Chevron Corp.’s decision to tap a Hunton & Williams partner to serve as its next general counsel is almost certainly good news for that firm. R. Hewitt Pate, the Washington-based head of the firm’s global competition group, takes over the vice president and general counsel position from Charles James, a former Jones Day antitrust leader who was promoted to executive vice president of the San Ramon, Calif.-based oil giant earlier this year. Both men once ran the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division, and both come from outside Chevron’s traditional firm of choice for general counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.
Until James became GC in 2003, Pillsbury reigned as the company’s primary outside lawyers, and for decades former Pillsbury partners served as Chevron’s general counsel. Despite increased competition for the company’s business, a Pillsbury spokeswoman described the firm’s relationship with Chevron as “strong.” In an e-mail, Pate said leaving Hunton is hard, but added that he used to spend time on environmental, admiralty and other commercial cases, and looks forward to “returning to work on a broad range of matters.” Chevron is battling a $27 billion lawsuit pertaining to waste dumping in Ecuador. — Leigh Jones
