Starbucks Gets Legal Chief as Scrutiny on Labor Issues Grows (2)

Starbucks Corp. on Wednesday named Bradley Lerman as its top lawyer, less than a month after installing a new chief executive officer.

Lerman is a veteran litigator who has advised companies facing critical legal and regulatory issues. He once represented McDonald’s Corp. in defeating a lawsuit related to obesity. Lerman also counseled Philip Morris USA Inc. in litigation related to tobacco in cigarettes.

He stepped down last year as general counsel at Medtronic PLC after hitting the medical products maker’s mandatory retirement age of 65. The former federal prosecutor was a partner at law firms Kirkland & Ellis and ...