Mr Thomas Saunders > WilmerHale > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
WilmerHale Offices

2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20036
United States
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Mr Thomas Saunders

Position
Partner
Career
Tom Saunders’ practice focuses on appellate and government and public policy litigation with a particular emphasis on intellectual property. He has extensive experience representing clients in patent and complex civil cases and has built a reputation as a leading advocate in high-stakes appellate litigation. He has argued and won two cases in the US Supreme Court, one involving patents and the other involving government contracts. He has also argued and won cases in multiple courts of appeals, including numerous victories in the Federal Circuit. He has worked on more than 50 Federal Circuit cases and led the merits briefing in 6 Supreme Court cases. Law360 recognized Mr. Saunders as an Appellate MVP of the Year in 2015 and an Appellate Rising Star in 2016 and 2017.
Mr. Saunders also has significant experience in civil litigation involving the government and quasi-governmental entities. He advises clients on constitutional matters, questions of public policy and strategy, and administrative law.
Education
- JD, Yale Law School, 2004
- AB, Harvard University, 2000
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
An appellate powerhouse, WilmerHale presented twenty-seven oral arguments in the first six months of 2023, including two before the US Supreme Court. The group routinely appears before appellate courts across the country, with particularly vast experience in the Federal Circuit, as well as in the Ninth, Fourth and First Circuits. Equipped to advise on appeals spanning the full spread of industries and legal spheres, the team has recently led cases dealing with issues as diverse as trade secrets, the Anti-Terrorism Act, First Amendment rights, and voting rights, among others. Former US Solicitor General Seth Waxman co-chairs the practice and is widely considered a dean of the appellate bar; he recently paired up with with Ari Holtzblatt to secure a 9-0 SCOTUS victory on behalf of Twitter in a case unanimously reversing a Ninth Circuit decision concerning the liability of social media platforms for acts of terrorism. Boston-based department co-chair Mark Fleming has argued 62 appellate cases, including eight SCOTUS appeals, and is highly regarded for his record in patent cases before the Federal Circuit. The deep bench also includes practice vice-chair Catherine Carroll, who has argued four SCOTUS cases; fellow vice-chair Daniel Volchok, who has niche expertise in Native American law; Thomas Saunders, who specializes in IP appeals; and New York-based Alan Schoenfeld. Named attorneys are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Antitrust > Cartel
- International trade and national security > CFIUS
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Industry focus > Education
- Intellectual property > Patents: licensing
- Industry focus > Education
- Industry focus > Education
- Industry focus > Native American law
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market ($500m-999m)
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Government > State attorneys general
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- International trade and national security > Trade remedies and trade policy
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Government > Government contracts
- Government > Government relations
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Finance > Fintech
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (International Trade Commission)
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense