Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM), formally SLM Corporation, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, today announced the appointment of Nicolas Jafarieh to general counsel. Jafarieh succeeds Laurent Lutz, executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary, who announced his retirement. Richard Nelson, senior vice president, chief regulatory counsel, will add the role of corporate secretary.

Jafarieh joined Sallie Mae in 2008 and has extensive experience in financial services and consumer protection. Most recently, he managed several key legal areas for Sallie Mae, including corporate governance and reporting; litigation; employment and benefits; equity and compensation; corporate insurance; and a number of consumer and regulatory matters.

Prior to joining Sallie Mae, Jafarieh was in private practice, first at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld in Washington, D.C., and subsequently at his own firm. He has counseled and represented Fortune 500 financial services, energy, and technology companies, both domestically and internationally.

“Nic’s proven track record as a first-chair litigator and manager of complex transactions and environments prepares him for this next step,” said Raymond J. Quinlan, chairman and CEO, Sallie Mae. “I congratulate Nic and welcome him to this role that will allow him to play a more integral part in our business’s long-term success. I also want to congratulate Rick for his expanded responsibilities that will have him play a leading role in corporate governance. Finally, I want to thank Laurent for his outstanding contributions and efforts to lay the foundation for Sallie Mae’s successful transformation to a customer-focused consumer bank.”

Jafarieh received his degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as an editor on the Virginia Law Review. An active member of the corporate counsel bar on litigation and corporate governance issues, he has also served as the co-chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association’s Litigation Forum, as well as on the boards of several non-profit organizations.

For more information, visit Salliemae.com.

Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.