Ailing WorldCom loses its counsel to Viatel

WorldCom's Stuart Blythe has quit the troubled communications company to become group legal counsel at Viatel.

He rejoins his former boss and chief executive of Viatel Lucy Woods, who joined the telco in May 2003.

Blythe was general counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at WorldCom. He will again be reporting to Woods, who was senior vice president for the EMEA region at WorldCom.

WorldCom is expected to emerge from Chapter 11 in the US fairly soon. Weil Gotshal & Manges has been advising on its insolvency and restructuring in the US and in the UK.

Other law firms that Blythe has used since joining WorldCom in the mid-1990s include DLA, Simmons & Simmons, Lovells and Coudert Brothers.

Viatel launched in 1991 following the deregulation of the telecoms market in the UK. It also entered bankruptcy protection in 2002 and has now emerged debt-free following a financial restructuring.