Richard McCarty is a Decorated Submarine Officer, Now Senior Counsel at Chevron

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Richard McCarty’s father served in the Navy during the Vietnam War era, and his son was determined to follow in his footsteps, even at the age of five. When an ad for the Navy appeared on television, the kid who’d just learned to write was frantically trying to copy down the phone number to call to enlist.

“My father actually reached out on my behalf, and the Navy was kind enough to send some iron-on patches and reading material,” McCarty recalls. “I knew I wanted to serve from very early on.”

Today, McCarty serves as senior counsel of litigation and policy at Chevron. It’s his first in-house role after thirteen-and-a-half years at firm Winston & Strawn, where McCarty was a partner. Chevron landed more than a seasoned litigator, IP expert, and energy attorney. McCarty left his full-time Navy service as an engineer officer aboard the USS Hyman G. Rickover. During his active duty, McCarty was an officer, an instructor, a student, a sailor, and an individual as skilled in leadership as in nuclear reactors.

While the last in that list may not explicitly apply to a future law career, the rest provided McCarty with a foundation that few entering law school can claim. But the lawyer’s path may have been wildly different had an early diagnosis held.

McCarty was initially disqualified from a Navy ROTC scholarship due to childhood asthma. He was unable to secure a waiver and believed, for a time, that his childhood dream may be off the table. But then he found a workaround.

“I was a chemical engineering major at Texas A&M, and I found a program very specific to nuclear power called the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program that provides additional manpower for the Navy’s nuclear fleet,” McCarty remembers. “The Navy wanted nuclear-trained officers and was willing to grant a waiver to a qualified candidate.”

McCarty interviewed in Washington D.C. with the group in charge of the entire Naval nuclear power program. The process culminated with an interview with a four-star admiral. The officer candidate was able to take his oath, waiver secured, on June 14, 1995. 

McCarty’s naval experience is rich in technical and leadership milestones. After rigorous officer and nuclear power school training, he reported to the USS Alexandria, a nuclear-powered submarine, serving from 1998 to 2001 and completing two demanding deployments.

“I started as one of the officers in charge of the engine room for a six-hour shift,” McCarty explains. “I progressed to assistant engineer and damage control assistant by the end of my tour, and served as officer of the deck, guiding the submarine from its control room.”

These roles demanded mastery across the submarine’s systems: navigation, sonar, reactor operation, and even firefighting tactics. McCarty qualified for, and received, the prestigious “gold dolphins” warfare insignia, signifying expertise in submarine operations. In a moment of divine timing, the visiting Secretary of the Navy wound up pinning the insignia onto his uniform, a point of pride that stands tall among the many honors of his military tenure.

McCarty was beginning to think his active-duty years may be coming to an end, but after 9/11, the officer elected to remain on active duty for another sea tour. McCarty was selected to serve as a chief engineer on a submarine and then spent another six months of highly specialized training at the Navy’s submarine school before reporting for duty. McCarty served as chief engineer of the USS Hyman G. Rickover from 2004 to 2007, a role carrying responsibility for safe reactor operations and the ship’s propulsion and mechanical systems.

His naval years extended beyond submarine tours. He also spent two years at the University of Arizona’s NROTC unit, teaching naval engineering and history, coaching future officers, and providing day-to-day mentorship, establishing the habits that would become central in his legal career.

“When I was the ship’s engineer, things broke; problems popped up. You have to rapidly adapt and learn exactly how that problem came to pass, understand what you can do to fix it in the near term, and what to do to fix it in the long term.”

Richard McCarty

Mentoring, for McCarty, has always been central to his own development. As a submarine department head, he became “the guy that younger officers were paired up with when they were learning how to drive the ship,” and later, as a partner in private practice, he was recognized as “mentor of the year” within the Winston & Strawn Houston office.

“I always participated in the mentorship program because I thought it was important to pass it on,” the attorney explains, crediting his own early mentors with preparing him for leadership.

McCarty made a point of allowing junior associates to take depositions, to defend depositions, to speak in court, those challenges that no attorney can truly be ready for until they do them.

Rather than sheltering new lawyers, McCarty believes in pushing them, placing them in challenging situations where they can learn by doing:

“You’re not going to do it as well, perhaps, the first time you do it as you will the fourth, fifth, tenth, or twentieth, but you have to have those opportunities put in front of you to learn and to grow,” the in-house leader says. Failure is not to be feared but embraced as a form of growth.

Transitioning from war rooms to boardrooms, McCarty found the tensions of corporate law not altogether different from those of naval service.

“When I was the ship’s engineer, things broke; problems popped up. You have to rapidly adapt and learn exactly how that problem came to pass, understand what you can do to fix it in the near term, and what to do to fix it in the long term,” the attorney says.

That troubleshooting and strategic thinking are part of his daily rhythm as Chevron’s senior counsel, where he manages a complex litigation docket, from breach of contract to landowner disputes, and more, while balancing immediate risk mitigation with Chevron’s long-term business goals.

“Working with Rich is a true partnership,” adds Kat Hacker a partner at Bartlit Beck LLP. “His breadth of experience allows him to see beyond a single matter to anticipate how issues may shape the company’s future priorities. That foresight and perspective make him an exceptional collaborator and a trusted advisor to both his colleagues and our Bartlit Beck team.”

He sees in-house legal work as a chance for sustained influence, the chance to tailor his strategy to ensure he’s doing his best to advocate for the business while also understanding how it fits into the larger picture. The firefighting that characterized his naval engineering days translates directly into the legal world’s pressures, whether coordinating with outside counsel or navigating Chevron’s wide array of business interests.

For McCarty, the lessons gained in both military and legal careers are both applicable in his advice to new lawyers.

“Don’t be afraid to take risks,” McCarty advises. “There will be times where there’s some fear or uncertainty, but you have to trust your experience and your education. Set your goals, and pursue them.”

He urges associates to embrace opportunities rather than shy away from them, but do so with humility, preparation, and courage.

“Rich provides keen insights and support from his inside counsel role,” says Pamela Roman Mascari a partner at Kean Miller. “His prior and extensive experience as a litigator makes him a quick study whose ability to effortlessly collaborate on strategy decisions while remaining pragmatic is impressive. I have enjoyed every moment of working with Rich since he joined Chevron.”

McCarty’s mentorship continues, or more likely starts, at home. The devoted father of two is active in his church and his sons’ activities (he’s been a determined, though “still learning” baseball coach). The senior counsel is also still incredibly close with his family, regularly attending Texas A&M Aggie football and Houston Astros baseball games.

“I have three brothers and sisters, and we all still spend a lot of time with our kids together. It means a lot to be able to spend quality time with your siblings, your cousins, and all the kids.”

It remains to be seen if McCarty’s children will do what he did, serve in the military as part of a broader family legacy. Whether or not they do, McCarty has already built a legacy that would make any son or daughter eager to have their dad show up for career day.

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