US bookstore chain Books-A-Million has rehired Catherine Hogewood as general counsel, seven years after she previously held that position.

Hogewood joins from Marsh McLennan, where she had been working in a consultancy role. At Books-A-Million, she will oversee all legal matters and strategy across the corporate, real estate and risk management functions. She brings with her more than 25 years of corporate legal experience and will report directly to CEO Terrance Finley.

Birmingham, Alabama-based Books-A-Million is the US’s second largest bookstore chain, operating more than 200 stores nationwide and an e-commerce site. It also sells toys, games and collectables.

Finley said: “We are excited to welcome Catherine Hogewood back to the Books-A-Million leadership team. Her legal expertise, steady judgement and deep familiarity with our business make her uniquely qualified to guide us forward in this role.”

Hogewood previously spent almost 11 years with Books-A-Million, joining in 2007 as an associate counsel before being promoted to GC in 2014 and helping take the company private. She left in 2018 to join Thompson Tractor Company as GC, before moving to Marsh McLennan in 2022.

She started her legal career in private practice at Birmingham, Alabama-based Lloyd Gray Whitehead & Monroe.

Hogewood’s arrival comes just under a year after Books-A-Million hired Courtney Adair as GC from utility company Exelon Corporation in Chicago, where she was assistant GC. Books-A-Million didn’t respond to a request for comment on Adair’s status. Her LinkedIn profile still listed her role as GC on Wednesday (21 May).

Prior to her in-house career, Adair spent around 15 years in private practice, first at San Diego-based TechLaw, then McKnight Kitzinger & Pravdic and finally at legacy firm Greensfelder Hemker & Gale.

In other US retail moves, in March US on-campus bookstore Barnes & Noble Education hired former Six Flags GC Christopher Neumann as its legal head, filling the seat left vacant following the departure of chief legal officer Michael Miller.

In February, Hallmark promoted deputy GC Erin Kobler to CLO, replacing Jill Marchant who left to relocate closer to her family.

And in August last year, retail chain Target hired Amy Tu as CLO from US food processing giant Tyson Foods to replace Don Liu, who moved to a strategic role.