Office of Legal Counsel

Parts of this article (those related to Current political appointees at the Office of Legal Counsel) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2021)

United States Department of Justice
Office of Legal Counsel

Seal of the U.S. Department of Justice
Office overview
Formed	1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C., United States
Office executive	Christopher Fonzone, Assistant Attorney General
Parent department	U.S. Department of Justice
Website	Official website

The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General's position as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies. It drafts legal opinions of the Attorney General and provides its own written opinions and other advice in response to requests from the Counsel to the President, the various agencies of the Executive Branch, and other components of the Department of Justice. The Office reviews and comments on the constitutionality of pending legislation. The office reviews any executive orders and substantive proclamations for legality if the President proposes them. All proposed orders of the Attorney General and regulations that require the Attorney General's approval are reviewed. It also performs a variety of special assignments referred by the Attorney General or the Deputy Attorney General.^[1]