Ryan P. McCarthy’s legal career has been singularly focused on fiercely advocating for the legal rights of working people and their unions and benefit funds. Prior to founding Goodley McCarthy, Ryan worked at a union-side labor and employee benefits firm in Philadelphia. While there, he successfully represented workers in wage and hour disputes, union benefit funds in ERISA litigation, and labor unions in various matters including prevailing wage and duty of fair representation litigation.  Prior to that, Ryan served as an Attorney Advisor in the United States Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges, where he handled cases arising under employee whistleblower protection statutes such as the Federal Railroad Safety Act and Surface Transportation Assistance Act, as well as coal miner cases for Black Lung Benefits.  

While in law school, Ryan earned the awards for Best Overall Performance in the areas of Labor Law, The First Amendment, and Race and the Law.  He was also selected for a Peggy Browning Fellowship at Sheet Metal Workers Local Union No. 19 where he worked on collective bargaining issues and matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act and Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act.  Ryan also clerked at the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, was a student-attorney on the Drexel Community Lawyering Clinic’s employment law team, and was a member of Drexel Law’s Moot Court Board.

Ryan was born and raised in a Philadelphia union family, and is proud to advocate on behalf of working people and their unions.