Javier Guzman

Javier Guzman is the Deputy General Counsel at Harvard University. His prior government service includes nearly 20 years at the U.S. Department of Justice across several components. He served as a trial attorney and deputy chief in the Civil Rights Division, where he investigated and litigated cases to protect access to equal educational opportunities for all students. He also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, DC and Florida, where he litigated affirmative and defensive civil cases involving a broad range of substantive areas and federal agencies. During the Obama-Biden administration, he served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General, advising and working on significant matters arising in the areas of civil rights, environmental law, and federal programs. He also worked closely with the Office of Access to Justice to promote access to the civil and criminal justice systems, and the Community Relations Service in its mission to work with communities facing tensions and disputes arising from civil rights issues. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Guzman worked in private practice as a litigator focusing on complex civil matters, including class actions and multidistrict litigation. He also maintained an active pro bono practice, working on a diverse range of cases, including educational rights, veterans benefits, and family law. Following his service at the Department, Guzman has continued to focus on litigation in the federal courts, much of it involving administrative and constitutional law issues, formerly at a public interest legal organization and presently at Harvard. Raised in New Orleans by parents who immigrated from Ecuador, Guzman is a graduate of Louisiana State University and Tulane Law School.