Biographical Summary

A former law clerk for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Ale in May 2012 was appointed Vice President and General Counsel at Occidental Petroleum Corporation, the country's fourth-largest oil and gas company. He comes to the Los Angeles-based firm, commonly known as "Oxy," after more than 30 years of experience handling legal issues for companies in the energy sector. Prior to joining Oxy, Ale was a Partner with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in the big oil town of Houston. Before joining Skadden in 2002, Ale represented energy clients as a Partner in the Houston and London offices of Vinson & Elkins. Ale earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and later clerked for Justice Warren Burger, then Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. As Oxy's General Counsel, Ale replaces Donald de Brier, who will stay on as Occidental's corporate Executive Vice President and corporate Secretary.