Around the house

The general counsel of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is stepping down from the agency after four years in the job. Dan Berkovitz, one of Chairman Gary Gensler’s top advisers, leaves the agency after 30 years in the Federal government. He played a key role in counselling the chairman and commissioners during the passage and implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), according to the CFTC website. Following the passage of the Act, Mr Berkovitz led the legal review of every rulemaking presented to the Commission to implement the Act which, to date, is 55 proposed rules and 43 final rules.  

Legal defence

He also managed the legal defence of the Commission’s rulemaking actions that have been challenged in Federal district and appellate courts. He supervised the drafting of Commission orders and the legal review of staff actions to enable market participants to transition to the new regulatory regime. During this period he also advised the Commission on a range of administrative, budgetary and operational issues facing the agency. Since 2012, he served as the Chairman’s deputy to the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
Mr Berkovitz, who has no announced plans, will leave the agency at the end of the month.

Quintiq, a global leader in supply chain planning and optimisation software, has appointed Kim Rhodes as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the company. Ms Rhodes previously served as senior Vice President Strategic initiatives, GC and Secretary for Fiberlink Communications.  In her new role, she will be responsible for all legal affairs for the company globally. ‘I am very excited to join Quintiq’s extremely talented leadership team,’ Rhodes said. ‘The company is an innovative, agile and fast-growing leader in SCP&O software and I look forward to contributing to its success.’  Established in 1997, Quintuiq has a global presence with dual headquarters in the Netherlands and the USA.

Adobe Systems former general counsel has joined Sidley Austin’s Palo Alto office in California as a senior counsel in its technology practice. Karen Cottle was general counsel of the company from 2002 to 2012, according to Thompson Reuters. The Palo Alto office is mainly focused on technology and Cottle will provide the firm with a knowledge base of key issues for technology general counsel today, the managing partner Thomas DeFilipps said.