NTL settles on Fried Frank man for new legal chief

Cable company NTL has brought in a Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson partner as its new US general counsel after searching for a replacement for nearly a year.

Bryan Hall, a former New York-based corporate partner with Fried Frank who has worked on a number of deals for NTL, will be based at the Hampshire headquarters.
Hall replaces NTL’s former general counsel Richard Lubasch, who stepped down last August after the company emerged successfully from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in January 2003.

Lubasch worked closely with the company’s then chief executive Barclay Knapp, who also stepped down, to be replaced by Simon Duffy.

The appointment is a boost for the firm, which, following its Chapter 11 work for a group of bondholders, replaced Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom as NTL’s main adviser.

Hall will report directly to Duffy, while NTL’s UK head of legal Robert MacKenzie will report to Hall.

At the time of Lubasch’s departure, his deputy Lauren Blair also stepped down. NTL’s legal department now contains 23 lawyers.

Lubasch was one of a handful of executives at NTL who left with a multimillion-dollar severance package.

According to reports, Lubasch was entitled to $1.43m (£787,000) on top of his $477,000 (£262,500) salary.
Hall and NTL were unavailable for comment.