About Michael H.
Michael H. McGinley built his legal foundation at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a B.A. in 2006, and then at Harvard Law School, receiving his J.D. in 2009. Those formative years placed him on a path that combined clerking at high levels of the federal judiciary with stints at major law firms and a brief role inside the White House.
His first post-law school position was a federal appellate clerkship in 2009 to the Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch on the U.S. Court of Appeals. He moved into private practice in 2010 as an associate at Jones Day. In 2012 he joined Bancroft PLLC as an associate and later returned to that firm in a counsel role in 2015. Between these private-practice posts, he served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. at the Supreme Court in 2014.
McGinley shifted roles several times over the next few years. In 2016 he became a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. The following year he took a government post as Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to the President in 2017. He joined Dechert LLP as a partner in 2018 and has been listed as a member of the Pennsylvania State Bar since that year.
The pattern of clerkships and firm work gives a clear throughline: appellate and federal work. His time at Bancroft, the Supreme Court clerkship, and the appellate clerkship early in his career suggest sustained exposure to complex appeals and constitutional questions. The White House role added direct experience advising an executive office on legal matters at the federal level.
Colleagues and courtroom observers note that careers like McGinley’s often blend brief-writing, oral argument preparation, and high-level legal counseling. He has moved between private practice and government counsel roles in ways that bring appellate perspective to corporate and government clients alike. His firm appointments at major U.S. firms reflect that trajectory.
He is a partner at Dechert LLP. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and maintains an active bar membership. He currently handles appellate litigation and federal counseling at Dechert LLP.
