Compass has appointed Ethan Glass as its new chief legal officer.
Glass — a veteran antitrust lawyer — previously led the global antitrust and competition practice at Cooley LLP and directed U.S. Department of Justice teams that investigated and sued multiple listing service (MLS)[1] organizations over anticompetitive conduct.
“I’m honored to join Compass, a company committed to empowering agents and ensuring homeowners retain control over how their properties are marketed,” Glass said in a statement. “This is a pivotal moment for the real estate industry, and I am excited to provide my expertise to a company that is so clearly aligned with supporting both its agents and the homeowners they serve.”
At Cooley, Glass represented Compass in its lawsuit against Northwest MLS, which challenged the organization’s ban on private exclusive listings[2].
In earlier private practice, he represented the National Association of Realtors in the Sitzer-Burnett lawsuit[3].
Glass has worked on cases involving MLS governance, listing data access, brokerage competition and platform accountability.
Compass founder and CEO Robert Reffkin[4] said Glass’ appointment reflects the company’s position against what it calls restrictive practices by MLSs and real estate platforms.
“At Compass, we firmly believe agents should not be fined by MLSs or banned by Zillow for marketing listings off their platforms and that no agent should be told by an MLS or Zillow how they must work with their clients,” Reffkin said. “Bringing Ethan Glass on board as our chief legal officer reflects our unwavering commitment to seller choice and challenging these restrictive practices that limit when, where, and how homeowners can market their homes.”
References
- ^ multiple listing service (MLS) (www.housingwire.com)
- ^ private exclusive listings (www.housingwire.com)
- ^ Sitzer-Burnett lawsuit (www.housingwire.com)
- ^ Robert Reffkin (www.housingwire.com)