Qualcomm's head lawyer resigns
Qualcomm said Monday that its top lawyer is leaving the company.
Lou Lupin, who has served as Qualcomm's executive vice president and general counsel since 2000, is stepping down from his post, the company said. The company didn't provide any details about why Lupin is leaving. But his departure comes just a week after the company was dealt another legal blow in its ongoing battle with Broadcom.
Last week, the Bush administration declined to step in to veto a ban imposed by the Federal Trade Commission on importing cell phones using Qualcomm chips that have been found to infringe on a Broadcom patent. The FTC issued the ban in June. Qualcomm is still appealing the decision, which went into effect last week.
Carol Lam, who joined Qualcomm's legal team in February, will be the new general counsel for Qualcomm. Prior to her job with the chipmaker, Lam served as a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California.
Update 9:26 a.m. PDT Tuesday: Carol Lam will be the interim general counsel for Qualcomm while the company looks for a replacement. She will not be the permanent general counsel as the story above suggests.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
