Wilson Sonsini Adds Defense Tech Veteran Michael McGinley, Launches Defense Tech Industry Group

Wilson Sonsini to Launch Defense Tech Industry Group, Drawing on McGinley’s Role and the Firm’s Robust Experience Advising Clients in the Sector

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Michael McGinley has joined the firm as Senior Of Counsel. The firm is using the occasion to launch a Defense Tech industry group, leveraging its existing experience representing defense and dual-use technology clients in the sector and McGinley’s proficiency.

McGinley most recently served as an enterprise account executive for Google Public Sector’s national defense business, where he developed deep knowledge of the government acquisitions process, as well as contracting and compliance requirements. Previously, McGinley opened and led the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU’s) Boston office, where he launched the GigEagle talent marketplace initiative and The Cambridge Project, a tech evaluation program with Harvard, MIT and Tufts University. His private law practice experience included stints with Clifford Chance in Washington, D.C., as a complex dispute resolution attorney, and with Wiggin and Dana LLP in Stamford, Connecticut, where he co-founded the firm’s cybersecurity practice group.

“As global demand for state-of-the-art defense and dual-use technologies increases, and public and private investment in the sector reaches new heights, Wilson Sonsini is committed to ensuring innovators receive the strategic guidance necessary to thrive in a competitive and ever-changing marketplace,” said Wilson Sonsini partner Mark Fitzgerald, a former Air Force colonel and JAG officer who has been leading the firm’s efforts to launch a Defense Tech industry group. “Michael’s proven leadership, technology background, and national defense credentials will be invaluable as we establish our Defense Tech industry group and advise clients developing next-generation technology advances for defense and commercial customers.”

The firm’s Defense Tech group will bring together multidisciplinary capabilities across corporate, emerging companies, capital markets, M&A, government contracts, CFIUS and national security, export controls and sanctions, cybersecurity, IP, privacy, and litigation, helping clients align business velocity with compliance and resilience.

McGinley serves as a brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, where he created and leads the Department of War’s first AI-driven national security talent operations platform and plays a critical role in the modernization of Air Force programs totaling $60 billion annually.

McGinley was named a 2025 Federal 100 Award winner, an honor given to those who have gone above and beyond in advancing government IT work to achieve remarkable impact for government agencies and the American people. He also received the 2025 GovCIO Flywheel Award for Innovation in Emerging Technology for “changing the national security environment and moving it into the future.” McGinley received AFCEA International’s 2024 Distinguished Award for Excellence in Emerging Technology.

“I’m honored to join Wilson Sonsini, a firm noted for its excellence and unmatched legacy of supporting and advising a vast roster of groundbreaking technology clients,” said McGinley. “Having worked at the intersection of technology, national security, and policy throughout my career, I look forward to working alongside a talented team of attorneys and contributing to the firm’s leadership in the Defense Tech sector.”

McGinley earned his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, his M.P.A. from Auburn University, and his B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has more than 1,000 attorneys and 17 offices in 16 technology, business, and regulatory markets across the United States, Asia, and Europe. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.