Pratik Shah > Akin > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Akin Offices
Robert S. Strauss Tower
2001 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006-1037
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
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Pratik Shah
Work Department
Partner; Disputes & Investigations
Position
Head of Akin’s Supreme Court & appellate practice. Pratik has argued 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court (winning all but three), and over 50 cases in the federal courts of appeals (including in every circuit).
Under Pratik’s leadership, Akin has been a mainstay on NLJ’s Appellate Hot List, named one of the top three appellate practices in the Best of Corporate Counsel rankings, and recognized as Law360’s Practice Group of the Year.
Previously, Pratik served for more than five years as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the DOJ. He received a number of awards for his advocacy before the Supreme Court during that time, including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his role as lead drafter of the successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor.
To learn more about Pratik, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/pratik-a-shah.html
Career
Assistant to the Solicitor General (received Attorney General’s “Distinguished Service Award” for Windsor v. US; IRS’s National Chief Counsel award for Supreme Court advocacy; ENRD’s “Special Commendation”); Clerk to Justice Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court and Judge William Fletcher, 9th Circuit.
Memberships
Advisory Committee on Procedures, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, American Bar Association; Trustee, Supreme Court Historical Society; National Advisory Council, South Asian Bar Association of North America; Master, Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court.
Education
J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
B.S.E., Princeton University, summa cum laude
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
(Leading partners)The practice group at Akin is regularly engaged by major industry players seeking representation in appeals in Circuit and Supreme courts nationwide. Particular areas of expertise include IP, Native American law, administrative law, labor law, and financial restructuring cases. The practice is coordinated by Washington, D.C.-based Pratik Shah, who brings to the table experience arguing eighteen cases before the US Supreme Court and over sixty in other appellate courts across the country. A recent standout mandate saw Shah successfully defend the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority against constitutional challenges to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, brought by various states and private groups, in multiple circuits. James Tysse and Julius Chen are additional key contacts at the D.C. office. Aileen McGrath left the firm in July 2024.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading partners United States > Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal) United States > Dispute resolution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Government > Government relations
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- International trade and national security > Trade remedies and trade policy
Firm Rankings
- Investment fund formation and management > Alternative/hedge funds
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Industry focus > Education
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Industry focus > Native American law
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Government > Government contracts
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International trade and national security > CFIUS
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Finance > Project finance
- Real estate > Real estate
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Finance > Commercial lending > Advice to direct lenders/private credit
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Industry focus > Sport
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)