Career
Brendan M. Walsh serves as co-chair of the firm's Litigation department and is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Brendan is an accomplished complex commercial litigator whose clients range from Fortune 500 corporations to high-net-worth individuals and closely-held companies. He regularly appears in both the state court and federal courts in New Jersey and New York, including the U.S. District Courts for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of New York, and the Southern District of New York.
An experienced appellate litigator as well, Brendan has successfully briefed and argued appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, and the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Additionally, Brendan has authored amicus briefs to several appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Tenth Circuits. A member of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, Brendan’s significant knowledge of state and federal law is a benefit to business clients and he is frequently selected as Local Counsel by Am Law 100 firms on high-stakes litigation matters venued in New Jersey and New York.
Brendan uses his accumulated experience in business and law to approach complex litigation matters with creative thinking, a commitment to protecting clients’ interests, dedication and diligence. His ability to synthesize material, find game-changing information and write incisively about complex legal issues is an asset to clients who are often in bet-the-company litigation. Before joining Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, Brendan was a litigation associate at Patton Boggs LLP. Previously, he clerked for Judge Maryanne Trump Barry of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and for Judge Katharine S. Hayden of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Prior to earning his law degree, Brendan worked as a certified public accountant at Deloitte, where he provided global audit and advisory services to other accounting and consulting firms, manufacturers, retailers, and a professional sports franchise. A proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Brendan worked as the head manager of the Notre Dame football team while attending college, an experience he credits with reinforcing his strong work ethic, leadership, and collaborative approach to problem-solving.
Brendan represents domestic and international clients in a range of industries including financial services, real estate, hospitality, e-commerce, technology, retail, and healthcare. His trial and appellate cases typically involve rigorous legal analysis, elaborate discovery, motion practice, and settlement negotiations, and he has earned a reputation as a skillful writer and resolute advocate who can distill complex legal and business issues into compelling arguments that highlight nuances of significance.
Among his recent matters, he secured a complete victory in the Second Circuit on behalf of a global restaurant chain involved in a complex commercial real estate dispute. He also obtained reversals in two separate Third Circuit appeals, one challenging the constitutionality of a prison’s intrusive search policy of inmates housed in isolation units and another challenging a trial court’s order compelling the production of thousands of privileged documents from an attorney’s work files. He is well-versed in the intersection of federal and state privacy laws and has defended businesses against plaintiffs alleging privacy violations.