Lauren Friend McKelvey
Overview
Lauren Friend McKelvey employs extensive experience in the startup space to counsel emerging companies and investors on a wide variety of legal and compliance matters facing startups, including transactions, regulatory compliance and privacy, artificial intelligence use and data protection, and general corporate matters.
As former general counsel and chief compliance officer of a FinTech startup ultimately acquired by a public company, Lauren has a deep understanding of the unique issues that emerging companies face. Her vast experience on both the company side and investment side of the startup landscape spans mergers and acquisitions; restructuring and workout transactions; seed, angel, venture capital, and private equity funding; and debt financings.
Lauren helps startup companies navigate the complex federal and state legal and regulatory landscape in areas such as data privacy, AI, automated decision making, financial services, marketing communications, biometric data, health care privacy (HIPAA), and cybersecurity. She also regularly drafts and negotiates contracts, including master service agreements, licensing agreements, terms of service, and reseller agreements.
Lauren also has a strong command of distressed company situations. She advises both distressed companies and investors and creditors of distressed companies in workout and restructuring transactions and bankruptcy cases.
Credentials
Education
- George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School, 2009 (J.D.), magna cum laude
- Georgetown University, 2005 (M.A.), with honors
- Sweet Briar College, 2003 (B.A.), summa cum laude
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia
- CIO Group, Advisory Board, 2025-present
- Chapter 7 Panel Trustee, Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria Division), 2025-present
- Freedom Bank of Virginia, Board of Directors, 2018-2024
- StreetShares Foundation, Volunteer, 2019-2022
- District of Columbia Bankruptcy Court Pro Bono Program, Volunteer, 2012-2019
- International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, Melnik Award
- Washingtonian Magazine, Top Lawyer
- Virginia Business Magazine and Virginia Bar Association, Virginia Business Legal Elite
- Northern Virginia Magazine, Top Lawyer
- National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, Next Generation Participant
- International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation, Rising Star
- Virginia Super Lawyers, Rising Star
- D.C. Super Lawyers, Rising Star
- Northern Virginia Bankruptcy Bar Association
- International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation
- National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees
- “Origins to Obligations: The Role of AI in Corporate Transactions,” AI Symposium, March 2025
- “Fireside Chat with American College of Bankruptcy Fellows,” IWIRC’s 31st Annual Fall Conference, September 2024
- “Careers and Important Insolvency Topics for Law Students,” Howard DREAMS – Discover Restructuring Expertise and Mentorship Symposium, November 2023
- “Bank Insolvencies: Industry Impact Six Months Later,” IWIRC@INSOL, September 2023
- “New Fair Lending Rules Under Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act,” StreetShares Platform Podcast, December 2021
- “Four Important Vendor Compliance Questions You Should Be Asking,” Independent Banker, September 2021
- “Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Forgiveness: The Sequel,” StreetShares Platform Webinar Series, February 2021
- “Major Implications for PPP Forgiveness,” StreetShares Platform Webinar Series, July 2020
- “Shutdown Playbook,” Association for Corporate Growth National Capital Program, January 2019
- “Asset Identification & Recovery in International Insolvencies,” IWIRC 24th Annual Fall Conference, October 2017
- “Ponzi’s the Name, Clawback’s the Game: The Anatomy of Ponzi Scheme,” IWIRC and the Maryland State Bar Association Consumer Bankruptcy Section, April 2017
- “Speaking Up: Effective Presentation Skills,” IWIRC Washington, DC Network’s Second Annual Professional Development Panel, November 2015
- “Harness Your Strong Arm Powers: A Five-Point Checklist for Bringing Claims Under § 544,” American Bankruptcy Trustee Journal, June 2015
- “Can Bankrupt Law Firms Claw Back ‘Unfinished Biz’ Profits?,” Law360, May 2014
- “A Guide to Retail Chapter 11 Cases for Commercial Landlords,” Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Corporate Counsel Meeting, May 2014
- “A Primer on Serving the IRS and Other Federal and State Governmental Entities,” NABTalk, Spring 2014
- “Business Lending: Recent Legal Developments,” ABI’s Risky Times for Secured Lenders and Servicers Workshop, November 2013
- “Take Back That Jet: Managing Turbulence in Aircraft Repossession,” AirWorthy, June 2010