Prominent NY Litigator’s Son Tapped as Olo Software Legal Chief

Restaurant software company Olo Inc. has tapped a lawyer with a well-known name in New York circles to lead its legal department.

Robert Morvillo has been promoted to general counsel and corporate secretary for Olo, according to a Tuesday securities filing. He succeeds Nithya Das, who will resign March 31 as Olo’s chief operating and legal officer.

The company specializes in digital delivery and online ordering technology for restaurants. Olo’s plummeting stock price has triggered investor lawsuits.

Morvillo, who joined New York-based Olo last summer as a senior vice president of legal, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

He is one of four sons of Robert “Bob” Morvillo, a founding partner of New York-based litigation boutique Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello. The elder Morvillo, who died in 2011, was hailed as a white-collar criminal defense “pioneer” in a New York Times obituary.

Bob Morvillo’s brother, Richard, is co-chair of the white-collar and internal investigations practice at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. Rob Morvillo’s three brothers are all in private practice: Christopher Morvillo is a partner at Clifford Chance, Gregory Morvillo has his own firm, and E. Scott Morvillo also works at Stroock.

Rob Morvillo spent more than seven years in-house at Diebold Nixdorf Inc, an automated teller machine manufacturer, before joining Olo last summer.

Olo raised $450 million through an initial public offering in early 2021, capitalizing on a surge in demand for online delivery services stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Cooley LLP represented Olo on the listing, which generated more than $2.6 million in legal fees and expenses, according to the company’s prospectus.

The filing shows that Das, Olo’s outgoing legal chief, received more than $2.3 million in total compensation during 2020. She joined Olo the year prior after serving as chief legal and people officer for online advertising company AppNexus Inc. Das wasn’t one of Olo’s three highest-paid executives in 2021, per a proxy statement. She took on the additional role of COO last year.

Goodwin Procter, which advised underwriters on Olo’s IPO, is now representing the company in a recent lawsuit filed by a pension fund accusing the software outfit of failing to timely disclose the end of its partnership with fast food chain Subway.

Olo has a partnership with food delivery service DoorDash Inc. and works with hundreds of restaurant brands, including Wingstop, Sweetgreen, Shake Shack, Portillo’s, Five Guys, Denny’s, Dairy Queen, Chili’s, Cheesecake Factory, and Applebee’s. Daniel Meyer, founder and executive chairman of Shake Shack owner Union Square Hospitality Group LLC, is a member of Olo’s board.