International law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced today that Jill Ann Fleischer McLeod has joined the Firm as a Partner in its Corporate Group in Anchorage, Alaska.

Ms. McLeod brings the Firm more than 15 years of U.S. and international legal experience, including extensive work in oil and gas, telecommunications, transportation, commercial transactions, procurement and supply chain, contracts, regulatory compliance, environmental, employment and property law. For the past eight years, she has been in-house counsel for ConocoPhillips (Anchorage, Alaska) , the world’s largest independent oil and gas exploration and production company, where she provided expert legal support and advice to the company’s North Slope asset groups, analyzed and evaluated legal issues relating to onshore/offshore oil and gas authorizations, leasing, permitting, drilling, exploration, development and production and collaborated with executive management and industry leaders on strategic planning issues impacting the company and the oil and gas industry.

Before joining ConocoPhillips, Ms. McLeod served as Corporate Counsel for United Companies, Inc., an Alaskan Native-owned corporation, and its subsidiaries, which provide electrical services to Manley, Alaska and telecommunications services to 60 communities in rural Alaska. Before moving back to Alaska in 2000, Ms. McLeod was in private practice with the firm of Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys in Durban, South Africa.

Ms. McLeod has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Natal, School of Law, Durban, South Africa, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (International Politics: International Relations, Law & Organization) from Georgetown University. She also studied at the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland. Ms. McLeod was born and raised in Alaska and is licensed to practice in Alaska, in Washington and as an Attorney and Notary of the High Court of South Africa, Natal Provincial Division.

“We are extremely pleased that Jill has joined the Firm,” noted Ken Cutler, Managing Partner of Dorsey & Whitney. “She will bring our internationally recognized Corporate and M&A practices deep expertise in oil and gas and telecommunications and will bring sophisticated expertise and experience to our Energy and Mining and Natural Resources Industry Groups, as well as our top-ranked Indian and Alaska Native practice. We are committed to growing our capabilities in all these industries and practices across the international platform, and we continue to add talent strategically to better serve our clients around the world.”

Ms. McLeod noted: “I am delighted to be joining Dorsey and its great Firm-wide team of Corporate, M&A, Energy, Mining and Natural Resources, and Indian and Alaskan Native lawyers. When I decided to return to private practice, Dorsey was at the top of my list. I look forward to serving Dorsey’s superb client base.”