The University of Oklahoma has appointed alumnus Armand Paliotta as vice president and general counsel, pending OU Board of Regents' approval.

Paliotta replaces Anil Gollahalli, OU's longest-serving general counsel, who'd held the post 14 years. Gollahalli departed in May to become the chief legal officer for the Big Ten Conference. Deputy General Counsel Susanna Gattoni has been serving as interim general counsel during the transition.

Paliotta joins the university from the Oklahoma City law firm Hartzog Conger Cason, where he has worked for 31 years and is a member of its executive committee.

Paliotta's legal expertise spans a range of practice areas, including business and financial transactions, health care, contract negotiations, real estate finance, securities and business law, tax planning, and sports franchise matters.

Paliotta served as outside general counsel for the NBA's Hornets when the franchise was forced to temporarily relocate after Hurricane Katrina.

In this new role, Paliotta will lead the legal strategy for the university's three campuses, as well as the other two universities governed by the OU Board of Regents—Rogers State University and Cameron University. He will also be responsible for a wide scope of work, including litigation, university and athletics compliance, threat assessment and collections.

"Serving the university in this capacity is both a humbling and tremendous opportunity to give back to an institution that has had a profound impact on my life, and the life of my family," Paliotta said.

At Hartzog Conger, Paliotta has closed transactions aggregating over a billion dollars. He has served as lead counsel and negotiator in matters ranging from international mergers and acquisitions to NBA player issues. Most recently, he played a pivotal role in the agreement to form OU Health, Oklahoma's first comprehensive academic health system.

"Over the last three decades, he has built a significant legal portfolio that will translate well to the higher education and academic health care environment, positioning OU for new levels of excellence," OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said in a statement.

The University of Oklahoma has more than 170 majors, its own law school and a Health Science Center with seven colleges offering 67 degree programs. Its undergraduate student enrollment is about 21,768.