The University of Pittsburgh has divided its chief business and legal offices into separate positions, leading to the appointment of a new general counsel. Jerome Richey – who was most recently chief legal officer and executive vice president of Consol Energy -- will serve as the chief legal officer at Pitt from the beginning of March, reports Corporate Counsel magazine.
Jerome Cochran has served in the dual role since 2004, but the university’s chancellor, Mark Nordenberg, said he knew the split of business and legal roles would come eventually, and the availability of Mr Richey hastened the process.
Elsewhere in US academia, Purdue University in Indiana has bagged its first in-house counsel, appointing Steven Schultz as manager of the institution’s legal function.
Mr Schultz will advise Purdue president Mitch Daniels and the board of trustees on a range of legal issues as well as overseeing the provision of external legal services, reports Corporate Counsel.
Before the announcement, the Boilermakers had primarily relied on Lafayette firm Stuart & Branigin, with a relationship spanning more than 130 years.
Mr Daniels said that by hiring internal counsel, the university hopes to ‘identify opportunities to improve the way we procure and manage legal services and thereby realise certain risk-management, oversight, and cost-savings benefits.’
Also in the US, Californian tech company Rambus has appointed Jae Kim as senior vice president and general counsel. Mr Kim – who succeeds Thomas Lavelle -- will report directly to president and chief executive officer Ronald Black, reports the Fort Mill Times.
Mr Kim joined Rambus in July 2010, serving as vice president and corporate counsel, responsible for a broad range of corporate legal matters. Prior to joining Rambus, Mr Kim held several legal positions at both private and public companies, including Californian law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
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