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- Home
- Professionals
- Matthew S. Shapanka
Matthew Shapanka represents and counsels corporate, political, and individual clients in criminal, regulatory, and policy matters before government agencies and Congress.
He advises and represents clients on political law compliance and enforcement matters involving the Federal Election Campaign Act, Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Ethics in Government Act, Congressional ethics rules, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s pay-to-play rules, as well as the election and political laws of states and municipalities across the country.
Mr. Shapanka also develops and executes public policy initiatives for clients seeking actions by Congress and government agencies. He represents corporate and nonprofit clients in complex, multifaceted campaigns with significant policy and political dimensions. He has experience drafting testimony for both legislative and oversight hearings before Congress, and has prepared numerous witnesses for congressional testimony and depositions. He also has experience in legislative drafting, and has composed multiple bills introduced in Congress and state legislatures, including several that have been enacted into law.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Shapanka worked as a research analyst in the Massachusetts Recovery & Reinvestment Office, where he worked on all aspects of state-level policy, communications, and compliance for federal stimulus funding awarded to Massachusetts under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. He has also worked for federal, state, and local political candidates in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
- Advising corporate (for-profit and non-profit), political, and high net worth individual clients, including candidates, PACs, Super PACs, and trade associations, regarding:
- federal, state, and local campaign finance laws and regulations;
- federal, state, and local pay-to-play rules;
- federal, state, and local lobbying and ethics laws;
- Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) issues; and
- Political law due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.
- Representing Fortune 200 technology company on intellectual property policy and legislation.
- Advising multi-billion dollar pension trust fund on policy matters before Congress and the Administration.
- Representing trade association on intellectual property policy and legislation.
- Represented state political candidate in successful defense of eligibility to appear on the ballot.
- Represented major financial institutions in investigations before congressional committees.
- Represented multiple large pharmaceutical companies responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests before federal agencies.
- Represented individual criminal defendant in federal conspiracy and bribery prosecution.
Pro Bono
- Representing nonprofit Making Every Vote Count on election reform policy and legislation.
- Representing nonprofit foundation on tax and election law matters.
- Representing national homelessness advocacy organization on housing legislation before Congress and the Administration.
- Representing newspaper in First Amendment prison censorship litigation.
- Representing Alabama inmate attacking capital sentence in post-conviction proceedings.
- Successfully represented Native American tribe in securing formal legislative recognition in the State of Delaware.
Memberships and Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- California Political Attorneys Association
- American Constitution Society
- Tufts Lawyers Association, Board Member
- National Eagle Scout Association
Previous Experience
- Law clerk for state senate candidate Eric Lesser in successful defense of ballot access before the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission, resulting in favorable published decision. Allen v. Lesser, Mass. SBLC 14-01 (June 20, 2014).
- United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Intern, Economic Crimes Unit (2014).
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Judicial Intern, Hon. Amy Berman Jackson (2012).
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts Recovery & Reinvestment Office, Research Analyst (2009-2011).
January 8, 2020, Global Policy Watch
The America Invents Act (“AIA”) may be back on Congress’s agenda this year. Enacted in 2011, the AIA established the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) to adjudicate patentability disputes. The Board is composed of administrative patent judges (APJs) who are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and removable by either the Secretary or...… Continue ...
December 23, 2019, Global Policy Watch
5G wireless technology has captured the attention of Congress. At least 30 5G-related bills have been introduced in the House and Senate this Congress, signaling widespread interest by lawmakers in 5G. Several of these bills, addressing a range of issues including national security concerns, the promotion of U.S. leadership in international 5G standards-setting ...
September 6, 2019, Inside Political Law
The Internal Revenue Service today announced proposed regulations to eliminate donor information disclosure requirements for certain nonprofits. The proposed regulations provide “relief from requirements to report contributor names and addresses on annual returns filed by certain tax-exempt organizations, previously provided in Revenue Procedure 2018-38.” Once ...
August 13, 2019, Global Policy Watch
A bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress introduced the Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement (IDEA) Act to ensure that policy makers and researchers have the tools they need to study diversity among inventors holding U.S. patents. Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and ...
August 2, 2019, Global Policy Watch
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must adhere to public notice-and-comment procedures before it can relieve certain tax-exempt organizations of the burden of reporting the names and addresses of their donors to the IRS, a Montana federal court ruled this week. Last year’s Revenue Procedure 2018-38 provided that tax-exempt organizations, other than 501(c)(3) ...
August 1, 2019, Inside Political Law
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must adhere to public notice-and-comment procedures before it can relieve certain tax-exempt organizations of the burden of reporting the names and addresses of their donors to the IRS, a Montana federal court ruled this week. Last year’s Revenue Procedure 2018-38 provided that tax-exempt organizations, other than 501(c)(3) ...
August 1, 2019, Covington Alert
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must adhere to public notice-and-comment procedures before it can relieve certain tax-exempt organizations of the burden of reporting the names and addresses of their donors to the IRS, a Montana federal court ruled this week.
July 29, 2019, Global Policy Watch
Last week, the Senate Commerce Committee held a markup where it unanimously passed two pieces of legislation aimed at improving U.S. fifth-generation wireless network (5G) security measures out of committee: the Secure 5G and Beyond Act (S. 893) and the United States 5G Leadership Act (S. 1625). These bills—passed as Congress, the Administration, and the...… ...
June 7, 2019, Global Policy Watch
This week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property held the first two of a three-part series of hearings on “The State of Patent Eligibility in America.” The hearings are part of an ongoing bipartisan congressional effort to reform section 101 of the Patent Act to address confusion over patent eligibility wrought by more than...… Continue ...
March 27, 2019
WASHINGTON—The American Lawyer has recognized Covington among its 2019 “Dealmakers of the Year.” The annual feature highlights “the lawyers behind the most significant work” in deal making, and this marks the second time the firm has received this distinction in the last three years. In March 2018, Covington helped Qualcomm, Inc. secure a U.S. Presidential ...
February 19, 2019, Global Policy Watch
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (“USPTO”) Office of the Chief Economist released a new report last week examining women inventor trends in the United States from 1976 to 2016. The study showed that only 21 percent of U.S. patents granted during that 40-year period include at least one woman listed as an inventor. Despite...… Continue Reading
November 20, 2018
WASHINGTON—Covington has helped achieve a legislative victory to advance pro-innovation policies and to further study issues of underrepresentation in inventing by women, persons of color, and veterans when Congress enacted H.R. 6758, the Study of Underrepresented Classes Chasing Engineering and Science Success (SUCCESS) Act into law, which the President has now ...
October 9, 2018, Covington Alert
As the midterm elections rapidly approach, contributions to nonprofits and other politically active organizations that support candidates and ballot initiatives will draw greater scrutiny from state and federal campaign finance regulators.
July 10, 2018, Global Policy Watch
Patents have been mainstay of the Judiciary Committee agenda in both chambers for more than a decade, but never before has the debate seemed so firmly focused on strengthening patent rights. Significant patent bills are pending in both chambers, and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have summoned Andrei Iancu, the new director of the...… Continue Reading
New Tactic Emerges in Fight to Compel Companies to Disclose So-Called “Dark Money” Contributions
June 25, 2018, Covington Advisory
A new corporate political disclosure trend is coming. For years, those advocating increased corporate political disclosure have looked for ways to force companies to publicly reveal the names and amounts of corporate contributions to so-called “dark money” 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofits and 501(c)(6) trade associations.
June 20, 2018, Global Policy Watch
Change is afoot at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Since Director Andrei Iancu took office in February and declared “creating a new pro-innovation, pro-IP dialogue” a top priority, the agency has experienced a flurry of activity. Beyond the significant shift in its rhetoric on intellectual property, the USPTO has moved to “increase ...
April 6, 2018, Global Policy Watch
While the din over a possible government shutdown dominated the headlines, political law played a supporting role in the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. No. 115-141). The content and omissions of the so-called “Omnibus” spending bill will be of interest to political actors in all sectors, but particularly those operating nonprofit ...
April 5, 2018, Inside Political Law
While the din over a possible government shutdown dominated the headlines, political law played a supporting role in the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. No. 115-141). The content and omissions of the so-called “Omnibus” spending bill will be of interest to political actors in all sectors, but particularly those operating nonprofit ...
March 15, 2018
WASHINGTON—Covington secured a U.S. Presidential order compelling Broadcom Limited to “immediately and permanently abandon” its proposed hostile takeover of its client Qualcomm, Inc. The order was based on findings by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) that Broadcom's takeover "threatens to impair the national security of the United ...
March 2, 2018, Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Matthew Shapanka is quoted in a Greater Baton Rouge Business Report article regarding the state of the U.S. patent system. “The patent system is the backbone of invention,” says Shapanka. “The Stronger Patent Act tries to bring back some of the fairness to the patent system.”
June 2018, Technology & Innovation
July 3, 2017, Inside Political Law
The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations is considering a major change to the way trade associations are allowed to raise money into their political action committees (PACs). Currently, if a trade association wants to solicit money from its member companies’ employees, it must first get advance approval from the company, and each company can authorize...… ...
December 13, 2016, Inside Political Law
As the President-elect begins to nominate individuals for Senate-confirmed positions in his administration, one of the major hurdles these individuals face is the statutory requirement that the Director of the Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) review and certify a public disclosure of each source of income exceeding $200 and each property interest exceeding ...
December 13, 2016, Covington Alert
As the President-elect begins to nominate individuals for Senate-confirmed positions in his administration, one of the major hurdles these individuals face is the statutory requirement that the Director of the Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) review and certify a public disclosure of each source of income exceeding $200 and each property interest exceeding ...
July 25, 2016, Inside Political Law
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued two private letter rulings (PLRs) that may be interesting for tax-exempt organizations that engage in political activity. In the first ruling, the IRS held that a company could not deduct payments made to charity under a PAC matching contribution program as an “ordinary and necessary business expense.” ...
June 1, 2016, Inside Political Law
A recent settlement between the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) and Massachusetts Republican Party may highlight an emerging trend: state parties using federal preemption to avoid strict state campaign finance laws. At issue was whether the Massachusetts Republican Party could use funds from its federal campaign account to pay for ...
Survey of the Pay-to-Play Laws of the United States
Available for purchase in its entirety or by region, Covington's 50-state survey can help in-house lawyers and compliance professionals make sense of the complex regulatory framework surrounding political contributions.