Amid the legal industry’s highly competitive market for legal talent, and following a 2020 merger that dramatically boosted head count, Am Law 50 firm Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders has promoted transactional department practice director Sona Spencer to the role of chief legal talent officer, effective July 1.

Spencer succeeds Maggie Suender, a Pepper Hamilton alumna who served as Troutman Pepper’s chief legal talent officer since July 2020 and concluded her tenure in February, according to her profile on LinkedIn. Attempts to reach Suender for comment were not successful Tuesday.