Chief Counsel

Chief Counsel, Bureau of the Public Debt

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The Chief Counsel of the Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD) supervises a Deputy Chief Counsel, staff attorneys, and support staff. The Chief Counsel's Office has staff in both Washington, D.C. and Parkersburg, WV. The Chief Counsel's Office is responsible for providing legal advice to BPD's Commissioner and other officials of the Bureau. BPD is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but has the largest number of employees and operations in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

BPD is responsible for borrowing the money needed to operate the Federal Government and accounting for the resulting debt. Such borrowing is done by the issuance of marketable Treasury securities, such as Treasury bills and Treasury bonds, and nonmarketable securities such as savings bonds. BPD is also responsible for the marketing of savings bonds, the drafting and interpretation of securities regulations applicable to government securities brokers and dealers, and the investment activities of various government trust funds.

The Office of Chief Counsel provides advice to BPD in areas such as contract and commercial law, securities law and regulation, electronic payments, trusts and estates, privacy/disclosure, ethics, and administrative law. In addition, the Chief Counsel's Office plays a central role in any regulatory activity, legislative proposals, or litigation in BPD's area of responsibility.

The Bureau of Public Debt is committed to transacting as much of its business as possible using various means of electronic commerce. Accordingly the Chief Counsel's office confronts a wide variety of novel legal questions as the Bureau changes its traditional method of doing business.