General Motors has at last selected a new chief counsel: Craig Glidden, who has served as general counsel for Chevron, will replace Michael Millikin as he retires.

"Craig Glidden has had a distinguished career managing complex legal issues around the world, and his broad legal and senior management expertise fits perfectly with our strategic priorities and plans for global growth," GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement.

Millikin, 66, who has been at GM for 38 years and has been the automaker's general counsel for five, received criticism last year for how GM's legal department responded to deaths and injuries in vehicles equipped with faulty ignition switches.

The automaker recalled around 2.59 million small cars last year equipped with switches that can abruptly turn off while the vehicle is moving. At least 56 deaths and dozens of injuries have been connected with the issue in the last decade.

Fifteen GM employees were fired in the wake of the recall, and senators in Capitol Hill hearings last summer wondered why Millikin kept his job, according to Automotive News. The investigation found that Millikin had not known about the problematic switches until after the recall was made public.  

Barra thanked Millikin in a statement.

"I'd like to thank Mike for all he has done to support GM throughout his 38-year career, and especially in the time he served as general counsel," she said.

Glidden, 57, was last at plastics and chemicals refiner LyondellBasell Industries, where he oversaw global legal, communications, government affairs and compliance groups for the company, according to a GM press release.

Before coming to LyondellBasell Industries in 2009, Glidden was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.

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