Carpenter Legal Search Recruits General Counsel for Park Corporation
August 4, 2026 – Legal recruiting remains an active area for executive search firms as corporations, law firms, government agencies, and other organizations compete for experienced legal talent. Employment of lawyers is projected to grow four percent from 2024 to 2034, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with approximately 31,500 openings expected each year as employers add positions and replace professionals who retire or leave the occupation. Demand for legal services is expected to continue as individuals, businesses, and all levels of government require counsel across a broad range of domestic and international matters.
Carpenter Legal Search, Inc. recently recruited Brian P. Anderson as the new general counsel of Park Corporation. The appointment follows a thoughtful succession planning process as Park Corporation prepares for the retirement of Rick Bertram, who has served as the company’s general counsel since 1997.
“Brian’s blend of sophisticated legal expertise, business acumen, and executive leadership experience made him an exceptional candidate for this important succession search,” said Lori Carpenter, president of Carpenter Legal Search. “As Park Corporation prepared for Rick Bertram’s retirement after nearly 30 years as general counsel, the company sought a leader and working general counsel who could build upon Rick’s extraordinary legacy. Brian’s experience across private practice, global energy companies, and chief legal roles positions him exceptionally well for that responsibility.”
Mr. Anderson joins Park Corporation after serving as general counsel of Xcoal Energy & Resources, where he led the company’s legal affairs and advised senior management on a broad range of business, regulatory, and strategic matters. Prior to Xcoal, he served as assistant general counsel for CNX Resources, spent nearly nine years with Chevron as senior counsel for the company’s Appalachian Mountain Business Unit, and practiced commercial litigation at K&L Gates. Mr. Anderson earned his JD and BS in business administration (accounting) from West Virginia University. He describes himself as a “pragmatic in-house lawyer with a strategic mindset grounded in both litigation and transactions,” a perspective shaped by his experience advising business leaders on legal strategy and risk management.
In his new role, Mr. Anderson will oversee all legal affairs for Park Corporation and serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on corporate governance, compliance, transactions, risk management, litigation oversight, and long-term business initiatives.
“With his extensive background in corporate law, commercial transactions, and business counseling, Park Corporation is well positioned to continue building on the strong legal foundation established during Bertram’s long tenure while supporting the company’s future growth and strategic objectives,” Carpenter Legal Search said.
Related: Beyond Expertise: How to Identify and Develop Transformative Legal Leaders
Park Corporation is a privately owned, multi-divisional company involved in the manufacture of components for the steel and energy related industries; redevelopment, management and leasing of industrial and commercial real estate; and provision of private equity, mezzanine financing, and secured lending for a diversified range of businesses.
Woman-Owned Firm
Carpenter Legal Search is a boutique, woman-owned legal search and consulting firm with more than 35 years of experience recruiting attorneys and compliance executives for corporations. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, the firm specializes in retained executive search for CLOs, CCOs, general counsel, DGC, AGC, and other legal and compliance roles. Guided by its trademarked Focused on the Fit approach, the firm has earned a reputation for completing complex and specialized searches while providing strategic recruiting and consulting services to corporate legal departments nationwide.
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As founder and president of Carpenter Legal Search, Ms. Carpenter leads the firm’s management and business development activities and remains actively engaged in executing retained general counsel and other senior-level searches for corporate clients across a wide variety of industries, from Fortune 100 corporations to emerging growth enterprises. She also supports a select law firm clientele with lateral partner acquisitions, practice group mergers, and strategic growth initiatives.
For more than 35 years, Ms. Carpenter has partnered with corporations and law firms to identify exceptional legal talent, including general counsel, chief compliance officers, deputy general counsel, associate general counsel, assistant general counsel, senior counsel, and law firm partners and practice groups. As a trusted advisor to clients, her work routinely extends beyond recruiting for specific roles, as she frequently offers professional insight on legal department structure, growth and talent acquisition strategies, succession planning, compensation shifts, and evolving market changes affecting the legal profession.
Related: Risk Mitigation and Business Complexity is Driving Demand in Legal Recruiting
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
