Paul M. Geier
Assistant General Counsel for International and Aviation Economic Law
Paul M. Geier is the Assistant General Counsel for International and Aviation Economic Law for the Department of Transportation. In this position, Mr. Geier assists in the formulation of the United States legal policy positions on international transportation and trade issues and advises senior Departmental leaders on the law governing DOT's international programs, the economic aspects of interstate and foreign air transportation, and airport and airline antitrust and competition issues. Mr. Geier also oversees legal support of the Essential Air Service Program and the Small Community Air Service Development Programs.
Immediately preceding his current assignment, Mr. Geier served as the Department's Assistant General Counsel for Litigation and Enforcement, a Senior Executive Service position he held for more than thirty years. In that capacity, Mr. Geier was responsible for developing the Department's positions in numerous Supreme Court and lower federal court cases that have included a wide range of constitutional and administrative law issues as well as regulatory challenges. He oversaw the Department's litigation and worked closely with the Department of Justice and the Department's Chief Counsels' Offices in the development of the government's legal positions and the drafting of the government's briefs in major Departmental litigation. At the present time, Mr. Geier continues to lead the Office of Litigation and Enforcement as the Acting Assistant General Counsel for that office.
From 2020 until 2023, concurrently with his responsibilities as head of the Office of Litigation and Enforcement, Mr. Geier served as the Acting Assistant General Counsel for Operations where he addressed a broad range of legal issues affecting the Department's policies and programs, including those involving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Freedom of Information Act, privacy, transportation security and emergency response, cybersecurity, and Congressional and other oversight of the Department.
Prior to joining the Department of Transportation, Mr. Geier held several other positions with the federal government, including Deputy Solicitor to the Department of Energy's Special Counsel, where he was responsible for judicial litigation arising out of the petroleum pricing and allocation program, and Regional Counsel for Region X of the Community Services Administration in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Geier is a member of the Supreme Court Bar and is admitted to practice in Washington State and the District of Columbia.
He received his Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University and his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University. Mr. Geier has been the recipient of numerous Departmental and Secretarial awards, including the Secretary's Gold Medal Team Award. In addition, he has twice been the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award conferred by the President on career members of the Senior Executive Service. In 2011, he received the rank award of Distinguished Executive and previously, in 2003, he received the award of Meritorious Executive.