Luke McGrath
is a member of DBM's corporate,
and litigation and arbitration
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 DBM,
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:
Case management of 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,
and contested matters unique to the hospitality industry.
Investigations: Investigation
of numerous confidential matters, including the investigation
of transactions conducted over 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 United
States Senate; United States Securities and Exchange Commission;
United States Department of Justice; United States 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 United
States 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 United States Court
of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Dispute Resolution:
Negotiated favorable settlements, including a number of
favorable multi-million dollar settlements in, among other
areas, the hospitality industry.
Memberships and Affiliations:Mr. McGrath is a member of the Screen
Actors Guild; author of the SDNY Local Counsel Blog (http://sdnylocalcounselblog.blogspot.com);
the membership Chair of the Southern District Chapter of the
Federal Bar Association; and a member of the New York County
Lawyer's Association. He is admitted to practice in New York,
the United States District Court for the Southern District
of New York, the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of New York, the United States District Court for
the District of Colorado, the United States Court of Appeals
for the Second Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit.
Publications:
Article, Hotel Business Review, Two Dark Horses Have Emerged
In the Coming Competition: Multi-family Apartments and Extended-Stay
Lodging, 2009; Panel, Current Hospitality Industry Issues,
NYU's 2009 Hospitality Industry Conference, June 2009; Panel,
Hospitality Industry Update, NYU's 2008 Hospitality Industry
Conference, June 2008; Panel, Hospitality Industry Legal Eagles,
NYU's 2007 Hospitality Industry Conference, June 2007; Joseph
R. Crowley Program, Mexico Report, 24 Fordham Int'l L.J. 801
(2001); Joseph R. Crowley Program/Association of the Bar of
the City of New York, One Country Two Systems? - The Rule
of Law, Democracy, and the Protection of Fundamental Rights
in Post-Handover Hong Kong, 23 Fordham Int'l L.J. 401 (1999);
Note, Vietnam's Struggle to Balance Sovereignty, Centralization,
and Foreign Investment under Doi Moi, 18 Fordham Int'l L.J.
2095 (1995)
Education: Mr.
McGrath received his bachelor of arts degree with honors in
history and European development from Trinity College in Hartford,
Connecticut. Mr. McGrath received his juris doctor degree
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.
