Foley Announces New Chief Talent Officer and Chief Administrative Officer
Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that Jen Cafferty Patton will serve as the firm’s new Chief Talent Officer and Francis Zeiger will serve as the firm’s new Chief Administrative Officer as the firm reorganizes its administrative structure to best support its strategic objectives.
“These two roles reinforce the fact that we as a firm are focused on our commitment to Foley’s greatest asset – our people,” said Daljit Doogal, Foley Chairman and CEO. “We are excited to see both Jen and Fran step into these positions and expand and enhance numerous programs and initiatives across our organization to better support our team members and clients.”
Patton previously held the role of Chief Legal Talent Officer at Foley. In her new role, she will be responsible for both the Legal Talent and Human Resources functions. The fusion of Legal Talent and traditional HR will allow the firm to pursue a more holistic and coordinated approach to managing all of its personnel. Patton will be working to integrate these functions as the firm strives to recruit, develop, and retain world-class talent for both legal and business professionals.
“I am honored to be named Chief Talent Officer and lead this function as the firm enters its next chapter and executes on our new strategic plan,” said Patton. “I want to continue investing in our people with programs and initiatives that offer opportunities for valuable experiences and provide our people with the right resources to build long, successful, and satisfying careers at Foley.”
Patton is based in Foley’s Houston office. She previously practiced law at an Am Law 100 firm, served as General Counsel for the Supreme Court of Texas, and served in various talent-related roles at another Am Law 100 firm before joining Foley in 2019 as its first Chief Legal Talent Officer. She earned her JD, with honors, from The University of Texas School of Law and her BA, cum laude, from Rice University.
Zeiger previously held the role of Director, Administration and Operations in Foley’s Chicago office. In his new position, Zeiger will assume responsibility for all office administration and operations and seek to drive consistency, efficiency, and service excellence across the firm.
“I am excited to take on this new role at the firm and collaborate with our talented team of office administrators,” said Zeiger. “I’ll be looking at innovative ways to implement better processes and develop new approaches to support the firm’s business objectives.”
Zeiger is an accomplished legal administrator with over 20 years of experience in law firm management and operations. Prior to joining Foley in 2017, he served in several senior management roles at two Am Law 100 firms. Zeiger is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He holds an MBA from Saint Xavier University, an MA from Chicago State University, and a BS from Illinois State University. Zeiger is also a certified legal manager (CLM) through the Association of Legal Administrators.
About Foley & Lardner LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP looks beyond the law to focus on the constantly evolving demands facing our clients and their industries. With approximately 1,100 lawyers in 25 offices worldwide, Foley approaches client service by first understanding our clients’ priorities, objectives and challenges. We work hard to understand our clients’ issues and forge long-term relationships with them to help achieve successful outcomes and solve their legal issues through practical business advice and cutting-edge legal insight. Our clients view us as trusted business advisors because we understand that great legal service is only valuable if it is relevant, practical and beneficial to their businesses.
