Jennifer Newstead Biography and Net Worth

Jennifer Newstead is the vice president and general counsel at Facebook, a role she has held since 2019. Newstead is the successor to the social media giant’s former general counsel, Colin Stretch.

In this position, she is tasked with defending the company against concerns over digital security, privacy, and the spread of disinformation. In her first year with the company, she earned just over $19 million in total compensation.

Prior to joining Facebook, she was the legal adviser for the U.S. Department of State for just over a year. Before that, she spent 12 years as a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City.

Previously, Newstead held several high-ranking positions in government, including general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2003 to 2005; special assistant to the president and associate White House counsel from 2002 to 2003; and principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy from 2001 to 2002.

During her time at the Office of Legal Policy post-9/11, Newstead is credited with drafting the Patriot Act and briefing members of Congress on the controversial legislation which gave government agencies unprecedented power to surveil the average American citizen. Almost two decades later, at Facebook, she is dealing with similarly controversial policies regarding privacy and security. At the time of her hiring, Facebook was under federal investigation for mishandling its users’ information.

Early in her career, Newstead also clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit. Additionally, she was an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in government at Harvard University and her juris doctorate at Yale Law School. Newstead is based in Menlo Park, California.