Corporate Counsel

Labor Department Proposal Makes It Easier for Firms to Avoid Liability for Contract Workers

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:36:46 EST

The Trump administration proposal narrows the potential for liability by focusing on how a company “controls an employee in practice through hiring and firing, direct supervision and determining pay.

New Rule Would Clarify Who's in Charge Under 'Joint Employer' Status

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:50:57 EST

It's hard to tell how judges would receive the new rule, which would govern disputes that are becoming more common with the rise in outsourcing, staffing agencies and franchises.

Palantir Pushes CLO's Pay to $28M, but He Has to Stay Until 2033 to Get It All

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:20:40 EST

The company says it attached strings to most of Ryan Taylor's pay to keep him "appropriately motivated."

Check, Check—and Now What? Why AI Demands a GC-Legal Ops Partnership, Not Just a Purchase Decision

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:47:41 EST

Most GCs have moved past asking whether they need AI and are now grappling with which tools to adopt, how to combine and refine them, and who should own that strategy—far more complex decisions than last year's simple “yes or no.

Regulators Poised to Lighten Disclosure Requirements for $26 Trillion Private Fund Industry

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:12:30 EST

A nonprofit championing tighter financial regulation criticized the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission's proposal, saying, "They should not be increasing the odds of market mayhem and investor losses.”

Companies That Misfired on Legal Chief Hires Are Paying Hefty Sums to Start Over

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:21:35 EST

"One thing I think that general counsels are probably realizing, and I've been doing this for nearly 20 years, is that those severance agreements, whatever they agree to, are really important," said Michael Sachs, a partner at Major, Lindsay & Africa.

Virginia Poised for Major Expansion of Employee Protections

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:20:26 EST

The measures bolster pay transparency, place more restrictions on the use of noncompete agreements and increase the minimum wage.

In-House Lawyers Staying Put, Despite Underwhelming Pay Raises

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:28:09 EST

“High-caliber general counsel and senior legal leaders are rarely raising a hand in the current market, said Mary Rombaut of the recruiting firm BarkerGilmore.

As Electric Air Taxi Maker Redomesticates From Del., Company Doubles Pay for Legal Chief

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:28:29 EST

Eric Lentell's pay boost coincides with his promotion in July from general counsel to chief strategy and legal officer.

Leaked Client Data, Bigger Mistakes: Agentic AI's Hidden Risks for Legal Teams

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:04:04 EST

Agentic AI tools present the possibility of substantial efficiency gains for legal teams, but the risks they pose require careful management.

In Turbulent Year, UnitedHealth Legal Chief Saw Duties Expand, Pay Double

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:44:52 EST

Christopher Zaetta's 2025 compensation totaled $15.8 million, 130% higher than a year earlier.

Rethinking How Law Firms Define and Organize Around Their Best Clients

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:09:48 EST

This first part of a two-part series by Maggie Miller focuses on defining clients through two complementary lenses: Target Client Profiles and Client Segmentation.

Latest PBM Settlement to Reverberate Through Health Plans

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:30:39 EST

“PBMs and health plans have a symbiotic relationship. There will be discomfort not only for PBMs but for health plans in the short term," said Theresa Carnegie of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo.

The Force Multiplier: Why You Must Tune Your Legal Department Before the Performance

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:17:00 EST

Drawing on a recent conversation I had with Sophia Contreras Schwartz, the GC of Nextdoor, who played oboe in her school band, it occurred to me that leaders of corporate legal departments are conductors, but the legal operations function is that oboe. It is the "force multiplier" that rarely grabs the spotlight, but it dictates whether your department performs with precision or descends into dissonance.

3 General Counsel Conference Takeaways to Lead By

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:02:28 EST

Speakers at the two-day event in Chicago recommended that in-house leaders demonstrate their value by building competence in emerging fields, such as AI, while approaching their jobs with resilience and agility.

Mega-Grant of Stock Serves as Fitting Finale for Retiring CLO Who Helped Script AppLovin's Storybook Run

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:23:48 EST

Victoria "Tory" Valenzuela is passing the legal reins to a top deputy, but she's sticking around to serve on the company's board.

Fed Chair Nominee Vows Independence as Trump Pressure Looms

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:13:37 EST

“President Trump expresses it quite publicly without surrogates or subterfuge—but presidents want lower rates, Kevin Warsh said. “But Fed independence is up to the Fed. Fed leadership has to make a decision about what's the right thing to do.

Former Hilton, Molson Coors Legal Chief Joins Century-Old Firm Riding Sustainable Energy Wave

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:45:30 EST

A decision to leverage its success in fuses to become a big player in power management has paid off royally for Littelfuse.

Supreme Court Questions FCC's 'Retreat' Over Power to Fine

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:40:14 EST

The Federal Communications Commission insisted to the Supreme Court on Tuesday that its roughly $100 million in fines against Verizon and AT&T were "nonbinding" and therefore did not violate the companies' Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial.

ADM Legal Vet Joins Turnaround Team at Sodexo

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:28:21 EST

Orla Muldoon served as chief counsel for Kellogg in Europe before spending 12 years at Archer-Daniels Midland, where she held a string of major posts.

Electric Air Taxi Maker Archer Doubles Pay for Legal Chief

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:59:06 EST

Eric Lentell's pay boost coincides with his promotion in July from general counsel to chief strategy and legal officer.

American Airlines Paid Up Big to Lure Latham Star Aboard

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:44:59 EST

Anthony "Tony" Richmond had been with the law firm for 29 years and had amassed an all-star lineup of clients, from Airbnb to Broadcom.

Justices Appear Skeptical of Challenge to SEC's Disgorgement Power, but Press Feds on Where the Money Goes

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:47:11 EST

The case concerns the SEC's ability to force white collar defendants to disgorge their gains in cases where regulators can't clearly identify victims or quantify the money lost. Although several justices seemed to lean in favor of the SEC, others wondered how much disgorgement the government is keeping for themselves.

GCs' Preference for Big Firms Undercutting Efforts to Rein in Outside Counsel Costs

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:17:48 EST

Average partner rates rose by more than 4% for the fourth straight year, according to LexisNexis. They'd risen by less than 3.5% all of the prior nine years.

Trump's Latest Anti-DEI Order Gives Contractors Plenty to Sweat Over

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:23:59 EST

"The executive order authorizes each government agency to investigate contractor compliance, so contractors should prepare for potential investigations.” said Cara Crotty, a partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete.

How Lessons Learned as a Fresh-Faced Prosecutor Helped Carry Rich Baer to 5 Legal Chief Posts

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:52:55 EST

"It's always about, what is the truth? There are so many lawyers who focus on the law, but they don't apply that same rigor to the facts," said Baer, who stepped down in February as general counsel of Sirius XM.

How In-House Teams Are Using AI to Tame the Regulatory Monster

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:45:51 EST

“Regulations are long and thorny, said Nia Jenkins, vice president of legal affairs at Surescripts. “My team can use AI to understand the so what' of it all.

Warning Signs: The Expanding Power of Congressional Investigations

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:27:33 EST

American political polarization has led Congress to pass fewer laws while devoting more time to aggressive investigations—especially into private%E2%80%91sector and tax%E2%80%91exempt entities—a trend that intensifies around and after midterm elections when Democrats may gain control of one or both chambers.

SEC Decries Biden-Era 'Rush' as Enforcement Numbers Fall

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:53:20 EST

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed 456 enforcement actions in fiscal year 2025, a 22% drop from FY 2024.

Federal Inaction on 'Forever' Chemicals Prompting States to Pass Own Laws

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:13:24 EST

Wisconsin's new statute, which passed with bipartisan support, focuses on environmental cleanup.

Netflix CLO's Raise May Again Make Him Nation's Highest-Salaried Legal Chief

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:17:04 EST

Despite receiving a 33% salary increase, David Hyman, the company's legal chief for 24 years, saw his total compensation decline.

Lawsuits Accuse Trio of Am Law 200 Firms of Running Afoul of Conflict Rules

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:22:12 EST

“Clients are much more offended by conflicts of interest than law firms and judges give them credit for, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz partner Ronald Minkoff said.

Barclays Hires Wilmer Financial Services Head as Global General Counsel

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:34:33 EST

Stephanie Avakian spent four years as director or co-director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, giving her a deep understanding of regulators' perspective.

Meta Paid Wilmer Fees Approaching $64M in 2025, SEC Filing Reveals

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:26:01 EST

The social media giant spells out its dealings with Wilmer annually to comply with Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rules in instances of potential conflicts of interest. Those rules kick in for Meta because its lead independent director is a Wilmer attorney.

What Actually Works: A Legal AI Deployment Playbook (Part 2)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:48:19 EST

Five practices from legal teams that moved from stuck to deployed—and what the failures teach us.

GC Who Brought Starz Public Last Year Exiting With $2M Payout

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:41:13 EST

Audrey Lee was legal chief for eight years, a span when Starz evolved from being a premium cable channel into a standalone streaming service.

Ex-Target Legal Chief Liu Hit Pay Jackpot at Gambling Company That Lured Him Out of Retirement

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:28:07 EST

The $9.3 million that Don Liu earned last year from Flutter, the parent company of FanDuel, more than doubled what he earned in his last full year at Target.

Orkin Parent Ordered to Release 18,000 Workers From Noncompetes

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:49:33 EST

The Federal Trade Commission hopes its enforcement action has a chilling effect on the pest-control industry, where such agreements are common.

AI Is Outpacing the Systems Built to Govern It, Stanford Report Finds

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:09:03 EST

Stanford's 2026 AI Index report documents surging investment, rising safety incidents, and a closing U.S.-China performance gap, with direct implications for employment lawyers, compliance officers and corporate counsel.

Partisan FTC ‘Thriving' Under Trump, Say Ferguson, Meador

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:04:39 EST

“I think that if a majority of the commission is departing from the law and running amok it's helpful to have dissenting voices, said FTC chair Andrew Ferguson. “The commission under President Trump has not had that problem."

Live Nation Acted as Illegal Monopoly in Ticketing Market: Jury Verdict

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:24:12 EST

The verdict was a victory for 34 state attorneys general, and the D.C. AG, who took the case to trial after the U.S. Department of Justice settled its claims in March. But Live Nation, which has denied monopolization charges, is saying the jury verdict is not the end of the matter.

PwC's Appointment of Global GC Shifts Role From NYC to London

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:54:32 EST

Diana Weiss served a decade as PwC's top lawyer, a tumultuous stretch that included managing fallout from a major scandal involving its Australian operations.

The 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards: Law Firm Winners

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:59:59 EST

The WIPL awards honor in-house and law firm women leaders and allies who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law.

The 2026 Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards: In-House Winners

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 08:59:59 EST

The WIPL awards honor in-house law firm women leaders and allies who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law.