CLEVELAND, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (Paris: CLF) announced that effective Jan. 1, 2011, the Company's Legal Department has been realigned to better support the Company's growth.  Under the new structure, Cliffs' day-to-day legal affairs will be managed under a dual general counsel structure to ensure appropriate support for Cliffs' global operations as well as its board and corporate functions.

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James Graham is promoted to general counsel - global operations and Gina Gunning joins Cliffs as its general counsel - corporate affairs & secretary.  Both general counsel positions report to P. Kelly Tompkins, executive vice president, legal, government affairs and sustainability, and chief legal officer.

"Over the past several months, we've added capacity and new skills to our legal group to better meet an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment around the world," Mr. Tompkins stated. "With James' experience and familiarity with Cliffs' businesses and Gina's proven expertise in the corporate and capital markets sectors, we have two seasoned attorneys who can, working together with a very talented team of professionals, manage Cliffs' day-to-day legal needs and embrace the growth that lies ahead for our businesses," added Mr. Tompkins.

Mr. Graham is responsible for providing counsel to Cliffs' operating units worldwide and managing the in-house lawyers dedicated to serving the company's North America, Asia Pacific and Ferroalloys business units. Under Mr. Graham's leadership, the Cliffs' legal team serves the operational and commercial needs of Cliffs' businesses.  He has been with Cliffs since 2007 previously serving as Assistant General Counsel.  Mr. Graham received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University, holds a B.A. degree from Hiram College and a M.A. degree from University of Michigan Graduate School.

Prior to joining Cliffs, Ms. Gunning was with the Cleveland office of Jones Day, one of the world's largest law firms, where she was a partner in the capital markets practice group.  In her newly created position, she has overall responsibility for providing legal advice and counsel to the company's corporate management team including the accounting, treasury, tax, business development, and risk management functions particularly as these relate to the Company's status as an NYSE/Euronext listed company. Ms. Gunning also serves as secretary to Cliffs' Board of Directors. Ms. Gunning is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, J.D. Magna Cum Laude.  She holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

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About Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. is an international mining and natural resources company. A member of the S&P 500 Index, we are the largest producer of iron ore pellets in North America, a major supplier of direct-shipping lump and fines iron ore out of Australia and a significant producer of high and low volatile metallurgical coal. With core values of environmental and capital stewardship, our colleagues across the globe endeavor to provide all stakeholders operating and financial transparency as embodied in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. Our Company is organized through three geographic business units:

The North American business unit is comprised of six iron ore mines owned or managed in Michigan, Minnesota and Canada and six coal mines located in West Virginia and Alabama. The Asia Pacific business unit is comprised of two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia and a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine in Queensland, Australia. The Latin American business unit includes a 30% interest in the Amapa Project, an iron ore project in the state of Amapa in Brazil.

Other projects under development include a biomass production plant in Michigan and Ring of Fire chromite properties in Ontario, Canada. Over recent years, Cliffs has been executing a strategy designed to achieve scale in the mining industry and focused on serving the world's largest and fastest growing steel markets.

News releases and other information on the Company are available on the Internet at:

http://www.cliffsnaturalresources.com or

www.cliffsnaturalresources.com/Investors/Pages/default.aspx?b=1041&1=1

SOURCE Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.