A Conversation with James Baker, General Counsel of the FBI

The Center for Global Legal challenges recently welcomed James Baker, General Counsel of the FBI, to YLS. Baker attended a breakfast discussion with a small group of students, where he participated in a wide-ranging conversation on the law enforcement and national security challenges facing the FBI. Later in the day, Baker delivered a school-wide lunch talk on cybersecurity and encryption. Baker’s visit was co-sponsored by the Internet Society Project, the Yale Law National Security Group and TechSoc.

Prior to his appointment as General Counsel of the FBI, Baker was associate general counsel for Briddgewater Associates LP. He previously held a number of positions at the Department of Justice, including as head of the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. He is a recipient of the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in counterterrorism – the CIA’s highest counterterrorism honor – as well as of numerous other awards for government service.