Rio Tinto legal chief quits for new role at outsourcing partner CPA

Rio Tinto managing attorney Leah Cooper is leaving the mining giant to join legal outsourcing provider CPA Global.

Cooper, who was the driving force behind the deal struck last year by Rio to outsource low-level legal tasks to a team of CPA lawyers in India, will become a member of the company's legal outsourcing board, focusing on strategy and development.

The new role, which is based in London, will not involve the practise of law and will commence at the beginning of March.

Rio Tinto's internal search for Cooper's replacement is underway, led by group executive for legal and internal affairs Debra Valentine.

Cooper told Legal Week: "I've been truly impressed with CPA since I began working with them last year, so coming here was a no-brainer, even if I am taking off my lawyer hat."

CPA chief executive officer Peter Sewell said: "Leah has considerable experience in running major corporate legal departments, working both with law firms and legal outsourcing providers, and understands the pressures and challenges faced by general counsel and in-house legal teams."

The move comes after Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) acquired a significant minority stake in CPA in January, which has seen the company put in place plans to expand its headcount in India - where it currently has around 700 employees - by one third this year.

At CPA, Cooper will join fellow senior in-house lawyers Joshua Box (former Alliance and Leicester head of legal) and Leonie Brown (ex-Bank of America head of EMEA legal) - both of who were recruited late last year to fulfil broad business development-related remits.

CPA, which was founded in 1969 as an intellectual property (IP) renewals service, expanded into outsourcing in 2005 with the acquisition of IP support company Foundation IP and the purchase of a controlling stake in Intellevate.

About half of CPA's legal clients are corporations; the other 50% are law firms, including Eversheds and Clifford Chance.

Click here to view an interview with Leah Cooper about Rio Tinto's outsourcing deal with CPA.