ATTORNEYS

Michael J. McCarthy
Attorney

310.272.7902
mmccarthy@kbkfirm.com
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As a current Kendall Brill and Kelly Associate and former Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Mr. McCarthy is a key member of KBK’s white collar and government investigations team.

Mr. McCarthy’s significant courtroom experience and diverse legal skillset are invaluable assets in helping the firm successfully represent its roster of notable clients, including helping secure the extremely rare complete dismissal of a conspiracy and anti-kickback/fraud indictment filed against multiple defendants and assisting in securing a highly favorable sentence for a former high-ranking lawyer in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Offices in connection with a high-profile public corruption prosecution.

He was recipient of Best Lawyers’ Ones to Watch award for Criminal Defense: White-Collar in 2025. Mr. McCarthy is also a regular contributor to legal publications including the Daily Journal, Law360 (multiple articles, including one on the prosecutorial impacts of a 9th Circuit ruling, Today’s General Counsel, L.A. Lawyer Magazine, and National Law Review, as well as being cited in another Law360 article.

He is also deeply involved in public service and mentorship outside of the office, including serving on the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association Barristers/Young Attorney’s Section.

Education

Cornell Law School, J.D., 2015

  • Seymour Herzog Memorial Prize for Public Service
  • Cornell International Law Journal, Managing Editor and Notes Editor
  • Cum laude

American University, B.A., Government, 2010

  • Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, Vice President
  • Cum laude

Clerkships

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, May 2020—April 2022

  • Judicial Clerk, Hon. Patricia Donahue

Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions

  • As lead prosecutor, obtained a top count jury conviction after a two-week trial without eyewitness testimony for a gang robbery committed in lower Manhattan.
  • Worked with New York City Fire Department to investigate arsons committed against religious organizations in the Chelsea neighborhood.
  • Conducted over 100 grand jury presentations and pre-trial hearings for matters involving attempted murder, arson, assault with a deadly weapon, identity theft, grand larceny, and fraud.
  • Argued the entirety of People’s case, from pre-trial motions to summations, in eight jury trials and six bench trials.
  • Responsible for drafting case documents including felony complaints, search warrants, subpoenas, oppositions to defense motions, and motions in limine.

  • Doyle’s Guide, Los Angeles Criminal Defense Law Rising Stars, 2026
  • Lawdragon, 500 X – The Next Generation, 2025, 2026
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2025
  • L.A. County Bar Association Barristers & Young Attorneys Section Executive Committee, February 2022–April 2025
  • Delegate to Conference of CA Bar Associations, April 2021–present
  • L.A. County Bar Association Privacy & Cybercrime Section, July 2021–present
  • Nazareth Housing Junior Board, June 2019–February 2022

  • New York County District Attorney’s Office
    Assistant District Attorney, September 2015—April 2020

    • California, 2021
    • New York, 2016
    • U.S. District Courts
      Central District of California
      U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit