Welcome

The Office of the General Counsel provides legal services for the Secretary of Commerce and all of the Department's operating units. The General Counsel is the chief legal officer for the Department.

The mission of the Office of the General Counsel is to have a lasting impact on rules for Commerce that revitalize the economy and lay a foundation for sustainable U.S. leadership in a global economy in the 21st Century.  The Office of the General Counsel seeks to be a leader in building a culture of excellence, service, and creative collaboration within its offices and across the Department of Commerce.

Office Description

The General Counsel is the chief legal officer of the Department and legal advisor to the Secretary, Secretarial Officers, and other officers of the Department, including heads of operating units. He directs the operation of ten offices that report directly to him and also provides legal and policy direction to four additional legal offices that receive their funding and personnel allocations from their bureaus (the Patent and Trademark Office, the Economic Development Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration).

The General Counsel's immediate staff and the Executive Office provide legal and adminstrative support to the OGC legal offices, including financial management, procurement, human resources advice, IT support, and security liaison.

Office Locations

Most attorneys work within in the Washington. D.C. area at The Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. 20230 and at satellite legal offices in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Suitland, MD. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office attorneys work in Alexandria, VA. In addition, both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) have regional offices in the following locations.