Uber Counsel Tony West Helps The Family Out

Tony West, Chief Legal Counsel at Uber, has taken leave to help out his sister-in-law, Kamala Harris, with her presidential bid.

West has been a key player in Uber’s development, currently overseeing its global legal, compliance and ethics and security functions. he also helped Uber with its governance model and other issues, including helping with its IPO and the development of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has been another key role for him.

His legal career began with roles as an Assistant United States Attorney and later as a litigation partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP.

Before joining Uber, West held significant positions in the U.S. Department of Justice, serving as the Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking official in the department, from 2012 to 2014.

At the Department of Justice he supervised several divisions, including Civil Rights and Antitrust, and was instrumental in securing nearly $37 billion in fines and restitution from financial institutions for their roles in the 2009 financial crisis. 

As the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division he led the review of the Defense of Marriage Act’s constitutionality, successfully advocating for the department to cease its defense of the statute.

In the private sector, West was the Executive Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at PepsiCo from 2014 to 2017. 

West is married to Maya Harris, making him the brother-in-law of Kamala Harris. He has been an advisor to Kamala Harris for over two decades, starting with her 2003 campaign for San Francisco district attorney.

West holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Stanford Law School, where he was President of the Stanford Law Review.