Chevron Corporation says that executive vice president, Charles A. James, will leave the company effective May 2, 2010. James, who intends to retire from the active practice of law, will join the adjunct faculty of the law school at Arizona State University and pursue other charitable ventures. This move is part of a planned transition under which James led the recruitment of his successor, R. Hewitt Pate, vice president and general counsel. Pate joined the company in August 2009 and has reported to James during this transition period.

"Charles has provided tremendous leadership to our global legal team over the past eight years," said John Watson, Chevron's chairman and CEO. "During his tenure, he created a world-class law function and guided our legal strategy on a range of complex and important legal matters. Charles will have an ongoing consulting relationship with Chevron and we look forward to drawing on his deep understanding of the law and our business. We wish him well."

Prior to joining Chevron, James was assistant attorney general in charge of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. He also practiced law at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Washington, D.C., and served in the first Bush administration as deputy and acting assistant attorney general.

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