About Us

Meet Your Team

Our legal team is led by Attorney Lee Merritt with support from the law offices of McEldrew Young Purtell Merritt.  We currently represent families and injured victims of excessive force across the Country.  Our representation starts with family and community support, provides advocacy for social change and criminal convictions, and representation of the victims through civil rights litigation.  Our team has been assembled to provide comprehensive expertise across the entire life cycle of our representation.

Lee Merritt is one of the most prominent civil rights attorneys in the country. He has represented numerous individuals injured by excessive police force and the grieving families of those killed at the hands of excessive police brutality. His civil rights work has been crucial in reforming practices in Texas specifically, a state known historically for failing to prosecute police officers. Recently, he has worked in seeking justice in some of the most egregious examples of police brutality, including the cases of Michael Dean, Atatiana Jefferson and Ahmaud Arbery.

Mr. Merritt has received national acclaim and recognition for his work. In advancing the interests of his clients, he has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, and in The New York Times. He has received the National Black Caucasus of State Legislators’ “Nation Builder” award, which has also been given to recipients including President Barack Obama and activist Shaun King.

Mr. Merritt graduated Cum Laude from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Temple University Beasley School of Law. He began his legal career at Cochran Firm Philadelphia before moving on to private practice, and he joined McEldrew Young in 2018 as of counsel as part of a strategic partnership to seek justice in civil rights cases.

Dan Purtell became a lawyer to fight for the rights of victims and their families who have been catastrophically injured or killed by the negligence or intentional acts of others. Dan is committed to fighting for the little guy against the oppressing power. He has fulfilled that mission through his work as a plaintiff’s attorney, securing justice for victims of medical malpractice, catastrophic injury and excessive force at the hands of police, among other areas of practice. In his wide range of practice, Mr. Purtell has secured many millions of dollars for his clients, trying 25 cases to jury verdict and resolving hundreds of cases at mediation or arbitration. Mr. Purtell has been involved in litigating a number of high-profile civil rights cases involving police excessive force, officer involved shootings, cell extractions, taser electrocutions and more.

Mr. Purtell is the youngest partner of McEldrew Young Purtell, and has received recognition for his work with designations from the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 and Super Lawyers Future Leaders. A graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a Philadelphia native, he has remained active in both the local and national legal community. His memberships include The Temple Inn of Court, Philadelphia Trial Attorneys Association (PTLA), PTLA Board of Governors, PTLA Future Leaders, Pennsylvania Association of Justice (PAJ), PAJ Board of Governors and America Association of Justice (AAJ).

Mark V. Maguire worked as a civil rights litigator in the public sector for 13 years where he tried over 60 cases to verdict in both federal and state courts and guided the development of police and prison policies. Mr. Maguire has an extensive knowledge of police operations, standards, and best practices. He now uses the insight and expertise he developed over his career to seek justice on behalf of our clients at and hold police officers accountable. 

John Coyle has spent more than a decade dedicating his legal career to public service, a mission he has continued at McEldrew Young by seeking justice for the victims of police brutality. Mr. Coyle is a seasoned trial attorney, having tried dozens of cases to verdict in both federal and state court. He began his career working for Judge Mitch Goldberg in federal court. He then spent more than seven years litigating civil rights cases as Deputy City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia and Assistant General Counsel for the School District of Philadelphia.

Mr. Coyle now works as a civil rights attorney at McEldrew Young, where he handles high-profile cases where individuals’ constitutional rights are violated at the hands of law enforcement. Mr. Coyle represented the family of Antwon Rose, a black teenager who was fatally shot during a traffic stop in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Coyle worked to secure a multimillion dollar settlement for Mr. Rose’s family. Mr. Coyle is currently working to seek justice on behalf of the families of other individuals killed or injured by police excessive force, including Jemel Roberson, Ahmaud Arbery and Michael Dean.

Mr. Coyle has also served as adjunct faculty at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law where he taught a course entitled “Strategic Considerations in Civil Rights Litigation.” Mr. Coyle’s other achievements include recognition in the 2017 “Who’s Next: Law,” a recognition given annually by Billy Penn and presented by The Knight Foundation. In 2016 he was awarded the F. Sean Peretta Award for Public Service after he helped develop a multi-site event across the City to help individuals expunge their criminal records on behalf of the Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association.