Delaware North’s Top Lawyer William Hochul Is Stepping Down

Delaware North Cos. Inc., a privately held hospitality giant, said its general counsel William Hochul Jr. will depart Aug. 15 and be succeeded by deputy general counsel Timothy McEvoy.

Hochul, who is married to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), was scrutinized for potential conflicts of interest given the contracts that Delaware North has with New York state. The governor had recused herself from all matters involving the Buffalo-based company.

That recusal will now lapse with her husband poised to depart Delaware North. The company, in an Aug. 3 statement by its chief administrative officer Frank Mendicino, attributed Hochul’s exit to the “culmination of a long-planned succession process” that led to the elevation of two legal deputies.

“Bill has been a pivotal strategic adviser to our company for seven years, guiding many matters across our global business portfolio,” Mendicino said. He praised the company’s outgoing general counsel for his “leadership and counsel” during the pandemic, when many of Delaware North’s facilities were temporarily closed or subject to “continuously changing requirements.” Hochul’s “strategic direction” had a “major impact on our subsequent rebound and recovery,” Mendicino said.

Hochul didn’t respond to a request for comment about his plans after leaving Delaware North, which both owns and provides food and hospitality services to airport, entertainment, gaming, lodging, and sports venues. Delaware North and its chairman, billionaire Jeremy Jacobs, also own the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins and TD Garden, the team’s home arena.

Delaware North hired Hochul in 2016 after he spent nearly 30 years working for the US Department of Justice, six of them as the Buffalo-based US Attorney for the Western District of New York. A financial disclosure form filed by his wife, herself a lawyer, shows that Hochul received roughly $650,000 in compensation last year for his work as Delaware North’s general counsel.

The couple’s son, former Sidley Austin associate William Hochul III, is a federal prosecutor in Alexandria, Virginia.

More Hires

A spokesman for Delaware North confirmed that the Bruins named Shannon Torgerson their general counsel in May. Delaware North initially hired Torgerson last year as an assistant general counsel for transactional and regulatory matters. The Bruins subsequently retained Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison partner Loretta Lynch to investigate the team’s player vetting procedures—her inquiry concluded in finding “no misconduct” by the club.

Torgerson, Rawlins, and McEvoy aren’t the only lawyers at Delaware North. An online job listing shows the company is currently looking to hire a Buffalo-based assistant general counsel for gaming to advise its subsidiary serving casinos.

“Delaware North is always on the lookout for talented leaders with the expertise to help guide our diverse business portfolio, including in our legal department,” the company told Bloomberg Law.

Delaware North took a hit earlier this year when it lost a concession contract with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills, a team with which it enjoyed a 30-year relationship. The Bills, who recently named a new legal chief of their own, are preparing to open a new $1.4 billion stadium in 2026. Public funds for the stadium project and other contracts and financial ties involving the company had been cited as potential conflicts with the governor’s office.