Apple has appointed former Intel general counsel Bruce Sewell as the new head of its legal department, reports Corporate Counsel.

Sewell will replace Daniel Cooperman, who is set to retire at the end of September. He will report to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "We expect this to be a seamless transition," Jobs said in a press release.

Sewell decided to leave Intel after the company began reorganising its business units and shifted more power to three executive vice presidents as part of a management shakeup. Deputy general counsel Suzan Miller is now serving as the interim head of Intel's law department.

Sewell became Intel's general counsel in November 2004. One of his biggest challenges was fighting charges by various government agencies that Intel violated antitrust laws. In May, the European Commission hit Intel with a record-breaking €1.06bn (£936m) fine for offering illegal rebates to computer makers that used fewer or no chips from its main competitor, Advanced Micro Devices. Intel has said it is appealing the decision.

Cooperman, who joined Apple in November 2007 after 10 years at software company Oracle, received a golden handshake of stock grants worth $25m (£12.1m) on his first day at the company.

Last September Apple and several of its officers and directors, including CEO Jobs, agreed to settle a stock options backdating case for $14m (£8m).

Corporate Counsel is a US sister title of Legal Week.