Following its pattern of promoting former top federal prosecutors and regulators to leading corporate positions, Exxon Mobil announced Wednesday that former Fox Corporation general counsel and former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeff Taylor, will be the energy giant’s next top lawyer.
Exxon Mobil announced Wednesday that Craig Morford, also a former federal prosecutor who has been the company’s general counsel since 2020, will retire on July 1 and that Taylor will be his replacement.
Morford turned 65 in February and Exxon Mobil has a mandatory retirement at that age.
Prior to joining Exxon Mobil in May as deputy general counsel, Taylor was the second highest-ranking lawyer at Fox Corporation, where he was head of litigation, labor and employment and corporate compliance.
Taylor replaced David Woodcock, who left Exxon Mobil in February 2023 as its deputy general counsel to become a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Woodcock, who was a former regional director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was seen as a likely replacement for Morford but decided to leave the company instead of relocating from Irving to Houston when the energy company moved its executive operations last year.
“[Taylor] brings the right blend of corporate governance and legal expertise, and I look forward to working with him,” Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said in a written statement.
Taylor, who previously served as general counsel at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, was believed to be on Fox’s short list to become chief legal officer when Viet Dinh announced his retirement last year. Fox instead chose Campbell Soup’s Adam Ciongoli. Taylor earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from Stanford University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.