At least six professional sports organizations promoted or hired new talent to serve as general counsel in July alone, reflecting an unusual amount of in-house turnover for the sports industry.

Bob Mannino, a director and in-house recruiter at Major, Lindsey & Africa in Boston, said that, on average, general counsel of sports organizations hang onto their roles for five to seven years. However, firings, retirements and attorneys taking greater consideration of where they want to work during the pandemic have led to openings in these organizations, he said.

In the past month, the following sports organizations have hired or promoted new general counsel:

• The Philadelphia Phillies promoted Leslie Safran from associate general counsel to general counsel. She replaced the retiring Rick Strouse.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates made Mera Kutrovac general counsel in July after having served as the general counsel to The Nutting Co., a holding company owned by Pirates chairman and principal owner Robert Nutting. She replaced Frank Garland, who served as the interim general counsel.
• The San Jose Sharks named Cassie McBride the general counsel after having spent time as the general counsel of the Jacksonville Jaguars. She replaced John Tortora, who left the organization in 2020.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars promoted Lauren Strackbine from associate general counsel to general counsel when McBride left the team.
• The New York Mets promoted James Denniston and Jessica Villanella from senior counsel roles to co-general counsel. They take over for David Cohen, who was fired earlier this year.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves hired Suzanne Spellacy as general counsel from Jack Link's protein snacks. She replaced Gregory Jackson as the team's legal leader.

The common thread between five of the six recent moves is that new department leaders were promoted to the top role or previously worked for an organization associated with the team. In the sports realm, in particular, Mannino said, it's common to promote from within. These organizations are often looking for people with sports law experience who know the business of the team.