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Michael G. McGovern
Partner
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Michael McGovern, the Managing Partner of the firm’s 300-lawyer New York Office, concentrates his practice in the areas of white-collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation, with a particular focus on investigations and prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission of alleged violations of the federal securities laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, alleged violations of the federal antitrust laws, and alleged violations of various health care laws and regulations, including the False Claims Act.
Michael has over two decades of experience representing international and domestic corporations and partnerships, as well as officers, directors, and other individual clients in complex criminal and civil investigations and litigation.
Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, Michael served for over seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he held supervisory positions in both the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit and the General Crimes Unit. In those capacities, he supervised groups of more than 20 Assistant U.S. Attorneys in grand jury investigations and prosecutions of complex securities fraud, money laundering, terrorism, and murder cases. Michael also argued more that a dozen appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
In 2004, Michael received the Department of Justice’s award for superior performance as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Before entering government service, Michael was a partner in a large international law firm, where for over a decade he concentrated his practice on the defense of companies and individuals in various white-collar criminal matters, including cases involving allegations of securities fraud, bank fraud, government contracting fraud, FCPA violations, health care fraud, and public corruption.
- Lead counsel in representation of hedge funds and other investment management firms in various insider trading investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the SEC.
- Lead counsel in representation of senior executive of global manufacturing company in international criminal investigation of alleged price-fixing cartel.
- Lead counsel in representation of a senior executive under indictment in the Southern District of New York on charges of alleged bid-rigging in the market for municipal bond investment products.
- Lead counsel in representation of public company in internal investigation of alleged anti-competitive behavior by CEO.
- Co-lead counsel in representations of several national hospital systems in Department of Justice and New York Attorney General investigations of alleged violations of federal and state False Claims Acts.
Trial Experience
Both as a federal prosecutor and as a defense lawyer, Michael has tried numerous criminal cases in federal courts around the country. Michael’s more high-profile trials have included:
- United States v. John A. Gotti (S.D.N.Y.) – Lead AUSA in prosecution of Boss of Gambino Organized Crime Family.
- United States v. Peter Gotti (S.D.N.Y.) – Lead AUSA in prosecution of Acting Boss of Gambino Organized Crime Family.
- United States v. James Palermo (S.D.N.Y.) – Lead AUSA in prosecution of Acting Boss of Decavalcante Organized Crime Family.
- United States v. Michael Silvestri, et al. (S.D.N.Y.) – Prosecution of New York City Police Department Detective on accessory to murder and obstruction of justice charges.
- United States v. Charles Wilson (N.D. Tex.) – Defense at trial of President of Arizona Savings and Loan on bank fraud charges resulting in jury acquittal on all counts.
- United States v. Admiral John M. Poindexter (D.D.C.) – Defense at trial and on appeal of National Security Advisor to the President of the United States on false statement and obstruction of justice charges resulting in reversal on appeal of all counts of conviction and subsequent dismissal of indictment.
©1996-2012 Ropes & Gray LLP. All rights reserved.
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Education
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JD, cum laude, Georgetown University Law Center, 1987; Executive Editor, American Criminal Law Review
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MA, magna cum laude, Fordham University, 1984
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BA, magna cum laude, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1983
Bar Admissions
- New York, 2006
- District of Columbia, 1988
- Pennsylvania, 1987
Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
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