About Michael P. McKenna

Michael McKenna has been a partner in Margolis Edelstein since 1983 and has served as the firm’s Managing Partner since 1995. Before joining Margolis Edelstein in 1982, Michael was Assistant General Counsel for the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association Insurance Company. He handles files, publishes, and speaks on a broad array of insurance and tort topics.

As Managing Partner, Michael oversees all operations in a firm which has grown during his tenure from two to nine offices.

Michael has tried hundreds of jury, non-jury, and UM/UIM arbitration trials with subject matter ranging from auto to premises to fire to products to insurance coverage. He has appeared pro hac vice in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico. He has also defended or prosecuted appeals before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court and before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

In addition to frequent speaking engagements before insurance industry groups, Michael also publishes, annotates, and updates the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law Booklet, a comprehensive guide to auto law in the Commonwealth.

Honors

•AV Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated
•Selected for Inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
•Recipient of Philadelphia Bar Foundation Crystal Award for Commitment to Equal Access to Justice
•Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Insurance Law
•Recognized by The Legal Intelligencer’s 2025 Pennsylvania Legal Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award

Articles & Publications

•Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law Booklet (2025)

2025 Litigation Update

2024 Litigation Update

2023 Litigation Update

2022 Litigation Update

2021 Litigation Update

2019 Litigation Update

2018 Litigation Update

2017 Litigation Update

2016 Litigation Update

2015 Litigation Update

Speaking Engagements

•“2025 Litigation Update” PAMIC Claims Summit, April 2025 (Lancaster, PA)
•“2024 Litigation Update” PAMIC Claims Summit, May 2024 (Lancaster, PA)
•“2023 Litigation Update” PAMIC Claims Summit, April 2023 (Gettysburg, PA)
•Pennsylvania Unfair Insurance Practices Act and Regulations, PAMIC, Harrisburg, PA
•Employer’s Liability Insurance: A Port Depending on the Storm, Risk and Insurance Management Society, Dallas, TX
•Insurance Coverage for Underground Storage Tanks, PAMIC, Lancaster, PA
•Annual Presentation of Litigation Update to Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, 1984 to present

Client Testimonials

“Mike McKenna was instrumental in helping us get a very favorable outcome on a case this week.”

“Michael McKenna...was incredibly knowledgeable and professional.”

“Mike McKenna is the best”

“We couldn’t have done it without you!”

News & Case Results

Judgment on the Pleadings Granted in Philadelphia Coverage Dispute

11 Margolis Edelstein Attorneys Named to the 2026 Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch Lists

Margolis Edelstein’s Managing Partners Recognized by The Legal Intelligencer’s 2025 Pennsylvania Legal Awards

Margolis Edelstein Announces Expanded Leadership Team - Christopher Tinari Joins Michael McKenna as Managing Partner

Judgment on the Pleadings Granted in High-Exposure Insurance Coverage Case in Philadelphia County

10 Attorneys Rated by Best Lawyers for 2025

6 Margolis Edelstein Attorneys Present at PAMIC’s 2024 Claims Summit

Michael McKenna Obtains Summary Judgment for Insurer in Philadelphia County

 

Awards

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Services

Areas of Law

  • Construction Law
  • Professional Liability
  • Other 7
    • Automobile & Trucking
    • General Liability
    • Hospitality & Retail
    • Insurance Consulting
    • Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith
    • Labor & Employment
    • Subrogation

Practice Details

  • Video Calls
    Offers Video Calls
    Video Call Options
    Zoom
  • Firm Information
    Position
    Managing Partner
    Firm Name
    Margolis Edelstein
  • Representative Cases & Transactions
    Cases
    Representative Matters: Represented the plaintiff insurer in Penn-Patriot Insurance Company v. Santillo, where Penn-Patriot denied coverage for negligence claims arising out of a dispute between delivery drivers at an Amazon facility. The court granted judgment on the pleadings to Penn-Patriot based on its Assault
    Battery exclusion, since any harm, regardless of liability theory, arose out of an alleged battery.
    Represented the plaintiff insurer in Philadelphia CCP in Penn-Patriot Insurance Company v. Nguyen where Penn-Patriot denied coverage both to its insured (McDonald's franchisee)
    to an additional insured (McDonald's) for negligence claims arising out of a stabbing incident in a McDonald's parking lot. The court granted judgment on the pleadings to Penn-Patriot based on its Firearms
    Other Weapons exclusion.
    Represented the defendant insurer in Philadelphia CCP in Sunoco v. Penn National where plaintiff claimed coverage under a Grantor of Franchise endorsement as a 'de facto franchisor,' a concept neither contemplated by the policy nor endorsed by any precedent. The trial court granted summary judgment for the insurer, with that result now before the Superior Court.
    Represented the plaintiff insurer in Penn National v. St. John, establishing that 'first manifestation' trigger for CGL coverage against property damage claims applies even when exposure, manifestation of harm,
    discovery of cause extend over multiple policy periods, thus rejecting extension of the J.H. France asbestosis multiple or continuous trigger of coverage. The favorable Chester County trial result was upheld in the Superior Court
    thereafter in the Supreme Court.
    Represented the plaintiff insurer in Nationwide v. Tambone, establishing the validity
    applicability of its personal auto policy livery exclusion where the named insured's son, living elsewhere, occasionally used the covered auto to transport casual acquaintances for pocket money. The favorable Chester County trial result was upheld in the Superior Court, the Supreme Court thereafter denying a Petition for Allowance of Appeal.
    Represented prime defendant The Sheraton Corporation, the original owner
    designer of the subject hotel, in the San Juan Dupont Plaza Fire Litigation in Puerto Rico, described by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals as a 'litigatory monster' involving 264 separate lawsuits with 2,400 plaintiffs seeking total damages of over $1,800,000,000 for 98 deaths
    over 140 severe burn injuries.
    Represented prime defendant Halprin Supply in the One Meridian Plaza Fire Litigation in Philadelphia against claims by the building owners, the owners of surrounding damaged buildings
    businesses,
    the estates of three firefighters killed in a blaze which destroyed this 38 story high-rise office building.
    Represented prime defendant Trident Mechanical Systems in the Central Synagogue Fire Litigation in Federal Court in Manhattan against claims of extensive damage to this historically certified building, the oldest extant synagogue in the United States, obtaining a defense verdict following a six week trial.
  • Additional Links

Experience

  • Bar Admission & Memberships
    Admissions
    1975, Pennsylvania
    1976, United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    1983, United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
    2000, United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
    Memberships

    Professional Affiliations:

    •Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel
    •Pennsylvania Bar Association
    •Philadelphia Bar Association
    •Pennsylvania Defense Institute
    •Defense Research Institute
    •Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel
    •Philadelphia Bar Foundation Hamilton Circle Life Fellow

  • Education & Certifications
    Law School
    Villanova University School of Law
    Class of 1975
    J.D.
    Other Education
    LaSalle College
    Class of 1972
    B.A.
    summa cum laude
  • Personal Details & History
    Age
    Born in 1950
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 15, 1950

Contact Michael P. McKenna

Managing Partner at Margolis Edelstein
5.0
1 review

The Curtis Center, 170 S. Independence Mall W., Suite 400EPhiladelphia, PA 19106U.S.A.

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Attorneys FAQs

  • What year was this attorney first admitted to the bar?
    Michael P. McKenna was admitted in 1975 to the State of Pennsylvania.
  • Is this attorney admitted to practice in any U.S. Federal Courts?
    Michael P. McKenna is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
  • Is this attorney Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review rated?
    Yes, Michael P. McKenna has a 5.0 Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
  • What year was this attorney's law firm established?
    Margolis Edelstein was established in 1900.
  • Is this attorney listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers?
    Michael P. McKenna is listed in the Civil Trial Practice, Environmental Law and Insurance Defense section of the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.