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Richard C. Visek joined the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser in 1999 and became a Deputy Legal Adviser in 2011 and the Principal Deputy Legal Adviser in 2016. He also serves as the Department’s Designated Agency Ethics Official. He previously served as the Assistant Legal Adviser for European and Eurasian Affairs and as the Assistant Legal Adviser for Employment Law. Prior to being promoted into the Senior Executive Service, he served in L offices advising on issues related to law enforcement and intelligence, appropriations, and legislation. Before joining the Office of the Legal Adviser, Mr. Visek worked at the U.S. Department of Justice and at the law firm of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, DC. He has taught courses in law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC and at Tartu University in Estonia. Over the course of his career, Mr. Visek has received numerous awards, including two Distinguished and one Meritorious Presidential Rank Awards, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award. He received his BA from Stanford University, JD from Georgetown University, and LLM from Cambridge University.

U.S. Department of State

The Lessons of 1989: Freedom and Our Future