Megan Chester

Associate

Megan Chester is an associate and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Megan is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, where she is a member of the Government Solutions Practice.

Megan advises both large and small businesses on regulatory issues before the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). She represents manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other businesses under investigation by the FTC and CPSC and advises those businesses on regulatory compliance programs, recalls, and remediation plans.  Megan further represents motor vehicle manufacturers and major parts suppliers on NHTSA regulatory compliance issues, including advising on Federal motor vehicle safety standards, recalls, and compliance obligations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, TREAD Act, and implementing regulations.

Megan also advises both large and small businesses on nearly all aspects of federal, state, and local government contracting, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating government contracts, subcontracts, and cooperative agreements, as well as requests for equitable adjustment and claims under government contracts.  She advises clients on government contracts compliance obligations, assists government contractors in conducting internal compliance investigations, and advises large and small businesses on government investigations.  Megan represents government contractors in bid protests before the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and state agencies.

Megan regularly performs due diligence in connection with mergers and acquisitions involving manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and government contractors and subcontractors.

Prior to joining Foley, Megan served as an attorney advisor at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Office of the Chief Counsel, Procurement and Fiscal Law Division, where she acted as the lead procurement attorney on over $10 billion of disaster response contracting actions, including a $3.4 billion solicitation and its resulting contracts for COVID-19 Pandemic Response, successfully defended the government in appeals before the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and bid protests before the Government Accountability Office, and advised the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer on the resolution of pre-award and post-award agency level protests, Contract Disputes Act claims, and requests for equitable adjustment. Previously, Megan also served as an attorney advisor at FEMA’s Federal Insurance & Mitigation Law Division.

Publications and Presentations

24 February 2025 Manufacturing Industry Advisor

An Executive Branch for the People, by the People: What the New Administration’s Executive Orders Mean for an Independent CPSC

While independent regulatory agencies, like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or the Commission), have typically considered themselves exempt from executive orders, recent events indicate the CPSC is likely not free from the Trump Administration’s push for an Executive Branch for the people, by the people.
20 February 2025 Manufacturing Industry Advisor

Make Food “Healthy” Again: FDA’s Resolution for a Healthier 2025

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began 2025 with a resolution to make food “healthy” again by announcing a trio of new final and proposed rules that are intended to make it easier for consumers to identify healthy food choices.
17 January 2025 Press Releases

Foley Represents Hospice Coalition in Lawsuit Against CMS Special Focus Program

Foley & Lardner LLP is representing a multi-state coalition of hospices and hospice associations in challenging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) Final Rule and List.
13 January 2025 Manufacturing Industry Advisor

NHTSA Adopts Final Rule to Formalize its Whistleblower Program under the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act

On December 17, 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adopted a final rule to formalize its whistleblower program under the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act.
21 November 2024 Manufacturing Industry Advisor

NHTSA Year In Review: What Will Drive NHTSA in 2025

Through 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continued its efforts to improve safety statistics and reduce the number of annual fatalities.
11 September 2024

Government Contractors Take Notice: Increase in Health & Welfare Fringe Benefit Rates Under the Service Contract Labor Standards