Boise, Idaho-based memory chip-maker Micron has hired rival Western Digital’s longtime legal chief, Michael Ray, to serve as chief legal officer, the latest legal changing of the guard to occur in the semiconductor industry.

Western Digital had disclosed early this month that Ray was exiting for a new opportunity, capping nearly a quarter-century career at the San Jose, California-based company. His departure comes as Western struggles with declining sales of hard-disk drives, a business it has long dominated, and is preparing to split into two companies, one focused on hard disks and the other on flash memory.