Chief Counsel is the principal legal advisor to the Administrator and provides executive direction over two divisions: General Law Division and Safety Law Division.

The Safety Law Division:

• develops and drafts safety regulations,
• assesses civil penalties for violations of the rail safety statutes and FRA safety regulations,
• provides other legal support for FRA's safety program.

The General Law Division provides legal services to FRA's other program offices on all legal issues other than  safety law, including:

• Freedom of Information Act,
• Federal Tort Claims Act, and
• Surface Transportation Board matters.