Dane Butswinkas, the Washington-based trial lawyer and chairman of Williams & Connolly, will become the next general counsel to Tesla Inc., arriving as the company attempts to climb out of a period of intense regulatory scrutiny.

Butswinkas, who has practiced at Williams & Connolly for 30 years and was serving as co-chair of the firm’s commercial litigation and financial services and banking groups, replaces Todd Maron as the company’s top in-house lawyer effective January. Maron had been general counsel since 2013.