General counsel announces retirement

LAWRENCE — A key member of the University of Kansas executive team will be retiring after 17 years of service.

General Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs Jim Pottorff has announced that he will retire. Pottorff has headed the Office of the General Counsel since 2000 and has been instrumental to many of KU’s most important initiatives.

“The University of Kansas and the state we serve have benefited immensely from Jim’s service,” said Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “He has left his mark on the university and made it a better place than he found it, and we will miss his experience and expertise. I want to congratulate Jim on his retirement and thank him for his efforts on behalf of KU.”

Rachel Rolf, associate general counsel since 2010, will serve as the interim general counsel, effective immediately.

“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve the university and our community during a time of dynamic and far-reaching changes," Pottorff said. "Our legal team is superb, and I know that they will continue to represent the university with utmost professionalism and integrity. I wish them and the entire university community the very best in the years ahead.”

The university will begin the search process for its next general counsel in the coming weeks.