Leadership in the Law: Fireside Chat with Jeff Taylor, Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of ExxonMobil

We are delighted to share with you our latest “Leadership in the Law” discussion with Jeff Taylor, Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of ExxonMobil. I am also pleased to reintroduce to you my partner, Ken Wainstein, who interviewed Jeff for this episode.

Jeff shared with us his early career journey and the lessons he carried from government into successive in-house legal roles. He also discussed how ExxonMobil's global significance shapes his role and the principled mindset that drives the legal team’s focus. Finally, Jeff made the case for a leadership style rooted in empowerment, support, and kindness.

About Jeff

Jeff Taylor joined ExxonMobil in May 2024 from Fox Corporation, where he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Before joining Fox, Taylor was the Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for General Motors Co., and General Counsel of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. He worked for more than 15 years in the federal government, including as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2006 to 2009, Counselor to the Attorney General, Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. Jeff received his bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School.