Greene becomes first woman to lead law firm in its 86-year history

Nancy W. Greene, Joseph W. Hovermill and Christopher R. Johnson

Miles & Stockbridge announced today that the law firm’s principals have elected Nancy W. Greene as chairman and Joseph W. Hovermill as president and chief executive officer of the firm, succeeding John B. Frisch. Greene becomes the first woman to lead the 250-lawyer firm in its 86-year history. Greene and Hovermill will be joined by Christopher R. Johnson, who has been appointed by the board to serve as executive vice president and to join Greene and Hovermill as the third member of a newly created executive committee.

A board member since 2017, Greene recently served as co-leader of the firm’s Real Estate and Transactional Finance Practice Group. Hovermill, a board member since 2011 and senior member of the firm’s Products Liability and Mass Torts Practice Group, has served as president and chief operating officer since 2015. Johnson has served on the board since 2014 and recently served as co-leader of the firm’s Corporate & Securities Practice Group.

“We are genuinely honored to have been elected chairman and chief executive officer of Miles & Stockbridge by our fellow principals last night at the firm’s Annual Meeting,” said Greene and Hovermill in a memo to the firm today.

“John Frisch has been a remarkable values-based leader and mentor,” said Greene. “As he leaves his chairman post, Miles & Stockbridge is incredibly strong. Joe and I look forward to continuing our firm’s efforts to place clients and the value we deliver at the center of everything we do.”

“We both joined the firm in the ’90s, as our first jobs in private practice, and have built our legal careers, leadership roles and enduring relationships here,” said Hovermill. “And, now, we take on wholeheartedly the opportunities and challenges of leading a firm we know through and through, into the next decade.”

In planning for this leadership transition, the firm took a close look at the structure, roles and responsibilities of an optimal senior leadership team. The result is the formation of an executive committee. This team structure allows Greene, Hovermill and Johnson to maintain active legal practices while leading the firm. They begin serving in their new roles immediately.

Greene and Hovermill will each play leading roles in managing the firm’s operations. In her capacity as firm chairman, Greene will be responsible for evaluating and leading the executive committee’s development of the firm's vision and core strategies. Her focus on the firm's culture will include driving the firm's well-regarded diversity and inclusion efforts to an even higher level. She will also be charged with maintaining and enhancing the firm's civic profile in the communities the firm calls home.

As chief executive officer, Hovermill will bring his disciplined leadership to the execution of the firm's strategic plan and key priorities. He will also be responsible for enhancing the firm's profile in the legal community.

As executive vice president, Johnson will focus on strategic growth across the firm with a near-term priority of adding lawyers in the firm’s Tysons Corner and Washington, D.C. offices.

“This is an exciting moment for our firm,” said Frisch, who served as Miles & Stockbridge’s chairman and chief executive officer for the past 15 years. “Nancy joins a select group of women, I believe fewer than 15 across the Am Law 200, who serve as firm chairs. She is an outstanding lawyer and extraordinary leader who has played an integral role in developing and carrying out our firm’s vision and strategic plan.

“In recognition of the leadership Joe has provided as president and chief operating officer across our operations, it is fitting that his title is now chief executive officer,” continued Frisch. “With a sharp bias toward action, Joe has also played a key role in the development and execution of our strategic plan, especially focusing on our efforts to achieve operational excellence. He will now bring this energy and discipline to the execution of other aspects of our firm plan.”

Frisch will continue to work at Miles & Stockbridge supporting the firm’s efforts in a variety of areas, including diversity and inclusion, and maintaining the firm’s community and civic profile and commitment.

About Nancy Greene

Nancy W. Greene is chairman of Miles & Stockbridge and a principal, who served for five years as co-chair of the firm’s Real Estate and Transactional Finance practice group with more than 50 lawyers. She focuses her real estate practice in the areas of acquisitions, development, leasing and lending. She represents regional and national financial institutions, property owners and tenants, commercial developers and health care organizations, in all aspects of their businesses. Among her many leadership roles, she recently helped lead the development and focus of the firm’s Social Impact Committee.

About Joseph Hovermill

Joseph W. Hovermill is president and chief executive officer of Miles & Stockbridge and a principal. Since becoming a principal, Hovermill has held a variety of leadership roles in the firm. Prior to assuming firm senior leadership responsibilities more recently, Hovermill chaired the firm’s nationally recognized Product Liability and Mass Torts Practice Group. He remains an active and senior member of that Practice Group and the Insurance and Environment and Energy practices within it. His practice focuses on the defense of manufacturers in a variety of complex product liability, toxic tort and environmental litigation regionally and nationally.

About Christopher Johnson

Christopher R. Johnson is executive vice president and a principal, who served as co-leader of the firm’s Corporate & Securities Practice Group for seven years. Johnson focuses on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, securities law compliance, and general corporate counseling and representation of both public and private companies, private equity funds and other institutional investors.

About John Frisch

John B. Frisch joined Miles & Stockbridge in 1983 and has served as the law firm’s chairman and chief executive officer since 2003. Under Frisch’s leadership, the firm has been vigorously executing a new vision and strategic plan; championing key recruitment, retention and promotion efforts toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive firm; taking bold steps toward creating an extraordinary client experience to deepen existing relationships and secure new ones; achieving commendable financial performance; expanding its footprint in Greater Washington with a K Street office and key lateral hires; and growing beyond more than 250 lawyers in seven mid-Atlantic offices.

He is chairman of Visit Baltimore, a director of the Downtown Partnership for which he previously served as chairman, a director of the Greater Baltimore Committee and a director of The LEADERship. A graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Frisch serves on its Board of Visitors. He also was recently elected to the Dickinson College Board of Trustees. Frisch is a past director of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, B&O Railroad Museum and Well for the Journey.

About Miles & Stockbridge

Miles & Stockbridge is a leading law firm with offices across Maryland and in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Its lawyers help global, national, local and emerging business clients preserve and create value by helping them solve their most challenging problems. For more information about the firm, visit its website and follow the firm on Twitter.