month. The general counsel of AK Steel Holding Corp. plans to step down, weeks after the steel company was acquired by Cleveland-Cliff Inc. for $3 billion.

Avis Budget Group Inc.'s veteran general counsel departed the company as the car rental industry suffers from novel coronavirus-related revenue losses. Eastman Chemical Co. tapped a new top lawyer as the specialty chemical and materials company manages its manufacturing sites throughout China, including the city of Wuhan, ground zero for the COVID-19 outbreak. Financial technology firm Carver Edison hired its first general counsel, who spoke to Corporate Counsel about what it's like starting a new job during the pandemic in New York.

Almost in theme with the coronavirus, the health industry may have gained the most new top lawyers this month, particularly at biotechnology companies looking to discover new treatments for specific diseases.

BUSINESS 

Ernest "Ernie" Torain Jr., executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Huron Consulting Group Inc.

Global professional services firm Huron Consulting Group Inc. named Ernest "Ernie" Torain Jr. executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. He succeeds Diane Ratekin, who is retiring after 15 years, with nine as general counsel, at the end of the year, the Chicago-headquartered company said in a media release.

Before Huron, Torain spent nearly 10 years at Illinois Tool Works Inc., most recently serving as associate general counsel. Prior to Illinois Tool Works, Torain spent more than six years at Vedder Price, where he was a shareholder in the firm's securities and capital markets practice.

Torain received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Workiva Inc., a connected reporting and compliance platform provider, named Brandon Ziegler senior vice president and general counsel. He succeeds Troy Calkins, executive vice president, chief legal and administrative officer, and corporate secretary, who plans to retire May 31, the Ames, Iowa-based company stated in its announcement.

Ziegler was previously senior vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary at Medidata Solutions, a technology and data platform for life sciences. Prior to Medidata, he was head of the legal department for multinational corporations as vice president and assistant general counsel.

He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School.

EDUCATION

Financial technology lender College Ave Student Loan Servicing LLC appointed Dena Glaeser to chief legal officer.

Prior to Wilmington, Delaware-based College Ave, Glaeser served as the fintech and digital banking attorney for Fifth Third Bank N.A.

"College Ave is on the forefront of higher education financing, and I am honored to join such a strong team and company," Glaeser said in the press release. "Student lending is a dynamic industry, and I'm excited to help College Ave continue on its trajectory of growth."

Glaeser is an MBA candidate at John Hopkins University. She earned her law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Universal Technical Institute Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona, hired Christopher Kevane as senior vice president and chief legal officer.

UTI said its announcement that Kevane most recently was chief legal officer for Legal+Risk Solutions LLC, where he advised clients' executive management and boards of directors on strategic initiatives. For nearly a decade, Kevane served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Rural Metro Corp., a national provider of first responder services. He held a similar leadership role with Nuverra Environmental Solutions Inc., one of the largest environmental solutions companies in the oil industry. He started his career in the U.S. corporate, finance and securities practice group at Squire Patton Boggs.

He earned a Juris Doctor from the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.

Winston G. DeCuir Jr. was named vice president of legal affairs and general counsel at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

DeCuir had served as a partner in the Baton Rouge law firm of DeCuir, Clark & Adams, where he primarily advised public universities, charter schools and other agencies in labor and employment disputes. For the past 16 years, he counted both the University of Louisiana System and the Southern University System as clients. He began his legal career in 1998 in the New Orleans office of Fisher & Phillips, where he focused primarily on employment-based litigation and advising public agencies and private corporations on employment laws.

"It is an honor to be able to serve as the general counsel of my alma mater, LSU," DeCuir said in a statement. "When my father graduated from LSU's Law Center in 1975, he could not have imagined that his son would one day serve as the university's general counsel."

DeCuir received his Juris Doctor from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, appointed David Bergers as vice president of external relations and general counsel. He will start Aug. 1, according to the college's press release.

Bergers most recently was a partner in the Boston office of Jones Day. He previously served as managing director and general counsel at LPL Financial and acting deputy director of the Division of Enforcement for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Eastern Nazarene College has had a tremendously positive impact on my life, both professionally and personally," Bergers said in the release. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the College's mission alongside all the dedicated members of the ENC community."

He is an alum of Eastern Nazarene College and Yale Law School.

ENERGY

Solar energy developer Core Development Group hired Dana Hall as general counsel.

Prior to joining the Mahwah, New Jersey-based Core Development Group, Hall launched her boutique renewable energy consulting and legal services practice in 2010. She also held roles with the Pace Energy and Climate Center, a multidisciplinary group focused on the intersection of energy and the environment, and the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to certifying low-impact hydropower.

"While I'm proud to be joining Core Development Group, I'm especially excited to further the company's mission to be a leading solar provider in the United States," said Hall in a company statement. "The renewable energy market only continues to grow, and I can't wait to help Core Development Group grow with it at the local, state, and national level."

Hall has a Juris Doctor from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and a Master of Arts degree in environmental conservation education from New York University.

Jennifer Hasbrouck, senior vice president and general counsel at Southern California Edison

Jennifer Hasbrouck will become the senior vice president and general counsel at Southern California Edison on May 2. She succeeds Russell Swartz, who is retiring after a 27-year career May 1, the Rosemead, California-based electric utility said in a statement.

Hasbrouck joined the utility in 1999 and currently serves as an assistant general counsel. She spent most of her tenure focused on regulatory affairs.

She is a graduate of University of California Los Angeles School of Law. 

Swartz joined the utility in 1993, eventually managing the company's litigation practices before being named general counsel in 2011. 

ENTERTAINMENT

The League of Resident Theatres in San Francisco named Stephanie Grassi as general counsel. She succeeds Harry Weintraub, who will leave the company Aug. 31 after serving as general counsel for nearly 40 years.

Grassi most recently was an associate with O'Melveny & Myers since 2014. Prior to the law firm, she worked for the Berkshire Theatre Festival and served as the LORT management associate, working with Weintraub to negotiate and administer LORT's collective bargaining agreements. 

"Returning to LORT to serve as general counsel is the role of a lifetime for me," said Grassi in a statement to American Theatre. "Having come up through not-for-profit theatre, I'm honored and elated for the opportunity to advocate for LORT and its members, and to support the excellent work they do for their communities and the industry."

Grassi, who is a graduate of New York Law School, started March 16, and Weintraub will stay until August during the transition. 

"I am proud of all that LORT has accomplished for the past 40 years," Weintraub said in the statement. "It has been gratifying supporting the organization and its members in the successful negotiating of dozens of collective bargaining agreements over this period."

Weintraub, a partner at Glick and Weintraub, had served as LORT general counsel since 1981.

FINANCE

United Community Bank named Melinda Davis Lux executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. 

Davis Lux joins United from Womble Bond Dickinson in Greenville, South Carolina, where she was a partner and served as a global board member. 

"I have a deep respect for [CEO] Lynn Harton and the leadership team he has assembled at United Community Bank. They are passionate, driven and dedicated to delivering value for customers every day," said Davis Lux in the announcement. "I'm honored to join this talented team and support the strategic plan for growth that has been put in place."

Davis Lux holds a master of laws in taxation from the New York University School of Law, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, and an MBA from Clemson University.

Chicago-based proprietary trading firm DV Trading LLC hired Jeffrey E. Kopiwoda as chief operating officer and general counsel.

Having served as outside counsel to DV since 2013, Kopiwoda worked on DV's spinout from brokerage firm Rosenthal Collins Group in 2016. Before DV, Kopiwoda was a partner at Chicago-based Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn. He will remain of counsel to the law firm. Prior to rejoining the law firm in 2011, he spent nearly seven years as chief legal officer of a 500-person European-based hedge fund platform.

"I've had the good fortune to work with DV founders Dino Verbrugge and Jared Vegosen over the years and observe firsthand not only their insightfulness and creativity but also their impressive ability to grow and thrive in an environment where others are contracting," said Kopiwoda in the announcement. "I'm thrilled to join them full-time in their efforts to make DV the best environment for traders to provide market liquidity and hedging opportunities that spur the economy."

Kopiwoda earned a law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Melissa Frugé, chief legal officer with FinancialForce.com

FinancialForce.com Inc., the enterprise resource planning cloud solution native to the Salesforce.com platform, appointed Melissa Frugé as chief legal officer.

Prior to FinancialForce, Frugé was vice president of legal for OYO Hotels. She also served as general counsel for Brandless Inc., a venture-backed e-commerce company.

Previously, she was chief legal officer at Spredfast Inc. As senior vice president and general counsel at HomeAway, Frugé oversaw the company's $250 million initial public offering and led the eventual sale of HomeAway to Expedia Inc. She's also been the general counsel for Borland Software Corp.

"I am thrilled to join FinancialForce, a company that is shaping the future of business by providing organizations with a complete, customer-centric view of their operations," said Frugé in a press release. "I look forward to working with the company's world-class customer base that is accelerating growth and automating business like never before."

She received her Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law.

HEALTH

Anika Therapeutics Inc., an integrated joint preservation and regenerative therapies company, appointed David Colleran to the newly created position of executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Prior to joining Anika in Bedford, Massachusetts, Colleran served as senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer at Insulet Corp., a medical device and drug delivery company. Prior to Insulet, he held the role of vice president and general counsel at Covidien, a medical device and supply manufacturer acquired by Medtronic plc, and corporate counsel at Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. Colleran began his career as a corporate attorney at Choate, Hall & Stewart. 

"I am thrilled to join Anika's executive team at this very exciting stage in the Company's evolution," said Colleran in a media release. "Anika is well-positioned to bring innovative solutions to patients around the world, and I look forward to contributing to the Company's continued growth."

He received a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.

Clearside Biomedical Inc., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and delivering treatments for people with eye diseases, appointed Dr. George Lasezkay to president and chief executive officer. Since last April, he has served as the company's interim CEO.

Previously, Lasezkay served as executive vice president and general counsel at Acucela Inc., a development stage company that specializes in novel ophthalmic therapeutics. Prior to Acucela, he was president of Horizon Pharma Group, a private life sciences consultancy practice. Prior to Horizon, Lasezkay was corporate vice president for corporate development at Allergan Inc., the global pharmaceutical and medical aesthetics company, with serving in other executive leadership positions such as assistant general counsel for commercial affairs and general counsel for the Asia-Pacific region.

"I am excited about having the opportunity to continue working closely with the Clearside team and I am grateful to the Board for their confidence and support," said Lasezkay in the media announcement. "We are well underway in executing our two-pronged strategy of building an internal research and development pipeline in areas such as novel small molecules and gene therapy, as well as creating external collaborations with other companies to enable them to deliver therapies in a targeted, repeatable, non-surgical manner via the suprachoroidal space. I look forward to continued interactions with the medical and investor communities."

Lasezkay earned his law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and doctor of pharmacy degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Pharmacy.

Tricida Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on its drug candidate to treat patients with chronic kidney disease, hired Robert McKague as executive vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer.

Prior to joining the South San Francisco, California-based Tricida, McKague worked for over 10 years at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he most recently served as senior vice president and associate general counsel. Between 2009 and 2011, he held senior legal positions at Actelion Pharmaceuticals and Oracle America. He began his legal career at the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System and Morrison & Foerster. 

"I am happy to be at Tricida and share their excitement for launching a potential first-in-class FDA-approved treatment for patients with metabolic acidosis and [chronic kidney disease]," said McKague in a news release. "I look forward to working with the team on the continued development and potential commercialization of veverimer, providing legal and compliance guidance and supporting the business activities that are underway."

McKague received his Juris Doctor from the University of California Hastings College of Law.

Boston-based Akcea Therapeutics Inc., an Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc.-affiliated biopharmaceutical company focused on drugs to treat patients with serious and rare diseases, promoted Joshua Patterson to general counsel.

Patterson previously served as vice president of legal and corporate secretary at Akcea, a role he filled since March 2018. Prior to Akcea, he was the executive director and deputy general counsel at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. He also served as in-house counsel at Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc.

"All of us at Akcea are driven by the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients affected by many challenging serious and rare diseases," said Patterson in a press release. "I am excited to take on a new role as general counsel as we work to build new levels of momentum and success and as we expand our global product development and commercialization strategies."

He received his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law.

Assembly Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative therapeutics targeting the hepatitis B virus and diseases associated with the microbiome, named Jason Okazaki as chief legal and business officer. He replaces Elizabeth Lacy, who plans to pursue another professional opportunity, Assembly said in a press release.

Okazaki joins the South San Francisco, California-based Assembly from Gilead Sciences Inc., where he served as senior vice president, legal and assistant secretary. During his 14-year career at Gilead, he built and led a global legal team that supported operations in the U.S., Asia and Latin America. Previously, he worked for six years with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in the firm's mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance practices.

"I am thrilled to join the Assembly team and eager to contribute to the advancement of novel therapeutics in both the HBV and microbiome spaces," Okazaki said in the release. "I look forward to working with a talented group of industry experts to drive towards an HBV cure and unlock the potential of the microbiome."

He earned his law degree from the UC Hastings College of the Law. 

INSURANCE

Ryan Specialty Group LLC in Chicago promoted Mark Katz to executive vice president and general counsel.

Katz joined the international specialty insurance organization in February 2019 as senior vice president and counsel of insurance services, according to the company's announcement. Prior to joining RSG, Katz was a partner with Mound Cotton Wollan & Greengrass for 25 years, where he litigated complex insurance coverage disputes on behalf of insurers. 

He is a graduate of the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

MANUFACTURING

Nova Chemicals Corp. in Pittsburgh named Byron Romain vice president and general counsel. Romain succeeds Bill Mitchell, who recently retired, according to Nova Chemicals' statement.

Romain joins plastics maker Nova Chemicals from White & Case, where he was a partner. He held in-house counsel roles at Marathon Oil Corp. and Mubadala Development Co.

He is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law.

Nylon 6 producer AdvanSix appointed Achilles Kintiroglou as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Kintiroglou replaces a retiring John "Hans" Quitmeyer, who served in the position since the company's spinoff in 2016, according to the company's statement. 

Kintiroglou served as deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary of AdvanSix since the spinoff. Before joining AdvanSix in Parsippany, New Jersey, Kintiroglou was a corporate and securities partner at Day Pitney. 

He earned a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Rinnai America Corp., a tankless gas water heater manufacturer in Peachtree City, Georgia, hired Perry McGuire as its vice president and general counsel.

McGuire most recently was a partner with Smith, Gambrell & Russell. He had acted as outside counsel for Rinnai for over five years. A former Georgia senator who was a 2006 candidate for state attorney general, he previously worked for chicken restaurant chain Chick-fil-A Inc. as a corporate attorney. 

"I am pleased to be joining Rinnai America Corporation during this exciting time of growth for the organization," said McGuire in a statement. "I look forward to working with the team to expand our footprint and product offering."

He received his law degree from Georgia State University College of Law. 

Chad N. Boudreaux Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Huntington Ingalls Industries promoted Chad Boudreaux to executive vice president and chief legal officer. He will succeed Kellye Walker, who is now chief legal officer at Eastman Chemical Co., the company announced in a media release.

Boudreaux most recently served as the corporate vice president for litigation and chief compliance and privacy officer for Huntington Ingalls, a military shipbuilder located in Newport News, Virginia. He joined the company in 2011 as the associate general counsel for litigation, investigations and compliance. He previously practiced law at Baker Botts, where he established the global security and corporate risk counseling practice group. Prior to the firm, he served as the deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and held multiple leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Boudreaux earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. 

REAL ESTATE

CoStar Group Inc., the Washington, D.C.-based provider of commercial real estate information and online marketplaces, promoted Jaye Campbell to general counsel and secretary and Jeannette Koonce to chief compliance officer.

Campbell joined CoStar Group in 2013, holding positions in the company's legal department, most recently as head of litigation. Prior to CoStar Group, she practiced at Drinker Biddle & Reath. 

"We're the legal team that helps CoStar Group get to 'yes' in business matters," Campbell said in a statement. "We have a track record of identifying legal cases to bring forward to protect CoStar content for customers, shareholders, and our employees who have invested in that content."

She received her Juris Doctor degree from The George Washington University Law School.

Koonce joined the CoStar Group team in January 2006 as deputy general counsel. Over the past 14 years, she helped complete more than 25 domestic and international acquisitions, including the acquisition of Apartments.com. She formerly worked as an associate at Venable. 

"I look forward to overseeing CoStar Group's international risk management and corporate governance in my new role," Koonce said in the statement. 

She received her Juris Doctor from the Marshall–Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.

Regency Centers Corp., a national owner, operator and developer of shopping centers, named Michael Herman as senior vice president and general counsel. He will start April 6 and succeed Barbara Johnston, who will retire after a decade May 1 as Regency's first general counsel, the company said in a press release. 

Herman is leaving the senior vice president and general counsel post at Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc., which he's held since 2013 after joining the company in 2003. From 1997 to 2003, he was senior vice president and general counsel of GenTek Inc. and its predecessor company, General Chemical Corp., where he started in 1992. 

He holds a Juris Doctor from St. John's University School of Law.

TECHNOLOGY

HawkEye 360 Inc., which uses formation flying satellites to create a class of radio frequency data and data analytics, named Dennis Burnett as executive vice president and general counsel. 

Previously, Burnett served as consulting principal at LMI Advisors, chief counsel of regulatory and government affairs at Kymeta Corp., and as vice president of trade policy and export control for EADS North America. Burnett also currently serves as the director and treasurer of the International Institute of Space Law and as the chair of the space, cyber and telecommunications advisory board for the University of Nebraska College of Law.

"I am extremely pleased to contribute to the HawkEye 360 team as we forge a new commercial frontier in space," Burnett said in the Herndon, Virginia-based company's announcement. "The wave of new small satellite technology is revolutionizing commercial, scientific and defense applications in the space domain, and I feel blessed to be working among the leaders in this industry."

He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.

Aira Inc., the maker of free-position wireless charging technology FreePower, added Jeff Risher to its executive team as chief strategy officer and general counsel.

According to the company's media release, Risher brings two decades of experience and leadership from technology and automotive brands including Apple Inc., Tesla Inc. and Faraday Future. 

"From the time I met Jake [Slatnick, CEO and co-founder] and Eric [Goodchild, co-founder], and saw the technology working, I knew I had to be a part of this," said Risher in the release. "It's rare to come across an opportunity like Aira where the present needs, future direction and its transformative technology are so well matched with my strengths and background. FreePower has the potential to re-energize the wireless charging industry and deliver on the promise of convenience. It can ignite entirely new ecosystems providing business opportunities and stronger charging experiences across so many different industries."

Risher is a graduate of University of California Los Angeles School of Law. 

NeoPhotonics Corp., a San Jose, California, designer and manufacturer of advanced hybrid photonic integrated circuit based modules and subsystems for communications networks, appointed Barbara Rogan as senior vice president and general counsel.

Prior to NeoPhotonics, Rogan served as general counsel at Velodyne Lidar Inc. She also held legal leadership roles at Cadence Design Systems Inc., where she was vice president and associate general counsel, and at LogLogic Inc., where she was vice president of legal affairs.

"I am excited to join NeoPhotonics and be a part of the world-class team that Tim has built," Rogan said in the news release. "I look forward to helping to drive profitable growth at NeoPhotonics."

Rogan received her master's degree in intellectual property degree at Santa Clara University School of Law and Juris Doctor from the University of California Hastings College of the Law.