First up, Google in-house counsel Joshua McGuire is leaving the search engine giant to become the new general counsel and vice president of LeEco, a Chinese tech company that develops consumer technology products such as electric vehicles, smart bikes and web-enabled televisions. In a statement, Mr McGuire praised LeEco’s ‘pioneering vision and pace of disruption’, adding that the company is ‘primed to fulfill the broken promises that tech companies have been making for over 20 years.’ Mr McGuire joined Google in 2009 and has been a key playmaker in the company’s mobile patent strategy.

Meanwhile, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association has promoted Katherine Tew Darras to the role of general counsel. Ms Tew Darras has been serving as acting general counsel at the ISDA since January, when former GC David Green stepped down after ten years in the role. She joined the ISDA in 2001 from international law firm Salans and was appointed as general counsel for the Americas in 2008. She will continue to be based at the ISDA office in New York.

Crown Media general counsel Charles Stanford has announced that he will be retiring after more than 40 years with the company and 17 years in the GC role. Mr Stanford hinted that he may work on some business ventures in the future, but has declined to offer specifics: ‘I think for the time being, I’m just going to take it easy.’ He will be succeeded in the GC role by Deanne Stedem, who is currently associate GC for parent company Hallmark Cards.

Jupiter Asset Management has scooped up Jasveer Singh as its new general counsel. Mr Singh joins Jupiter after a 12-year stint at Man Group, where he most recently served as group general counsel. Prior to moving in-house, Mr Singh practiced in the financial services and funds group at Clifford Chance in London. In his new role, he will be responsible for all legal and compliance matters at Jupiter, as well as a key driver of the company’s overall business strategy.

Finally, former Ebay general counsel Michael Jacobson has confirmed that he is moving back to private practice, rejoining former firm Cooley. Mr Jacobsen departed Cooley in 1998 to take up a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to head the legal department at an early-days Ebay. After 17 years, he announced his retirement from the GC position last year and was replaced by current GC Marie Oh Huber. ‘During my time at Ebay, I watched as Cooley grew into a leading global law firm. I look forward to sharing my business and legal experience with Cooley’s clients as they navigate the myriad legal issues that tech companies face at all stages of their lifecycle,’ Mr Jacobson commented.