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Corrine A. Irish
Partner
Corrine Irish is an experienced litigator and strategic advisor, effective in successfully resolving high-stakes legal matters. Her practice spans a variety of subject matters, including contract disputes, business torts, intellectual property enforcement and defense, constitutional law, and employment matters. Corrine also has significant experience representing companies and individuals in creative industries, including beauty, media, publishing and the arts.
Corrine also serves as Pro Bono Counsel for the firm. In that role, Corrine manages the firm’s pro bono practice in the US and several overseas offices. Corrine has a long-standing commitment to pro bono as one of the founding members of the firm’s Public Service Initiative. She has successfully litigated cases of capital punishment, life imprisonment and civil rights violations for indigent clients involving a miscarriage of justice and/or a denial of fundamental rights. She has served as counsel for amici clients before the US Supreme Court in landmark criminal constitutional law cases. Corrine also represents low-income artists and arts organizations on compliance and intellectual property matters.
Corrine was recognized for six straight years as a Rising Star in New York Super Lawyers, and has been named in The National Black Lawyers “Top 100” – New York.
Corrine previously served as a law clerk, first to the Honorable William G. Young of the US Court for the District of Massachusetts and then to the Honorable Barrington D. Parker of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Corrine is a lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School and was an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School in 2008 and 2009.
Litigation Experience
- Representing Revolt Media & TV in a lawsuit claiming “reverse discrimination” and obtaining a summary judgment dismissal of suit.
- Representing a photographer in a lawsuit against the Estate of a world-renown artist for copyright infringement, which resulted in a settlement.
- Defending media companies against copyright infringement claims.
- Representing a technology consulting company in lawsuit involving claims of wrongful termination by C-suite executive and counterclaims by the company of breach of employment agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets.
- Successfully representing one of the Norfolk Four – four navy sailors wrongly convicted of rape and murder – in overturning his conviction, obtaining an absolute pardon from the Governor of Virginia based on innocence and settling civil claims against the City of Norfolk.
- Lead counsel in Devereaux v. City of St. Louis et al. and obtained a favorable settlement for four journalists arrested during the Ferguson protests in a civil rights lawsuit.
- Counsel for amici corrections professional organizations in Graham v. Sullivan, a landmark Supreme Court case that ultimately prohibited life sentences for juveniles who committed non-homicide offenses.
- Defending a client in a state trial court facing a new sentencing hearing in a capital murder case.
Strategic Advisory Experience
- Advising a government transportation agency on First Amendment policies.
- Counseling a media company on a trademark enforcement strategy.
- Conducting litigation due diligence for an equity investment in a technology company and advising on potential risk exposure.
- Conducting intellectual property due diligence for the purchase of a literary magazine’s assets and advising the client on the purchase.
Education
- Harvard University, J.D., 2004
- University of Pennsylvania, B.A., cum laude, 1999
Admissions
- District of Columbia, 2006
- New York, 2005
Courts
- U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of New York
- U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of New York
- U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of Missouri
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Ct. of App., Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Ct. of App., Second Circuit
- Recognized in the 2011 – 2017 editions of New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars, a distinction that honors the top 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40, or those in practice for 10 years or less.
- Received the 2016 “Healing and Hope Award” from the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth, as part of the legal team securing the release of Gary Tyler, sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile.
- Named in the National Black Lawyers “Top 100” – New York, 2019, 2020.
- Presenter, NYC Bar Association Capital Habeas Trainer, July 2019.
- Presenter, “The First and Fourth Amendment in the Age of AI,” Lawline, June 2018.
- Appearance on MSNBC to discuss the Bill Cosby trial, May 2017.