Central Office - Office of General Counsel

The Office of General Counsel, overseen by Kathleen M. Kenney, represents the BOP on a broad range of legal, policy, and management issues. The Division includes 6 branches in Central Office, 6 regional legal offices, and 24 Consolidated Legal Centers in the field. The primary responsibility of the regional legal offices is to provide litigation support for inmate litigation arising out of the prisons located within the region, and to provide legal advice to regional office and prison administrators. The Consolidated Legal Centers service a number of institutions in a geographic area.

Central Office legal staff has responsibility for defending the Bureau against protests and claims in government contract matters, and for providing advice and training on contract matters, real estate and environmental matters, Government ethics, labor/management and personnel issues, and Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act (FOIA/PA) requests. The Division also provides legal assistance on correctional issues, such as inmates’ rights and conditions of confinement, and coordinates the Bureau's rule-making process and continuing professional education programs.