By Casey Sullivan

Oct 30 (Reuters) - The San Francisco law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe announced Tuesday that it had selected Silicon Valley partner Mitchell Zuklie, 43, to succeed the firm's longtime chairman, Ralph Baxter.

Zuklie, the head of the firm's corporate business unit, specializes in advising technology start-ups and has worked with companies such as eHarmony, Zoom Systems and Upstart. He will take over as chairman in January 2014, after Baxter has transitioned him into the role over the course of 15 months.

Baxter, 65, has served as chairman for 22 years and has overseen the expansion of Orrick from a 300-lawyer San Francisco firm that specialized in municipal bond work into a diversified international operation with 1,100 lawyers.

Baxter helped start a law firm trend in 2002 when he opened administrative offices in Wheeling, West Virginia, where wages and living costs were much lower than San Francisco and New York. Dozens of other firms attempting to save on accounting, word processing and similar work have followed suit.

In an interview, Baxter said he hasn't made up his mind about what he will do next, but said he has considered seeking a role in public service.

Other candidates considered for the position of chairman included James Stengel, a New York mass torts and product liability lawyer, Alan Benjamin, a Los Angeles banking and debt lawyer, and Walt Brown, a San Francisco white collar lawyer, Baxter said. The American Lawyer first reported the news earlier this year.

None of the candidates were immediately available for comment.

While Baxter gave up his role at Orrick as a practicing attorney when chosen to lead the firm, Zuklie will continue to work as a corporate lawyer, according to a firm spokesman.

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