Lyft, Facing Many Legal Difficulties, Looks Within for New Prime Attorney

Lyft Inc. has named a new legal main as the trip-sharing organization and competitor Uber Systems Inc. carry on to encounter litigation about its classification of motorists.

Lindsay Llewellyn, a vice president and affiliate common counsel at the corporation, was promoted as of Nov. 1 to basic counsel. Lyft disclosed in a securities submitting late Wednesday that Llewellyn has changed its longtime normal counsel Kristin Sverchek, who has moved into the posture of president of company affairs.

Lyft claimed in a statement provided to Bloomberg Law that Llewellyn, who earlier led its litigation workforce, has “guided the firm by way of the many authorized troubles related with its development from a tiny, non-public San Francisco-only company to a public organization with a presence in all fifty states and Canada.”

Sverchek’s new part as Lyft’s first-at any time president of organization affairs will see her duties expand, the firm mentioned. Sverchek will unify Lyft’s typical and administrative functions and “focus on enterprise-extensive initiatives and rising the operational effectiveness of the business enterprise,” Lyft explained.

The coronavirus pandemic and a fall in need led Lyft to furlough thousands of workers and lower government salaries. Lyft and Uber equally deal with mounting litigation—and a sophisticated regulatory landscape—over their selection to classify motorists as unbiased contractors, rather than comprehensive-time staff members.

Lyft has turned to regulation firms Keker, Van Nest & Peters, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Barnes & Thornburg, among other people, to help fend off individuals difficulties.

Sverchek joined Lyft as its very first top rated law firm in 2012. She at the moment owns virtually $19.3 million in Lyft inventory, in accordance to Bloomberg knowledge.

Lyft’s most the latest proxy statement shows that Sverchek obtained nearly $3.6 million in full payment throughout fiscal 2020, down from the virtually $6 million in total fork out she acquired from the San Francisco-centered business in 2019.

Securities filings present that Sverchek has bought off nearly $3.3 million in Lyft inventory this calendar year. She has been specified more restricted stock models in the firm in her new position as president of business affairs, in accordance to Lyft.

In September, Sverchek and Lyft produced headlines for teaming up with archrival Uber to take a stand against a restrictive new anti-abortion law in Texas.

Sverchek began her occupation as an associate at startup-concentrated legislation firm Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian. She assisted acquire Lyft general public in 2019. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati recommended Lyft on its preliminary general public offering.

Llewellyn, Lyft’s new legal main, joined the corporation as a taking care of counsel for litigation in 2014. Prior to that part, which saw Llewellyn serve as Lyft’s 1st in-home litigator, she was an affiliate at Winston & Strawn in San Francisco.

“As one particular of the company’s most tenured attorneys, Lindsay has a very long track file of advising Lyft on a wide selection of chopping edge and large-profile authorized matters, when navigating the intersection of the company’s legal, coverage and brand name goals,” Lyft said in a statement.

The company credited Llewellyn for constructing a team of litigators masking locations like shopper class actions, levels of competition, insurance coverage disputes, mental house and regulatory issues. Llewellyn also served as its interim general counsel from January to May well of this calendar year, Lyft mentioned.