Dropbox CLO Exiting After 13 Years, New Legal Chief Named

Dropbox CLO Bart Volkmer to step down after 13 years, replaced by VP of product counseling and privacy, William Yoon.

Key points:

  • Dropbox CLO Bart Volkmer to step down after 13 years with the company.
  • William Yoon, VP of product counseling and privacy, will take over the role.
  • Yoon has been with Dropbox since 2013, except for a brief stint at Facebook.

Dropbox Inc. is undergoing a leadership change as its chief legal officer, Bart Volkmer, steps down after 13 years with the company. He will be succeeded by William Yoon, the company's vice president of product counseling and privacy, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as reported in Law360.com.

Volkmer notified Dropbox earlier in the week of his intention to step down effective March 28. He will remain as an advisor through April to ensure a smooth transition, the filing states.

"I've spent most of my career at Dropbox, and it's been a tremendous experience from start to finish," Volkmer said in his statement to the SEC. He expressed pride in the legal team's role in the company's achievements and gratitude toward Dropbox CEO Drew Houston for his support.

Houston, who co-founded Dropbox and serves as CEO and board chair, praised Volkmer’s contributions. "Bart has been one of Dropbox's biggest champions since the early days, and I'm grateful for the guidance and leadership he's brought to the company over the last 13 years," Houston said.

Volkmer joined Dropbox in 2011 after spending eight years at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC. He initially led litigation and regulatory efforts before rising to general counsel and eventually chief legal officer more than five years ago. His background includes a judicial clerkship with a U.S. district judge in the Northern District of California. He holds a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and a bachelor's degree from Creighton University.

Yoon, who has been with Dropbox since 2013, will assume the CLO role on March 28. He currently serves as the company’s vice president of product counseling and privacy, a position he has held since 2021. He was also named chief privacy officer in 2020.

Houston expressed confidence in Yoon’s ability to lead the legal department. "He's a tenured product and privacy lawyer, and I'm confident in his ability to lead our legal organization through our company's next stage," Houston said.

Yoon thanked Houston and Volkmer for their trust in him. "It's a privilege to be able to lead this team, and I'm excited for what's ahead," he said in the statement.

Before Dropbox, Yoon spent time at Google in various legal roles, including product counsel and associate privacy counsel. He briefly left Dropbox in 2018 for a five-month stint as associate general counsel at Facebook. Yoon earned his law degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University.

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