14 Jan 2026
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Adds Michael McGinley as Senior Of Counsel and Launches Defense Tech Industry Group
"Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati hires Michael McGinley as Senior Of Counsel and launches a Defense Tech industry group; he will work on defense and dual-use technology, government acquisitions, contracts, and cybersecurity."
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 and of contracting and compliance requirements.
Prior to Google, McGinley opened and led the Defense Innovation Unit’s Boston office, where he launched the GigEagle talent marketplace initiative and The Cambridge Project, a technology evaluation program with Harvard, MIT, and Tufts University.
His private law practice experience includes work 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.
McGinley also 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 role in the modernization of Air Force programs totaling $60 billion annually. He has been recognized with multiple awards, including a 2025 Federal 100 Award, the 2025 GovCIO Flywheel Award for Innovation in Emerging Technology, and AFCEA International’s 2024 Distinguished Award for Excellence in Emerging Technology.
McGinley holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, an M.P.A. from Auburn University, and a B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Wilson Sonsini’s Defense Tech industry group will draw on the firm’s existing experience representing defense and dual-use technology clients and will combine 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 to advise clients in the sector.