Phillips hires Christie’s lawyer as GC for North America

Phillips has hired an art auction house veteran, Hartley Waltman, as its general counsel for North America. He’ll be based in New York and starts next month. Waltman will oversee the legal functions in North America and assume responsibility for Phillips’ legal and compliance functions throughout the Americas. Waltman will report to Martin Wilson, chief legal counsel, who is based in London.

Waltman joins Phillips following a 20-year career at Christie’s, where he was most recently senior VP and senior counsel. While at Christie’s, Waltman was the lead counsel for the sale of the Peggy and David Rockefeller Collection. Prior to this, he was a partner with Foreht Last Waltman & Katz

“Hartley is an exceptional lawyer with a long history in the auction business,” said Edward Dolman, Phillips CEO. “He brings with him considerable expertise, sharp judgement and a long track record of successfully negotiating high value art transactions and resolving complex disputes. We are building extraordinary momentum at Phillips and I am pleased that Hartley will help us navigate through complex issues in the Americas.”