Michael H. McGinley
Michael H. McGinley

Michael H. McGinley, Global Co-chair of the Securities and Complex Litigation practice group, focuses his practice on high-stakes litigation, specifically appellate and complex commercial matters. Mr. McGinley has experience representing clients at every level of the federal judiciary, as well as in numerous federal agencies and state courts. He has litigated a wide range of issues, including federal jurisdiction, foreign sovereign immunity, Chevron deference, federalism, preemption, antitrust, arbitration, labor law, tort law, antidumping and trade-remedy disputes, securities and corporate law, contract rights, voting rights, free speech, religious freedom and many other constitutional issues. Mr. McGinley also regularly advises individual, corporate and government clients on strategic, criminal defense, and regulatory matters. 

Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. McGinley served as Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to the President in the White House Counsel's Office, where his primary responsibilities included the review of major legislative and regulatory actions and the confirmation of judicial nominees, including Justice Gorsuch. During his time in the White House, Mr. McGinley worked closely with the Department of Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, a number of federal agencies, and various congressional committees. He also previously served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of the Supreme Court of the United States and to then-Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. 

Mr. McGinley is an elected member of the American Law Institute.  He was appointed by the President to the governing Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States, which is an independent agency charged with convening experts from the public and private sectors to recommend improvements to administrative process and procedure.  He also serves as the Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Administrative Rulemaking Committee. He was named as a 2020 “Best of The Bar” Honoree by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and most recently, selected as one of Pennsylvania Legal Awards 2021's Lawyers on the Fast Track by The Legal Intelligencer. 

  • Supreme Court Roundup — Eastern District of Pennsylvania Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Pennsylvania (July 24, 2019) 
  • A Discussion of How Recent Supreme Court Decisions and the Trump Administration's Judicial Selections Will Affect the Business Community — Omaha, NE (August 16, 2018) 
  • The Kavanaugh Hearing: A Battle of Two Constitutions — Washington, D.C. (July 25, 2018)


Services Industries
    • University of Notre Dame, B.A., 2006, cum laude, Willis D. Nutting Award
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2009, cum laude, Harvard Law Review - Supreme Court Chair
    • District of Columbia
    • Pennsylvania
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • United States District Court for the District of Columbia
    • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    • United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
    • Co-Chair of the ABA’s Committee on Administrative Rulemaking
    • Elected Member, American Law Institute
    • Presidentially-Appointed Council Member, Administrative Conference of the United States
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, Honorable Neil M. Gorsuch
    • Supreme Court of the United States, Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr.