Associated Press has appointed its first general counsel, Dewey Ballantine partner and head of technology John Keitt.
Keitt joins the press agency as senior vice-president and general counsel, with responsibilities for global business development.
The new legal team will be reinforced with the appointment of David Tomlin, assistant to the Associated Press president, as assistant general counsel.
Keitt has advised Assoc-iated Press for more than 20 years, acting on all of the agency’s key transactions.
Keitt is US and UK-qualified. He started his career in the London office of Rogers & Wells (now Clifford Chance), during which time he founded and headed the firm’s technology practice.
In 1999 Keitt and a number of other partners left Rogers & Wells immediately prior to the US firm’s merger with Clifford Chance. Keitt joined Dewey Ballantine as a partner and head of technology.