Melissa Taylormoore

Melissa Taylormoore, a partner in Dechert’s enforcement and investigations practice brings more than 20 years of experience advising government contractors, defense companies and multinational enterprises on the full spectrum of federal procurement, national security and compliance matters. Ms. Taylormoore’s practice spans the legal and regulatory frameworks governing business with federal, state and local governments in the United States, with particular depth in national security, defense, aerospace and dual-use technologies.

Ms. Taylormoore’s rare combination of private practice experience and executive in-house leadership enables her to deliver both strategic legal counsel and practical, board-ready guidance to clients operating at the intersection of government and industry.

Ms. Taylormoore counsels U.S. government contractors and grant recipients across the full contract lifecycle—from pre-award strategy, bidding and regulatory positioning, through contract performance, change management, audits and investigations, to claims, disputes and enforcement resolution. She advises on the design, implementation and testing of compliance programs tailored to the requirements of the Department of Justice, Defense Contract Audit Agency and agency-specific requirements, including those applicable to federal, state and local procurement systems. Her work regularly involves complex cost allowability, pricing, subcontracting, supply chain integrity and socio-economic program compliance issues.

She also advises on transactions involving companies that receive U.S. government funding, including acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures with national security implications. She advises on NATO and United Nations procurement regimes, as well as other international defense acquisition and compliance frameworks, supporting market entry strategies, pre-award diligence, global regulatory positioning and risk mitigation in highly regulated and security-sensitive supply chains.

Her disputes practice encompasses contract claims and litigation, employment-related matters and enforcement defense, with significant experience representing clients in internal and government investigations under statutes including the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act. Ms. Taylormoore leads sensitive internal and cross-border investigations involving allegations of fraud, corporate misconduct, discrimination, harassment, human trafficking and other compliance failures. She frequently advises boards of directors and senior executives on governance, remediation and crisis response, and prepares companies for and through high-stakes regulatory scrutiny.

Before returning to private practice, Ms. Taylormoore served as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer for a major U.S. defense contractor, where her work was grounded in U.S. and international government contracting requirements. In that role, she advised the board on strategic initiatives, built and operationalized a global compliance infrastructure aligned with government contract obligations, managed complex litigation and led responses to cyber incidents and regulatory inquiries.