Maryclaire Kennedy is a former Assistant District Attorney with significant courtroom experience in civil and criminal matters, in state and in federal court. She has first-chaired six trials and dozens of hearings and arguments, including on dispositive motions in civil and criminal actions. Maryclaire has also represented companies and special committees in internal and government-facing investigations, including ones that originated with whistleblower complaints and government inquiries. She has developed presentations capturing findings and recommendations from those investigations for auditors and prosecutors. In 2024, she was part of a team that obtained a first-ever declination from the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.  

Prior to joining us, Maryclaire was an associate at another international law firm. In addition to her service as a prosecutor, Maryclaire worked as a judicial intern for Honorable Nelson S. Roman of the Southern District of New York and Honorable Lawrence H. Ecker of the Westchester County Supreme Court.

Maryclaire has received recognition for her dedication to pro bono work and she continues to emphasize the importance of “doing well by doing good.” In 2024, in a case she co-led with another associate, Maryclaire obtained a rare win for a pro bono client—a significant sentence reduction on a motion for compassionate release. The court adopted the team’s arguments based on non-retroactive changes in the law and exercised its discretion to reduce a life-long sentence to release in about five years. The government had opposed the motion, and more than 93 percent of such motions—including for less drastic relief—in this Circuit had been denied.