In the Spotlight: Beth Nolan
GC sat down with Beth Nolan – the first female to be appointed White House counsel. Serving during President Bill Clinton’s administration, Nolan would go on to become general counsel of George Washington University, a position she currently holds. She reflects on her personal journey through the law and her rise to the pinnacle of the profession.
There can be few legal roles in the US of as much significance and substance as White House counsel. And when Beth Nolan jettisoned film school for law school, she had no idea that her eventual career, including serving as White House counsel for President Bill Clinton – the first female to ever take on that role – would be almost the stuff films are made of.
But the path to what could be termed the ultimate general counsel role was not an obvious progression for Nolan. Eschewing private practice thanks to an interest in public policy law, she found herself as a junior attorney with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), tasked with working on government ethics.
