Meghan K. Spillane

Meghan Spillane is a partner in Goodwin’s Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice and serves as Co-Chair of the Digital Currency & Blockchain Technology practice. She also works closely with the Firm’s FinTech practice and Financial Restructuring Group.

Meghan provides advice on regulatory and compliance issues and counsels companies involved in government investigations and civil litigation. Her experience includes the defense of corporations and individuals in both criminal and civil matters, including securities fraud, market manipulation, insider trading, and corporate governance violations. Meghan also regularly defends clients in matters involving allegations of business torts, fraud and breaches of contract or fiduciary duties. In addition to her litigation experience, Meghan has substantial experience advising clients in connection with contract negotiations and employing litigation-avoidance strategies.

Meghan also advises technology clients in the digital currency and blockchain industry to solve business problems and provide advice on regulatory and compliance issues, including with respect to digital asset transactions and platforms, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and related securities law and regulatory matters.

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:

Blockchain and Fintech

• Technology companies and investment funds in responding to investigations brought by the SEC, DOJ, CFTC, CFPB and state regulators concerning products in the Web3 and Fintech space
• Fintech, blockchain and digital asset companies, investors and network participants with respect to securities and regulatory advice concerning digital asset transactions, platforms, and products
• Web3 companies in defending consumer and securities class actions in state and federal court
• Cryptocurrency mining companies in connection with regulatory inquiries and civil litigations pending in state and federal court
• A crypto intelligence company in defending claims of defamation in the Southern District of New York
• Fintech companies and other Software as a Service (SaaS) providers in navigating disputes and investigations arising out of loan products, alternative financing arrangements (e.g., income share agreements, factoring, merchant cash advances), payments, deposits, and insurance

Complex Civil Litigation

• Medical professionals in defending claims of defamation arising from the filing of a Citizens Petition with the FDA in the Southern District of New York
• A financial institution in defending claims related to its underwriting of municipal bonds in the District Court of Puerto Rico
• An international financial institution in an antitrust class action concerning interest rate swaps in the Southern District of New York
• The CEO of a technology company in defending allegations of breach of contract and fraud in the Southern District of New York
• Companies engaged in disputes concerning breach of contract, other business torts, and fraud arising out of commercial transactions in state and federal court

Bankruptcy Litigation

• A secured lender in bankruptcy proceedings related to lien priority disputes and 2004 discovery requests made by committee and noteholders in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
• An official committee of unsecured creditors in litigation related to sale process in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

Government Investigations

• An executive of a school network in a criminal investigation into sexual misconduct involving former teachers
• A major institution of higher education in conducting an internal investigation concerning donations from, and interactions with, Jeffrey Epstein
• A financial institution in a multi-year False Claims Act investigation into mortgage lending and appraisal practices; the government declined to intervene on the qui tam complaint
• A former hedge fund portfolio manager of in defending against criminal and SEC allegations of insider trading
• The former CEO of a Fortune 30 health care company in an SEC investigation of alleged fraudulent disclosure and insider trading violations, during which, 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 manipulation, insider trading, and corporate governance violations

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 is a member of Goodwin’s Attorney Review Committee and serves on the Partner Counsel Development Committee. She is also a member of the Federal Bar Council, the New York City Bar Association, and the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.

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.

In addition to her legal practice, Meghan serves on the Advisory Council of Fintech Women, an inclusive community helping women in fintech advance professionally and build a successful and diverse ecosystem, and is a member of the Board of Directors of QUBIC Labs, a non-profit startup incubator and innovation hub dedicated to develop a thriving ecosystem of FinTech and blockchain.

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 most recently recognized in the 2025 edition of the Chambers Fintech guide as a Leading Lawyer for Crypto-Asset Disputes. It was noted that she “is a superb lawyer. She’s the total package of good regulatory chops, strong enforcement skills and a dogged litigator.” She was also recognized by The Legal 500 US for Fintech and Crypto, in which clients note that her “expertise in litigation makes her standout” and her “experience in handling high-stakes litigation cases, especially those involving emerging technologies, equips her to effectively manage legal disputes and challenges that are characteristic of this dynamic field.” Meghan has also been 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 is a regular contributor to the firm’s Securities Snapshot series. She is also a frequent writer and speaker on blockchain and cryptocurrency regulatory developments and SEC investigations and enforcement.

Meghan’s recent publications include:

• Co-Author, “Digital Currency & Blockchain Quarterly Litigation Update,” (Q1 2025), Goodwin Insight, April 2025
• Co-Author, “Digital Currency & Blockchain 2024 Year in Review,” Goodwin Insight, December 2024
• Co-Author, “Digital Currency & Blockchain Quarterly Litigation Update,” (Q2 2024), Goodwin Insight, September 2024
• Co-Author, “Digital Currency & Blockchain Quarterly Litigation Update,” (Q1 2024), Goodwin Insight, April 2024
• Co-Author, “SEC Sues Binance and Coinbase: What Are the Allegations and What Is Next?,” Goodwin Client Alert, June 2023
• Co-Author, “New York CRPTO Bill Would Prohibit Many Digital Asset Activities and Impose Sweeping Market Structure Changes,” Goodwin Client Alert, May 2023
• Co-Author, “2022 Year in Review: Digital Currency and Blockchain Litigation and Enforcement Developments,” Goodwin Insights, February 2023
• Co-Author, “CFTC Attempts to Extend Liability to DAO Participants,” Goodwin Client Alert, October 2022
• Co-Author, “Central District of California Authorizes Service of John Doe Summons on Cryptocurrency Dealer,” Digital Currency + Blockchain Perspectives, September 2022
• Co-Author, “SEC Alleges “Crypto Asset Securities” Insider Trading; Case Has Significant Implications For The Digital Asset Industry,” Goodwin Client Alert, July 2022
• Co-Author, “Grayscale Investments Petitions D.C. Circuit For Review Of SEC’s Decision To Disapprove Proposed Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Product,” Securities Snapshot, July 2022
• Co-Author, “Cryptocurrencies as Investment Options in 401(k) Plans,” FinTech Law Report, Volume 25 Issue 3, June 2022

Meghan also co-authors a chapter titled “Privilege: The US Perspective” 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:

• Moderator, “Practical Application of AI in Blockchain, Digital Assets, and Real-World Asset Tokenization,” Boston Blockchain Association’s Institutional AI/Blockchain Workship, April 2025
• Panelist, “Blockchain & Digital Assets: Change is Coming – Key Considerations for the Year Ahead,” Goodwin CLE Days, January 2025
• Moderator, “Decoding Crypto Regulations: A Look into 2024 Global Landscape,” Boston Blockchain Week, September 2024
• Panelist, “Global Regulation – Harmonization or Lack Thereof,” Women in Digital Assets Forum, June 2024
• Moderator, “Exploring the UK and EU Regulatory and Legislative Landscape and How it Compares to the US,” Goodwin’s Digital Currency & Blockchain – UK and EU Regulatory Considerations and Market Insights Event, New York City, May 2024
• Moderator, “Regulatory Roundup: Recent US, UK, and EU Developments,” Goodwin’s Digital Currency & Blockchain – Regulatory Perspectives from Both Sides of the Pond Event, London, November 2023
• Speaker, “Staking in the Regulatory Spotlight: Implications and Innovations,” Fordham Law Blockchain Regulatory Symposium, October 2023
• Speaker, “Federal Digital Asset Regulation: A Moderated Debate,” Boston Blockchain Week, September 2023
• Speaker, “Masterclass on Digital Asset Regulations- A look at what’s to come in 2023,” InvestaX (virtual webinar), March 2023
• Speaker, “Blockchain & Digital Assets Year in Review & Look Ahead,” Goodwin CLE Days, January 2023
• Speaker, “Blockchain in Business, Pop Culture, and Everyday Life,” Real Talk: Blockchain presented by FintechWomen, November 2022
• Moderator, “Web3 Innovation and Opportunities,” ABA Blockchain & Digital Currency National Institute (virtual), October 2022

Meghan’s media mentions include:

• Guest Contributor, “Tackling the Crypto Legal Landscape,” Voices of Boston Blockchain Week 2024 Podcast, October 2024
• Contributor, “New CFTC Bill Could Overrule SEC but Leaves Fate of Many Crypto Tokens Unresolved,” Blockworks, August 2022
• Contributor, “What the Fate of 9 Small Tokens Means for the Crypto Industry,” Protocol, August 2022
• 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