Lee McGrath

Lee McGrath serves as IJ’s Senior Legislative Counsel. He joined the Institute in December 2004.

Lee was instrumental in lobbying the Minnesota legislature to reform its eminent domain laws in 2006 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. New London. He also led efforts to deregulate Minnesota’s transportation industry. These included repealing the state’s regulations of in-state household goods movers and the City of Minneapolis’ cap on taxis. Following Minneapolis’ opening the taxi market, Lee joined with other IJ attorneys to defend the deregulation in court. The Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit’s decision in Minneapolis Taxi Owners Coalition v. City of Minneapolis in 2009 set precedent that numerous federal circuits have adopted.

Lee became IJ’s legislative counsel in 2011 and has been instrumental in lobbying for greater economic liberty and reforms to forfeiture laws in states across the country. Since 2011, IJ has worked with legislators to enact over 200 bills. These include new laws that end civil forfeiture and replace it with criminal forfeiture as well as establish sunrise and sunset reviews of occupational licensing laws based on the concept of least restrictive regulation.

Lee received his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul where he was the president of the Federalist Society’s student chapter. Before that, Lee worked for more than 20 years in corporate finance at General Motors and other corporations. His last position was as Vice President and Treasurer of Jostens, the yearbook and ring company headquartered in Bloomington, Minn.

In addition to his law degree, Lee holds an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. Lee also was a Policy Fellow at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.