Stephen Preston

Stephen Preston    (lawyer)
Born	May 30, 1957
Nationality	US
Alma mater	Yale University, Harvard Law School
Member of	Council on Foreign Relations/Members 3
Lawyer for the Navy, Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense  General Counsel of the Department of Defense  In office October 2013 - 2016  General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency In office July 2009 - October 2013  General Counsel of the Navy  In office September 28, 1998 - November 17, 2000

Stephen Woolman Preston (born May 30, 1957) is an American lawyer who served as General Counsel of the Navy from 1998 to 2000, General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2013, and General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2013 to 2016.

Education

Preston received his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, and then attended Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1983.

Career

Preston joined the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in 1986.

In 1993, he left WilmerHale to become Principal Deputy General Counsel of the United States Department of Defense, during which time he spent time as acting General Counsel. In 1995, he joined the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, where he was responsible for civil appeals.

In 1998, Bill Clinton nominated Preston as General Counsel of the Navy, succeeding Steven S. Honigman. Preston served from September 28, 1998 to November 17, 2000. In 2001, he returned to WilmerHale as a partner.

On April 14, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Preston to serve as General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency. He served as General Counsel of the agency from 2009 to 2013.

He was nominated by President Obama to serve as General Counsel of the Department of Defense in 2013. In that position, he was responsible for the full range of legal matters confronting the Defense Department and the national security establishment.

Preston returned to WilmerHale in 2016.

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