NYSE Euronext poaches Milbank outsourcing star for GC role

NYSE Euronext has plucked its new general counsel from Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, hiring legendary outsourcing partner John Halvey.

Halvey spent almost 22 years at Milbank, where he founded the firm's global IT outsourcing group and in the process became one of the first lawyers to focus on outsourcing as a practice area.

As first revealed on www.thelawyer.com (27 February), Halvey will take over from Rachel Robbins at the start of March after she decided to leave the company. He will be responsible for all of the group's legal function and will also become a member of the management committee.

As general counsel, Halvey will report to chief executive Duncan Niederauer, who said: "John is an exceptional professional whose broad experience in corporate, technology and transaction law will contribute greatly to our strategic objectives and global growth."

Robbins joined NYSE at the end of 2006 and steered the company through its merger with European stock exchange Euronext. She previously held general counsel roles at Citigroup and JPMorgan, and was an associate at Milbank in the late 1970s. She is yet to announce her plans.