Marcel S. Pratt

The Chair of the Litigation Group oversees all litigation matters in the Law Department and manages the Litigation Group, which consists of six units: Affirmative and General Litigation, Appeals, Civil Rights, Claims, Code Enforcement, and Labor and Employment. The Chair supervises complex legal matters, serves as lead counsel in significant litigation, and provides guidance to the City in creating legal policy and strategy. Prior to joining the Law Department as the Litigation Chair in August 2016, Marcel litigated complex commercial cases at Ballard Spahr LLP. His practice included antitrust litigation (plaintiff and defense), class action defense, false advertising, and intellectual property licensing disputes. In addition to his litigation practice, Marcel advised private and public companies on the antitrust implications of large mergers and acquisitions and aided clients in obtaining premerger clearance from the federal government. He served on Ballard Spahr’s Hiring Committee and Diversity Council, and helped manage the firm’s summer associate program. Prior to joining Ballard Spahr, Marcel was an attorney in the Civil Rights Unit of the Law Department. In the Philadelphia Bar Association, Marcel has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section and as Co-Vice Chair of the Business Litigation Committee. Marcel was also a member of the Executive Board of the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia and the Deputy Regional Director for Region III of the National Bar Association. He has also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Temple Law Alumni Association. Marcel is a lifelong Philadelphian. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctor from Temple University Beasley School of Law.