Replaces Michael R. Orme, who will be retiring from BYU after more than 30 years of service
President Kevin J Worthen, following approval from the BYU Board of Trustees, has appointed Steven M. Sandberg as assistant to the president and general counsel at Brigham Young University. Sandberg will replace Michael R. Orme, who after more than three decades of service in BYU’s general counsel office (the university’s legal office) will be retiring.
Sandberg, whose appointment is effective December 1, 2018, is currently the deputy general counsel at BYU. He has been a part of BYU’s general counsel office since 2006.
“Steve is well prepared for this new assignment,” said Worthen. “He is one of the brightest legal minds I have met, and he has extensive experience in dealing with important and sensitive legal issues. He also has a gift for bringing people together to solve difficult issues. I look forward to working more closely with him.”
In making this announcement, Worthen paid tribute to Orme and expressed appreciation for his years of service to the university.
“No one has been more dedicated to BYU’s mission than has Mike during his more than 30 years in the general counsel’s office, the last 13 of which he served as general counsel. He has done an extraordinary job of meeting the challenges a general counsel office faces, both by his own personal efforts and by assembling a team of remarkable lawyers, who share his passion for BYU, as well as his legal acumen.”
Sandberg will oversee all legal, compliance, risk management, audit and regulatory affairs for the university. He will also coordinate legal affairs for BYU–Hawaii, BYU–Idaho and LDS Business College.
A BYU alumnus who majored in English and was a National Merit/Trustees Scholar, Sandberg received his juris doctorate from Columbia University School of Law. He served as a law clerk to Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and practiced law at Morrison & Foerster LLP in Irvine, Calif.
