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WHO IS … Rick Cotton ?

Rick Cotton was named executive vice president and general counsel of NBC Universal in August 2004. He supervises the NBCUniversal Law Department, as well as NBCUniversal's global regulatory and legislative agenda, including worldwide anti-piracy efforts. 

 Cotton is also the chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce cross-sector Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP), and serves on the Steering Committee for the International Chamber of Commerce’s Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy.

 From 2000 to 2004, Cotton served as president and managing director of London-based CNBC Europe. Before joining CNBC Europe Cotton served as EVP and general counsel of NBC, a position he held for 11 years. 

Prior to that he held a wide range of roles, including President and Chief Executive officer of Washington-based management company HCX Inc; Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under Secretary Joseph A. Califano; and special counsel to Deputy Secretary John Sawhill of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Prior to that he worked for two public interest legal organizations, and taught law at the Boalt Hall Law School at the University of California at Berkeley.

 Cotton also served as law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and to Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States.

 After graduating from Harvard, Cotton joined Newsweek magazine as a correspondent. He graduated cum laude from Yale Law School.