Geovette Washington serves as Deputy General Counsel, United States Department of
Commerce, the second ranking officer in the Office of the General Counsel. In this position, she
assists the General Counsel in his role the Department’s chief legal officer and legal advisor to
the Secretary, Secretarial Officers and other officials of the Department, including heads of
operating units. Ms. Washington, who joined the Administration in April 2010, plays a key role
in managing over 325 lawyers, located in 14 offices who provide legal advice to all components
of the Department.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Ms. Washington was a commercial litigator for
fourteen years with the Washington, DC office of Baach Robinson & Lewis PLLC. During that
time, Ms. Washington represented the London Insurance Market in numerous complex coverage
disputes with major industrial concerns. In addition, companies, partnerships, non-profit
organizations and individuals called upon Ms. Washington for advice and counseling regarding
contract disputes and employment matters. Relying on her negotiation skills, she successfully
resolved most of these disputes for her clients without resorting to litigation.
Before her private practice, Ms. Washington was a Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney
General for the Office of Legal Counsel in the United States Department of Justice during the
Clinton Administration. She also clerked for Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr. of the U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia.
Ms. Washington received her A.B., summa cum laude, from Wesleyan College in Macon,
Georgia and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina.
While originally from Georgia, she currently makes her home in Washington, DC.