James Byrne

Biography

As General Counsel, Mr. Byrne leads a nationwide team of attorneys, paralegals, and staff who support the mission and priorities of the Department of Veterans Affairs by providing sound legal expertise, representation, and as needed, critical problem-solving skills and risk-management advice to the Secretary and other senior VA leaders. He has responsibility for administering, thereby enabling the Department to accomplish its mission of service to our Nation’s Veterans. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Byrne served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Lockheed Martin Corporation where he was also the company’s lead cyber and counterintelligence attorney. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Mr. Byrne served as the career Senior Executive Service Deputy Special Counsel with the Office of the United States Special Counsel . Mr. Byrne has over 20 years of experience in the public sector, including service as a deployed Marine Infantry Officer and a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) international narcotics prosecutor. Mr. Byrne is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received an engineering degree and ultimately held the top leadership position of Brigade Commander. He earned his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, Florida and started his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Malcolm J. Howard, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina 

Research Interest

Legal Expertise Representation , Critical Problem-Solving Skills and Risk-Management