Fox Rothschild is pleased to announce that Richard A. Coughlin will assume the role of General Counsel at the firm.

Coughlin, previously the firm’s Deputy General Counsel, will take the helm from Rachelle M. Bin, who assumed the role in 2023.

“Rick has been an integral part of the firm’s leadership team for years,” said Todd A. Rodriguez, Fox’s Firmwide Managing Partner. “From leading the firm’s Greensboro office, to serving as our Deputy General Counsel, he has worked with Rachelle and our Executive Committee to handle the behind-the-scenes but nonetheless critical risk prevention and mitigation work essential to our firm’s successful operation and growth.”

As General Counsel, Coughlin will oversee the firm’s legal functions throughout the U.S. He will provide risk management, ethics and compliance advice to the firm’s nationwide network of 1000 attorneys and proactively resolve conflicts while handling litigation, mediation and other legal issues. He will also help develop strategies to anticipate, assess and address emerging risks.

“With a long history of fostering a culture of collaboration, we are confident that Rick will seamlessly blend risk management into all aspects of the firm’s operations,” continued Rodriguez.

Coughlin joined Fox Rothschild in 2018 as part of the firm’s combination with Smith Moore Leatherwood. He is a trial lawyer who dedicated his practice to commercial litigation and intellectual property disputes. Throughout his career, he has represented businesses in matters involving patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, and regularly litigates other commercial and business disputes.

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly included Coughlin on its 2025 and 2026 lists of “Managing Partners to Watch.” Under his leadership, the Greensboro office has grown to become firm’s largest in the Carolinas.

Bin will continue to serve as a member of The Office of General Counsel.

“Rachelle’s work ethic, years of institutional knowledge and her unparalleled mediation skills have been invaluable to the firm throughout her tenure as General Counsel,” said Rodriguez. “We thank her for her years of dedicated leadership.”