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Precious Murchison Gittens began her legal career as a federal criminal prosecutor in the nation’s capital.
“Cross-examination was my favorite part of trial,” Gittens says, laughing. “You need to establish your goals, actively listen, and calmly execute your strategy—not just in court. What is your business focused on? How does the business operate? What are the priorities, opportunities, and risks? You can’t offer a balanced view and strong judgment if you don’t understand these things.”
Today, Gittens brings trial skills and compliance expertise to her role as senior counsel in regulatory affairs at Google.
An Endless Pursuit of Knowledge
Detailing the exploits of Gittens’s career is a no-win scenario. There is too much and too wide-ranging because she refuses to stop evolving.
The attorney was recognized in 2014 by the National Law Journal and Legal Times as a Washington, DC, Rising Star. Gittens was Hooper, Lundy & Bookman’s first board-certified compliance professional. In college, her Howard University mock trial team was the first team in American Mock Trial Association history to win both the Silver and Gold national competitions in the same year.
“I recognized that as technology evolved, the regulation of technology would need to evolve. The idea of helping a company innovate responsibly and comply with emerging laws and regulations felt fresh.”
Precious Murchison Gittens
She was winning awards for her trial skills in undergraduate and law school. Yet, while most of her peers were working their first legal position, Gittens was working as a sales associate at a jewelry store. She had turned down a law firm associate job that didn’t feel right, and many other legal jobs were spoken for.
But Gittens turned her brief time in sales into an opportunity.
“I focused on customer service,” the senior counsel explains. “I worked to understand their needs and deliver excellent customer experiences. That still sticks with me.”
This customer-focused mindset would serve Gittens well as she embarked on her legal career, starting as a federal criminal prosecutor in Washington, DC.
Every time the senior counsel has gotten comfortable, she’s moved on. Not job-hopping. Just learning something new. Criminal prosecutions on behalf of the United States would give way to law firm practice. As a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, she handled business litigation and defended clients facing government investigations and enforcement proceedings.
While there, one of Gittens’s most impactful roles was serving as secretary and general counsel for the Pan American Development Foundation.
“I was helping drive sustainable economic development across the Western Hemisphere,” Gittens explains. “There were leaders from banks, oil and gas, cruise ships, global textile manufacturing—all of us were in a room trying to create something impactful. It was a rich learning experience.”
From Greenberg Traurig she moved to a boutique firm to pursue compliance work, a field she saw growing and wanted to get on the ground floor for.
The Next Big Challenge
She’s worked for state and federal governments, law firms, and a nongovernmental organization, and advised clients in specialized industries like financial services, transportation, and healthcare. Additionally, she’s worked with people all over the globe.
“I’m going to approach whatever I do with intellectual curiosity, excellence, and adaptability. I care about what I do and how I impact others.”
Precious Murchison Gittens
When COVID-19 hit, Gittens watched her family hard at work on their Chromebooks and video calls. As a result, she decided the tech world was her next move.
“I was working in a compliance role for a healthcare company and had been dealing with heavily regulated industries for years. I recognized that as technology evolved, the regulation of technology would need to evolve,” Gittens reflects. “The idea of helping a company innovate responsibly and comply with emerging laws and regulations felt fresh.” Fresh, certainly, but no less heavy. The senior counsel handles high-risk investigations and regulatory matters for one of the most famous companies on earth.
Despite Gittens’s experience and drive, you won’t find the senior counsel competing hard against you. It’s never been her way. Gittens says her only competitor is herself.
“Every day, I want to do be a better version of me than I was yesterday,” Gittens says. “I’m going to approach whatever I do with intellectual curiosity, excellence, and adaptability. I care about what I do and how I impact others.”
Gittens speaks of at least a dozen mentors who have aided her own growth and development. For those that she mentors now, Gittens stresses a commitment to lifelong learning and growth. That’s about the only hard advice she’ll give, because she says no two experiences are going to ever be the same. But nurturing curiosity is never going to be a bad career or life move.
Today, the senior counsel says her best work is still ahead of her. “I may be saying that when I’m ninety,” Gittens says with a laugh.
Her journey in business and law has been nonlinear and dynamic. So, you should probably believe her when she says the best is yet to come.
