Danielle Pascale, a trial lawyer and former Deputy Bureau Chief with more than two decades of experience in high-stakes matters involving allegations of abuse and misconduct, has joined Thompson Coburn LLP as a partner in its New York office. Most recently Managing Partner of Tyson & Mendes’ New York and Connecticut offices, Pascale has tried cases throughout the United States and advises and defends schools, nonprofit and religious organizations, municipalities, commercial entities and their insurers, from the first report through investigation, litigation, trial and appeal.
Before entering private practice, Pascale spent more than 20 years as a prosecutor in the Bronx County and Putnam County District Attorney’s Offices. As Deputy Bureau Chief of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Bureau in the Bronx, she oversaw approximately 4,000 investigations, directed the office’s work at the Bronx Child Advocacy Center, and served as the District Attorney’s liaison to the New York City Police Department, the Administration for Children’s Services, and local hospitals. She tried numerous cases to verdict, worked extensively with experts in DNA, forensic pathology, forensic psychiatry and trauma, and conducted joint investigations with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security involving exploitation and human trafficking. That experience gives her clients a practical understanding of how allegations are investigated, how evidence is evaluated, and how prosecutors, regulators and juries assess an institution’s response.
“Institutions that take allegations seriously deserve counsel who does the same,” said Zachary Newman, Co-Chair of Thompson Coburn’s Business Litigation Group. “We believe responsible defense starts well before a lawsuit is filed. It means helping our clients put the right safeguards in place, find the facts quickly and fairly when a concern is raised, treat everyone involved with dignity, and, when a claim is brought, mount a defense that is grounded in the facts and consistent with the institution’s values. Danielle has seen this work from every vantage point, and she shares that commitment.”
At Tyson & Mendes, Pascale led the defense of public and private entities in high-exposure litigation involving allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse, negligent hiring, retention and supervision, and institutional liability. She served as first- and second-chair trial counsel in state courts, managed matters from pre-suit investigation through trial and appeal, and achieved favorable outcomes for clients through dispositive motions, strategic settlements and jury verdicts. She also advises insurers and self-insured organizations on liability assessment, litigation strategy, risk management and the resolution of high-value claims. At Thompson Coburn, she will help clients strengthen policies and training to reduce risk, conduct prompt and privileged investigations when concerns arise, and defend claims when they are brought.
“Danielle is an accomplished trial lawyer with a rare depth of investigative experience,” said Thompson Coburn Chair Chris Hohn. “Her thoughtful approach to client service and team leadership makes her an exceptional addition to our litigation practice, and her arrival reflects our continued investment in New York and in the national capabilities our clients rely on.”
Pascale is a frequent speaker on institutional liability and abuse litigation, including at the Perrin Conferences National Sexual Abuse Litigation Conference (2023–2025), the RISK World Conference (2026) and the Perrin Conferences Human Trafficking Litigation Conference (2026). She is a faculty member of the Zero Abuse Project and has trained prosecutors, NYPD detectives and child protection professionals on forensic interviewing, medical evidence and investigative best practices, including through programs of the National District Attorneys Association, the American Prosecutors Training Institute and the National Children’s Alliance.
Pascale will work with colleagues across the firm’s offices and practice groups, including those who advise institutional clients in higher education, health care, labor and employment, nonprofit organizations and insurance.
“Institutions facing these matters need depth, not just a single lawyer,” Newman added. “Our team brings trial experience in courts across the country, lawyers with prosecutorial backgrounds who understand how allegations are investigated and evaluated, and practice groups that already counsel institutions on compliance, employment and insurance every day. That bench allows us to staff matters of any size, coordinate across jurisdictions, and give clients clear, practical guidance at every stage.”
“I have spent my career seeing how much it matters that allegations are handled well,” said Pascale. “Institutions that act promptly, investigate fairly and respond with care are better positioned to protect their communities and to defend themselves when claims arise. Thompson Coburn’s multidisciplinary platform and deep industry experience allow me to help clients do all of that.”
Pascale has long been engaged in prevention and safety efforts. She created and chaired the Bronx Safe Sleep Taskforce, for which she received the New York City Safe Sleep Ambassador Award in 2020, and has led community education initiatives focused on abuse prevention.
Pascale earned her J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law, where she received the Student of the Year Award, and her B.A. in Political Science from Pace University. She is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut and before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
