BarkerGilmore Appoints Strategic Advisor and Leadership Development Coach
May 22, 2025 – Boutique search firm BarkerGilmore, which specializes in building corporate legal and compliance teams, has named Edward Nekritz as a strategic advisor and leadership development coach. “Ed is one of the most respected legal minds in the REIT and real estate investment communities,” said Bob Barker, managing partner of BarkerGilmore. “His strategic acumen, global experience, and proven leadership in times of growth and crisis make him an extraordinary asset to our clients. We are thrilled to welcome him as a trusted advisor and coach.”
With more than three decades of experience in international real estate, corporate governance, and legal strategy, Mr. Nekritz joins a team of advisory professionals at BarkerGilmore who have served as chief legal officers and chief compliance officers at many of the nation’s best-known companies.
Mr. Nekritz served as chief legal officer and general counsel at Prologis, Inc., an S&P 100 company by market cap and the world’s largest real estate logistics organization with $207 billion in assets under management. He served as its first general counsel and was a member of the executive committee for more than 20 years. Mr. Nekritz played a significant role in Prologis’s global expansion, strategic capital initiatives, and organizational development, which included more than $100 billion of public M&A transactions and the transformative merger of AMB and Prologis in 2011. He was instrumental in the IPOs of Prologis’s businesses in Japan and Mexico and the formation of multiple fund vehicles across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.
“I’ve always believed that the best legal leaders are also business leaders,” said Mr. Nekritz. “Joining BarkerGilmore is a natural step in my journey, allowing me to share what I have learned with the next generation of legal and compliance executives. I look forward to helping organizations build high-performing teams and navigate complexity with clarity and confidence.”
BarkerGilmore’s executive coaching services are offered exclusively to in-house legal and compliance leaders and are customized to address specific career stages and role-specific challenges: for sitting CLOs and CCOs seeking a trusted advisor, for succession candidates preparing for the top role, and to accelerate the success of newly appointed executives.
Related: BarkerGilmore Names Senior Advisor
BarkerGilmore is a boutique firm specializing in executive search and selection in law and compliance. With a network of advisors and recruiters spanning the U.S., BarkerGilmore consistently places talent at leading consumer, energy, financial, healthcare, industrial, and technology companies.
Finding Law and Compliance Talent
John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner, has over 30 years of executive search experience. He has developed trusted relationships with general counsel and C-suite leaders across the country. With a profound institutional understanding of how in-house legal and compliance departments function most effectively, Mr. Gilmore has earned a reputation as one of the top executive search consultants for general counsel and chief compliance officer placements.
BarkerGilmore Issues 2025 In-House Counsel Compensation Report
In-house counsel salaries – including general counsel, managing counsel, and senior counsel positions – increased 2.8 percent in 2025, according to BarkerGilmore’s 2025 In-House Counsel Compensation Report. The report also found that 60 percent of all In-house counsel are consider a job search in the coming year.
“This year’s compensation survey of nearly 3,000 professionals reflects a modest compensation increase for all in-house counsel positions over the prior year, as well as some interesting insights into market dynamics,” said John Gilmore, managing partner. “Notably, the 2025 increase in pay was lower than the 4.4 percent bump in 2024, which may account for nearly 60 percent of in-house counsel respondents who indicated an interest in seeking new opportunities in the coming year, mainly for better compensation and benefits.”
Mr. Barker is co-founder, managing partner, and chair of the industrial practice at BarkerGilmore. He brings over three decades of executive search and international business experience to his clients. Mr. Barker has successfully managed general counsel and chief compliance officer engagements for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, including consumer, energy, financial, healthcare and life sciences, industrial, non-profit, technology, and private equity industries. Clients rely on Mr. Barker for advice and counseling both during and after the engagement.
At the end of last year, BarkerGilmore added David Rowan as a strategic advisor and leadership development coach. “We are thrilled to welcome David as a strategic advisor and coach,” Mr. Barker. “His unparalleled experience in legal and governance leadership, particularly his work guiding the strategic expansion and complex governance at Cleveland Clinic, will be invaluable to our clients. His strategic approach to executive leadership development, combined with his background in succession planning and organizational transformation, will elevate the value we bring to every engagement.”
Mr. Rowan recently completed a 30-year career as chief legal officer at Cleveland Clinic, which is consistently regarded as one of the top hospital systems in the United States and the world. At Cleveland Clinic, he oversaw a law department of 50 attorneys and was responsible for all legal functions across a globally expanding organization, including the establishment of Cleveland Clinic London and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and collaborations with leading technology companies. During his tenure, Mr. Rowan’s roles also included chief governance officer and corporate secretary.
Related: BarkerGilmore Appoints Senior Advisor
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
