Manatt Adds FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief of Staff

WASHINGTON — Jan. 22, 2015 — Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, announced that Katherine Winfree has joined the Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the State Attorneys General practice group. Winfree previously served as chief of staff for the Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau.

With more than 30 years of government experience, Winfree has served in multiple high-level roles in state and federal government. As chief of staff in the Enforcement Bureau of the FCC, she was a key policy advisor to the bureau chief and provided oversight and guidance on a broad array of projects relating to communications and technology law and regulation. She previously served as the chief deputy attorney general for the state of Maryland, the second-highest law enforcement officer in the state, where she was responsible for the supervision of 32 divisions, including antitrust, consumer protection, criminal, environment, public safety and transportation. Winfree also served as a federal and state prosecutor, including 19 years as an assistant United States attorney in the District of Columbia, where she tried several high-profile cases.

“Kay’s high-level understanding of the inner workings of government investigations involving consumer regulatory matters and her extensive trial experience make her a powerful asset to our clients,” said Clayton S. Friedman, partner in charge of Manatt’s State Attorneys General practice. “Because individual and multistate attorneys general are increasingly aggressive in bringing enforcement actions, Kay’s unique background and strong relationships within various government agencies will help our clients stay ahead of and navigate enforcement matters as they arise.”

Drawing on her significant government investigations experience, Winfree will provide strategic counseling and defense to clients facing individual state, multistate, and federal investigations and legal actions, as well as internal corporate investigations. Her litigation, regulatory and policymaking background spans a variety of industries, including consumer services, technology, energy, environment, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and tobacco.

“Manatt has an impressive reputation in multistate regulatory work, particularly in the areas of consumer protection, antitrust, privacy and financial services, making for an easy and natural transition from the public sector,” said Winfree. “I look forward to working closely with this well-respected national team and leveraging my government and regulatory enforcement experience to benefit clients.”

Manatt’s State Attorneys General practice has a decades-long track record of successfully representing a wide range of clients in proceedings brought by individual and multistate attorneys general. The firm’s lawyers build on Manatt’s significant capabilities in the legal, business and government sectors to not only achieve crucial outcomes for clients, but also to help clients avoid enforcement actions that have far-reaching and potentially damaging effects on their businesses. Through comprehensive and insightful client counseling, Manatt lawyers anticipate potential issues and develop creative solutions before a client is impacted, effectively minimizing exposure to and liability from litigation. When investigations are unavoidable or litigation is necessary, Manatt utilizes its nationally recognized litigation platform to vigorously defend client interests.

Winfree earned her B.A. from the College of William & Mary and her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is one of the nation’s leading law and consulting firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base — including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies — across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.