Alex Macgillivray has served as Twitter’s General Counsel since 2009, but according to a report from Tech Crunch, the seasoned lawyer is preparing to say his goodbyes to the noted internet company. Macgillivray revealed the news on his personal website on Friday, stating that he will now pass the baton to Vijaya Gadde, a director in Twitter’s legal department and a former associate with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the same firm where Macgillivray also once worked.

“As we transition, I will dial back my day to day involvement with Twitter,” Macgillivray wrote in his statement.  “I’ll continue to support the company and its great people by staying on as an advisor for the legal, trust & safety, corporate development and public policy teams. I continue to care deeply about Twitter, the folks who work at Twitter and our tremendous users, so I’ll remain close to all three.”

Prior to taking the top legal job at Twitter, Macgillivray had already made a name for himself in the law profession. He served as DGC of Product at IP at Google, defending, among other cases, the Google book scan initiative. With Twitter, Macgillivray has helped protect users from government agency investigations and other invasions of first amendment rights.

So where will Macgillivray be heading next? Whether or not the veteran lawyer is retiring or just taking a break is not immediately apparent from his statements thus far. In his blog post, Macgillivray wrote that he was looking forward to “engaging [his] various internet passions,” “seeing friends and family without distraction,” and “just goofing off a bit.” Macgillivray also called his work at Google and Twitter “a privilege and a lot of work,” suggesting that he is getting out of the business for awhile to enjoy some well-earned relaxation.

Whether Macgillivray will work in the legal profession again remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: he will be missed at Twitter. Throughout his first four years with the company, Macgillivray has toppled countless cases that threatened to hinder the free speech of users and the forward-thinking ingenuity of the staff. All accounts point toward Macgillivray being a well-liked member of the Twitter team, and while his departure from the company seems sudden, there is little doubt that the parting of the ways is amicable for both parties.

As the mantle is passed to Gadde, Twitter will likely take the opportunity to make a few other change-ups within its legal department. For one thing, Tech Crunch reports that Colin Crowell, Twitter’s current director of public policy, will now begin reporting directly to Dick Costolo, company CEO, rather than to the General Council.