Besides losing Pat Gelsinger, responsible for a big chunk on its revenues, to EMC, Intel also lost its general counsel Bruce Sewell six months before AMD's antitrust case against Intel goes to trial. He's been poached by Intel's dear friend Apple.

Sewell is giving up AMD v Intel, which has set records for the amount of discovery it has produced, Intel's appeal of the European Commission's heady $1.45 billion fine and the company's difference with regulators in Korea and elsewhere to report directly to Steve Jobs, who had no compunctions about throwing one of his former general counsels Nancy Heinen under the bus when Apple's backdating practices, which favored Jobs, came to light. Seems an even trade. The salary's probably swell.

Apple's reportedly placeholding general counsel Daniel Cooperman, an Oracle alumnus, is due to retire at the end of the month after two years on the job. "With Bruce's extensive experience in litigation, securities and intellectual property," Apple is expecting a "seamless transition."

Sewell's departure was reportedly a surprise to Intel. Its deputy general counsel has been named interim general counsel.