Patrick Butler

Patrick Butler serves as an Associate Counsel to the President in the White House Counsel’s Office. 

Patrick previously served as the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation at the Department of Commerce. There, he led and managed litigation spanning the Department of Commerce’s thirteen bureaus, providing legal and strategic advice to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other senior leaders while coordinating with White House counsel and interagency lawyers. For his work at the Department of Commerce, Patrick received the General Counsel’s Award for Outstanding Service.

Before government service, Patrick practiced at Kirkland & Ellis, where his work focused on complex commercial litigation including product liability cases, antitrust suits, consumer class actions, contract disputes, and regulatory matters.

Patrick clerked for Judge Michael B. Brennan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and Judge James C. Dever III on the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, and earned his law degree from Duke University School of Law, his masters degree from University College Dublin, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.