Department of Energy General Counsel
Jonathan Brightbill is General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Energy. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Mr. Brightbill clerked for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
As General Counsel, Mr. Brightbill is responsible for overseeing the legal operations of the Department of Energy, as well as counseling the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and senior leadership on the execution of their duties in the development of federal energy policy. His oversight portfolio includes nuclear energy regulatory reforms, electricity and gas markets, energy efficiency, civilian nuclear programs, business transactions, international negotiations, loan and grant investments, and oversight of the Department’s national laboratory system.
Prior to joining DOE, Mr. Brightbill was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Winston & Strawn. During the first Trump administration, he served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Brightbill was previously a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis. Mr. Brightbill has also taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.