Wake Up Call: Novartis GC Latest Lawyer Out Over Cohen Payments

• Novartis AG general counsel Felix Ehrat is the latest lawyer pushed out after revelations that major companies made payments to a consulting firm led by President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, in hopes of getting insights into Trump’s policies. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant, which said it paid $1.2 million to the firm, said Ehrat will retire next month and be replaced by Shannon Thyme Klinger, currently the company’s chief ethics, risk, and compliance officer. Earlier this week, AT&T Inc. said its Washington-based chief of lobbying, attorney Bob Quinn, is leaving, citing the $600,000 it paid to Cohen’s firm. ( Bloomberg ) ...