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jay lefkowitz 220x220 - Amb. Jay Lefkowitz

Amb. Jay Lefkowitz

Partner, Kirkland & Ellis; Former U.S. Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea

Bio Current as of September 15, 2016

Jay Lefkowitz is a senior partner in the New York City office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and a member of the Firm’s Worldwide Management Committee.  He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School where he teaches seminars in presidential decision-making and Supreme Court advocacy.  In naming him one of “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” The National Law Journal described Jay as “a leading voice on school choice issues” and “a no-nonsense appellate and antitrust lawyer for an array of blue-chip clients.”  Jay’s broad-ranging trial and appellate practice has been widely recognized, and he has won two landmark decisions at the United States Supreme Court that have reshaped the pharmaceutical industry.

Jay has also had a distinguished career in the public sector, serving as a senior lawyer and domestic policy advisor in the White House for President George W. Bush and President George H.W. Bush.  He also served for four years as the United States’ Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea.  Jay writes frequently on law and public policy for the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, and various other publications.   He and his wife, who is a documentary film-maker, live in New York City and have three children.