Joseph D. McBride
National Crisis Litigation & International Defense Counsel
Foundation
Joseph McBride became an attorney in response to his brother Anthony’s wrongful arrest and conviction. The suffering his family endured fuels the fire and passion that define his approach to representation. McBride spent a year as a legal intern at the Innocence Project, then learned to try cases as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society’s Manhattan Criminal Defense Practice, where he represented clients from arraignment through trial in the country’s busiest criminal courts. In 2019, he founded The McBride Law Firm, PLLC, and took that training into the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, then to Washington, D.C., and beyond.
The Catalyst
The practice of law for McBride is a vocation necessitated by direct encounter with judicial error. The wrongful conviction of his brother, Anthony, catalyzed his entry into the legal profession. This proximity to systemic failure informs his clinical approach to advocacy, ensuring a sophisticated and relentless interrogation of the facts in high-stakes litigation environments.
Personal Resilience
On April 5, 2022, McBride survived an attempted assassination, an event that demonstrated his profound personal resolve under duress. This experience sharpened his understanding of what is at stake when clients face threats to their liberty, safety, reputation, and future.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
McBride built his national reputation in the federal courts of Washington, D.C. From 2021 forward, he represented more than 25 January 6 defendants. Most notably, he tried Richard Barnett’s case before Judge Christopher Cooper. He litigated conditions-of-confinement and discovery issues in bond appeals and habeas corpus proceedings, and he worked with more than 40 members of Congress to have the D.C. Jail investigated, inspected, and temporarily shut down, and to force policy change. He secured the release of multiple detainees from federal custody, some of whom had been denied bail multiple times, and he achieved an unheard-of sentence of probation for Adam Jackson.
Outside the courtroom, McBride led a counterintelligence campaign that used Capitol surveillance footage to change public perception of what actually took place at the Capitol. He represented multiple clients before the House Select Committee, including Alex Brusewitz. When the insurrection narrative went unchallenged, McBride was the first attorney to publicly advocate for presidential pardons, and he did not stop advocating for them until they were achieved.
CROSS-BORDER LITIGATION
McBride has led the American legal team for Andrew and Tristan Tate since 2023 and serves as a strategic leader for the defense in Romania, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. He is the brothers’ counsel and spokesperson in the United States.
In July 2023, McBride filed a defamation action in Palm Beach County on the brothers’ behalf. The complaint alleged that a Florida woman and others made false statements that led to the brothers’ detention in Romania. In 2024, the court denied her motion to dismiss the core defamation claim, and the case proceeds toward trial.
Strategic Success
In February 2025, Romanian authorities lifted the brothers’ travel restrictions, and they flew to Florida to participate in the Palm Beach litigation. Their arrival drew national coverage and public statements from Florida officials. McBride responded publicly and defeated multiple criminal investigations that followed.
California Context
In 2025, Andrew Tate was accused of a crime in Los Angeles. McBride responded publicly on behalf of his client. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute Mr. Tate, citing insufficient evidence. McBride then sued the accuser in Los Angeles for $50 million, alleging that the accusation was false and made to extort and defame his client. Both civil cases are pending.
Federal Extradition
In July 2026, the United Kingdom requested the brothers’ extradition, and they were arrested in Miami. McBride leads the defense in the Southern District of Florida, where he litigated an eight-hour bond hearing and is now litigating their conditions of confinement and a habeas corpus proceeding. McBride has spoken for the brothers at every stage. The extradition merits have not been decided.
The Tates deny every allegation against them. The Palm Beach and Los Angeles cases are two of the most closely watched defamation matters in the world, and the Miami proceedings are the most closely watched extradition case in the country.
Global Reach
McBride operates through a locally based team in Dubai and a professional network spanning Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The structure supports coordinated counsel across jurisdictions and time zones.
DUBAI
ROMANIA
UK
USA
Professional Milestones
01
National Crisis Litigation
Strategic counsel for high-stakes criminal and civil matters requiring institutional precision and authoritative representation.
02
Media-Sensitive Matters
Expert defense of reputation and cross-border litigation in complex environments where public perception and legal strategy intersect.
03
Extradition Proceedings
Specialized representation in federal extradition cases, ensuring meticulous preparation and authoritative advocacy at the national level.