Wake Up Call: John Deere Top Lawyer’s Pay Shrank 13% Last Year

Welcome to Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel.

• Deere & Company general counsel and executive Mary Jones took in $5.45 million in total compensation in the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31, 2022, 13% less than her take in 2021. Jones joined the Illinois-based agricultural and heavy equipment maker in 1997 and became top lawyer in 2013. Her salary ticked up last year, but she received less in stock grants and non-equity compensation, according to a report citing a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. (Corporate Counsel)
• A letter by a group of prominent attorneys says New York judge Hector LaSalle, Governor Kathy Hochul’s nomination to be chief judge of the state’s highest court, is overwhelmingly qualified for the job. LaSalle has been attacked by unions and progressives as too conservative. The letter in his support is signed by 64 attorneys, including former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Paul Weiss partner Jeh Johnson. (New York Post)
• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy named attorney Todd Tatelman, currently the House’s principal deputy general counsel, to take over as acting general counsel. (Speaker.gov)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Minneapolis, Minnesota-headquartered Dorsey & Whitney opened a new office in Boise, Idaho, the firm’s 21st location. (Dorsey.com)
• The Missouri Supreme Court overturned a ruling that forced insurer GEICO to pay $5.2 million to a woman who said she got a sexually transmitted disease in the car of a man who is a policyholder. (Associated Press)
• Latham & Watkins is representing Mastercard in a settlement of litigation in Germany that followed a leak of data for tens of thousands of customers. (Juve.de)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• The Mellon Foundation recruited American Museum of Natural History executive and top lawyer Sheree Carter-Galvan as chief legal officer and secretary of the board of trustees, starting March 1. She’s a former Paul Weiss entertainment attorney and was senior associate general counsel at Yale University. (Mellon.org)
• Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo named Las Vegas sports and entertainment attorney Kirk Hendrick, former general counsel for Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas, a member and chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Foley & Lardner added veteran corporate transactions lawyer Jon Lyman as partner in Miami. He arrives from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and earlier spent close to 24 years at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. (Foley.com)
• Morris Manning & Martin hired former SEC enforcement counsel Matthew Alexander as partner and to lead its new white collar defense, investigations & compliance practice. (MMMLaw.com)
• DLA Piper hired global space and telecom regulatory consultant Ben MacWilliams as a Seattle-based, non-attorney principal. He arrives from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, where he led Starlink market access for the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. (DLAPiper.com)
• Seyfarth Shaw hired veteran international employment law attorney Kathryn Weaver as partner in Hong Kong to lead the firm’s regional cross-border employment practice. (Seyfarth.com)
• Kilpatrick Townsend grabbed financial institutions lawyer Ross Speier as partner in Atlanta from Alston & Bird. (KilpatrickTownsend.com)
• Hinshaw & Culbertson added veteran commercial real estate lawyer Mitchel Chargo as partner in Minneapolis. He arrives from Minnesota-based medical cannabis manufacturer LeafLine Industries, where he was general counsel and executive vice president. (HinshawLaw.com)
• King & Spalding hired longtime Shearman & Sterling energy and project development partner Dan Feldman in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At Shearman, Feldman was co-head of energy innovation and leader of its global hydrogen/ammonia industry team. (KSLaw.com)
• Dallas-based home health and hospice provider Enhabit Inc. hired Bradley Arant Boult Cummings civil litigation partner Dylan Black as general counsel. (Ehab.com)

Technology

• The alternative legal services provider Elevate was hit by a data breach in March, according to a report. (Legaltech News)