Unocal Names Senior Vice President

Unocal Corp. named Samuel H. Gillespie III as its senior vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel after a nine-month executive search.

Gillespie, who was once general counsel for the former Mobil Corp., joins the El Segundo-based oil company from the Washington, D.C., office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he handled energy issues and international projects, Unocal said. He fills a vacancy created when Dennis P.R. Codon left Unocal last December.

Unocal executives Charles O. Strathman and Timothy H. Thomas, both vice presidents of law, served as temporary replacements for Codon during the search. They will return to their previous roles after a transition period, Unocal said.

-- Elizabeth Douglass