Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Micron Technology Inc. have recently made significant legal hires. Ava Hahn has joined AMD as their new top lawyer, transitioning from her previous role as the top legal officer at Lam Research Corp. On the other hand, Michael Ray has taken on the role of top lawyer at Micron, following his departure from Western Digital Corp, where he served as the chief legal officer and corporate secretary.
The appointment of Ava Hahn comes at a time when AMD’s stock price has been on the rise, outperforming Nvidia Corp. This surge is attributed to the increasing demand for products that support generative artificial intelligence technologies. Meanwhile, Micron, based in Boise, Idaho, holds the position of the largest US producer of computer memory semiconductors.
Ava Hahn brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having served as the top legal officer for various companies such as ShoreTel Inc., Genesis Microchip Inc., CA Technologies Inc., and Aruba Networks Inc. She has also worked with venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins and Felicis Ventures. Hahn succeeds Harry Wolin, the retiring general counsel at AMD, who has been with the company since 2000. Wolin, who holds AMD stock worth nearly $250 million, has been gradually divesting his AMD shares over the past year.
In the legal landscape, Morrison & Foerster has been prominently involved in representing AMD in US federal courts, handling approximately 20% of the cases related to the company in the last five years. On the other hand, Micron’s legal affairs have been managed by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Winston & Strawn, who collectively have overseen more than half of Micron’s US federal litigation caseload during the same period.
Michael Ray’s appointment at Micron follows the departure of former general counsel Robert Beard, who moved to Mastercard Inc. last year. Ray, who previously served at Western Digital for 13 years, joins Micron during a period when Western Digital is undergoing a corporate restructuring to form two separate publicly traded entities. Tiffany Scurry, Western Digital’s former chief compliance officer, has also transitioned to AMD in a similar role towards the end of last year.
