Jennifer Newstead

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Government Affairs · Apple

Consumer TechnologyCupertino, CA

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Government Affairs of Apple, general counsel since 1 March 2026 and now also head of its Government Affairs team. She was previously chief legal officer of Meta for six years, Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State and general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell for 12 years.

Last reviewed: Oct 1, 2026

Jennifer Newstead

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Government Affairs Apple

Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Jennifer Newstead is Apple’s general counsel, a role she took on 1 March 2026 after joining from Meta, where she was chief legal officer for six years. She now also leads Apple’s Government Affairs team, which passed to her from her predecessor, Kate Adams. Her career has run between top government legal posts and corporate law. She was Legal Adviser at the State Department, general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget and a senior Justice Department official, and spent 12 years as a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Career Highlights

  • General counsel of Apple since 1 March 2026; Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Government Affairs.
  • Chief legal officer of Meta for six years.
  • Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State.
  • General counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
  • Partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell for 12 years.
  • Law clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer.

Professional Journey

Newstead earned an AB at Harvard University and a JD at Yale Law School, and then clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Her government service included roles as special assistant to the President and associate White House counsel, principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, and general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget. She also served as Legal Adviser at the State Department, leading the legal team that advises the Secretary of State. In private practice she spent 12 years as a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, advising multinational corporations.

She then spent six years as chief legal officer of Meta. In December 2025 Apple announced that she would join as a senior vice president in January 2026, reporting to the chief executive, and become general counsel on 1 March 2026. Her remit covers corporate governance, intellectual property, litigation, securities compliance, global security and privacy, and the Government Affairs team. She reports to chief executive John Ternus.

Education

Harvard University

AB

Yale Law School

JD