Major, Lindsey & Africa Seeks General Counsels for DuPage Medical Group and UPC Insurance
October 11, 2018 – Executive search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA) has recently been selected to find new general counsels for DuPage Medical Group and UPC Insurance.
Located in Downers Grove, IL, DuPage Medical Group is one of the largest independent multi-specialty physician groups in Illinois.
Backed by the large PE firm Ares, the organization is physician led, enabling it to provide quality care, construct advanced facilities and implement the latest technology.
Reporting to the CEO, the incoming general counsel / compliance officer will be responsible for the corporate legal and compliance function including corporate governance, M&A, compliance programs and risk management, said the search firm.
The medical group wants for candidates with more than 10 years of experience in general corporate healthcare or hospital operations including a background in corporate transactions, M&A and corporate governance. Candidates must be experienced on the provider side with contract negotiations and drafting, medical staff matters and physician practice matters, business transactions, and various physician contracts and compensation methodologies, said Major, Lindsey & Africa. Experience handling complex acquisitions and commercial contracts in healthcare or hospital operations is required.
General Counsel: A New Pathway to CEO
The general counsel role has been vital for companies maintaining an international presence. “The role and stature of the general counsel position has expanded globally,” said Paul Williams, a partner in MLA’s Chicago office.
UPC Insurance is one of the fastest growing property & casualty companies in the country. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, the company has five insurance subsidiaries and writes over $1.1 billion of premium in 12 states.
The incoming general counsel and chief legal officer will be responsible for leading the management of all aspects of the company’s legal affairs, broken down into four main areas: SEC compliance; capital-raising initiative; mergers and acquisitions; and general corporate legal matters, including human resources, vendor contracts, real estate, etc.
UPC Insurance seeks executives with a minimum of 10 years of directly relevant legal experience, a college undergraduate and law degree, and insurance industry experience and designations.
Legal Recruiting
Founded in 1982, Major, Lindsey & Africa is a legal-focused search firm with more than 25 offices worldwide. It has a track record of general counsel, corporate counsel, partner, associate and law firm management placements. The firm also provides law firms and companies with highly specialized legal professionals on project, interim and temporary-to-permanent hire basis.
Legal recruiting continues to be a hot area for search firms. Lawyers employed by government agencies in particular have been on the move as a result of changes in government administrations, according to Hunt Scanlon Media. Employment of lawyers is projected to grow 10 percent through 2022. Demand for legal work is expected to be robust as individuals, businesses and all levels of government require legal services in the U.S. and internationally as global economies expand.
A general counsel, chief counsel or chief legal officer is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a company or a governmental department. In a business, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO. Their duties involve overseeing and identifying the legal issues in all departments and their interrelation, including engineering, design, marketing, sales, distribution, credit, finance, human resources, production, as well as corporate governance and business policy.
Search Firms Stepping Up
Executive search firms have been called in to find new general counsel for various organizations in recent months. Here is a look at a few from the Hunt Scanlon Media news archives:
Education-focused executive recruiter Academic Search recently placed Eileen Goldgeier as general counsel of Brown University. William Howard, vice president and senior consultant for Academic Search, led the assignment. Ms. Goldgeier has been vice chancellor and general counsel at North Carolina State University since 2010.
The Calgary Airport Authority has tapped recruiting firm Pekarsky & Company to lead its search for a new general counsel. Founding partner Adam Pekarsky is heading the assignment. The general counsel will be responsible for the delivery of internal services and managing the delivery of external legal services to the organization.
Education-focused executive recruiter Academic Search has placed Sandhya Subramanian as general counsel of Dartmouth College. Vice president and senior consultant William Howard led the recruiting process, which included reviewing institutional needs, candidate recruitment, candidate assessment & selection, interviews and overall talent management guidance.
The McAulay Smith Firm recruited Meredith Lackey as senior vice president, corporate secretary and general counsel of Georgia Power. Search firm chairman Al McAulay led the assignment. Ms. Lackey came to Georgia Power from Colonial Pipeline Co., where she served as VP and general counsel since 2012.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
