Mark Shaw has witnessed a lot of crises and successes during his 24 years as a lawyer for Southwest Airlines, but the day that stands out most is Sept. 13, 2001.
“I will never forget seeing that first flight after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 taking off from Love Field,” Shaw told The Texas Lawbook in an interview Thursday. “It had been a horrible, tragic few days, but American flags were everywhere and seeing the spirit of everyone moving forward was amazing.”
Southwest announced Wednesday that Shaw, 61, is resigning as the company’s chief legal and chief regulatory officer on May 31 for family reasons. Shaw, who has been the general counsel since 2013, will remain with the company in an executive advisory role.
Jason Van Eaton, who is currently chief corporate affairs officer, will add the title chief regulatory officer and executive vice president.
Jeff Novota, who is currently Southwest’s vice president of legal for corporate and transactions, will become the airline’s next general counsel and corporate secretary.
During two-dozen years as a lawyer at Southwest, Shaw has been involved in monumental legal issues and challenges. There were the repercussions from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which still reverberate through the airline industry. The 2008 financial crisis sent Southwest and even the most economically stable companies rushing for capital. In 2010, Shaw played a leading role in Southwest’s $1.4 billion acquisition of AirTran Airlines. Shaw is still dealing with the fallout from the Boeing 737 Max planes controversies.
“We have seen a lot of crises and we have dealt with each, but there has been nothing like the Covid-19 pandemic,” Shaw told The Lawbook in a 2021 interview.
Shaw, who oversees 40 lawyers in the Southwest legal department and about 250 additional employees who work on governmental affairs, airport affairs and corporate facilities, said he told his team of his decision earlier this week.
“We’ve been through so many ups and downs in the airline industry and at Southwest — some great times and some difficult times, but even during the difficult times, there is no other place that I wanted to work than at Southwest,” Shaw said. “This is a great company with great people.”
Novota is a former lawyer at Vedder Price and joined Southwest’s legal team in 2011. Eaton is a former staffer for U.S. Senator Kit Bond who became manager partner of Kit Bond Strategies before joining SWA in 2015.
In 2022, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Lawbook honored Shaw with the DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Shaw will be one of the featured panelists on an exclusive Texas Lawbook/ACC DFW CLE on May 8.