Hewitt Pate

Chief Legal Officer Chevron

Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Hewitt Pate has been Chevron’s Chief Legal Officer since 2009, directing its worldwide legal affairs and sitting on its Executive Committee. An antitrust lawyer, he led the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division as Assistant Attorney General from 2003 to 2005 and headed Hunton & Williams’ global competition practice before joining Chevron. In May 2026 he said he would step down as Chief Legal Officer at the end of 2026, ahead of retirement in 2027. Chevron ranked No. 21 on the 2026 Fortune 500.

Career Highlights

• Chief Legal Officer of Chevron since 2009.
• Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 2003 to 2005.
• Partner and head of Global Competition at Hunton & Williams.
• Law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.

Professional Journey

Pate earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina in 1984 and a Juris Doctor at the University of Virginia in 1987. He clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the Fourth Circuit, retired Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.

At the Department of Justice he was Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division from 2001 and Assistant Attorney General from 2003 to 2005. He was a long-time partner at Hunton & Williams, heading its Global Competition practice, and joined Chevron as Chief Legal Officer in 2009. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Education

University of North Carolina

Bachelor’s degree

University of Virginia

Juris Doctor