Assistant General Counsel

Assistant General Counsel for General Law, Ethics and Regulation

The Assistant General Counsel for General Law, Ethics and Regulation (GLER) supervises the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for General Law, the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Ethics, the Senior Counsel for Regulatory Affairs, staff attorneys, support staff, and the Chief Counsels of the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

The Office of the Assistant General Counsel (GLER) provides legal advice concerning a wide range of issues at Treasury, including issues concerning government contracts, regulations, Departmental organization, appropriations, budget formulation and execution, disclosure, labor management relations, equal employment opportunity and personnel law.  The office represents the Department in administrative litigation before the Government Accountability Office, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority.  GLER counsel also assist the Department of Justice in litigation before Federal district and appellate courts.

The office is responsible for managing the Department's ethics program, which requires an in-depth knowledge of the complex statutes, regulations, and precedents in this field, and which includes reviewing Presidential appointments to the Department pending Senate confirmation.  In addition, the office is responsible for clearance of regulations issued by the Department and its bureaus, including tax regulations issued by the IRS.  In this role, the office works with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget and the Small Business Administration.  In the area of disclosure law, the office provides legal guidance to the Department on Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests and on document requests from Congress.

Last Updated: September 30, 2008