CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ken Cunningham has been named the new Grant Thornton LLP Chief Legal Officer effective February 1, 2011. Ken succeeds Peggy Zagel as Chief Legal Officer, who will be retiring from the firm July 31, 2011.
“We are pleased to have an individual of Ken’s ability leading this critical function at the firm,” said Grant Thornton LLP CEO Stephen Chipman. “Ken is an outstanding legal thinker and an exceptional colleague, and we are confident that he will continue to be an enormous asset to Grant Thornton as the firm sets out on our bold five-year strategy for growth serving dynamic organizations around the globe.”
Since joining the firm in 2004 as Senior Counsel in the Risk, Regulatory and Legal Affairs group, Ken has led the regulatory defense practice, defended the firm and its personnel in class action securities litigation and accounting malpractice litigation, and provided training and counsel to all service lines on risk and regulatory issues.
Prior to his tenure at Grant Thornton, he served as a Senior Counsel with the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, DC, where he investigated matters involving complex financial fraud.
Before joining the SEC, he worked in the litigation department at Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago, IL. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Loyola University School of Law where he taught a seminar entitled SEC Enforcement Procedures. He regularly speaks as a panelist about liability issues faced by accountants and auditors.
Ken received a B.A. from Vanderbilt University, and a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Peggy Zagel served as Grant Thornton’s General Counsel from 1984 to 1998, and was one of the first women to serve as General Counsel of a major American company. Peggy returned to Grant Thornton LLP in 2003 as Managing Principal, Risk, Regulatory and Legal Affairs (RRLA) and Chief Legal counsel.
“During her tenure, Peggy has truly made a difference at the firm, building an exceptional legal team to control litigation and regulatory matters, strategic risk management, and oversee the firm’s transactional work,” said Chipman.
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