The group’s second, recent high-profile hire, Robert T. Garretson, brings deep-rooted corporate governance and regulatory compliance experience

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm, announced today that Robert Garretson has joined as a managing director in the firm’s government and regulatory group in Washington, D.C. Garretson is a key addition to the firm’s growing Investigations, Compliance and Strategic Response Practice led by former White House Counsel Jack Quinn. Garretson brings longtime management consulting experience in strategic leadership, corporate governance and regulatory compliance management.

With broad, high-level experience in the United States Navy and the private sector, Garretson has a keen understanding of the compliance challenges seen with today’s evolving regulatory market. He has consistently developed and implemented legal and compliance teams for large-scale, private organizations to align the department’s day-to-day operations with the corporation’s broader business strategy. Garretson also has extensive experience operating in global settings, analyzing complex issues, advising clients, creating uniform standards and ensuring adherence to laws, regulations and internal policies.

“Rob’s extensive business and management consulting background is a perfect fit for our expanding government and regulatory group, and his arrival exemplifies the integration of legal and consulting offerings that makes our firm unique,” said Donna Wilson, CEO and Managing Partner-Elect of Manatt. “His experience working closely with legal teams and with Suzanne Folsom in his prior role will be an immediate asset to our growing Washington, D.C., office.”

Prior to joining Manatt, Garretson worked at U.S. Steel Corporation as the general manager of governance strategy with the legal and compliance team. He was responsible for implementing the transformation of the legal, compliance and government affairs functional areas of the corporation, and providing critical guidance to the general counsel on maximizing efficiencies, controlling costs and identifying opportunities to reduce expenditures through more effective communication and management.

“Rob’s outstanding track record of developing and implementing operations for best-in-class legal and compliance departments makes him an ideal addition to our government and regulatory group, as we continue to advise clients on a wide array of complex issues ranging from government and corporate investigations to involvement with monitorships,” said Jack Quinn, head of Manatt’s Washington, D.C., office and former counsel to the President of the United States during the Clinton administration.

During his career as an active duty officer in the United States Navy, Garretson served operationally in a number of naval aviation squadrons before managing enterprise technology assets, export compliance and international technology transfers. Following two decades of key leadership roles in the United States Navy, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as an advisory services manager and then Academi, formerly known as Blackwater, and a provider of critical national security support. At Academi, Garretson was a senior director with the legal and compliance team, joining Board Member Jack Quinn in restructuring the company.

“My career has been focused on guiding corporations through complex regulatory and crisis environments, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to do exactly that alongside respected strategic response leaders Jack and Suzanne at Manatt,” said Garretson. “As the group continues to evolve and expand its legal and consulting capabilities, I can’t envision a more exciting time to join the team.”

Garretson earned his M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College and his B.S. in economics from the United States Naval Academy.