Virginia A. Seitz, former Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice, is senior counsel in Sidley Austin’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice and former General Counsel of the Firm. Virginia has practiced in the appellate courts for more than 30 years. On behalf of a wide range of clients, she has handled cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, in virtually all courts of appeals, and in numerous state appellate courts. She has been recognized for her appellate practice by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America. She was counsel of record on the amicus brief of retired military officers in Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, cited by the Supreme Court at oral argument and in the Grutter opinion. A New York Times piece noted that it “may have been the most influential amicus brief in the history of the Supreme Court.”

As leader of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, Virginia was responsible for providing legal advice to the President and Executive Branch on issues of particular difficulty and importance. She was the first woman confirmed to that position. Earlier in her career, Virginia was confirmed by the Senate to the first Board of Directors of the Congressional Office of Compliance and served from 1995 to 2000. She clerked for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She was a recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship. Virginia is also a member of the American Law Institute and serves on its Council.