Microsoft Corp.`s legal department has seen a flood of appointments — and a few departures — as it reorganizes to meet new global regulatory requirements. GitHub Inc. is the world`s largest repository for open source software and „the de facto platform for collaboration in open source software development and code.” It has attracted a large number of non-technical specialists who share and collaborate on projects and documents in a variety of industries. As GitHub`s first general counsel, Julio Avalos already has a strong voice in the industry, especially when it comes to the application of information sharing technologies in the legal sector. „Julio is committed to making legal practice more humane, transparent and collaborative,” one source said. Leading a growing team, he transferred the innovative momentum of open source to Github`s legal function to share information internally and externally. Avalos was previously legal counsel at Yelp and before that at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he was involved in early Facebook litigation. On the positive side of the in-house legal book, Microsoft introduced Curtis „C.J.” Mahoney in March as deputy general counsel for U.S. international trade and the company`s Azure cloud service. Earlier this year, the firm welcomed Trisha Grant and Sherif Ali, a partner at Baker McKenzie, aboard White & Case in Washington as legal counsel and senior counsel, respectively.
Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel | GitHub Inc. Other structural and hierarchical changes include the promotion of Regional Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for Asia, Antony Cook, to a newly created position that will allow him to oversee all global regional legal roles, the source said. Singapore-based Cook, a former senior partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, joined Microsoft in 2002, the same year Smith became general counsel. Smith, a former Covington & Burling partner who has worked at Microsoft since 1993, did not respond to a request for comment on the company`s internal legislative changes. He was promoted to president and general counsel in 2015 after spending the last 13 years as Microsoft`s general counsel, a position he inherited following the resignation of former general counsel William Neukom in 2002. Shelley is General Counsel at GitHub, where she leads the teams responsible for trust and security, social impact, developer policy, product and regulatory, legal and legal, business legal and legal. Shelley began her career at Microsoft and supported parts of the developer division in 2005. Prior to joining GitHub, she was responsible for Microsoft`s technology and corporate responsibility organization, where she led a team that promoted the use of technology for the benefit of society through priorities such as accessibility, environmental sustainability, broadband access, responsible AI, and justice reform.
She also led legal, corporate and external affairs across Europe and worked on products for Microsoft`s games division, including developer communities and Xbox Live. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was legal counsel at Wizards of the Coast, where she supported the Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering brands. Bradford Smith, Microsoft`s lead attorney, outlined some of the changes last week in a memo obtained by Bloomberg Law. Smith is a seasoned tech industry executive who has been open on the legal and public issues facing the sector. Penarczyk recently took a role at TikTok Inc., joining former Microsoft intellectual property attorney Erich Andersen. Microsoft also appointed a new general counsel last year in Jonathan Palmer, assistant general counsel and former litigation partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, who was hired by the firm a decade ago. Palmer took on a role previously held by David Howard, another assistant general counsel who made headlines a few years ago for trying to shift some of the external legal work Microsoft sends to law firms from billable hour to other fee arrangements. Salesforce.com Inc. hired Edward Britan, Microsoft`s senior director and policy advisor for privacy and artificial intelligence, as chief privacy officer and deputy general counsel in January, the same month the company appointed its own general counsel. In June, Salesforce appointed Ben Casady, Microsoft`s director of privacy strategy, as director of privacy compliance and communications. As Microsoft undergoes its internal restructuring, vice president of technology and corporate responsibility Shelley McKinley will also become general counsel of GitHub Inc., a San Francisco-based software company to buy $7.5 billion in 2018.
The Redmond, Washington-based tech giant`s in-house legal and public policy team helps Microsoft handle a range of legal and regulatory issues and fight major financial battles with its major competitors. Dawn Beatty is the Director of Human Resources at GitHub, where she is dedicated to promoting a culture led by people who are passionate about creating a global community of developers and the best work of their lives. Outside of work, Chris enjoys running and triathlon, spending time with family and friends, and learning history. We work hard to build the most inclusive communities possible – online, within our teams and in cities around the world. When he`s not talking about security on GitHub, Mike loves Ann Arbor, MI with his wife and seven children. Prior to joining GitHub, Diana spent several years at Etsy, where she helped redesign vendor tools, taught new designers how to push code (on GitHub!), and was part of a small team developing a new design system. Diana started her career in print design in the UK, then moved to Australia where she worked in the public sector and in a small strategic design agency before moving to the US to discover the Silicon Valley startup scene. She now lives with her husband and two cats in Brooklyn, NY, where she works remotely for GitHub.
Prior to joining GitHub, Chris worked at Microsoft for 11 years. During his time at Microsoft, he worked at a variety of companies, including Microsoft Azure and Enterprise Services. Prior to joining Microsoft, Chris held various finance roles in the consumer goods industry. Smith currently owns nearly $179.5 million in Microsoft stock, as well as about $3.5 million in stock for Netflix Inc., which he joined in 2015, according to Bloomberg data. Prior to GitHub, Stormy was Director of the Office of Open Source Programs at Microsoft, which has enabled 30,000+ developers to effectively use and contribute to open source. She has co-initiated programs such as Microsoft`s FOSS fund and Azure credits for open source projects. She has also held leadership positions in the open source community at Mozilla, Red Hat, GNOME Foundation, OpenLogic, and others. Dawn is originally from Detroit, MI. Outside of work, Dawn supports charities focused on educating and empowering minority women. She also enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and listening to live music. Deborah „Dev” Stahlkopf is leaving as the company`s general counsel to become the new senior counsel for Cisco Systems Inc.
Stahlkopf will split her position between Microsoft`s deputy general counsel, Lisa Tanzi, and Hossein Nowbar. Erica is the Chief Revenue Officer at GitHub. Erica joined GitHub in 2013 to build the operational foundation needed to scale the sales and customer success team. Prior to GitHub, Erica spent more than four years at ServiceSource International in sales excellence and operations, focusing on sales strategy and operations for enterprise customers. She has also worked in the field of financial planning and analysis in the health field. Kyle is Vice President of Strategy and Interim Product Manager at GitHub. Kyle joined GitHub in 2013 and built and grew the ecosystem engineering teams and worked on acquisitions of Semmle, npm and others. He now oversees strategic projects, program management and communications, and helps GitHub`s leadership team be more productive and successful.
Thomas Burt, a veteran Microsoft attorney, will continue to lead the company`s client security and trust teams, while assistant general counsel Rebecca „Becky” Lenaburg and other in-house lawyers will lead an ethics and compliance organization led by Matthew Penarczyk, company sources said.