Written By: Matthew Benson
For as long as Meghan Gilligan Palermo could remember, she wanted to become a lawyer. Her first legal proposal was a contractual agreement drafted to outline her duties if her parents would adopt a dog for her and her brother. Meghan found early success. The family dog lived a long and healthy life.
Meghan grew up in Rochester, New York, and earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from the University of Rochester, where she graduated magna cum laude. Despite her early memory of contractual success, Meghan always envisioned a career in litigation where she could use her skills as a lawyer to help improve the lives of clients in ways large and small. This belief was further reinforced in college when she worked in the Domestic Violence Unit at the Legal Aid Society of Rochester for two consecutive summers. Meghan’s career path has taken many shapes since then, but her commitment to serving others, particularly those facing vulnerable and urgent circumstances, has remained a central part of her practice in the private sector.
This commitment is also what ultimately led Meghan to attend Syracuse University College of Law, where she sought not only a foundational legal education, but also hands-on legal experience in the local community. In recollecting on her time at Syracuse University College of Law, Meghan wholeheartedly believes that it was not only the opportunities for hands-on practice experience like the criminal defense clinic and criminal justice teaching fellowship, but also her professors’ practical approaches to classes and teaching real world lawyering skills that made SUCOL special. Through her work with junior associates at two large firms since graduating, Meghan recognizes how the College of Law’s focus on practical training gives its graduates a strong foundation and confidence as they enter practice that sets them apart from other young attorneys.
Importantly, Meghan availed herself of many opportunities to hone these real world skills while enrolled at Syracuse. Meghan was a member of the Syracuse Law Review, where she served as an Associate Notes Editor and earned the distinction of having her student note selected for publication. In her note, she argued against the admissibility of statements made by sex offenders during treatment programs as a basis for search warrant applications and subsequent prosecution as a matter of due process protection and promoting the recidivism-reducing public policy underlying such programs. Meghan still believes the note-writing process, where students approach a novel legal topic as an expert with a new lens, is incredibly valuable not only to fuel strategic thinking in young lawyers but also to the legal field as a whole. In her current field of E-Discovery, she recognizes that on topics where case law often lags behind technological developments (like Generative AI), academic thought pieces can be important incubators of legal strategy and consensus-building in the legal community on emerging issues.
Additionally, Meghan was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and competed on the Appellate Advocacy Team, while also earning first place at the Mackenzie Hughes LLP Edmund H. Lewis Appellate Advocacy Competition and authoring the competition case problem in her 3L year. These experiences, along with her 1L summer clerkship with Hon. David Peebles L’75 and her externship with Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Lisa M. Fletcher, sharpened her legal research and writing skills. Her continued work with judges during the following year’s Appellate Advocacy Competition also helped solidify her goal to pursue a clerkship after graduation. But first, she made a stop in the Electric City, where eventually she would return for a post-graduation clerkship on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
It was an offer from the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General’s Honors Program that ultimately brought Meghan to Scranton, Pennsylvania. This competitive and prestigious program not only enhanced her writing and research skills in federal law but helped open the door to a clerkship after graduation through developing strong connections with the local federal bar. Meghan returned to Scranton after graduation for a clerkship with Judge Thomas Vanaskie of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, a terrific experience that provided invaluable lessons, core skills, and meaningful connections that continue to shape her career today.
Following her clerkship, Meghan joined Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City as a litigation associate, where she practiced for six years with a focus on white-collar enforcement and securities litigation matters. As a first-generation college student, Meghan did not know what to expect from firm life. At the outset, Meghan relied on her previous law school and clerkship experiences to gain perspective and bring to bear the practical skills she honed at the College of Law. The highly-specialized nature of the white-collar criminal defense and investigations work Meghan was doing as an associate meant she was immersed in her matters, often seeing them through from inception to close. She managed large teams of associates, flew across the globe for various emergent client matters, and was deeply involved in every stage of her matters. Meghan loved being completely immersed in these high-profile, often bet-the-company matters, most of which spanned many years across her time at the firm.
During her experience as an associate in Sullivan & Cromwell’s New York office, a secondment allowed Meghan to spend what was initially intended to be six months with the Federal Defenders of New York. After earning a spot as a second chair in defending an indigent client against a federal terrorism prosecution, she extended her stay for several months to see the case through to trial as second chair. Upon her return to Sullivan & Cromwell, Meghan spent another two years at the firm, leading a large multinational criminal tax prosecution and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, among other matters.
In 2019, inspired by her experience with the Federal Defenders and the opportunity to represent a broader mix of clients across industries, Meghan accepted a position as a senior litigation associate at Ropes & Gray LLP in New York City, where she continued her work in white collar investigations and enforcement. Five years after joining the firm, she turned her focus towards the next chapter, eventually joining the firm’s expanding Advanced E-Discovery & A.I. Strategy group. In recognition of her leadership and expertise, she was recently promoted to E-Discovery Counsel at the firm.
When discussing the types of issues she encounters most frequently in her current role, Meghan explained that the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence and the constantly evolving data landscape mean her work can change on a daily basis. While e-discovery practice will always center around navigating privilege laws and collecting, reviewing, and distilling data, Meghan noted that perhaps the greatest challenge at present and ahead is keeping pace with technological changes. She explained that even after conducting exhaustive and comprehensive research and analysis, a small change in an AI tool or data platform can fundamentally alter their approach for their client. Looking ahead, Meghan anticipates that both the continued proliferation of technology and the expansion of new data sources will reshape not only the e-discovery landscape but also litigation and transactional practices over the next five years. Meghan and the E-Discovery team at Ropes & Gray look forward to continuing to provide differentiated and invaluable support to clients in the face of the rapidly evolving technological landscape facing today’s lawyers.
Outside her work at the forefront of technology, law, and litigation, Meghan enjoys the not-so-quiet moments with her husband, two- and four-year-olds, and their rescue dog. Family getaways to Long Beach Island offer a welcome escape from long New York winters, reflecting Meghan’s commitment to balancing her dedication to professional excellence with the joyful responsibilities of family life.