NAR antitrust lawyer now chief legal officer at Compass 

Editor's note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who've recently taken on, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.

Antitrust attorney joins Compass

Ethan Glass, the litigator who served as the National Association of Realtors' lead antitrust attorney in the Sitzer/Burnett case, has joined Compass as the brokerage's new chief legal officer. In a nod to the upheaval that real estate has faced in recent years, Glass said in a press release that he is "excited to provide my expertise to a company that is so clearly aligned with supporting both its agents and the homeowners they serve."

Glass, who already represented Compass earlier this year in its lawsuit against Northwest Multiple Listing Service, brings antitrust litigation experience from his time working at the Department of Justice and at Cooley LLP, where he led the firm's Global Antitrust and Competition Practice. 

"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," Compass Founder and CEO Robert Reffkin said in the release. Compass also sued Zillow in June.

Glass' appointment "reflects our unwavering commitment to seller choice and challenging these restrictive practices that limit when, where, and how homeowners can market their homes," Reffkin added.

Meanwhile, Compass General Counsel Brad Serwin will be transitioning out of his role on Dec. 31 after five years with the company, according to a Sept. 9 SEC filing. Serwin, who will be starting his own private practice, will continue consulting Compass until mid-March 2026, the filing noted.

NAR taps MLS consultant

NAR is enlisting MLS strategist David Charron to serve as a consultant. In his work with NAR staff, Charron will "leverage his unique insights into the day-to-day operations of MLSs to ensure MLS policies are achieving their intended objectives," an NAR spokesperson told Real Estate News.

Charron is currently the director of Collabra Technology and an executive advisor at Pacaso. He previously spent over eight years as an advisor and strategist for Bright MLS and also served as the president and CEO of Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc., before it became part of Bright.

"The MLSs play a critical role in fostering fair, competitive, and transparent real estate markets that benefit consumers, agents, and the economy," the NAR spokesperson said. "NAR is excited to have David join the team as a consultant to help us enhance our partnership with MLSs for the betterment of the industry."