Corena Norris-McCluney of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton (Courtesy photo)

After serving as general counsel at Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp., Corena Norris-McCluney has returned to Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in its Winston-Salem, North Carolina, office.

Norris-McCluney had previously practiced at Kilpatrick from 2002 to 2014, when she joined Krispy Kreme, a longtime client of the firm headquartered in Winston-Salem.

She has rejoined the firm’s labor and employment team as counsel. Krispy Kreme has not yet announced her successor.

“We are excited to welcome Corena back home,” said Steve Berlin, the managing partner of Kilpatrick’s Winston-Salem office, in an announcement Tuesday. “She brings invaluable experience and the unique perspective of working in-house at one of the world’s most recognizable brands. She knows what clients need and will be an incredible resource for them and our attorneys firmwide.”

Overseeing the legal department at Krispy Kreme was “more than just producing doughnuts,” Norris-McCluney told Wake Forest Law students in 2017 at an event that included Krispy Kreme doughnuts. “We’re in 31 countries with 13,500 stores, consumer-packaged goods and licensing. Each day, you never know what you’re going to get.”

“My experience having served as general counsel for one of the best brands uniquely positions me to provide our clients with insight gained from my incredible experience at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts,” Norris-McCluney said in the announcement. “I look forward to working with colleagues that I have known for years and those that are new.”

Norris-McCluney is a graduate of North Carolina State University and earned her law degree from Wake Forest University Law School.

During her initial 12 years at Kilpatrick, Norris-McCluney advised global clients on labor and employment matters, federal and state laws and general human resources issues. She also represented employers in investigations before government agencies, including the EEOC and the Labor Department, and defended them in litigation before North Carolina state, appellate and federal courts.

Over her years in the Triad, the Winston-Salem-Greensboro-High Point area in North Carolina, she has served on the boards of the Winston-Salem Foundation, Crisis Control Ministry and the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina. She also has been a member of the Winston-Salem Capital Campaign Coordinating Committee and the group’s Black Philanthropy Initiative Advisory Board.

The Triad Business Journal has recognized her as one of its “Leading Women in Business” and she’s received a Rising Star Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.