Emory Report

November 15, 1999

Volume 52, No. 12

Alexander named new University general counsel Kent Alexander, a partner in the King & Spalding law firm and former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, has been appointed senior vice president and general counsel for the University, effective Jan. 1, 2000. Alexander will serve as the chief legal officer for the University and provide legal perspective and advice on a wide range of legal issues. "One of the basic reasons I selected Kent Alexander to be our chief legal counselor is owing to his very considerable experience and expertise as a litigator with the U.S. Attorney's office and King & Spalding," said President Bill Chace. Alexander succeeds the late Joseph Crooks, who died unexpectedly in January. Alexander will manage a legal team of in-house and outside counsel that cover almost all areas of the law, including health care and medical research; litigation; intellectual property; strategic alliances and new ventures in research; legislative and regulatory affairs; general business law; contracts; labor and employment law; tax, trusts and estates; real estate and zoning; risk management; and faculty matters. Alexander joined King & Spalding's special matters team as counsel in 1992 and was elected partner the following year. In 1994 he left to serve as the presidentially appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia for four years. In late 1997 he returned to King & Spalding and has represented clients in a variety of litigation, False Claims Act, grand jury and internal investigation matters. His clients have included health care providers, financial institutions, educational institutions, manufacturers and service providers, as well as individuals. He also has co-chaired the firm's cross-team technology practice group. As a federal attorney, Alexander was selected to serve both on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee and National Council on White Collar Crime. Locally he directed several initiatives and actively participated in security matters and Americans with Disabilities Act matters associated with the 1996 Olympics. From 1985-92, Alexander served as an assistant U.S. attorney. Alexander co-authored a 1996 law review article on computer crime published by the Emory Law Journal. This year he co-authored an article on the Economic Espionage Act (trade secret theft) to be published by the Georgia State University Law Review. He also has lectured frequently at Emory and around the country. He graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University in 1980 and from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1983. Alexander serves on the boards of the Technology Association of Georgia, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Atlanta Urban League, American Jewish Committee (Atlanta chapter), and Hands On Atlanta (co-founder and advisory board chair). This year, Gov. Roy Barnes appointed Alexander to serve with him on the five-member Georgia Building Authority. "The firm lost Kent earlier in his career to the U.S. Attorney's office and yields this time to our client, Emory University," said Ralph Levy, managing partner of King & Spalding. "We take enormous pride in our partner's achievements and support him in all that he does." Alexander, 41, is married to Diane Alexander, a plastic surgery resident at Emory. They have two children. -Jan Gleason Return to November 15, 1999 contents page