Former Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer Returns to Sheppard Mullin
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that Jonathan E. Meyer is rejoining the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Governmental Practice. Meyer returns to Sheppard Mullin after serving as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Biden administration. Meyer will lead the firm’s National Security team.
With a distinguished career at the nexus of politics, policy and law, Meyer brings a uniquely high-level practice focusing on national security, homeland security, government investigations, cybersecurity and technology. His decades of experience in Congress, DOJ and DHS position him to bring an insider’s perspective to interactions between private companies and the government.
“We are delighted to welcome Jon back to the firm,” said Luca Salvi, chair of Sheppard Mullin. “He is a gifted strategist whose depth of experience, credentials and substantive abilities will make him an asset to clients facing the most difficult challenges.”
Meyer was a partner at Sheppard Mullin from 2016 to 2021 before President Biden nominated him, and the Senate confirmed him, to serve in the Biden administration. As DHS General Counsel, Meyer was the chief legal officer and chief regulatory policy officer of the 260,000-person department, providing legal counsel to the Secretary of Homeland Security and senior leaders while also leading the approximately 4,000 attorneys at TSA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service, FEMA and the rest of the Department. Meyer led the DHS legal team in litigating numerous cases in the Supreme Court and navigating groundbreaking matters in the areas of immigration, cybersecurity, regulatory law, border security and artificial intelligence. He led the successful defense and dismissal of the only impeachment of a sitting cabinet secretary in U.S. history. He also advised DHS leadership on its responses to international crises, including the war in Ukraine, the Middle East conflict and foreign espionage.
Before first joining Sheppard Mullin in 2016, Meyer’s long and distinguished career included working in both chambers of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, as Deputy General Counsel and Senior Counselor at DHS, twice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at DOJ, Special Deputy General Counsel at Amtrak, and as Counsel to then Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has defended scores of Congressional investigations and has prepared witnesses for more than 100 hearings, including U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings, impeachment hearings, and oversight investigations, among others. He has also represented defendants and witnesses in high-stakes Justice Department criminal investigations.
He is a two-time recipient of the Secretary of Homeland Security’s Outstanding Service Medal, DHS’s highest civilian honor, along with the U.S. Secret Service Director’s Honor Award, the Customs and Border Protection Commissioner’s Ensign Award, and the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant’s Distinguished Service Medal, among numerous other awards and honors.
“Jon’s experience overseeing matters impacting national security ranging from cybersecurity threats to immigration to international crises is unmatched,” said partner Jonathan Aronie, co-leader of the Governmental Practice. “He is a lawyer you want in your corner when a crisis strikes, and we are excited to have him back on our team.”
“I am thrilled to return home to Sheppard Mullin,” Meyer said. “The intersection of technology, national security and political crisis is increasingly a major concern for businesses across the country and globally. I look forward to working with colleagues throughout the firm to advise clients on effective defense strategies and guide them through interactions with regulators, overseers and policy makers.”
Earlier in his career, Meyer worked in private practice for seven years as a litigator and corporate lawyer, as well as an aide to Congressman Bill Gradison of Ohio. Originally from Cincinnati, Meyer spent much of his childhood in Jerusalem, Israel, and speaks fluent Hebrew and French. Meyer earned his A.B., cum laude, from Harvard College, his MPA from Princeton University and his J.D. from Columbia University, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
About Sheppard Mullin’s Governmental Practice
Sheppard Mullin's Governmental Practice provides the full range of legal services to clients that interface with the government, whether in the contractual, regulatory or enforcement context. For decades, we have helped organizations navigate complex government regulations and contract terms; guided them through audits, investigations and enforcement actions; and defended them in the event of litigation. Our lawyers counsel clients on antitrust dynamics, government contracting, global trade policies, white collar enforcement and FDA and healthcare regulatory changes.