US oil giant Chevron has named Scott Keller as general counsel, part of the company’s succession plan to replace chief legal officer R. Hewitt Pate when he retires in mid-2027.
Keller joins from Lehotsky Keller Cohn, where he is a name partner. Keller is due to join Chevron on 1 July and will report to Pate until taking over the CLO reigns at the start of January next year where he will oversee the company’s global legal affairs.
Mike Wirth, Chevron’s chairman and CEO, said: “Scott brings exceptional experience and expertise, including a strong record of leading through complex matters and a clear understanding of the issues shaping our business environment. I’m pleased to welcome Scott to Chevron and look forward to the valuable experience and perspective he will bring to our company.”
Keller joins after just over five years at his own firm, having previously been a partner at Baker Botts. Earlier in his career he was Solicitor General of Texas and chief counsel to US Senator Ted Cruz on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
His first private practice role was at Yetter Coleman after spending a year clerking for Justice Anthony Kennedy in the US Supreme Court.
Pate, meanwhile, is set to retire after almost two decades at the helm of Chevron’s legal team, originally joining in 2009 from Hunton & Williams where he was a partner and head of the firm’s global competition practice.
During his time at Chevron, he had led several high-profile disputes including a successful defence against a decades-long multibillion-dollar lawsuit in Ecuador.
Wirth said: “Hew has played an important role in shaping Chevron’s legal strategy and successfully leading the company through some of its most consequential matters. His steady leadership, counsel and commitment to Chevron have made a lasting mark on our organisation, and I am grateful for all he has done for our company.”
In other in-house extractives-related moves, last month mining giant Rio Tinto lined up BP’s deputy GC Trudi Charles as its next CLO, replacing Isabelle Deschamps in August.
And in July 2024, Spain’s Cepsa hired Virgina Beltramini as CLO from Atento, replacing Jörg Häring in the role.
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