Melanie MacKay is a partner in the firm’s litigation group. She focuses her practice on the defense of publicly traded companies and their officers and directors in securities class action litigation, derivative litigation, SEC investigations, corporate governance disputes, mutual fund litigation, and other complex commercial litigation.
Ms. MacKay’s experience includes representing Fortune 500 corporations in litigation involving securities and derivatives transactions, board mismanagement, accounting malpractice, government investigations into financial markets, internal investigations, breach of contract, product liability, and labor and employment disputes. She has extensive experience in several aspects of litigation in both state and federal court, including drafting and arguing dispositive motions that resulted in favorable outcomes for clients, as well as preparing for trial.
In her pro bono practice, Ms. MacKay represented same-sex couples in Indiana and successfully challenged the constitutionality of Indiana’s gay marriage ban. She also represented a former public housing tenant in eviction lawsuits and victims of domestic violence in immigration and family matters.
Prior to joining Dechert, Ms. MacKay served as an associate in the litigation practice of another international law firm. She also clerked for the Honorable William J. Bauer on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and externed for the Honorable Wayne R. Andersen (Ret.) on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.