Stephen Cobb

Presently, Stephen Cobb is a Fellow, Inclusive Governance at the Rainey Center. Prior to joining the Rainer CEnter, Stephen served as Deputy Attorney General of Virginia. As an appointee of Attorney General Mark Herring, Stephen lead the Government Operations and Transactions Division - a team of over 60 attorneys and additional support staff. This Division represents 8 of the 11 Cabinet Secretariats, comprised of over 150 executive agencies, state boards, and authorities, more than 13,000 employees, and with combined budgets of more than $13 billion. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Attorney General, Stephen served as a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In this role, Stephen Cobb was part of a front office management team advising on intellectual property legislation and policy implementation, and public outreach in areas related to intellectual property and innovation. Appointed by President Obama, Stephen served as a representative of USPTO, an agency with of 13,000 employees with an annual budget of over $3 Billion, and the Department of Commerce within interagency working groups and acted as a liaison to the White House on cross administration initiatives. Before joining the Department of Commerce, Stephen served as Counsel at the law firm of Miles & Stockbridge P.C. where he represented financial institutions and business entities in a variety of disputes in state and federal courts across the country. Preceding his tenure at Miles, Stephen was a Partner in the law firm of Odin, Feldman, & Pittleman P.C., located in Reston, VA. All told, Stephen has tried approximately 20 cases in state and federal courts across the country and was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine in both Washington, D.C. and Virginia. During his private practice, Stephen also served as General Counsel to the Democratic Party of Virginia, advising the Party and its officials through both Presidential and Gubernatorial election cycles on legal issues pertaining to legislative policy, labor & employment, and political and election law. Additionally, Stephen served as Special Counsel to Rock the Vote, an internationally recognized non-profit devoted to voting rights and engaging youth voters. Before entering private practice, Stephen clerked for the Honorable Barry R. Poretz in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Prior to and after obtaining his legal education, Stephen worked on numerous local, state, and national political campaigns and served as a junior associate at one of Washington, D.C.’s premiere public policy firms. As a result of his unique legal and political background, Stephen has appeared regularly on various news programs, including FOX NEWS, FOX Business, and Newsmax, to provide analysis and insight on issues of law, policy, and politics. Stephen has also served as an Adjunct Law Professor at the George Mason University School of Law, teaching Negotiation and Legal Drafting. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Juris Doctor from The College of William & Mary School of Law.