University of California Office of the President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005
Trey Davis, (510) 987-0056
trey.davis@ucop.edu

UNIVERSITY'S TOP LAWYER TO STEP DOWN AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS' SERVICE

After more than four decades as an attorney for the University of California -- and 20 years as its top lawyer -- James E. Holst has announced that he will be stepping down as UC's general counsel and vice president for legal affairs. He will conclude his distinguished service effective next June.

"I deeply appreciate the opportunity to have served the public mission of this great university," Holst said. "I value the experiences, support and, most importantly, the quality of the legal work of my staff who have established the position and reputation of this office over the course of these years."

Holst, 66, has been general counsel of the UC Board of Regents since December 1985. As general counsel, he is the university's chief legal officer and reports to the regents and the president of the university.

Holst's association with the university dates back to his student days. He graduated with honors in political science from UC Berkeley in 1960 and received his law degree from the UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall in 1963. The following year, he joined the Office of the General Counsel. He became chief associate counsel in 1974 and deputy general counsel in 1984.

"Jim Holst has a remarkable record of service not only to the university, but to the people of California as well. In a profession steeped in precedents and landmarks, he will leave an indelible legacy of dedication and integrity by which future public servants will be measured," said regents’ chairman Gerald L. Parsky.

"Jim Holst has ably served seven university presidents -- beginning with Clark Kerr -- and hundreds of regents during his tenure with the university. I am especially grateful for the wise counsel he has given me as president, and all of the regents will miss his steady presence and wise counsel as they move forward to shape the university's future for coming generations," UC President Robert C. Dynes said.

Holst oversees a staff of 40 attorneys and 45 paralegal, administrative and support staff in the UC systemwide headquarters in Oakland, as well as another 17 attorneys at six of the 10 UC campuses with resident counsel.

"My colleagues -- past and present -- are an extraordinary group whose character, commitment and counsel have been the hallmark of our effort and place the office at the head of the highest rank of legal offices serving higher education," Holst said.

Attorneys in the general counsel's office handle a broad and complex range of legal affairs, including litigation, labor law and personnel matters, real estate acquisition, development and leasing, environmental regulations, patents and technology transfer, tax, public financing and lending, general liability, intellectual property, disability rights, medical regulations and health law, estates and trusts, and various contracts associated with the business operations of the UC system.

"Jim's departure marks the end of an era in leadership for higher education in California," Parsky said.

Holst's plans for the future include continued professional activity with significant time for family and travel.

Chairman Parsky and President Dynes will announce an advisory committee and details about the process for selecting a new general counsel in the coming weeks.

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