CIRM Names Chief Legal Counsel: Deputy Attorney General to Join California Stem Cell Agency

SAN FRANCISCO, March 1, 2007 – The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) announced today that Tamar Pachter will be joining the agency as General Counsel, effective March 19, 2007.

  Pachter is currently Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice, where she has served as lead defense counsel in the litigation challenging the constitutionality of the CIRM, its governing board, and Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. Since joining the Justice Department more than four years ago, she has been responsible for enforcement of state and federal antitrust law, served with the bankruptcy practice group, and led teams of attorneys in legal and regulatory disputes with energy companies. She was a litigator in private practice for 13 years before joining the Justice Department.

  “Tamar’s legal credentials are impeccable,” said Zach W. Hall, Ph.D., the CIRM’s President and Chief Scientific Officer. “She has broad experience in regulatory arenas and we know shes a superb litigator from direct experience. We are delighted to see her join our senior management team, and I know we will benefit greatly from her counsel.”

Hall said Pachter was selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants. “Given all the challenges and controversy we’ve faced in the past two years, especially around legal issues, the interest in this position is indicative of the excitement people feel about stem cell research, despite our travails. Tamar’s commitment and enthusiasm for our project truly stood out in a competitive field.”

  Pachter holds a J.D. cum laude from Fordham University School of Law, where she was associate editor of the law review. She received a B.S. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and various federal district and appellate courts, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court.

About CIRM
71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was approved by California voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities. For more information, please visit www.cirm.ca.gov.

Contact: Dale A. Carlson
                415/396-9117