Sir Michael Leigh, a non-lawyer, is a senior advisor in Covington’s EU Public Policy Practice Group. He has over 30 years of experience in the field of European and international politics and policy. He has held positions in various EU institutions, with a focus on the European Union’s relations with neighboring countries to the east and south.

From 2006 to 2011, Sir Michael was director-general for enlargement with the European Commission, after three years as external relations deputy director-general with responsibility for European Neighborhood Policy, relations with Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East, and the Mediterranean countries. In his time at the European Commission, he has been a cabinet member for three Commissioners and a director in the Task Force for EU Accession Negotiations. Sir Michael began his career as assistant professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University and lecturer in international relations at the University of Sussex.