General counsel in the US have come under fire in the past week as the authorities continue to exert regulatory pressure on companies.

Last week pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb announced it had parted company with its general counsel, Richard Willard, following an investigation into the negotiation of a settlement agreement. This related to litigation concerning the use of a drug manufactured by Bristol-Myers.

Bristol-Myers said in a statement that Federal Judge Frederick Lacey had recommended to the board that Willard's contract, as well as that of chief executive Peter Dolan, be terminated.

Willard, who joined Bristol-Myers from Gillette in October last year, has been replaced by company secretary Sandra Leung, who will act as interim general counsel.

Meanwhile, Hewlett Packard (HP) general counsel Ann Baskins has come under pressure after it was alleged that private investigators working for the computer giant's board spied on two employees as part of an investigation into boardroom leaks.

Last week the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to Baskins, as well as outgoing chairwoman Patricia Dunn, asking her to appear before its oversight and investigations panel later this month.

During the same week it was reported that HP shareholder Juliet Worsham filed a lawsuit in a Santa Clara court on behalf of all of the company's shareholders alleging that certain HP executives, including Baskins, had breached their fiduciary duties and abused their power.