Jeff Bleich

Bleich has a distinguished career as one of the nation's top lawyers and political advisers. He was born on a U.S. Army base in Germany, and grew up in Connecticut. He received his B.A. from Amherst College with high honors, his Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University with highest honors, and his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, also with highest honors. At Berkeley, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He clerked for Judge Abner J. Mikva of the D.C. Circuit (1989-90), Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court (1990-91), and Judge Howard Holtzmann of the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. He taught courses in constitutional law and international law at UC Berkeley School of Law; he is both a CORO Foundation Fellow and a John F. Kennedy Fellow; he received his certificate in Public International Law from The Hague Academy in 1993; and an Honorary Doctorate in Law from San Francisco State University (2011). From 1995 to 2009, Bleich was the managing partner at the San Francisco law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. He was elected President of the San Francisco Bar Association (2003), President of the California State Bar (2008), Chairman of the California State University Board of Trustees (2008-09), Chair of the American Bar Association's Amicus Committee (2006-2009), and Director of the White House Commission on Youth Violence (1999). He received numerous awards for his professional, community, and pro bono service, and had a day declared in his honor by the City of San Francisco. He was friends with Barack Obama since his Chicago days, and served as a major fundraiser during Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He was rewarded with an appointment as Special Counsel to President Obama in the White House from 2008 to 2009. In 2009, he was appointed the U.S. ambassador to Australia.