Daniel Brier focuses his practice on complex civil and criminal litigation and investigations, and is often sought out for sensitive and high-profile matters. Dan has represented many corporate executives, physicians, lawyers, and public officials (elected and appointed) including the Governor of Pennsylvania, two former Leaders of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a Supreme Court Justice, and Cabinet Secretaries. He routinely represents parties in high-profile civil and criminal matters. Dan and MBK’s team actively participated in the successful defense of parallel state and federal constitutional challenges to Pennsylvania’s Election Code which authorized no excuse mail-in voting. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s September 2020 decision garnered national attention from The Wall Street Journal, CNN and The New York Times.
Dan has decades of experience handling the most challenging and sensitive cases with his unique combination of tactical and tactful precision, and a relentless pursuit of justice. He prosecuted a civil claim against the Diocese of Scranton and obtained what The New York Times identified as “one of the largest individual awards made to a victim of sexual abuse by clergy members.” Together with MBK partner Donna Walsh, he obtained an eight-figure settlement for a client against a public company in a theft of trade secrets and computer fraud and abuse act matter. Together with MBK partner Jack Dempsey, Dan obtained a $3.7 million verdict against the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on behalf of an Iraqi combat veteran based on the VA’s failure to properly treat combat induced PTSD. This was the first verdict against the VA for failure to properly treat PTSD. Together with MBK partners Frank Brier and Jack Dempsey, he obtained a $10 million confidential settlement for the estate of an individual in a wrongful death matter. On behalf of a minority group of Trustees of The Pennsylvania State University, together with MBK partners, Donna Walsh and Frank Brier, he succeeded in compelling court-ordered access, including an award of attorneys’ fees, to the work product developed during the investigation that purportedly justified the issuance of and conclusions in the “Report of the Special Investigative Counsel Regarding Actions of the University Related to the Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A. Sandusky.”
Dan is a longtime Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Fellowship is extended only by invitation, after careful investigation, to experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality. Membership of the American College of Trial Lawyers is limited to no more than one percent of the lawyers in each state. In 2021, Dan was selected to serve on the Judicial Independence Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers. This Committee, which, includes former and current Judges, focuses on the importance of an independent judiciary and coordinates the College’s response to threats to the judiciary or attacks on judges. In 2022, Dan was appointed to the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council of the United States Court of Appeals for The Third Circuit, on the recommendation of the federal Judges in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Dan has also been named every year since 2011 to the select list of Top 100 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell selected him as a Top Rated Lawyer in White Collar Criminal Defense Law.
