Torus Insurance has appointed its first global general counsel after sealing the hire of the US deputy general counsel of rival insurance company Chartis, Jose Ramon Gonzalez.

The hire marks the first-ever general counsel appointment for the insurer, which said that it has brought in the role in response to the increasing number of regulatory requirements facing the insurance industry in the wake of the financial crisis.

Gonzalez, who will report to Torus chief executive Clive Tobin, is based in New Jersey and has overall responsibility for the company's legal, regulatory and compliance function worldwide.

He joined AIG (now Chartis) from Weil Gotshal & Manges in 1999 and was most recently deputy general counsel for the US region.

Commenting on the move, Gonzalez said: "Torus already has an impressive business platform and management team. Every aspect of the operation is designed to provide advanced support to the business as a whole.

"The opportunity to establish a world-class law department for an organisation of this calibre is unique in the industry today."

Torus' decision to appoint its first general counsel comes as growing numbers of companies and private equity firms have taken on senior legal staff in recent years. Recent in-house appointments include private equity house Apax hiring Goldman Sachs lawyer Simon Cresswell as its general counsel, while Bain Capital is still looking for a European legal chief.