The Legal Intelligencer Honors Dechert Lawyers for Professional Excellence

Two of Dechert’s Philadelphia-based lawyers have been recognized by The Legal Intelligencer in its Pennsylvania Legal Awards for 2026. The awards were established to celebrate the achievements of lawyers who have left an indelible mark on the legal community in Pennsylvania.

Michael McGinley, the global co-chair of Dechert's Securities and Complex Litigation Group, has been named "Attorney of the Year" finalist after arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court three times within a four-month stretch. Mr. McGinley is a Philadelphia-based partner who clerked for Justice Alito and then-Judge Gorsuch and who served as Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to the President in the White House Counsel's Office.  He was appointed by the Supreme Court in Hewitt v. United States to defend a criminal sentencing judgment the federal government had abandoned. Two months later, in March 2025, he argued in BLOM Bank v. Honickman, convincing the Supreme Court to grant review and reverse 9-0 on an important issue of civil procedure after the Second Circuit had granted plaintiffs an opportunity to amend their complaint. In April 2025, Mr. McGinley argued a major First Amendment case for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was poised to become the first religious charter school in the United States. Other publications have recognized Mr. McGinley for his extraordinary year, with Law360 naming him an "Appellate MVP of the Year," the Financial Times naming him among the "Top 10 Most Innovative Legal Practitioners in North America," and The National Law Journal naming Dechert to its "Appellate Hot List" for 2025.

James Figorski, a Philadelphia-based senior staff attorney, has been named a winner in the "Unsung Heroes" category for his longstanding partnership with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a nonprofit dedicated to uncovering miscarriages of justice. A 25-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department before joining Dechert in 2007, Mr. Figorski has served as a volunteer case reviewer and co-counsel to the Project, bringing a detective's instinct for what is missing from a case file. His work has yielded three exonerations out of three, including securing the release of David Sparks, a Philadelphia man who had served 17 years for a murder he did not commit after being convicted as a teenager, and winning freedom for Willie Veasy, whose conviction and mandatory life sentence without parole for murder was based largely on a confession that Mr. Veasy said had been fabricated by Philadelphia detectives. Mr. Figorski continues to push the frontier of post-conviction justice, currently litigating a post-conviction challenge for a pro bono client in a case involving another false confession and concealed exculpatory evidence.

Winners and honorees in The Legal Intelligencer awards will be recognized at a ceremony on June 11 at the Hilton at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

About Dechert

Dechert is the law firm that helps business leaders lead.

For more than 150 years, we have advised clients on critical issues – from high-stakes litigation to first-in-market transaction structures and complex regulatory matters. Our lawyers in commercial centers worldwide are immersed in the key sectors we serve – financial services, private capital, real estate, life sciences and technology.

Dechert delivers unwavering partnership so our clients can achieve unprecedented results.