Cooley communications lawyer Robert Folliard is leaving private practice to take up a role as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Atlanta headquartered Gray Television. Mr Folliard, who specialises in retransmission consent matters and FCC regulatory compliance for local television affiliates, will serve as the lead lawyer for station operations. He will also be in charge of Gray's retransmission consent negotiations. Gray Television owns and operates television stations and leading digital assets throughout the US.

Marsh & McLennan has recruited Covington & Burling partner Carey Roberts as its Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Ms Roberts will oversee a team of lawyers and paralegals as well as liaising with the Board of Directors and providing advice on corporate governance. Ms Roberts will report to general counsel Peter Beshar.

Global water technology company Xylem has appointed Claudia Toussaint as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Ms Toussaint, who will join the company on 29 October 2014, hails from international industrial and aerospace manufacturer the Barnes Group where she was a member of the executive leadership team. Prior to that, she worked at Fortune 500 telecommunications company Embarq and law firm Morrison & Foerster.

Scottish law firm Burness Paull corporate finance partner Tony Byrne has joined drilling and engineering contractor KCA Deutag  as its new general counsel. Mr Byrne replaces interim general counsel Martin Ewan and will report directly to chief executive Norrie McKay. He will head up the company's global legal functions from Aberdeen. KCA Deutag employs around 9000 people in more than 20 companies. 

PepsiCo is rumoured to have appointed associate Attorney General Tony West as its general counsel. The lawyer, who presided over nearly $37 billion fines on Wall Street banks over mortgage mis-selling, will join the company shortly, according to Bloomberg.