MLA Places Jonathan Harris as General Counsel with 1970 Group

Hanover, MD (February 13, 2025) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world's leading legal search firm, has successfully placed Jonathan Harris as general counsel with 1970 Group, a specialty risk financing provider. The search was led by Bob Graff and Joanna Herman, both partners with MLA’s In-House Legal Recruiting group based in Atlanta and San Diego. Bob and Joanna have extensive experience working with many private equity-backed companies. 

As general counsel, Jonathan will serve as 1970 Group’s principal legal advisor, responsible for the vision and leadership of the company’s legal strategy. Reporting to 1970 Group’s CEO, he will play a key part of the company’s executive leadership team and manage the internal legal team and outside counsel.

Commenting on the appointment, the team at MLA said: “Jonathan’s prior experience as general counsel at MBIA Inc. provides a solid background and experience for the work he will do with 1970 Group in the specialty risk financing space. As 1970 Group grows, we feel that Jonathan will be a strong asset.”

Jonathan joins 1970 Group from MBIA Inc., where he served as general counsel and secretary of this NYSE-listed financial guarantee insurance company. There, he was a senior advisor to the board of directors and CEO, responsible for all legal, regulatory, securities, SEC reporting and corporate governance matters. Prior to MBIA, Jonathan was a litigation attorney within the Office of the General Counsel at Lehman Brothers. He began his legal career with Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York.

Jonathan earned his Juris Doctor with Honors from Cornell Law School and his Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.