Alec Chiquoine
Of Counsel | Alec@mcgovernweems.com
Alec Chiquoine represents individuals and institutions in both criminal and civil matters, with a particular focus on white-collar criminal defense, government and regulatory investigations, internal investigations, and high-stakes civil litigation. At McGovern Weems, he is committed to addressing each client’s unique needs, devising creative solutions to complex legal issues, and developing tailored legal strategies based on the specifics of each case. His experience includes handling matters related to allegations of fraud, corruption—often with a cross-border element—and civil rights violations.
Before joining McGovern Weems, Mr. Chiquoine served as Senior Counsel for the largest private corporation in the United States, where he managed global criminal and civil investigations and defended the company in government inquiries. Previously, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting and trying cases involving economic and major crimes. He began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Susan Richard Nelson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Mr. Chiquoine holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law and a B.S. in Political Science from Beloit College.
Of Counsel | Ben@mcgovernweems.com
Benjamin Sauter defends clients in the cryptocurrency and commodity derivatives industries against high-stakes government enforcement actions and investigations. Clients from major cryptocurrency exchanges to leading proprietary trading firms to company founders and executives have turned to Mr. Sauter for creative and aggressive strategies to improve their defenses and leverage dynamics.
Mr. Sauter has received multiple certifications for conducting blockchain analysis and is a member of the Digital Currency & Ledger Defense Coalition.
Before joining McGovern Weems, Mr. Sauter clerked for Judge Fortunato P. Benavides in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Chief Judge Sarah S. Vance in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He received his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School.
Senior Economic and Business Strategy Advisor | Jonah@mcgovernweems.com
Jonah Levavi provides strategic and economic guidance to clients in the financial and emerging technology sectors, with a focus on the digital assets industry. Before joining McGovern Weems, Jonah served as Vice President at a leading blockchain consultancy, where he worked with large corporate clients, cryptocurrency networks, and DeFi protocols in executing a variety of high-value blockchain-based initiatives.
Clients leverage Jonah’s technical background, together with the legal expertise of McGovern Weems’ lawyers, to navigate the complex crypto regulatory environment while meeting their strategic objectives. Jonah collaborates with McGovern Weems’ lawyers to develop creative defenses to regulatory challenges, government investigations, and private disputes. In addition, Jonah’s deep hands-on experience across the blockchain and emerging technology space integrates with McGovern Weems’ compliance practice to provide practical guidance to clients seeking to avoid costly regulatory investigation and enforcement.
Jonah obtained his MBA at NYU Stern School of Business and his BA at University of Southern California.
Shea McQuillan
Shea@mcgovernweems.com
Shea McQuillan, under the supervision of the firm’s lawyers, provides support on matters involving government enforcement defense, investigations, examinations and monitorships. Before joining McGovern | Weems, Shea worked at Kobre & Kim as a senior litigation assistant in matters involving complex commercial litigation and debtor-creditor disputes.
Shea received her BA in journalism, political science, and philosophy from Pennsylvania State University.
Vanessa Cordova
vanessa@mcgovernweems.com
Vanessa is the Operations Manager at McGovern | Weems. She assists in overseeing the firm’s operations and casework, which include financial investigations, litigations, and sanctions matters. Before working at McGovern | Weems, Vanessa worked at Microsoft as a Technical Consultant, providing consulting services to Fortune 500 companies on digital transformation initiatives and cloud-based solutions. She has previously worked at Kobre&Kim, NYS Senate, United States House of Representatives, and Goldman Sachs.
Vanessa is currently obtaining her M.A. from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and received her Bachelors from Harvard University.
Ijeoma Onyejiaka
Ijeoma@mcgovernweems.com
Ijeoma Onyejiaka is a Law Clerk at McGovern Weems. Ms. Onyejiaka is a qualified lawyer in Nigeria, having practiced law at a top-tier Nigerian law firm where she facilitated complex international corporate transactions.
Ms. Onyejiaka relocated to the U.S. and is now a third-year law student at the University of Iowa School of Law. Ms. Onyejiaka brings to McGovern Weems her deep commitment to client service and a unique blend of international and practical experience that enhances our cross-border capabilities.
