Global coffee shop chain Starbucks is searching for a new legal head after it announced it was parting ways with current chief legal officer Brad Lerman.
The company announced the news in a regulatory filing on 4 June, saying Lerman “would no longer serve as the company’s EVP, chief legal officer, as of a date to be determined”. The coffee chain added that Lerman is expected to continue serving as CLO until a successor has been hired. The company said Lerman’s separation from Starbucks was “without cause”.
Lerman was lured out of retirement in April 2023 to become Starbucks’ CLO shortly after Laxman Narasimhan become CEO, ending a months-long search following the exit of previous GC Rachel Gonzalez in 2022. Narasimhan was replaced by Brian Niccol last September.
In the filing, Niccol said: “[Lerman] and I have been talking about what makes sense for him and for our legal team and Brad will be leaving Starbucks in the coming months. We’re beginning a search for a new chief legal officer, and Brad will both assist with the search and continue to lead our legal team until a successor is in place. We’ll recognise Brad’s contributions to Starbucks before he leaves but for now, I’ll just say how much I appreciate everything he’s done, and the wise counsel he offers me, the board and leaders across the company.”
Lerman previously worked at medical device company Medtronic as GC before retiring in January 2022. He also had earlier spells as GC at Fannie Mae and chief litigation counsel at pharma giant Pfizer. Prior to his in-house career he was a partner at Winston & Strawn and Kirkland & Ellis. He also spent eight years as an assistant US attorney in the Department of Justice.
When he joined Starbucks back in April 2023, Lerman said: “To serve the partners of Starbucks, one of the world’s most admired brands, is a true honour. The strength of Starbucks’ leadership team and board of directors, coupled with the talented Starbucks law and corporate affairs team, is what excites me most as we look to advance a bold mission and vision for the future of Starbucks.”
In other recent US food and beverage moves, in March Domino’s Pizza promoted assistant GC Ryan Mulally to the top job, replacing Kevin Morris who was retiring from the role.
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