Hon. William Lane

General Counsel
U.S. Department of the Air Force

William K. Lane III is the General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. As the Chief Legal Officer and Ethics Official for the Air Force and Space Force, Mr. Lane provides oversight and guidance to 680,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian Airmen and Guardians. Mr. Lane additionally serves ex officio as Administrator of Wake Island.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Lane was a Partner with Wiley Rein, LLP, a Washington, D.C., based law firm. In his practice, Mr. Lane advocated on behalf of corporate and individual clients in a broad spectrum of appellate, constitutional, regulatory, and complex commercial litigation.
During President Trump’s first administration, Mr. Lane served in the U.S. Department of Justice as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, representing agencies in federal court throughout the United States.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Lane received a U.S. Army commission in 2008 and served on active duty until 2012 as a Cavalry Officer, before transitioning to the Maryland Army National Guard and ultimately the U.S. Army Reserve. During his time on active duty, Mr. Lane completed a combat deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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Related Sessions

Space Law and Regulation Track

Monday, April 13, 2026

9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Track: Track Program

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