The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is proud to announce the appointment of Daniel L. Brockett (JD ’82) and Lori E. McMaster (JD ’86) to its Board of Visitors.
The Board of Visitors is composed of distinguished leaders across law, business, and public service who bring valuable expertise and insight to Pitt Law’s strategic planning. Each member contributes professional experience and perspective relevant to the Law School’s mission, priorities, and continued growth.
Daniel L. Brockett (JD ’82) is Chair of the Financial Institution Litigation practice at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has built a national reputation representing major institutional clients in complex securities, antitrust, commodities, and financial markets litigation.
A Chambers-ranked lawyer and nationally recognized trial strategist, Brockett has served as lead trial counsel in more than 20 major bench and jury trials and arbitrations. He has recovered billions of dollars in verdicts, awards, and settlements, including a $1.9 billion settlement in credit default swaps antitrust litigation and a $508 million partial settlement in the ISDAfix interest rate benchmark case.
Brockett has been named one of Benchmark Litigation’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America and has been recognized by Law360 as a “Competition MVP” and by the National Law Journal as a “Litigation Trailblazer.” From 2020 through 2024, he was also included among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers.
Brockett has maintained a strong connection to Pitt Law throughout his career. In 2026, the Law School announced the creation of the Brockett Fund at Pitt Law through his generosity. The fund supports key Law School initiatives and opportunities for students, including experiential learning, scholarships, speaker series, and research in antitrust, corporate and business law, and financial regulation.
Brockett earned his JD, cum laude, from Pitt Law in 1982, where he served as an editor of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. He received his BA in Philosophy from Kent State University in 1979.
“Pitt Law gave me a strong foundation for my career, and I am honored to have another opportunity to give back to a place that has meant so much to me,” said Brockett. “I look forward to working with Dean Dickinson and my fellow Board members to expand opportunities for students and help Pitt Law continue to grow as a leader in legal education.”
Lori E. McMaster (JD ’86) recently retired following a distinguished career in legal practice, professional development, alumni engagement, and leadership in Pittsburgh’s legal community. She most recently served as Executive Director for External Relations at Pitt Law, where she worked closely with alumni, legal employers, and external partners to strengthen engagement and connections across the Law School community.
Before that role, McMaster served as Executive Director of Pitt Law’s Professional Development Office from 2011 to 2019, overseeing career services and professional development efforts for students and alumni.
Prior to joining Pitt Law, McMaster practiced for nearly 20 years as a trial attorney specializing in complex corporate litigation in state, federal, and appellate courts in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
A longtime leader in the Pittsburgh legal community, McMaster served as the 111th President of the Allegheny County Bar Association from July 2019 through June 2020. Her extensive service to the ACBA included membership on its Finance Committee, Gender Equality Committee, and Committee to Advance Professionalism and End Gender Bias. She also previously chaired the Nominating Committee, Women in the Law Division, and Membership Committee and served on several other committees and initiatives focused on advancing gender equality and the legal profession.
McMaster’s contributions to the profession have been recognized with the ACBA Women in the Law Division’s Honorable Carol Los Mansmann Helping Hand Award. She also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s House of Delegates.
McMaster earned her JD from Pitt Law in 1986 and graduated cum laude from Allegheny College with a BA in Political Science. She has also been active in advocacy and volunteer work supporting children and adults with autism and serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors of Life’sWork of Western PA.
“Pitt Law has been an important part of my professional life for many years, and I am honored to continue serving the Law School in this new capacity,” said McMaster. “I look forward to working with Dean Dickinson and my fellow Board members to support our students, strengthen our alumni community, and help advance Pitt Law’s future.”
“We are delighted to welcome Dan Brockett and Lori McMaster to the Board of Visitors,” said Dean Jerry Dickinson. “Dan is an exceptionally accomplished trial lawyer whose generosity and commitment to Pitt Law have already created new opportunities for our students. I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know Dan on many trips to New York City, and I return to Pittsburgh each time thinking he’s an alum whose voice and presence I want at the table with our team helping shape the future and vision of Pitt Law. And I’ve known Lori for over a decade, and I know that she brings an extraordinary understanding of Pitt Law, our alumni, our students, and the legal community after years of dedicated service to the Board of Visitors.