Meghan K. Spillane

Meghan Spillane is a partner in the firm’s Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice and a member of the Digital Currency & Blockchain Technology practice. She focuses her practice on government civil investigations and enforcement proceedings, internal investigations, and complex commercial and financial litigation. Meghan also advises clients on the legal, regulatory, and risk management issues surrounding digital currency and blockchain, including establishing new blockchains and nodes, investing in blockchain projects, and responding to government inquiries in the blockchain space.

Meghan was recognized as a Law360 White Collar “Rising Star” and named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List,” recognizing the most promising emerging talent in litigation. She is also recommended for her corporate investigations practice as a Future Leader by Who’s Who Legal.

Meghan represents companies and individuals at all stages of government investigations and complex civil litigation, including defending clients in several criminal and civil trials.

Examples of Meghan’s representative matters include:

Digital Currency + Blockchain Technology

• Technology companies in engaging with the SEC's Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology (FinHub) to seek “no action” relief for blockchain projects or token distributions
• Technology companies and investment funds in responding to requests for information and enforcement subpoenas brought by the SEC and state securities regulators concerning ICOs, exchanges, staking, and other areas
• Financial institutions and investment funds in evaluating the regulatory and business risks in participating in blockchain projects, including investing, operating nodes, and utilizing governance tokens
• Technology companies in raising capital through token issuances and security token offerings

Individual Representations

• An executive of a school network in investigating and defending allegations of sexual misconduct involving former teachers
• A CEO of a technology company in defending allegations of breach of contract and fraud in the Southern District of New York
• The CFO of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in a civil securities litigation in the Southern District of New York, alleging that the company’s disclosures relating to the criminal investigation of its off-label promotion of certain drugs violated the securities laws
• Former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma in defending against criminal and SEC allegations of insider trading. Prosecutors alleged that Martoma participated in the largest-ever insider trading case, committing securities fraud by trading on shares of two pharmaceutical companies using non-public information, resulting in over $276 million in gains
• A Fortune 500 company under investigation for potential environmental crimes by federal and state authorities
• The former CEO of a Fortune 30 health care company in an SEC investigation of alleged fraudulent disclosure and insider trading violations. After engaging in an extensive Wells process, no charges of any kind were brought against our client
• Individuals under investigation by various criminal and civil regulatory agencies concerning allegations of securities fraud, market manipulations, insider trading, and corporate governance violations

Other Corporate Representations

• A major institution of higher education in an internal investigation concerning donations from, and interactions with, Jeffrey Epstein
• A financial institution in defending claims related to its underwriting of municipal bonds in Puerto Rico
• An international financial institution in an antitrust class action concerning interest rate swaps
• An investment bank in its role as financial advisor in a municipal restructuring
• A financial institution in a False Claims Act investigation into mortgage lending and appraisal practices. After a multi-year investigation, the government declined to intervene on the qui tam complaint
• Multiple institutional clients, along with several employees and directors, in criminal investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the New York State Office of the Attorney General involving possible corruption by New York State officials in economic development efforts in upstate New York
• Countrywide Financial Corporation and Countrywide Home Loans with a FIRREA and False Claims Act case filed against a major bank arising out of the sale of mortgage loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This was the first case to go to trial applying FIRREA to issues arising from the credit crisis, and, on appeal, the Second Circuit directed that judgment be entered dismissing all claims against our clients

Meghan gained significant trial experience as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office in 2012, where she prosecuted numerous felony cases and conducted several jury trials and evidentiary hearings.

Meghan serves as the co-chair of the New York Council of Women@Goodwin and is a member of Goodwin’s Junior Associate Attorney Development Committee. She is also a member of the Federal Bar Council American Inn of Court, the American Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. She is also an active participant in Declare, a diverse community of women who are changing the face of leadership.

Meghan maintains an active pro bono practice, representing indigent criminal defendants in a variety of state and federal matters. For example, since 2008, she has been actively involved in the representation of a criminal defendant in the appeal of his death sentence in Alabama state court.

Before joining Goodwin in 2008, Meghan taught at Public School 48 in Bronx, New York, as part of the Teach for America program.

Meghan was recognized by Law360 as a White Collar “Rising Star,” one of only five attorneys nationwide to receive the award in 2018. She is also recommended for her corporate investigations practice by Who’s Who Legal and has been recognized consistently by New York Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in White Collar Defense since 2015.

While attending law school, Meghan was a member of the Fordham Urban Law Journal, an editor on the Fordham Moot Court Board and a member of the Stein Scholars program.

Meghan is a contributor to Goodwin’s Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives blog. She is also a frequent writer and speaker on blockchain and cryptocurrency, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and SEC investigations and enforcement.

Meghan’s recent publications include:

• Co-Author, Cryptocurrencies as Investment Options in 401(k) Plans, Volume 25 Issue 3, June 2022
• Co-Author, “Privilege: The US Perspective,” Global Investigation Review’s The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations, Sixth Edition, January 2022
• Co-Author, “BitMEX Founder’s Charges Highlight Risks for DeFi,” CoinDesk, November 2020
• Author, "Department of Justice Announces “Cryptocurrency: An Enforcement Framework," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, October 2020
• Co-Author, "SEC Announces Settlement with Unikrn, Pierce Issues Statement in Opposition," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, September 2020
• Co-Author, "Building Blocks U.S. – Regulatory and Legal Developments in Digital Currency + Blockchain: Q1 2020," May 2020
• Co-Author, "SEC Wins Injunctive Relief to Prevent Telegram’s Distribution of $1.7B Worth of Cryptocurrency," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, March 2020
• Co-Author, "Building Blocks: Recent U.S. Regulatory And Legal Developments in Digital Currency + Blockchain," March 2020
• Author, "In the Matter of Blockchain of Things, Inc., Securities Act Release No. 19621," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, December 2019
• Co-Author, "Securities and Exchange Commission v. Middleton," No. 1:19-cv-04625, Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, November 2019
• Author, "U.S. v. Scott et al.," No. 1:17-cr-00630 (S.D.N.Y. filed Oct. 12, 2017), Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, November 2019
• Author, "Paxos Trust Company, LLC, SEC No-Action Letter," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, October 2019
• Co-Author, "Securities and Exchange Commission v. Telegram Group Inc.," No. 19 Civ. 9439 (S.D.N.Y. filed Oct. 11, 2019), Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, October 2019
• Author, "SimplyVital Health Inc., Securities Act Release No. 10671," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, August 2019
• Author, "SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce Worries Agency’s Lag in Directing Token Industry Will Stifle Growth; FinCEN Issues Guidance on Virtual Currencies," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, May 2019
• Co-Author, "The SEC Releases New “Framework” to Analyze Digital Assets under Securities Laws," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, April 2019
• Author, "SEC Settles with Gladius Networks for Unregistered ICO; Declines to Issue Monetary Fine Due to Self-Reporting," Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, February 2019
• Co-Author, "Supreme Court Grants Certiorari to Decide Whether Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act allows a Private Right of Action Based on Negligence," Securities Snapshot, January 2019
• Co-Author, "Court of Chancery Strikes Down Federal Forum Provisions for Claims Under 1933 Act," Securities Snapshot, January 2019

Meghan also co-authors a chapter regarding Attorney-Client Privilege in Government Investigations in the Global Investigations Review (GIR)’s “Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations,” which is updated annually since 2017.

Meghan’s recent speaking engagements include:

• Speaker, “The Coming Dominance of Stablecoins,” Remote, September 2021
• Speaker, “U.S. And European Growth Equity Deal Trends In The Current Environment,” Remote, July 2020
• Speaker, “New Girls on the Block,” ABA Women in Litigation, Chicago, November 2019
• Speaker, “Cryptocurrencies and Securities Regulation,” NYSBA Business Law Section, New York, May 2019
• Speaker, "Perspectives on SEC Engagement Concerning Digital Assets," Consensus, New York, May 2019
• Speaker, Jeanensis Globally Local Blockchain Fintech and AI Symposium, New York, May 2019
• Speaker, ABA Blockchain Technology, Digital Currency, and ICO National Institute, New York, April 2019
• Speaker, Computational Law and Blockchain Festival, New York, March 2018
• Speaker, “Blockchain Technology and Initial Coin Offerings,” ABA Business Law Section, January 2018

Meghan’s media mentions include:

• Contributor, “Navigating the Ground Rules for Building a Blockchain Business,” Quartz, June 2019
• Interviewee, "Interview with 'Rising Star' Meghan Spillane," Q&A with the Women Criminal Defense Attorneys Blog, October 2018