SAN FRANCISCO — After almost a decade at Facebook Inc., lead intellectual property lawyer Sam O'Rourke has left his position as vice president and deputy general counsel with the social media giant. According to outside counsel and O'Rourke's personal social media posts, he has no immediate plans for future work.

Michael Rhodes, Cooley partner and long-time outside counsel to Facebook, called O'Rourke an intelligent lawyer who understands people.

“He was able to develop long-standing relationships with lawyers, his management team at Facebook and even with opposing counsel,” Rhodes said.