Senior Government Legal Department lawyer joins Government team at Gowling WLG

Andrea McMahon has left the Government Legal Department after almost 20 years to join law firm Gowling WLG.

McMahon will assist the firm's Government team - appointed to the Government's Crown Commercial Service (CCS) - which delivers specialist legal services to public sector bodies.

Her legal background includes complex public and private law litigation and inquiry work combined with leading on internal investigations and related policy at the centre of government. 

Gowling WLG said McMahon’s appointment would strengthen the firm's Commercial Litigation team further and support the expansion of their Dispute Resolution group.

At the Government Legal Department, McMahon held the position of Senior Civil Servant Lawyer and Deputy Director within the Cabinet Office Propriety & Ethics Team. She has also worked within the Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Ministry of Justice as well as private practice.

McMahon supported and advised senior individuals at the highest level, including Permanent Secretaries, Ministers and Secretaries of State, on high-profile and sensitive matters.

Michael Luckman, co-head of Gowling WLG's Government team, said: "Public sector investigations, Government inquiry work and complex litigation are growing areas of focus in the Government sector. These are important projects for the country and are usually both complex and long-running, involving many intertwining strands and multiple stakeholders at various levels."

He added: "Andrea's many years of expertise in this space as a Senior Civil Servant in the Government Legal Department, most recently at the Cabinet Office, along with her experience of handling both the diverse stakeholders and the delicate political aspects of such work, gives us genuine depth in this space and will enable us to enhance our continued support for government, including the Government Legal Department, and across the public sector."

Commentating on her appointment, McMahon said: "I am thrilled to be joining Gowling WLG and will look forward to bringing my experience and skills to support and complement the excellent public sector team and government practice at Gowling WLG. I am excited about the new opportunities that the partnership will offer."

Adam Carey