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Brian McGrail

Associate
Brian McGrail is an Associate at Wilkinson Stekloff. Before joining the firm, Brian was a law clerk to the Honorable Debra A. Livingston of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Gregory H. Woods on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2019, where he was awarded the Potter Stewart, Benjamin Cardozo, and William E. Miller prizes. Before law school, he studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Brian earned his undergraduate degree from Williams College.

Education

  • Undergraduate: Williams College, B.A., magna cum laude (2014)
  • Graduate: University of Oxford, M.A. (2016)
  • Law: Yale Law School, J.D. (2019)

Clerkship

  • Judge Gregory H. Woods, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (2019-20)
  • Judge Debra A. Livingston, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2021-22)

Notable Matters

  • Member of the team representing a major chemical manufacturer in the Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) Products Liability Litigation in the District of South Carolina. The multidistrict litigation, involving alleged PFAS groundwater contamination from the use of AFFF, is considered the most significant PFAS litigation in the country. Was set to serve as a member of the trial team for the manufacturer in the first bellwether trial in the AFFF MDL, which was halted when the remaining parties announced a settlement to end all water-provider claims brought against the manufacturer.