Bridget Mayer Briggs

Biography

Bridget Briggs focuses her practice in white collar investigations, regulatory litigation, and class action defense matters. She counsels clients in matters involving the intersection between criminal and civil litigation including civil RICO, the False Claims Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government contracts, civil and criminal forfeiture, and business torts. Bridget represents clients before administrative agencies, state and federal courts, and also counsels clients in compliance matters such as government contractor mandatory disclosure obligations or in conducting internal investigations. She helps clients investigate and proactively resolve problems to limit and prevent company risk and exposure. Bridget has overseen, negotiated, and managed several document productions pursuant to subpoena or civil investigative demand involving large volumes of sensitive electronic discovery.

Bridget is an active member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. In 2021, Bridget received Blank Rome’s Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding performance and a demonstrated commitment to pro bono legal service. That same year, Bridget was also named to the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2021 Best of the Bar for the Pro Bono category.

Before joining Blank Rome, Bridget clerked for two years for Judge Margaret B. Seymour of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. While in law school, Bridget was on the Managing Board for the Virginia Journal of International Law, and was the Director of the Rape Crisis Advocacy Project. Bridget also completed an internship at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania during that time.

Outside the Firm

Bridget is the mom of three wonderful, wacky kids. She enjoys running, yoga, and baking in her spare time.

Experience

  • Represented a large national security company, in multimillion dollar trade secrets dispute arising out of the award of a significant government contract from the U.S. Navy. The matter was successfully resolved on a confidential basis.
  • Counsel for first Chief Compliance Officer threatened with individual liability for failure to adhere to Bank Secrecy Act requirements, resulting in a favorable settlement.
  • Counsel to large e-commerce jewelry retailer in dispute with minority members alleged to have misappropriated key assets including trade secrets and other intellectual property for use in a directly competitive venture and defense of claims asserting various breaches of fiduciary duty, shareholder oppression, and related claims.
  • Lead counsel to major bank in connection with claims asserted by noteholders alleging breaches of a trust indenture agreement.
  • Successfully defeated class certification on behalf of a national bank in a consumer class action alleging RICO liability based on the bank’s alleged failure to properly monitor ACH transactions for telemarketing and Internet merchant consumers.
  • Counsel to major bank in connection with claims asserted by noteholders alleging breaches of a trust indenture agreement, resulting in a favorable settlement.
  • Represented a client accused of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing an officer of a foreign financial institution in exchange for his influence in obtaining financing for significant transactions in the oil and gas field.
  • Assisted professional sports team by conducting internal investigation on behalf of a client regarding potential involvement in a third-party’s charity scam.
  • Assisted government contractor by conducting an internal investigation in support of defending a debarment proceeding.
  • Counsel for major construction company in enforcement proceedings brought by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection based upon claims of defective construction, which avoided the filing of litigation.
  • Obtained and successfully defended a default judgment for over $400,000 in a breach of contract and tortious interference with business relationships action.

PRO BONO REPRESENTATIONS

  • Through administrative filings and extensive factual investigation, Bridget has secured Social Security disability benefits for multiple indigent clients with severe mental health disorders.
  • Represented Pennsylvania’s first-ever convict exonerated on the basis of DNA evidence after serving more than ten years in state prison, obtaining expungement of his criminal records.
  • Successfully obtained removal of signs from school district identifying exonerated client as a criminal.
  • Bridget has helped several indigent clients prepare wills and other important end-of-life documents.
  • Bridget is also a volunteer attorney for the Support Center for Child Advocates, serving as a guardian ad litem for children in the foster care system.

News & Views

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Recognitions

Bridget is a recipient of the Homeless Advocacy Project Award for her outstanding service to the clients of the Homeless Advocacy Project.

In 2019 and 2020, Bridget was listed in Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll.

Bridget has received several Blank Rome Pro Bono awards for her commitment to pro bono work. In 2021, Bridget received Blank Rome’s Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding performance and a demonstrated commitment to pro bono legal service.

In 2021, Bridget was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2021 Best of the Bar, which honors 35 attorneys in the region who have “distinguished themselves in their practice specialties” over the past 12 months.

Affiliations

Professional Activities

Bridget is a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.

Bridget is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Bridget is a member of both the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations.

Bridget is a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Homeless Advocacy Project, an organization focused on providing legal services to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. She is an active member of the organization’s Advocacy, Fundraising, and External Relations Committees.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court - New Jersey
  • District of Columbia
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Education

  • Bentley College, BS, summa cum laude
  • University of Virginia School of Law, JD