Sony’s games division appeals to Amazon lawyer as GC

(Reuters) – Stephanie Burns, who returned to Amazon.com Inc’s legal department last year after a brief stint at StubHub Inc, is on the move again, this time at Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc as vice president senior and general counsel.

Sony’s PlayStation unit announced the hiring in a LinkedIn post on Monday, saying Burns will lead Sony Interactive Entertainment’s global legal team, overseeing the legal, intellectual property and commercial affairs of the PlayStation brands and affiliates.

Sony Interactive Entertainment chief legal officer Riley Russell confirmed on Tuesday that he is leaving the company at the end of the month for a new role, which he hopes to announce soon.

“The next GC has a big job ahead of them and I want to be as helpful as possible,” Russell said in a July LinkedIn post announcing his departure. “After that, I will put my over 30 years of experience and expertise to good use and hopefully put them to good use in my next business.”

Russell has been with Sony Entertainment since 1994, having served for 22 years as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal and Commercial Affairs and becoming General Counsel in 2016. The announcement of his resignation came as the company was defending itself against two class actions relating to alleged monopoly pricing on the PlayStation Store.

Burns was not immediately available to discuss his move on Tuesday. Most recently, she was Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Amazon, which she joined last May after just over a year at StubHub. Prior to StubHub, Burns spent nearly 15 years at Amazon and previously led a group of attorneys and legal professionals as vice president and associate general counsel.

Prior to joining Amazon, Burns worked at a handful of software companies and law firms, including Merant, Chrome Systems, Davis Wright Tremaine, and The Gary Law Group, according to his LinkedIn profile.