Acting on the recommendation of University of California Board of Regents’ Chair Gerald L. Parsky and UC President Robert C. Dynes, UC regents today (June 2) appointed Jeffrey A. Blair as acting general counsel of the regents and acting vice president for legal affairs, Office of the President.

In October 2005, James E. Holst, UC's general counsel and vice president for legal affairs announced his plans to leave UC in June 2006. Blair will oversee the UC Office of General Counsel until a permanent replacement for Holst is found. A search for a permanent general counsel is being conducted.

Blair, 50, has served as a university counsel since 1989. Prior to joining UC, he practiced law in the private sector. He earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, and a J.D. from University of San Francisco, School of Law.

As acting general counsel, Blair will receive an administrative stipend of $67,200 that will increase his current annual salary of $149,500 to $216,700. (Under UC policy, administrative stipends may be authorized for up to 15 percent of pay for a period not to exceed one year. In this case, the stipend amount is an exception to policy and was determined based upon the duties to be assumed, the salary for the deputy general counsel positions that are now vacant, and is intended to provide an appropriate salary in relation to other attorneys in the Office of General Counsel.) In addition to annual salary, Blair will also receive standard pension and health benefits.

The UC General Counsel 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.

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.

For more information about UC’s Office of General Counsel, please visit:
www.ucop.edu/ogc/

# # #