Keir Bradford-Grey
Partner
Keir Bradford-Grey is a partner in Montgomery McCracken’s Litigation Department and Chair of the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She concentrates her practice on white collar and government investigations and criminal defense, while also leading the firm’s Executive Leadership practice group. Utilizing the depth of experience she earned as an agency head, Keir provides legal advice incorporating a nuanced perspective of decision makers’ current positions while also considering their short- and long- term visions. Within her practice, Keir works with executive leadership, HR teams, and in-house counsel to create legal strategies tailored to the ever-growing changes and challenges they face internally and externally. Drawing on her former role as Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Keir applies her skills of strategic process and negotiation to champion her clients for fair and equitable outcomes. Through her tenure bridging the gap between public/private partnerships at both the city and state levels, Keir’s practice is focused on mitigating any potential risk for her clients while counseling and collaborating through strategic guidance.
As a trial attorney, Keir achieved record-breaking wins while defending high-profile clients at the state and federal levels. She has demonstrated creativity and success in finding equity win-wins for her clients. She values the collaboration amongst her colleagues to defend Firm clients through a fundamental and critical perspective. Keir has also represented clients in regulatory investigations as well as conducted highly sensitive internal investigations for governmental and nonprofit entities. Keir’s mission in representing her clients is to create transparency in fairness and equality for advancing community needs and government partnerships.
In her former role as Chief Defender, Keir led a staff of over 500 and managed an annual budget of over $50 million. In this role, she not only led communities to be in partnership with the justice system stakeholders, she ensured collaboration between city and state elected officials to advance reforms in policing and spearheaded constructive alternatives for our system. She was also responsible for building community-government partnerships that sought to empower communities to be a part of the justice reform process. As a result of her work, there are ten community justice hubs in the city of Philadelphia that bring informed and practical options to our justice system practices.
Beyond her litigation practice, Keir advocates and coaches women who find themselves in a position when they are appointed to lead an organization/institution as a “first” in some respect. Being a first in her leadership roles, Keir’s mission is to support and champion diversity, equity, and inclusion through mentorships and speaking opportunities.
Keir received her undergraduate degree from Albany State University and earned her law degree from Ohio Northern University Pettit School of Law.
RELATED Practices
White Collar and Government Investigations
Commercial Litigation
Montgomery McCracken’s Commercial Litigation Practice has a long and illustrious history. We handle a wide range of individual and corporate disputes involving virtually every area of personal and business endeavors […]
Learn more about our Commercial Litigation Practice
Appellate
Montgomery McCracken’s Appellate Practice includes attorneys who have won appeals in the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Third Circuit and most […]
Learn more about our Appellate Practice
Litigation
Montgomery McCracken’s Litigation Department offers a deep bench of skilled and experienced litigators whose practice areas encompass a broad array of industries and substantive legal disciplines. Our clients include individuals, […]
Learn more about our Litigation Department
1 of 4 Credentials
Selected Representations - Co-counseled the investigatory team in the City of Philadelphia’s MOVE bombing investigation.
- Lead trial attorney in achieving a not guilty verdict on all charges in a federal Clean Air Act prosecution for an excavation company.
- Provided consulting and advice for an education nonprofit in the Philadelphia area.
- Advised a nonprofit, founded to hep minority-owned small business, in becoming incorporated and on their tax-exempt status.
- Provided advice on incorporation, exemption filing and bylaw development to a nonprofit formed to create opportunities to service people in communities that have been hit hard by gun violence.
- Defended a high-profile homicide that successfully pointed to the self-defense theory and granted the innocent client no penal sentence.
- Conducted internal investigations for various companies and nonprofits across a range of industries.
Selected Speaking Engagements Keir is frequently called upon to partake in panels, judge trial competitions, and is a trusted authority on racial justice and equity issues.
- Speaker, “Diversity Summit“, City & State PA, June 2023
- Presenter, “Stronger Bridges Among Prosecutors and Public Defenders,” Vera Institute of Justice, October 2022
- Panelist, “CLE Program – Getting Back to Trial; Post Pandemic Federal Criminal Trials,” The Federal Criminal Law Committee, September 2022
- Panelist, “The Bench-Bar and Annual Conference: Roe and the Path Ahead,” Philadelphia Bar Association, September 2022
- Speaker, “Gun Violence in Philadelphia and the 3rd District,” B. PHL Innovation Festival“, September 2022
- Guest Speaker, “Keir Bradford-Grey Discusses the Recent Arrest of Gary Busey,” CBS Philadelphia, August 2022
- Presenter, “NLADA Safety and Justice Challenge Defender Leadership Summit”, 2019
- Presenter, “John Jay College National Smart on Crime Innovations”, 2019
- Presenter, “NLADA Holistic Defense and Leadership Conference”, 2018
- Presenter, “NAPD-Executive Leadership Institute”, 2018
- Presenter, “Yale Law School Conference on Law & Justice Reform”, 2017
Selected Publications - Quoted, “Solomon Jones leads ‘Demanding Justice’ panel on how to achieve justice in the legal system,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2023
- Mentioned, “People in the News,” The Legal Intelligencer, November 2022
- Quoted, “Philly’s New Chief Pathology Contends with Understaffing, Disorder, and a Troubled Legacy at Medical Examiner’s Office,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 2022
- Mentioned, “People in the News – Oct. 13, 2021 – Community Legal Services, Hangley Aronchick,” The Legal Intelligencer, October 2021
- Quoted, “Renowned Philly Defense Atty Joins Montgomery McCracken,” Law360 Pulse, May 2021
- Mentioned, “City Provides Update on Mishandling of MOVE Victims’ Remain,” City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Communications, July 2021
Honors & Awards - Selected to The Best Lawyers in America© – Criminal Defense: White-Collar list in 2024. The Best Lawyers in America© list is issued by Best Lawyers and a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the highest court of any other state.
- Honoree, Power of Diversity: Women 100, City & State Pennsylvania, 2023
- Honoree, Power of Diversity: Black 100, City & State Pennsylvania, 2023
- Honoree, Women of Distinction, Philadelphia Business Journal, 2022
- Honoree, Health Equity Advocacy Award, Help Hope Live, 2022
- Recipient, Philadelphia Living Legend, Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr.’s Living Legends Resolution, 2022
- Honoree, Why Not Prosper 20th Anniversary Gala, 2021
- Honoree, #20 in Philadelphia Magazine’s 76 Most Influential People in Philadelphia, 2020
- Honoree, #83 in the State of Pennsylvania’s Power 100 People, 2017
- Recipient, Women of Excellence WDAS Media Station Interview for Philadelphia and Suburban Areas, 2019
- Honoree, Citizen of the Year for Outstanding Service to the Community, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., 2019
Professional Activities - Advisory Board Member, City & State Pennsylvania
- Commissioner, Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Community Advisory Commission
- Board Member, Community Legal Services (CLS)
- Chair, PA Statewide Racial and Ethnic Disparities Commission
- Founding Member & Board Member, Black Public Defender Association of the NLADA
- Board Member, Uplift Solutions
- Board Member, Community Behavioral Health Corporation – City of Philadelphia
- Board Member, National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA)
- Chair, American Council of Chief Defenders (ACCD)
Community Involvement - Volunteer Attorney, National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA)
- Co-Chair, Philadelphia City Council Criminal Justice Reform Committee
- Community Volunteer, Philadelphia PA
- Founder, Pre-Entry Coalition
- Introduced the Participatory Defense model to Pennsylvania by training neighborhood volunteers in judicial process, leading the city to establish 7 participatory defense hubs
- Initiated the “Back on Track” program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania
- Collaborated with the ACLU and local school boards for education initiatives on the school-to-prison pipeline and juvenile justice vs. juvenile injustice
- Built coalitions to improve outcomes within the justice system and spearheaded initiatives to provide clients with the necessary tools to navigate systems
Education Law School
- Ohio Northern University Pettit School of Law
Undergraduate School
