CBS Says Chief Legal Officer Lawrence Tu Will Depart

By Brian Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Lawrence Tu, the chief legal officer of CBS Corp.,  has decided to leave the company, disclosed in a filing Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Tu, who joined CBS in 2014 after serving as general counsel for Dell Inc., had decided to retire, according to a person familiar with the matter. He reported to former CEO Leslie Moonves upon his initial hire. He will serve as a senior advisor to the CEO after leaving the company on March 1, the filing said, a role that will last until April 30 of this year.

Laura Franco, a CBS Corp. veteran who has been associate general counsel of strategic transactions, has been named the company’s new executive vice president and general counsel, the person familiar with the matter said. Franco has advised on matters related to mergers and acquisitions, cable distribution, and licensing, among other things, this person said.