Morgan, Lewis & Bockius' former chief strategy officer Debra Lawrence resumed her career at Ballard Spahr on Monday in the newly created position of chief operating officer. She had served in high-level operational and strategic roles at the global law firm for nearly three decades.

With the addition of Lawrence to Ballard's C-suite, leaders at the Philadelphia-based firm have rebranded the position of executive director. The role, focused on overseeing firmwide operations, has been held for 18 years by Mark Langdon, who is in the process of retiring, according to firm leaders.