Politico spoke with Megan Barbero last week to learn more about the firm’s new Administrative and Regulatory Litigation Group. The following is an excerpt:
VENABLE LAUNCHES NEW PRACTICE GROUP: Law firm Venable has announced the launch of a new administrative and regulatory litigation practice group, aimed at centralizing the work the firm has already been doing for clients with regulatory matters before federal and state agencies and courts.
— The new group will be chaired by Megan Barbero, former SEC general counsel who joined the firm in March of 2025. Inaugural members of the practice group also include firm newcomers Courtney Dixon, previously a lawyer in the Justice Department’s civil division, and Elizabeth Wilson, who recently completed a clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
— Part of the goal of the new group will be to “help clients through every step of the regulatory process, from monitoring agency developments, commenting on rule making, weighing in on litigation strategy, depending on how the agency action unfolds, and litigating those cases,” Barbero told PI. “And also, we’re seeing an uptick across the board in amicus participation especially in high-profile litigation involving government regulations.”
— The filing of amicus briefs, submitted by parties that aren’t involved in a particular case but have an interest in the outcome, is up “across the whole range of issues” where the Trump administration is changing policies and agency rules, Barbero said. While such briefs are commonly filed when cases reach the U.S. Supreme Court, “what’s newer … is amici participation in the district court by organizations and associations who have an interest in what’s being litigated,” she added.
— Filing amicus briefs and litigating are just the most public-facing parts of the group’s work, which also includes advising clients under investigation by federal regulators and challenging state-level regulations around the country.
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