Jay B. Stephens is Of Counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He practices 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.
