LaShann M. DeArcy is a trial lawyer specializing in high-stakes, complex commercial litigation. She has represented Fortune 500 companies in antitrust, class action, contract, business tort, trade secret, and bankruptcy matters. Ms. DeArcy has served principally as a defense lawyer, successfully defending against billions of dollars in potential liability. She has also served as plaintiff’s counsel, recently securing a $30 million verdict on behalf of her client. Ms. DeArcy has also authored numerous successful appeals before federal and state appellate courts.
Ms. DeArcy is a commissioner with the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which has oversight over the State’s executive and legislative branches’ compliance with ethics and lobbying laws, regulations, and guidance. In 2011, she was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg as Commissioner of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. She also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. Ms. DeArcy is an executive member of the Council of Urban Professionals and serves as a member of the Metro Manhattan Chapter of the Links, Inc. She is also a member of the Howard University School of Law Board of Visitors. For her work in promoting diversity in the legal profession, Ms. DeArcy was honored by the New York City Bar Association as a recipient of its 2009 Diversity Champion Award.
In addition, Ms. DeArcy has volunteered her time to numerous pro bono efforts. She successfully represented a woman on death row, winning a reversal by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals of her client’s death sentence. She also negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of an inmate seeking redress of First Amendment violations in a Section 1983 action, among other matters.
Ms. DeArcy earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Howard University School of Law in 2000. At Howard University, Ms. DeArcy was a member of the Howard Law Journal. Ms. DeArcy earned her undergraduate degree from Antioch College in 1992. She was also a member of the United States Air Force.
Ms. DeArcy is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second and Fourth Circuits.