Dana C. MacGrath

Dana MacGrath, FCIArb, is an independent arbitrator listed on the rosters of various arbitral institutions and has served as co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in multiple arbitrations over the course of her arbitration career. Prior to launching her independent arbitrator practice, she spent more than two years in-house at a third-party funder focusing on arbitration finance and more than 20 years as an arbitration practitioner and arbitrator in the arbitration practice group at several global law firms.

Dana MacGrath, FCIArb, is an independent arbitrator listed on the rosters of various arbitral institutions and has served as co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in multiple arbitrations over the course of her arbitration career of more than two decades.

Prior to launching her independent arbitrator practice, she spent more than two years in-house at a global third-party funder focusing on arbitration finance and more than 20 years as an arbitration practitioner and arbitrator in the arbitration practice group at several global law firms, including Sidley Austin, Allen & Overy and O’Melveny & Myers, having started her legal career at Sullivan & Cromwell.

She has a broad range of experience in arbitrations involving a variety of businesses and industries, among them oil and gas, LNG price reviews, construction, energy, finance, telecommunications, intellectual property (FRAND disputes), life sciences, sale of goods and international investments. She has also represented parties enforcing arbitral awards under the New York Convention. She has been recognized in various international directories as a leader in international arbitration as well as in arbitration third-party funding.

Dana is active within the international arbitration. She is on the Council of the AAA-ICDR, co-chairs the AAA Large Complex Case Committee, and is a member of the AAA Nominating and Governance Committee. Previously she served as Chair of the Arbitration Committee of the New York City Bar Association, co-chaired the CPR Institute Arbitration Rules Revision Committee, and served on the ICC Commission on Arbitration Task Forces on Reducing Time and Cost in Complex Arbitration and National Rules of Procedure for Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Awards Pursuant to the New York Convention of 1958.

Dana is a committed leader in ESG. She serves as President of ArbitralWomen (two consecutive terms: 1 July 2018 through 30 June 2020 and 1 July 2020 through 30 June 2022), on the Global Steering Committee of the ERA Pledge, founder and co-chair of the USA Sub-Committee of the ERA Pledge, on the Global Steering Committee of R.E.A.L., on the Advisory Board of the Rising Arbitrators Initiative and on the North American Committee for the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations.

Dana regularly speaks and writes on international arbitration issues. She co-authored a chapter on Covid-19 and Third-Party Funding published by Kluwer International in 2020, and several articles on recent case law regarding U.S. discovery pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782 in aid of foreign arbitrations.

Dana earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1996 and her B.A., cum laude, from Middlebury College in 1991.

She is a member of the New York Bar. She is fluent in English and proficient in French, having majored in French at Middlebury and lived in Paris for a year.