Jeh Charles Johnson is a Partner in the Paul, Weiss Litigation Department and the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (2013-2017).
Johnson advises corporate clients on the legal issues around cybersecurity, national security, data privacy, government affairs and crisis management, as well as high-stakes litigation and regulatory matters.
As Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson was the head of the U.S. government’s third-largest cabinet department. Prior to that, Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2009-2012) and General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force (1998-2001). Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Johnson became Paul, Weiss’s first Black partner in 1994.
Johnson is on the board of directors of Lockheed Martin and U.S. Steel, and is a trustee of Columbia University. He is a director or trustee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and the Center for a New American Security. He was recently appointed to conduct an independent review of racial bias in the New York State court system, issuing an influential report in October 2020.
Johnson is a graduate of Morehouse College and Columbia Law School.
