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The top lawyer at United Airlines' parent company has resigned.

Paul Lovejoy decided to leave Chicago-based UAL Corporation for "for personal reasons," according to a company spokesperson. Assistant general counsel Ricks Frazier will serve as interim general counsel until a replacement is found.

However, the company didn't release an official press release or statement announcing Lovejoy's resignation. Instead, his departure was made public in a tersely worded one-sentence statement filed on November 5 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It said only that Lovejoy had "ceased" to serve as general counsel, effective November 1.

The Chicago Tribune emphasized that there was no "leaving to spend more time with family" corporate speak from the "friendly skies" airline.

Lovejoy did not respond to requests for comment. He had been general counsel of UAL Corporation and United Airlines, its principal subsidiary company, since 2003, one year after the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

Lovejoy specialized in mergers and acquisitions before joining UAL Corporation. He handled M&A work, joint ventures and strategic alliances and investments as a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York before joining United.

In 2001, he represented Texaco Inc. in its merger with Chevron Corporation. He also represented investment banks and other financial services companies in acquisitions, including Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s acquisition of SG Cowen Brokerage in 2001.

But Lovejoy's legal department at United had less success with mergers in a post-Sept. 11 business climate. In 2008, merger talks between UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines fell through, although they reached an agreement to link their networks and operations. UAL Corporation also held merger discussions with US Airways recently, but with little results.

Also See: United's General Counsel, Paul Lovejoy, Has Left the Airline (from The Chicago Tribune)

Also See: UAL Corporation's Statement to the SEC (pdf)

Before becoming an M&A specialist, Lovejoy oversaw major transactions at Texaco Inc. as assistant general counsel from 1990 to 19999. UAL Corporation chairman and chief executive Glenn Tilton spent 32 years at Texaco before joining the airline company in 2002. Lovejoy's interim replacement, Ricks Frazier, was also an associate general counsel at Texaco.

Before joining Texaco, Lovejoy was a partner at Cleveland-based Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.

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