Megan Robertson, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was featured in Clemson’s alumni stories series as a genetics graduate of the 2014 class.
Following is an excerpt:
When we think of getting a genetics degree, most of us don’t really equate that to a career in law. 2014 alum Megan Robertson is paving the way to broaden the horizons of what a science degree can lead to.
After growing up outside of Charlotte, NC, Megan came to Clemson as a genetics major with a minor in legal studies. While she was on campus, Megan was involved in Sigma Kappa, Pi Chi and worked at the Academic Success Center with the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program.
“I was an SI instructor for calculus for a year or so and then oversaw the SI instructors for all the science classes.”
Outside of academics, Megan enjoyed all that Clemson had to offer.
“I loved going to football games (of course!) and hanging out with friends downtown, whether it was getting ice cream at Spill the Beans or grabbing a drink at TTTs.”
After Clemson, Megan went straight to law school at the George Washington (GW) Law School in Washington D.C., living in the city for eight years throughout her schooling. The GW Law School a global law school that exists to make an impact on the law through the leadership of diverse faculty and staff, the extraordinary influence of an extensive alumni network, and the location in the heart of downtown Washington, DC.
Upon graduating from law school, Megan began her career as an attorney at the law firm of Epstein Becker Green (EBG), a national law firm with a primary focus on health care and life sciences; employment, labor, and workforce management; and litigation and business disputes.
Megan is now a partner at Epstein Becker Green, working with clients involved in biotech, biopharma, clinical lab and research activities advising them on compliance with federal and state laws and regulations (think FDA regulations, CLIA for labs, fraud and abuse considerations and state laws).
“I may be answering a question about how a new product is regulated or helping to negotiate a clinical research contract for a new study. I also represent investor clients during due diligence reviews of life sciences companies, advising on risks associated with potential transactions.”
Another piece of Megan’s practice is pro bono work, where she represents claimants seeking social security disability benefits on a no cost basis. This was not originally Megan’s plan when she went to law school.
“I actually went to law school thinking I would do patents. But as I learned more about the health care law field, I got more intrigued and finally zeroed in on where I am today.”
Though Megan is technically an attorney, she uses her genetics degree and knowledge everyday in her work duties. Megan’s degree in genetics, allows her to understand the unique compliance challenges faced by, and the development opportunities available to, companies in the life sciences industry.
“Having a science background is incredibly useful when talking to clients about the details of a new product or study. Regardless of whether it has to do specifically with genetics or biochemistry, “speaking the language” is invaluable when relaying legal and compliance concepts and concepts and talking through strategy with these life sciences companies.”
Much of the work Megan does is with clinical labs, and she co-leads the firm’s Clinical Labs Focused Initiative.
“Whether the labs are running genetic tests or developing their own test, it is exciting to be able to watch new developments in genetics come to fruition in near-real time.”
Megan married her high school sweetheart Zach in 2017 and now live in just outside in Herndon, VA with their four-old daughter, Olivia and two dogs, Miller and Marlo.
