Apple has recruited Meta’s chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead as its new general counsel, following the retirement of current postholder Kate Adams.
Newstead will join the multinational tech giant on 1 January next year, joining as senior vice president before stepping into the GC position in March.
She is a former partner at Davis Polk in New York, and has also held a number of senior legal positions in government, most recently as legal adviser of the US Department of State, a role she held for just over a year between leaving Davis Polk and joining Meta in 2019.
She was previously special assistant to the president and associate White House counsel, as well as general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget.
Adams is retiring after eight years as general counsel. Before joining Apple at the end of 2017, she was GC at Honeywell, while she is also a former Sidley partner. She will stay with the company until the end of next year while the role is transitioned to Newstead.
The top legal position at Apple is one of best-remunerated in-house roles in the legal industry. According to an SEC filing, Adams’ total compensation in 2024 was $27.18m, including a salary of $1m and stock awards of $22.16m.
In addition to Adams’ departure, Lisa Jackson, vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives, is retiring at the start of 2026. Her government affairs responsibilities will be briefly transferred to Adams before falling under the remit of Newstead, whose full title will be senior vice president, general counsel and government affairs.
Speaking of Newstead’s appointment, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated: ‘We couldn’t be more pleased to have Jennifer join our team. We are also pleased that Jennifer will be overseeing both the legal and government affairs organisations, given the increasing overlap between the work of both teams and her substantial background in international affairs.’
Speaking of her new role, Newstead said: ‘I have long admired Apple’s deep focus on innovation and strong commitment to its values, its customers, and to making the world a better place. I am honoured to join the company and to lead an extraordinary team who are dedicated each and every day to doing what’s in the best interest of Apple’s users.’
Firms which are known to have worked with Apple in recent years include Freshfields, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Kirkland & Ellis.
