McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Daniel (Dan) Graham leads the Firm’s Government Contracts Group. Highly regarded in government contracts litigation, Dan has more than two decades of experience assisting clients across industry sectors on bid protests, Contract Disputes Act appeals, prime and subcontractor disputes, and commercial litigation.

Chambers USA has ranked Dan in Band 1 for Government Contracts (Nationwide). A client quoted by Chambers said Dan “is an expert in his field and he is very practical.” Another noted, “He is a top-notch government contracts attorney. He thinks creatively and provides excellent advice and guidance on a wide range of issues.”

Dan litigates cases before the US Court of Federal Claims (COFC), the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Boards of Contract Appeals, as well as before Federal District Courts and Courts of Appeals across the country.

In addition, Dan advises clients on cost accounting matters, compliance with evolving cybersecurity requirements, identifying and resolving organizational and personal conflicts of interest, mergers and acquisitions, business restructurings and reorganizations, internal investigations, and suspension and debarment proceedings. Dan also advises clients on all aspects of compliance with Federal Grants law and with the compliance requirements applicable to projects and loan guarantees funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act of 2021. He also counsels clients on complying with ethics laws and regulations, including post-employment restrictions applicable to government employees.

Dan is committed to pro bono service and has argued before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in several veterans’ benefits cases.

Dan clerked for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable Christine Odell Cook Miller for the US Court of Federal Claims.

Alexander (Alex) Southwell is a leading technology-focused litigator and investigations lawyer. Top global companies rely on Alex to handle investigations, regulatory defense, and litigation related to a wide range of privacy, data security, information technology and governance, trade secrets, computer fraud, advertising and marketing practices, and consumer protection issues. He also regularly handles white-collar and securities enforcement defense matters and complex, high-profile internal investigations. As one client noted, “Alex is tremendous. If you’ve got an issue that is a paramount crisis and going to break the company, Alex is who you should turn to. He is top-notch, savvy, and he understands what you need.”

A former federal cybercrimes prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Alex advises clients ranging from emerging companies to global enterprises across all market sectors facing data breaches, security incidents, or cybercrimes. He has extensive experience counseling on broad issues under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Economic Espionage Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Communications Decency Act, and related federal and state computer fraud and consumer protection statutes. An experienced trial and appellate lawyer, Alex is regularly retained to lead privacy and data security and technology class actions and complex civil litigations across the US. He also frequently leads the defense of regulatory investigations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, and other federal, state, and local regulators and criminal authorities.

Clients appreciate Alex’s “keen eye for attention to detail, client service, and navigating a complex legal and regulatory landscape.” His wide-ranging practice covers cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, cloud deployment and risks, dark pattern allegations, data innovation, and digital assets and cryptocurrency. He advises clients on privacy and security risks related to data-driven product development and compliance with the full range of US and international privacy and data protection laws and regulations as well as global regulatory strategies. Alex is also experienced in counseling companies on the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules on cybersecurity risk management and disclosures, including cybersecurity governance and board oversight, and the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) cybersecurity regulation.

Alex’s white-collar practice includes representing corporate executives, individuals, companies, and boards in connection with white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions and related civil investigations. He also has significant experience conducting internal corporate investigations and compliance monitoring. Alex’s practice covers securities and accounting fraud, healthcare fraud and compliance, economic sanctions violations, money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations, tax fraud, the False Claims Act and contracting fraud, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and public corruption, among other areas.

Alex previously served as an assistant US attorney for the SDNY, focusing on cybercrimes and securities, commodities, and other white-collar frauds. He began his legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Naomi Reice Buchwald of the US District Court for the SDNY.

Jessica (Jessi) McGahie Sawyer advises companies on global data protection laws, including privacy, cybersecurity risks, policies and incident responses, as well as data security obligations. She counsels clients on compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and US consumer privacy statutes. She advises clients on matters relating to data localization laws, international data transfers, privacy notices and data subject rights, cryptocurrency, e-commerce security and blockchain applications.

Jessi also helps companies implement cybersecurity and data privacy assessments, including the creation of incident response plans. She provides incident response services, including handling some of the largest and most complex data breaches involving millions of consumer records. She also represents companies in various complex litigation, class actions and government investigations, including dozens of class actions resulting from data breach incidents.

Jessi maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on obtaining asylum for unaccompanied children. In addition, she has represented pro bono clients in mortgage fraud cases and worked with the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking to obtain T-visas for victims of human trafficking. Prior to attending law school, Jessi was a Los Angeles corps member of Teach For America, a national program in which recent college graduates commit to teach for two years in low-income schools.

Jessi regularly speaks on data privacy and protection, and cyber-related issues, including international data privacy frameworks.

Brian Long focuses his practice on transactional and regulatory matters, with an emphasis on cybersecurity. He counsels clients on cyber breach response; cybersecurity maturity and risk assessments under frameworks such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27001; compliance with NIST SP 800-171 and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program; artificial intelligence (AI) governance; and audit support and management.

Brian also drafts, reviews, and updates cybersecurity agreements and general technology contracts and supports clients in sophisticated information technology and business process outsourcing transactions. He regularly helps clients navigate complex private equity transactions, drawing on his experience with technology, security, AI, and intellectual property matters.

While in law school, Brian served as lead articles editor of the SMU Law Review.

Prior to attending law school, Brian spent more than 20 years working as a consultant, focusing on cybersecurity, information security, and IT risk management for US and global companies, primarily in regulated industries. He brings extensive knowledge of hacking mechanisms and security controls, IT operations, and information security standards for the financial services, healthcare, and energy industries, among others. He also contributed cybersecurity, privacy, and export controls updates to Outsourcing: Law and Business.