7 noteworthy in-house career moves
Charting some of the most recent GC and in-house appointments
February 01, 2012 at 06:30 AM
8 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
GC Appointments
Hooters of America announced that Claudia Levitas has joined the restaurant chain as chief legal officer and general counsel. Levitas has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, having worked for Huddle House, Inc., a diner concept based in Atlanta, where she held the titles of general counsel and chief administrative officer.
Nils Okeson is rejoining Arby's as its general counsel and chief development officer. Okeson was originally appointed as GC of Arby's in 2005. After Arby's joined with Wendy's in 2008, Okeson assumed the role of GC of Wendy's. Arby's was acquired by Roark Capital Group in 2011 and separated from Wendy's. This time around, Okeson will also serve on the Leadership Team of Arby's.
YRC Worldwide Inc. appointed Michelle A. Russell as general counsel, executive vice president and secretary, welcoming her back to the company where she worked for 12 years as vice president-legal and assistant general counsel. Most recently, she was GC of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Scott N. Semel joined IntraLinks, a provider of information exchange solutuions, as general counsel, executive vice president and corporate secretary. He previously served as senior vice president, GC and secretary of Novell Inc.
Sharon R. Barner, a former official in the U.S. Department of Commerce, joined Cummins Inc. as vice president and general counsel. From 2009-2011, Barner served as deputy undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She rejoined her former law firm, Foley & Lardner, last year before joining Cummins.
Other In-House Moves
Allen Lo joined Google's team of in-house patent experts as deputy GC, and will be responsible for patent licensing and litigation for the online giant. Lo was formerly the vice president and deputy general counsel at Juniper Networks.
Cynthia Baldwin, general counsel for Pennsylvania State University, announced that she will be leaving the office she created after two years on the job. A spokesperson for Penn State has stated that Baldwin's departure is unrelated to the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Before serving as Penn State's GC, Baldwin was a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice from 2006-2008.
GC Appointments
Hooters of America announced that Claudia Levitas has joined the restaurant chain as chief legal officer and general counsel. Levitas has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, having worked for Huddle House, Inc., a diner concept based in Atlanta, where she held the titles of general counsel and chief administrative officer.
Nils Okeson is rejoining Arby's as its general counsel and chief development officer. Okeson was originally appointed as GC of Arby's in 2005. After Arby's joined with Wendy's in 2008, Okeson assumed the role of GC of Wendy's. Arby's was acquired by Roark Capital Group in 2011 and separated from Wendy's. This time around, Okeson will also serve on the Leadership Team of Arby's.
Scott N. Semel joined IntraLinks, a provider of information exchange solutuions, as general counsel, executive vice president and corporate secretary. He previously served as senior vice president, GC and secretary of Novell Inc.
Sharon R. Barner, a former official in the U.S. Department of Commerce, joined
Other In-House Moves
Allen Lo joined
Cynthia Baldwin, general counsel for Pennsylvania State University, announced that she will be leaving the office she created after two years on the job. A spokesperson for Penn State has stated that Baldwin's departure is unrelated to the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Before serving as Penn State's GC, Baldwin was a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice from 2006-2008.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
White Castle GC Becomes Chain's First President From Outside Family
Beyond the Title: Developing a Personal Brand as General Counsel
Trending Stories
- 1People in the News—Jan. 9, 2025—Rawle & Henderson, Armstrong Teasdale
- 2Thinking Outside the RFP: AI’s Impact Beyond Scaling Review Efficiency
- 3Special Series Part 4: The Statutory Guardrails Impermissibly Bind Future Legislatures
- 4New York Court of Appeals Blocks Trump Attempt to Stay Friday Sentencing
- 5'Self-Diagnosed Nickel Allergy' Fails to Find Success in Med-Mal Suit, 8th Circuit Rules
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
