Luke McGrath is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Co-Chair of Dunnington’s litigation, arbitration and mediation practice group. He is also a member of the construction, advertising, art and fashion law, intellectual property, and investigations practice groups. Mr. McGrath, a former prosecutor, served as an Assistant District Attorney in the offices of Robert M. Morgenthau, District Attorney of New York County. After serving with Mr. Morgenthau, Mr. McGrath taught as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School and then clerked for the Honorable Nicholas G. Garaufis (USDJ). Before joining Dunnington, Mr. McGrath worked as an associate with the law firms of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP and White & Case LLP, and as a partner at Bickel & Brewer LLP.
Mr. McGrath’s practice focuses on complex civil and criminal litigation, alternative dispute resolution and investigations. Examples of Mr. McGrath’s experience include the following:
Litigation and Arbitration
Numerous complex matters before state and federal trial courts; state and federal appellate courts; and arbitration panels involving, among other complex matters, securities issues, corporate governance, contract disputes, intellectual property claims, and contested matters unique to the hospitality industry. Mr. McGrath’s practice covers defending employers (and advertising agencies in particular) against employment actions and EPLI claims. Defendant advertiser and advertising agencies elected Mr. McGrath to argue representative motion to dismiss in complex multi-defendant putative class action naming top agencies in the modeling and advertising industries; successfully argued motion resulting in dismissal of putative class action with prejudice.
Investigations
Investigation of numerous corporate governance matters. Investigation of transactions conducted over a fifteen-year period in response to regulatory and criminal inquiries. Conducted informal discovery, including more than one hundred interviews in locations across the globe. Investigations have required mastery of legal and factual issues across multiple disciplines and in numerous jurisdictions. Legal issues implicated in investigations include tax and estate planning, Internal Revenue Code, securities laws and regulations and federal and state criminal law.
Government Relations and Advocacy
Represented and advised subjects, targets and witnesses before Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate; U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Internal Revenue Service; and New York County District Attorney’s Office. Liaison and advisor regarding interactions between clients and local city and state agencies. Met with U.S. Senators, Members of the House of Representatives and Congressional Staff on numerous matters.
Oral Advocacy
Lead advocate before state and federal trial courts as well as the New York State Appellate Division, First Department; New York State Court of Appeals; and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Dispute Resolution
Negotiated favorable settlements, including multi-million dollar settlements in, among other areas, the hospitality industry and tech industry.
Additional Information
Mr. McGrath is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. McGrath received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Trinity College. Mr. McGrath received his Juris Doctorate from Fordham Law School, where the International Law Journal awarded him the MCI-Fordham International Law Fellowship. He later returned to Fordham as an Adjunct Professor and Fellow of Fordham’s International Human Rights Program.
