EY General Counsel Cook Resigns After Two Years in Post

Ernst & Young LLP’s top inside lawyer is leaving the US firm after a turbulent two years that spanned the collapse of the firm’s global break-up plan and a $100 million settlement for exam cheating and misleading SEC investigators.

Ann Cook, vice chair and general counsel, will resign from the Big Four accounting firm as of Aug. 1, EY said in a statement.

“We wish Ann well in the next chapter,” the firm said. “She has been a valuable member of the leadership team at EY, and we thank her for her many positive contributions over the years.” EY didn’t give a reason for her departure.

• Cook was named to the role in 2021, succeeding Ron Hauben, who joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP after leaving the firm. Cook previously was deputy general counsel and joined EY in 2013 from King & Spalding LLP, where she was a partner.
• Cook’s tenure overlapped with the SEC’s probe into ethics exam cheating and efforts to hamper the regulator’s inquiry. As part of the record-setting settlement, the firm last year agreed to hire an outside consultant to scrutinize its decision, including the role of its lawyers, not to report the lapses after SEC staff had asked about possible cheating in 2019. EY didn’t respond to questions about the status of that review.
• Earlier this year, leaders of EY’s US member firm opted not to take part in a global spinoff of its consulting business and much of its tax practice, ending months of infighting among top partners and halting the historic shake-up plan.