AUGUSTA — The president of the Maine Community College System and the state’s chief deputy attorney general have been chosen to lead Gov. Janet Mills’ legal team.

Derek Langhauser, the top administrator of the community college system for four years, will serve as chief legal counsel, and Linda Pistner, deputy attorney general since 1994, will be deputy legal counsel, Mills announced Monday.

“Attorneys Derek Langhauser and Linda Pistner have dedicated their careers to serving the people of Maine, and I am excited they will continue that service as chief legal counsel and deputy legal counsel, respectively, in my office,” Mills, a Democrat, said in a written statement.”They are two of the sharpest legal minds in the state. Their wealth of experience, and their deep respect for the Constitution and the rule of law, will be a tremendous asset to the people of Maine in the coming years.”

Langhauser called the appointment a “high privilege” and praised both Mills and Pistner. “She and Ms. Pistner are themselves both excellent, experienced lawyers, so it will be an even greater privilege to have one for a client and one for a colleague,” Langhauser said in a written statement.

The community college system said David Daigler, the system’s vice president and chief financial officer, will succeed Langhauser and serve as president for a two-year term.

Pistner, who has worked with Mills for six of the past eight years, said the experience has “enriched my life.”

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join Gov. Mills in continuing our shared work on behalf of the people of Maine, and I look forward to working closely with Mr. Langhauser, for whom I also have the greatest respect,” Pistner said.

Langhauser, 56, has practiced law for more than 30 years, advising all three branches of government. He clerked for two Maine Supreme Judicial Court justices and served as constitutional counsel to Gov. John McKernan, a Republican, for four years and counsel to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, also a Republican, for 14 years. Most recently, Langhauser served as general counsel and president of the community college system. He is also a member of the Council of The American Law Institute, a fellow and former president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Langhauser lives in Cumberland Foreside with his wife and daughter.

Pistner, 68, has served five Maine attorneys general as their chief deputy, working closely with the Legislature and its staff, as well as the counsel of former governors. Pistner also has served on the Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access Laws since its inception and provides training on that topic to members of the Legislature. She also serves as the attorney general’s representative on the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission and the Advisory Committee on Professional Responsibility. Pistner is a 1975 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and lives in Manchester.

Scott Thistle can be contacted at 791-6330 or at:

sthistle@pressherald.com

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