Christina Manfredi McKinley

Christina McKinley is a rare combination of both experienced trial lawyer and appellate advocate. Although trained as a commercial litigator, Christina excels in government and regulatory litigation, which is the common thread running through her diverse substantive background. Her experience spans a wide range of industries and sectors, including chemicals, manufacturing, retail, energy, and environmental.

As a first-chair trial lawyer, Christina has tried numerous cases to verdict, including multiple cases involving complex environmental statutes (e.g., the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) and the Clean Water Act), complex commercial agreements, and trade secrets issues. Her matters routinely involve administrative law and statutory issues, including the intersection of federal and state agencies; environmental statutes and disputes arising under them; energy resource disputes; and the protection of competitive interests (e.g., Lanham Act, unfair competition, tortious interference, trade secret protection, restrictive covenants).

Notwithstanding her significant first-chair trial experience, Christina’s passion lies in the appellate realm. An experienced appellate litigator, Christina has practiced before the United States Supreme Court at every stage of the process, including the briefing and preparation of several merits cases that were argued before the Court. She also has practiced before nearly all of the United States Circuit Courts and all three of Pennsylvania’s appellate courts, and has argued numerous appeals. Her appellate practice spans a range of substantive fields, including energy policy, intellectual property, immigration, tax, bankruptcy, and criminal law. In addition, her appellate practice frequently involves challenges to regulatory action and agency decision-making via petitions for review, complex statutory construction issues, and the intersection of regulation and policy.

In 2023, Christina was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as one of only 29 “Lawyers on the Fast Track” statewide in Pennsylvania. This recognition is only given to attorneys under the age of 40 who have demonstrated excellence in four categories: development of the law; advocacy and community contributions; service to the bar; and peer and public recognition.

Before entering private practice, Christina was a law clerk to the Honorable Janice Rogers Brown of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before that, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Michael S. Kanne of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Christina graduated summa cum laude from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, where she served as a Production Editor on the Board of the Law Review and on the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Team. She earned her B.A. in History from Duquesne University, where she also graduated summa cum laude and received the Department’s Joseph R. Morice Award for Excellence.

• 2027, Commercial Litigation, Energy Law, Litigation – Environmental, and Natural Resources Law, listed in The Best Lawyers in America©
• 2024–2026, Commercial Litigation, listed in The Best Lawyers in America©
• 2023, “Lawyers on the Fast Track” in Pennsylvania, listed in The Legal Intelligencer
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• 2017–2020, and 2022–2024, Pennsylvania “Rising Star” in Business Litigation, listed in Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters)