Ex-UnitedHealth Legal Chief Bondy Joins WilmerHale in London (1)

The former top lawyer at UnitedHealth Group is heading to WilmerHale to co-chair the firm’s crisis management group.

Rupert Bondy is joining Wilmer Culter Pickering Hale and Dorr as a partner in London, the firm announced Thursday.

Bondy served as UnitedHealth’s chief legal officer for two years before transitioning to senior counsel and executive vice president of governance, compliance and security in June 2024. He helped the insurer navigate a flurry of legal issues and successfully defeat a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block UnitedHealth’s $7.8 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare Inc.

“Rupert brings unmatched experience leading global companies through some of the most complex challenges of our time,” said Anjan Sahni, WilmerHale’s Managing Partner in a statement.

WilmerHale’s crisis management team has built a reputation handling high-stakes investigations and crises for clients like Meta Platform Inc., PurduePharma and others. It recently led a probe into Sam Altman’s firing at OpenAI, represented New York City Mayor Eric Adams in an FBI probe over campaign fundraising and handled an internal investigation of the New York Mets. The firm’s practice took a hit after it coached Harvard University President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill in a congressional hearing about antisemitism on college campuses in 2023, which resulted in both presidents losing their positions.

Bondy will co-chair the firm’s crisis management and strategic response group along with Alyssa DaCunha, a Washington partner who previously led the firm’s congressional investigations practice. DaCunha stepped into the role in 2023 for Jamie Gorelick, a veteran litigator and former deputy attorney general who led the 9/11 Commission and has advised Jared Kushner, among other clients. Gorelick remains a partner at the firm.

“When legal, public affairs, and media challenges converge and an institution’s reputation and business are at stake, WilmerHale is known as the go-to destination for companies looking for multifaceted solutions that go beyond legal remedies,” Bondy said in a statement. He said he is looking forward to “building on the firm’s strong UK presence and expanding its footprint across Europe.”

He previously was the general counsel at British oil and gas company BP PLC and Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC. He also spent seven years as general counsel at pharmaceutival and biotech giant GSK. He joined UnitedHealth in 2022, succeeding former DOJ prosecutor Matthew Friedrich who was hired as the company’s top lawyer in January 2021.

WilmerHale is one of five law firms that was struck with an executive order by President Donald Trump, with Trump highlighting its ties to Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. The firm, represented by former Solicitor General Paul Clement, successfully sued the administration over the order. The Trump administration is appealing the decision and similar rulings for three other firms.

WilmerHale brought in more than $1.6 billion in gross revenue in 2024, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Law. The firm’s profits per equity partner neared $3.3 million.