McGovern’s addition comes as Squire Patton Boggs continues investment in trade and national security at time of heightened geopolitical risk and regulatory change for global clients.
Squire Patton Boggs announced today that Bridget McGovern has joined its Public Policy practice as a partner from the US Department of Homeland Security where she served as Assistant Secretary for Trade and Economic Security.
Ms. McGovern will focus on national security and trade matters including foreign investment security reviews (Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States, “CFIUS” and Team Telecom), emerging technology and sensitive data, outbound investment, supply chains, and trade matters. Having served on CFIUS and on Team Telecom, Ms. McGovern adds unique expertise and experience to the firm’s strong foreign investment review practice. Drawing on her previous experience in-house at MoneyGram International and Uber Technologies, she will also be a valuable asset to the firm’s Financial Services and Fintech practice.
“Bridget brings twenty years of public and private sector experience handling high-stakes policy, international economic and national security regulatory matters,” said Global Managing Partner Michele Connell. “She is an exciting addition as we marshal our existing resources and add new team members to build a destination practice for clients grappling with the business ramifications of a fluid geopolitical environment and increased global regulatory requirements.”
“International conflicts and the increased use of economic regulatory measures, including export control and sanctions, as foreign policy tools create an investment environment for businesses that is very much in flux,” said Ed Newberry, Global Managing Partner, Public Policy and Regulatory Solutions. “Bridget’s unique understanding of how trade, national security, and economic policy ripples through regions and industries will be valuable asset to our clients who need advice navigating these areas.”
Ms. McGovern said, “When considering my move to private practice, I was drawn to the Squire’s global legal practice and its philosophy of addressing complicated matters holistically, drawing on the firm’s tremendous legal and policy talent around the world. The firm has a clear vision and a unique value proposition for clients dealing with increasingly complex economic policy, regulatory, and national security issues. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues here in DC and in the firm’s offices around the world.”
Ms. McGovern’s arrival underscores Squire Patton Boggs’ increased focus on growing its national security, international investigations, and trade capabilities. Recent hires into the firm’s Washington DC office include a team of eight professionals from Strook & Strook, former US Ambassador Paul Jones, US trade negotiator Everett Eissenstat, and US Department of Treasury official Adam Hensel-Briscoe.
About Bridget McGovern:
At the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Ms. McGovern managed a team of over forty employees focused on a wide range of national security issues including foreign investment, outbound investment, trade, supply chains, emerging technology, sensitive data, export controls, US technology transfer, and combatting forced labor. She served as DHS’s representative at the Assistant Secretary level to the CFIUS and Team Telecom, where she played an instrumental role in the two committees’ decisions.
Ms. McGovern also played a key role in protecting US supply chains by leading the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) corporate entity listing process and the establishment of DHS’s Supply Chain Resilience Center. As Assistant Secretary, she also served as a principal for interagency meetings led by the National Security Council and National Economic Council on economic competition and national security priorities.
Previously, Ms. McGovern was Uber Technologies’ Director for Public Policy, Payments, where she managed the global payments policy portfolio and helped to establish Uber Money.
Before joining Uber, she was the Associate General Counsel for Global Regulatory Affairs and External Relations at MoneyGram International, the second largest money transfer company in the world. Ms. McGovern managed a team of global in-house counsel handling a complex portfolio of matters, including responding to regulatory inquiries and examinations as well as providing legal guidance to compliance, treasury, and product teams. Ms. McGovern also built MoneyGram’s global external relations function and managed key policy issues at the state, federal, and global levels.