Tim Mygatt is a civil rights lawyer and police practices expert with more than 18 years working with communities, advocacy organizations, law enforcement agencies, and state and local governments to establish community safety.  In November 2024, he was selected to serve as one of two career Deputy Assistant Attorney Generals in the Civil Rights Division, one of the highest career positions in the United States Department of Justice.  In that role, he oversaw the Division’s Criminal, Special Litigation, Disability Rights, and Federal Coordination and Compliance Sections and provided advice and legal counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Division and to Department leadership.

Before serving in the leadership of the Civil Rights Division, Mr. Mygatt served as Deputy Chief in the Division’s Special Litigation Section, where he led teams involved in high-profile investigations, litigation, and implementation of reform agreements with states, counties, and municipalities.  His practice focused on systemic police misconduct, including cases and investigations involving the Baltimore Police Department, Cleveland Division of Police, Seattle Police Department, New Orleans Police Department, and Louisiana State Police.  He litigated the first-ever trial under 34 U.S.C. § 12601, the police pattern-or-practice statute, negotiating a settlement while an appeal was pending.  Mr. Mygatt has also worked extensively with municipalities and states to create alternatives to police response, particularly for people with disabilities or in crisis.  His practice is characterized by building collaborative relationships with jurisdictions, developing strong coalitions among all stakeholders, and establishing a data-driven approach to evaluate whether change has been achieved.

Mr. Mygatt is currently a Senior Fellow with Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety. In this role, Mr. Mygatt provides advice and strategic leadership to the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) program, including the development of the ABLE Leadership Institute. Mr. Mygatt is also a Senior Advisor with 21^st Century Policing Solutions, LLC (21CP). At 21CP, Mr. Mygatt provides advice to state and local governments, law enforcement agencies, universities, and non-governmental and advocacy organizations on civil rights and public safety issues. He conducts assessments and makes recommendations to improve public safety agencies.

A New York native, Mr. Mygatt received his B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.  He clerked for Judge John Marshall Rogers of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2003.