NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - Apple Inc., the maker of the iPhone and the iPod media player, named former Intel Corp. General Counsel Bruce Sewell as its top lawyer.

Mr. Sewell replaces Daniel Cooperman, who held the role for two years and will retire at the end of this month, Apple said today in a statement. Mr. Sewell will be the head of legal and government affairs, reporting to CEO Steve Jobs.

Mr. Sewell, who left Intel on Monday, joins Apple as the company tackles lawsuits and probes related to its products. In July, the Federal Communications Commission opened an inquiry into why Apple had not approved a Google Inc. voice application for the iPhone. On August 24, a US trade agency said it will consider chip-related patent-infringement claims against Apple and six other companies.

Mr. Sewell left Intel amid a shakeup of senior management that included the departure of Patrick Gelsinger, the co-head of Intel's largest business unit, for storage-device maker EMC Corp.

Apple rose $1.56 to $173.72 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading on Monday. The shares have more than doubled this year.