R. Peter Fontaine

R. Peter Fontaine is the founder and managing partner of NewGate Partners LLP. NewGate Partners provides legal and risk management services exclusively to the public accounting industry. Peter has served as chief legal counsel for professional services firms for more than two decades. Before establishing NewGate Partners, he held the general counsel post at McGladrey and was responsible for the firm’s legal, compliance, risk management, and government relations functions. Peter was also a partner at Arthur Andersen, where he managed the legal support for its global business consulting practice. Prior to entering the accounting industry, Peter had a lengthy career at Maynard, Massachusetts based Digital Equipment Corporation, and was general counsel of its professional services division. Peter’s extensive expertise includes accountancy regulation, mergers, acquisitions & divestitures, employment and partnership matters, accountants’ liability litigation, partnership governance, enterprise risk management, intellectual property, international transactions, and marketing and branding. Peter is an honors graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and the New England School of Law, both in the Boston area.