Walmart names Erin Nealy Cox as chief legal officer
by March 13, 2026 2:46 pm 964 views
Walmart Inc. has named Erin Nealy Cox as its next chief legal officer. In the role, she also will oversee the retailer’s global governance affairs and serve as corporate secretary.
Cox replaces Rachel Brand, who exited the company in late January after five years with the company. Cox will assume responsibilities on April 13.
“To lead Global Governance for a company of our scale and complexity, you need a leader who has thrived in the most demanding environments,” said John Furner, Walmart president and CEO. “Erin is exactly that leader. She brings a rare combination of legal strategy and operational rigor that will be essential as we continue to navigate the new era of retail, while staying true to our purpose of helping people save money and live better.”
Cox, 56, hales from Texas and joins Walmart from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she has served as a trial lawyer and a partner in the firm’s government, regulatory, and internal investigations group since 2021.
She previously served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas) from 2017 to 2021. Cox was appointed to that post by President Donald Trump. As a U.S. Attorney, she led federal investigations and prosecutions, including matters involving white-collar crime, national security, cybercrime, and public corruption. She was appointed to and then chaired the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.
Before her U.S. Attorney appointment, Cox was an executive director at Stroz Friedberg, a global cybersecurity and risk management firm, where she led its global incident response practice. Her earlier career also included nearly a decade of service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the same district she served as U.S. Attorney.
Cox earned her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
“Walmart is a company defined not just by its scale, but by its heart; and I am honored to join the team at such a pivotal moment,” Cox said. “Throughout my career in both the public and private sectors, I’ve found that the best strategies are always rooted in purpose. Walmart has a clear purpose, one I believe in deeply, and I’m excited to dive in and help our teams continue to serve our customers and members when, how, and where they want.”
Walmart’s Global Governance organization includes global legal, compliance, ethics, corporate governance, digital citizenship, enterprise risk management, litigation, aviation, investigations, and corporate security, including Walmart’s Global Security Operations Center.