General Motors Appoints Two New General Counsel Executives

General Motors has announced two new appointments for its general counsel, effective by the year’s end.

Ann Chaplin, formerly of Litigation Practice Group Leader at Fish & Richardson, has been brought on by the automaker to lead all general and product litigation. Chaplin previously served as Managing Principal of the firm’s Minneapolis office for more than five years. For the past 11 years, the firm’s Litigation Group has handled more patent litigation in the United States than any other firm.

She will report to Craig Glidden, executive vice president and general counsel, who is thrilled to see her join the team.

“Ann is a great addition to our team. She is an experienced trial lawyer, an exceptional leader, and her work in litigation project management has been innovative,” said Glidden. “Having her expertise at GM will be an incredible asset as we manage complex legal issues, and deploy advanced technology to transform our vehicles and the way we manage the business.”

Jeffrey Taylor, the automaker’s second appointment, will be placed at the forefront of federal oversight through the automaker’s most recent deferred prosecution agreement, which suspends the criminal investigation of the automaker after the ignition-switch recall.

Currently, Taylor is vice president and general counsel of Tewksbury, Mass.-based Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. Before that, he led a team of more than 300 professionals as chief executive of Ernst & Young’s Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services practice in the Americas.

He will work with the monitor to review and assess the company’s policies and procedures in certain discrete areas relating to safety issues and recalls.

Glidden also spoke highly of Taylor as he prepares to enter his new role.

“Jeff is a highly accomplished attorney who has managed extremely complex legal issues and his appointment demonstrates how seriously we take our commitment to the federal government and our customers to build the best safety organization in the industry.”