Contributors

GREENVILLE, SC—Veteran in-house counsel and antitrust litigator Eric McCarthy has joined Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP as the firm’s new General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer. 

Mike Barnhill, who had been serving as the firm’s General Counsel, will resume his practice serving clients as a Partner on Womble Bond Dickinson’s Business Litigation Team.

“I’ve been following the trajectory of Womble Bond Dickinson for years, and it’s exciting to join a growing, transatlantic firm that attracts talented attorneys who are also outstanding individuals.  As the firm continues to scale, the breadth of legal and business issues facing the firm and its clients will only grow.  I’m looking forward to tackling these challenges while partnering with firm leadership to protect Womble’s best interests and achieve its business objectives,” McCarthy said. 

“I’ve always known Womble’s offices to have a strong connection to their communities and a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and that is another important factor that made me want to join the impressive Womble Bond Dickinson team.”

McCarthy brings nearly 25 years of combined in-house and law firm experience to the GC role. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President for Government Relations, Public Policy & Legal Affairs at Proterra Inc, having formerly served as its General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. His work at Proterra included leading the company’s wide-ranging legal functions, as well as driving revenue growth through state and federal advocacy efforts and legislative campaigns focused on electrified transportation, clean energy and infrastructure advancement.

McCarthy also has served in GC roles at SenecaOne Finance and Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. Before moving in-house, he spent 13+ years as an antitrust litigator, having been a partner at both Latham & Watkins LLP and Howrey LLP in Washington, DC.

“I felt this opportunity was the perfect role to combine these sets of in-house and law firm experiences.  Because I have been an associate, partner, lateral and client, I understand the dynamics of global law firms from the inside and out,” McCarthy said.

In the community, he has focused on improving public mobility in Upstate South Carolina, serving on the Greenville County Roads Advisory Commission. Deeply committed to sustainability and cleaner transportation, he has also been a member of the SC Council on Innovation, Upstate Transit Coalition and the Upstate SC Alliance. He is a Liberty Fellow, Aspen Global Leadership Network, Class of 2019. The South Carolina Liberty Fellowship is an intensive program to develop exemplary and principled leaders for South Carolina.

“Even as we advise clients on their most important legal and business needs, Womble Bond Dickinson needs its own legal counsel to ensure we are meeting our ethical and legal obligations to our clients,” said Betty Temple, Chair and CEO of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. “Eric has an outstanding track record as both a General Counsel and law firm partner, and we are delighted to have him join our team. I’d also like to thank Mike for his outstanding service as GC and we welcome him back to our Business Litigation practice.”