Rippling, Deel Hire New Lawyers as Legal Spy Battle Escalates

Multibillion-dollar human resources and payroll startups Rippling and Deel Inc. have both hired new top lawyers as they ramp up their high-drama legal battle against each other.

Rippling is bringing on Chris Handman, previously at Snap Inc., as its general counsel, Rippling Chief Executive Officer Parker Conrad said in a social media post Wednesday. Vanessa Wu, Rippling’s former general counsel, has been named senior counsel and will remain at the company.

Rippling, formally called People Center Inc., sued Deel in mid-March, accusing its competitor of corporate espionage. In April, Deel responded with a defamation suit, accusing Rippling ...