US: Apple names new general counsel

Apple Computers announced Friday, October 6, that its longtime general counsel (GC) Bruce Sewell will retire at the end of 2017 and be replaced by Katherine Adams, the former general counsel of Honeywell.

At Apple, Adams will hold the title of general counsel and senior vice president of Legal and Global Security, and will report to CEO Tim Cook, according to a press release.

Sewell, who has been general counsel since 2009, has been in the spotlight over the years. Most recently, he has been leading the company’s legal efforts at a time when it is in a long running patent feud with Samsung, where billions of dollars hang in the balance; in March 2016, after the deadly terrorism in San Bernadino, Sewell faced down Congress to defend his company’s refusal to unlock the terrorist’s iPhone data because it could set a precedent for future privacy cases; and of course, Sewell’s compensation has placed him at the top of our GC compensation report for two years running.

Adams has guided the legal department at Honeywell — a conglomerate that produces software, engineering for transportation and other services and had about US$39.3 billion in revenue in 2016. Her duties as general counsel since 2008, have included SEC disclosures, human resources, mergers, intellectual property, litigation, environmental compliance, government relations and security, according to her bio.

Full Content: Fortune

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