Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP (San Diego) announced today that Bob Russell has agreed to continue as the firm’s general counsel for a two-year term.

[caption id="attachment_3228" align="alignleft" width="150"] Bob Russell[/caption]

Russell, who served as managing partner from 1994 to 1997 and who has been general counsel ever since, is the most senior partner at the firm. When Russell started his tenure as general counsel, Procopio had 35 attorneys and has grown to the largest San Diego law firm at more than 145 attorneys.

The position of law firm general counsel was born out of a requirement from insurance carriers who wanted to be sure that at least one law firm partner was focused on mitigating risk. The job today includes client conflict reviews, reviewing firm contracts and managing all aspects of risk management, as well as helping to keep attorneys abreast in changes in the law and in professional responsibility requirements.

The job has becoming increasingly significant given Procopio’s dramatic growth in recent years through lateral attorney hiring and the opening of new offices in Silicon Valley and Austin.

"The job has grown and grown since it was a firm of 35 lawyers," Russell said. "I went from being a fulltime lawyer doing a little general counsel work to being a full time general counsel doing a little bit of client work."

As part of his role as general counsel, Russell is also active on a mid-sized law firm roundtable of peers throughout the country that collaborate on common issues and develop best practices.

"Bob’s contribution to Procopio has been enormous," said Tom Turner, managing partner. "He has developed a reputation nationally and even internationally as a role model for general counsel. We are so appreciative that he has agreed to extend his term to support our continued growth and innovation."