Michael Dawson provides legal advice to financial and technology clients on regulatory compliance matters. With years of experience at the US Treasury and in business, he offers practical, legal guidance for financial and technology companies, trade associations, and regulatory bodies related to corporate governance, regulation, anti–money laundering (AML), economic sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, anti-human trafficking/modern slavery, consumer protection, mortgage servicing, privacy, data protection, governance of AI-driven risk management models, payments and virtual currency. He also has an extensive background in designing compliance and remedial programs. Mr. Dawson’s professional experience spans the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  

Mr. Dawson joined WilmerHale in 2021 following 16 years at Promontory Financial Group, a financial services consulting firm that he helped build into a successful global enterprise. Mr. Dawson served in a number of leadership roles at Promontory, including founding Promontory’s office in the United Kingdom, its software arm and its managed services business. He played an integral role in Promontory’s 2016 sale to IBM and subsequently, as CEO of Promontory Asia, oversaw the integration of Promontory’s offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo into IBM. 

After beginning his legal career as an associate at an international law firm in Washington DC, Mr. Dawson served for three years at the US Department of the Treasury as deputy assistant secretary and senior advisor. While at Treasury, he helped create and implement policies on AML, sanctions, counterterrorist financing, privacy, consumer protection, credit reporting, anti–identity theft and economic development.