Apple’s general counsel Kate Adams took home about $5 million in pay last year, in addition to earning stock in the Cupertino, California-based computer giant, according to Law360. With all the lawsuits the tech giant faces, I’d say she’s worth it.
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Adams is Apple’s general counsel and senior vice president of Legal and Global Security, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. She serves on the company’s executive team and oversees all legal matters, including corporate governance, intellectual property, litigation and securities compliance, global security and privacy.
Adams joined Apple from Honeywell in 2017, where she worked for 14 years, most recently as senior vice president and general counsel. At Honeywell, she was in charge of the organization’s global legal strategy across more than 100 countries.
Prior to joining Honeywell, Adams was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP in New York. Earlier in her career, she served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; as trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice, Appellate Section, Environment and Natural Resources division; and as law clerk for Stephen Breyer, then chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from Brown University and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.