Mackenzie M. Wrobel

Partner

  • Mackenzie M. Wrobel
  • Phone: +1 302 657 4925

    Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris LLP
    1201 North Market St, Suite 501
    Wilmington, DE 19801
    USA

Mackenzie M. Wrobel is an experienced trial lawyer litigating corporate and commercial disputes primarily in the Delaware Court of Chancery and the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Delaware Superior Court as well as arbitral forums. Mackenzie helps her clients resolve contractual matters and issues related to breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, corporate governance, and corporate control. Mackenzie is experienced in all phases of litigation and she has tried numerous disputes to verdict and through appeal.

Prior to joining Duane Morris, Mackenzie served as Associate Legal Counsel to Delaware Governor Jack A. Markell. As Associate Legal Counsel, she advised Governor Markell and the Governor’s Cabinet on issues ranging from contract development to state and federal constitutional issues in addition to assisting with the development of public policy.

Prior to that position, Mackenzie served as the Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Justice Randy J. Holland of the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware and as the Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Andrea L. Rocanelli of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. During her two clerkships Mackenzie researched and advised on a variety of civil and criminal litigation issues at the trial stage, and complex commercial and corporate matters at the appellate stage in the highest court in the State of Delaware.

Mackenzie is a graduate of Widener University Delaware School of Law (J.D., 2014). While in law school, Mackenzie served as the Bluebook Editor of the Widener Law Review and a Certified Legal Intern at the Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Law Clinic. Mackenzie also completed a judicial internship with the Honorable Michael J. Haas of the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey. Mackenzie is a cum laude graduate of Millersville University where she served as an appointed member of the Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

Representative Matters

  • Represented Huntington Way Associates, the minority owner of the Red Roof Inn hotel chain, in multiforum litigation against the majority owner, affiliates of Westmont Hospitality Group, regarding an approximately $25 million American Arbitration Association award in Huntington’s favor; the Delaware Court of Chancery granted Huntington’s motion for summary judgment confirming the award and rejected Westmont’s cross-motion seeking vacatur.

  • Represented a wireless company in a Section 262 appraisal action arising out of a short-form merger.

  • Represented the Stockholders' Representatives of a pharmaceutical company in connection with the receipt and distribution to the former shareholders of a $150 million "milestone" payment from another pharmaceutical company. The milestone payment arose out of the March, 2016 approval by the U.S. FDA of a biological drug that treats a severe form of asthma.

  • Won a motion to dismiss claims against a major Israeli commercial law firm that had been sued in the Court of Chancery for allegedly aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty by its client, a Delaware corporation.

  • Won a motion to dismiss an amended complaint asserting claims for breach of the operative LLC agreement and a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against LLC managers.

  • Submitted an amicus curiae brief pro bono to the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of the Conference of Chief Justices, representing chief justices of the courts of last resort in all 50 states; the brief argued that Delaware should be afforded considerable deference in deciding how to select justices of its courts, in a case concerning whether the state's constitutional requirement, that no more than a “bare majority” of three justices be from one major political party, violates the First Amendment.

  • Obtained a defense verdict after trial in the Court of Chancery for the State of Delaware denying a shareholder’s books and records demand for the production of documents beyond the scope of the proper purpose in RP Equity Investments, LLC v. Roasting Plant, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0021-SG.
  • Successfully represented a limited partnership real estate firm specializing in corporate sale-leasebacks and the general partner in a contested dissolution and litigation concerning the limited partnership’s book and tax capital accounts. JHJ Limited Partnership v. United Trust Fund Limited Partnership, C.A. No. 2017-0273-JRS.

  • Represented a plaintiff in a bench trial before the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Delaware Superior Court involving merger-related fraud claims brought by publicly traded gaming technology company against sellers of company that it acquired. Case resolved mid-trial.

  • Obtained a defense verdict after trial in the Court of Chancery for the State of Delaware denying a shareholder’s books and records demand for lack of proper purpose in Stein v. The Bancorp, Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0071-JRS.

  • Won motions to dismiss an original and an amended complaint in the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in an action in which the plaintiff alleged a multimillion-dollar common law claim related to its business account. 

  • Obtained a favorable multimillion-dollar jury verdict for an environmental, energy, and industrial services provider in the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in an action for the breach of an indemnification provision of a contract. Clean Harbors, Inc. v. Union Pacific Corp., C.A. No. N15C-07-081 MMJ CCLD.

Professional Activities

  • American Bar Association
  • Delaware State Bar Association
  • Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court
    - Executive Board, President 2023-present
    - Executive Board, Secretary 2020-2023
  • Delaware Joint Inns Committee
     - Chair, 2020-2022

Admissions

  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Education

  • Widener University School of Law, J.D., 2014
    - Bluebook Editor, Widener Law Review
  • Millersville University, B.S., cum laude, 2010

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 2024-present
    - Associate, 2017-2023
  • Office of Governor Jack A. Markell
    - Associate Counsel, 2016-2017
  • Supreme Court of Delaware
    - Law Clerk to the Hon. Justice Randy J. Holland, 2015-2016
  • Superior Court of Delaware
    - Law Clerk to the Hon. Andrea L. Rocanelli, 2014-2015

Board Memberships

  • Delaware Board of Bar Examiners
    - Associate Board Member, 2017-present

Honors and Awards

  • Named to Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch," 2021-2024
  • Listed in Delaware Super Lawyers Rising Stars

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Moderator, "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out with Amanda Ripley," Delaware Joint Inns of Court, Webinar, March 22, 2022
  • Presenter, “Public Nuisance Liability: Past, Present and Future,” General Reinsurance Corporation, March 17, 2022
  • Co-host and Panelist, "The Ethics of Empathetic Lawyering," Widener University Delaware Law School, Webinar, February 2, 2021

  • Speaker, “Legal Issues Involving Local Governments,” National Business Institute, December 11, 2018

  • Panelist, “Why Delaware? Here’s Why: Exploring Delaware’s Preeminent Legal Landscape,” Bryn Mawr Trust Co., Seminar Series, March 2, 2017