Lauren Simenauer

Lauren Simenauer is a senior associate in the Washington, D.C. office of McKool Smith, where she focuses on complex commercial litigation, consumer protection enforcement, intellectual property, and government representation matters. She brings significant experience from her prior tenure at a large multinational firm, where she worked with high-profile clients on complex, high-stakes litigation.

Lauren has substantial trial experience, having taken six cases to trial as an associate, including handling witness examinations in a $400M trial victory on behalf of junior bondholders in New York State court in 2025. She also has significant experience working alongside state attorneys general and government enforcement teams. Lauren helped lead the associate team in Texas v. Meta, working in conjunction with the Texas Office of the Attorney General to secure the historic $1.4 billion settlement on behalf of the State of Texas. She has also been actively involved in the firm's pharmaceutical litigation and has contributed to qui tam actions brought against pharmaceutical companies under the False Claims Act, reinforcing her depth of experience in government-side enforcement and fraud recovery matters. Lauren has represented clients at every stage of litigation from pre-suit investigations to post-trial motions, including drafting multiple appeals and arguing an appeal at the Federal Circuit.

Lauren’s pro bono matters include winning petitions for habeas corpus for lawful asylum seekers wrongfully detained in Operation Metro Surge.

Prior to joining McKool Smith, Lauren served as a law clerk to the Honorable Barbara M. G. Lynn on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, where she gained firsthand insight into federal judicial decision-making and complex case management. During law school, she served as an Articles Editor on The Georgetown Law Journal and as a student attorney in Georgetown's Criminal Justice Clinic, where she represented indigent clients in criminal proceedings.

• In re Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Secured a pivotal trial win on behalf of junior bondholders—400 Capital Management, La Verdad Holdings, Solula LLC, and Robert Dechert—in a high-stakes residential mortgage-backed securitization (RMBS) trustee proceeding concerning 34 RMBS trusts.

• Named by her peers to the list of Washington D.C. Super Lawyers, 2023 - 2026