General Counsel
Bruce Byrd
Bruce Byrd is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Palo Alto Networks. In that role, he is responsible, globally, for legal affairs, policy and government affairs, corporate governance, compliance, and risk and resilience. He joined the company in January 2021.
Before joining Palo Alto Networks in January 2021, Bruce was the Chief Legal Officer of AT&T Communications, responsible for legal affairs at AT&T’s largest operating company. There, he led a team of over 300 lawyers and managed the full range of legal disciplines.
Prior to AT&T, Bruce was a partner at Dickinson Wright PLLC, where he maintained an active commercial litigation, regulatory and class action defense practice.
Bruce is committed to community service, particularly in the realm of inclusion and diversity. He is the chair of the board of directors of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession and serves on the board of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution.
Bruce graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in economics and received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School.