Tony West (attorney)

Tony West
West in 2013
17th United States Associate Attorney General
In office
March 12, 2012 – September 15, 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byThomas Perrelli
Succeeded byRachel Brand
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division
In office
April 20, 2009 – March 12, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byGregory G. Katsas
Succeeded byStuart F. Delery
Personal details
Born
Derek Anthony West

(1965-08-12) August 12, 1965 (age 59)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
(m. 1998)​
RelativesKamala Harris (Sister-in-law)
Meena Harris (stepdaughter)
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Stanford University (JD)

Derek Anthony West (born August 12, 1965) is an American attorney, former government official, and the Senior Vice President and chief legal officer of Uber.[1][2] Before Uber, West was Associate Attorney General of the United States[3] and general counsel of PepsiCo.[4] West previously served as the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, the largest litigating division in the Department of Justice.[5]

During his time at the Department of Justice, West played a role in the administration's decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) after concluding that the statute was unconstitutional.[6] West was also involved in efforts by the Department to reclaim $37 billion from large financial institutions[7] and worked on the department's efforts to improve public safety in Indian country, including the tribal provisions in the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).[8][9][10] On August 21, 2014, West announced a $16.65 billion settlement with Bank of America to resolve federal and state claims against Bank of America including its existing and former subsidiaries, including Countrywide Financial Corporation and Merrill Lynch.[11][12]

West is the brother-in-law of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. He served as an advisor to her presidential campaign.[13]

  1. ^ "Leadership Profiles and Board of Directors | Uber Newsroom US". Uber Newsroom. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  2. ^ Romm, Tony (2017-10-27). "Uber has hired PepsiCo's Tony West as its new chief legal officer". Vox. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  3. ^ Horwitz, Sari (February 27, 2012). "Justice Dept. lawyer Tony West to take over as acting associate attorney general". Washington Post.
  4. ^ "Tony West: From Student Body President to PepsiCo General Counsel". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  5. ^ "Meet the Associate Attorney General". justice.gov.
  6. ^ Jonathan Capehart, "Tony West, straight hero in fight for gay marriage, to leave Justice Department", The Washington Post (September 14, 2014)
  7. ^ Ben Protess, "Tony West, Top Nemesis of Big Banks, Is Leaving Justice,", The New York Times, (September 3, 2014)
  8. ^ Sari Horwitz,"Tony West, third-ranking official at Justice Department, to step down," The Washington Post, (September 3, 2014).
  9. ^ "Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the 20th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference - OPA - Department of Justice". justice.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2015-06-26.
  10. ^ "Remarks by Associate Attorney General Tony West at the Four Corners Conference - OPA - Department of Justice". justice.gov. 26 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Bank of America to Pay $16.65 Billion in Historic Justice Department Settlement for Financial Fraud Leading up to and During the Financial Crisis". justice.gov. 28 August 2014.
  12. ^ Los Angeles Times (21 August 2014). "Bank of America to pay record $16.65 billion to settle mortgage claims". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ Smith, Chris (2024-10-17). "Meet Tony West, Kamala Harris's "Guiding Hand"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2024-10-18.