Christopher C. Land named LLNL general counsel

Christopher Land has been selected as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) general counsel, Lab Director Kim Budil announced today. His appointment is effective Jan. 16, 2024.

As general counsel, Land will be responsible for providing the legal expertise necessary to support LLNL’s national security mission, protect and utilize intellectual property and facilitate regulatory compliance and ethical conduct. He will also lead LLNL’s team of legal professionals in the Office of General Counsel (OGC), providing advice, representation and support for all legal matters affecting the Laboratory.

“Land has demonstrated expertise leading litigation on complex matters, and providing proactive counsel to large organizations,“ Budil said. “I look forward to his contributions in support of our national security mission, and I welcome him to our senior management team.”

Land brings more than two decades of experience as an attorney, working at various law firms handling national and international deals and disputes. Most recently, Land served as general counsel and vice president for legal affairs at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he served as the primary legal advisor to the president and director, as well as legal counsel to the board of directors on all legal, compliance and governance issues while managing a team of legal professionals.

Prior to that role, Land served as counsel for Goodwin Proctor, LLP, for three years, where he managed litigation strategy and budgets for multidistrict and international litigations, including for Fortune 500 companies.

Land earned his bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University and his J.D. from Tulane University Law School, both cum laude. He is admitted to practice in New York and Massachusetts, the U.S. Supreme Court and various federal district and appellate courts.

Budil thanked Quentin Vaughan, who has served as acting general counsel since July 2023, for his critical leadership, support and expertise to the Laboratory during a time of transition. Vaughan will resume his role as the OGC deputy general counsel.