General Counsel
The General Counsel, appointed by the President to a 4-year term, is independent from the Board and is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of unfair labor practice cases and for the general supervision of the NLRB field offices in the processing of cases.
President Donald J. Trump appointed William B. Cowen Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Cowen served as Regional Director in the Agency’s Los Angeles Regional Office (Region 21) since 2016.
Prior to his appointment as Regional Director, Mr. Cowen served as the Board’s Solicitor (2006 – 2016). As Solicitor, Mr. Cowen was the Board's chief legal officer and he advised the Board on questions of law and policy arising from the Board's administration of the National Labor Relations Act. Prior to his appointment as Solicitor, Mr. Cowen served as Executive Assistant to NLRB Chairman Robert J. Battista (2003 – 2006). In that position, he was an advisor and personal representative for the Chairman concerning internal and external agency matters.
Mr. Cowen also served as a Board Member from January 22, 2002 to November 22, 2002 under a recess appointment by President George W. Bush. Previously, he was an attorney and principal of Institutional Labor Advisors, LLC, a company he founded in 1997. He also was a founding member of Cowen and Associates in McLean, VA (1996 - 1998); partner with Coleman, Coxson, Penello, Fogleman & Cowen, P.C. (1992 - 1996); and attorney with Thompson and Hutson (1985 - 1992).
Mr. Cowen began his legal career as an attorney with the NLRB. From 1979 to 1985, he served in various capacities at the agency, including as Counsel to Board Member Howard Jenkins, Jr.; Field Attorney in the Cleveland, OH Regional Office (Region 8); and attorney on the staff of the General Counsel in the Office of Appeals, Division of Enforcement Litigation. He also served in temporary assignments to the Regional Office in Brooklyn, NY (Region 29), as well as to the Division of Advice and the Office of Representation Appeals in Washington, DC.
Born in Charlottesville, VA, Mr. Cowen holds a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, graduating in 1976, and he received a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in 2005. Mr. Cowen received his J.D. degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, in 1979. In 2013, Mr. Cowen was elected and inducted as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, the highest recognition by ones colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence.
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