Jay B. Stephens
Overview
Jay B. Stephens is a retired partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He practiced in collaboration with attorneys across the Firm to support client engagements by counseling boards and senior management on corporate governance, transactional, and enforcement matters; by advising clients regarding complex internal investigations, compliance issues and regulatory enforcement strategies; and by contributing to the sound resolution of regulatory and litigation disputes.
Jay has served in a variety of senior executive, leadership, and legal positions in government service, business enterprise, and private practice. His significant leadership experience in law, business, and government service gives him a foundation from which to provide sound advice and creative solutions for complex governance, regulatory compliance, global business, and dispute resolution matters. He has served in senior leadership positions in the White House, the Department of Justice, global business enterprises, and major international law firms. He has hands-on operational experience advising in the board room, litigating in the courtroom, negotiating in the conference room, and collaborating with teams of talented colleagues to achieve positive results. For the past more than 12 years, he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Raytheon Company, a global enterprise with businesses in defense technologies, intelligence, and cybersecurity. As a member of Raytheon’s senior leadership team, he participated in the operational management and strategic planning of the company. In his role as General Counsel, Jay led the company’s legal and regulatory affairs, ethics and compliance programs, and corporate governance activities. He also supervised corporate staff activities in the areas of risk management, safety, and environmental quality. Under his leadership, the company received national recognition for its outstanding governance, global compliance, safety, environmental sustainability, and ethical education programs.
Experience
Prior Experience
Raytheon Company, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, 2002–2015
Associate Attorney General of the United States, 2001–2002
Honeywell International, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, 1997–2001
Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro, Partner, 1993–1997
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, 1988–1993
Deputy Counsel to President Reagan, 1986–1988
From 1973 to 1985, Jay served in a variety of positions with the United States Department of Justice and in the private sector, including Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, Assistant United States Attorney, and Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor. He also worked as an assistant general counsel with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and as an associate with the Washington law firm of Wilmer Cutler & Pickering.
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Recognition
Lifetime Achievement Award, NYSE Governance Services, 2015
Named one of “America’s Outstanding General Counsel” by the National Law Journal, 2014
1st Annual John G.L. Cabot Award, New England Legal Foundation, 2014
Named to Corporate Counsel 100—The Legal 500 United States, 2013
Memberships & Affiliations
Chair, Washington Legal Foundation Legal Policy Advisory Board
Board of Directors, New England Legal Foundation
Board of Directors, Atlantic Legal Foundation
Counsel to the Board of Directors and Past President, National Association of Former United States Attorneys
Advisory Board, Georgetown Law School Corporate Counsel Institute
Trustee, American Friends of New College, Oxford
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- District of Columbia
Education
- Harvard Law SchoolJ.D.
cum laude
- New College, University of OxfordPhilosophy, Politics and Economics
Knox Fellowship
- Harvard CollegeB.A., Government
magna cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa
News &
Insights
- Speaking Engagement The U.S. Supreme Court: October 2015 Term Review
- In the News Jay B. Stephens Joins Kirkland & Ellis in Washington DC
- In the News Inquiring into the Expanded Use of Deferred-Prosecution and Non-Prosecution Agreements
- In the News Former Associate AG Joins Kirkland
- In the News Ex-Justice Dept., Raytheon Lawyer Joins Kirkland & Ellis