NEW YORK (Bloomberg) — Willis Group Holdings Ltd., the world’s third-largest insurance broker, hired Adam Ciongoli as general counsel to oversee legal, compliance and audit responsibilities.“He’s more than just a lawyer,” Willis spokesman Daniel Prince said yesterday in a phone interview.

Ciongoli, 38, was most recently law clerk to US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. and previously worked as TimeWarner Europe’s general counsel. He replaces Eric Dinallo, who left to become New York’s superintendent of insurance under newly elected Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Willis, based in London, also promoted Mary Caiazzo to the new position of chief legal officer, overseeing the company’s legal functions worldwide. Caiazzo, also general counsel of Willis North America, has worked at the company for nine years.