Litigator Robert “Bob” J. McGahan has joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP as a partner, primarily in Washington, D.C., but also in Los Angeles, where he practiced earlier in his career. He joins from Wells Fargo & Company, where he most recently was an associate general counsel.
McGahan represents business entities and individuals in government enforcement, white collar criminal defense, and high-exposure civil litigation matters. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, McGahan is an experienced trial lawyer who has practiced law for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” by the Los Angeles Daily Journal and was a recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Fraud Prevention, one of the U.S. Department of Justice’s highest recognitions for excellence in service.
A senior in-house lawyer at both Wells Fargo and Bank of America, McGahan noted that the Biden administration has essentially promised significant scrutiny of financial services institutions with a focus on larger entities for potential enforcement. “Now is an opportune time to return to private practice to assist financial services firms in responding to those inquiries as well as to represent clients in other government enforcement matters,” he said.
McGahan has led and managed large teams of legal professionals responding to investigations and litigation. He has routinely engaged with enforcement and supervisory staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; as well as several other federal and state government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, state attorneys general, the Commodity Futures Trading Corporation, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
“We are pleased to welcome Bob to the firm and our litigation group,” said Litigation Team Leader Matthew G. Lindenbaum. “Bob brings a wealth of experience in financial services and in representing executives and Fortune 50 companies in some of the most prominent enforcement and litigation matters throughout the country. He is an outstanding lawyer.”
“I’m very pleased to join Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as a partner in its white collar defense, government enforcement, and financial services practice groups,” McGahan said. “It is a great firm with tremendous depth that consistently delivers the highest quality legal services. I know – I hired the firm when I was an in-house lawyer. I’m privileged to join such a great group of lawyers.”
Prior to entering law school, McGahan served in the United States Army as an M1A1 tank platoon leader and tank company executive officer in the Federal Republic of Germany. He earned his JD, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, an AM from Harvard University, and an AB, with distinction, from the University of California, Berkeley.
