Royal Mail Group has appointed Slaughter and May corporate partner Jeff Triggs as its interim general counsel, following the departure of former legal chief Doug Evans.

Triggs, who has worked with Royal Mail for more than 20 years, will serve as GC while the company looks for a permanent replacement for Evans, who joined pub operator Mitchells & Butlers as company secretary and general counsel in January.

Triggs, who is Slaughters' Royal Mail relationship partner, played a key role in the financial restructuring of Royal Mail and the Post Office, announced in 2007, as well as advising on the implementation of the 2008 Hooper report looking at the Royal Mail's future. This included recommendations such as a move towards part privatisation and the closure of a number of mail centres.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Triggs has agreed to operate as interim general counsel at Royal Mail while continuing in his role as a corporate partner at Slaughter and May. The company continues its search for a permanent appointment to the role and there has already been interest from a strong field of candidates."

Former GC Doug Evans joined Mitchells & Butlers in January, having initially joined Royal Mail as GC in 2006 from logistics company Exel.

In November Evans finalised the Royal Mail's UK legal panel, scaling it back from eight firms to three.

CMS Cameron McKenna, Beachcroft and Bond Pearce won coveted places on the three-year roster, which covers company and commercial, IT, intellectual property, pensions, dispute resolution and higher value property and employment work for both Royal Mail and the Post Office. Slaughters' position as main corporate adviser was not reviewed.