Leslie B. Kiernan

Leslie B. Kiernan was sworn in on June 15, 2021, as the General Counsel at the Department of Commerce.  She serves as the Chief Legal Officer of the Department and as legal advisor to the Secretary, Secretarial Officers and the Department’s operating units. 

During the Obama-Biden Administration, Ms. Kiernan served in the White House as Deputy Counsel to the President from 2011-14, where she advised on a wide range of compliance, risk-management, policy, and oversight issues. She also worked with the White House Council on Women and Girls, and later served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Recently, Ms. Kiernan served as a senior advisor on the Biden-Harris Transition, and as Special Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel. In addition to her government service, Ms. Kiernan has over 20 years’ experience as a litigation partner at national law firms in Washington, D.C. Ms. Kiernan is a graduate of Brown University and Georgetown University Law Center.