Mr Thomas Saunders > WilmerHale > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
WilmerHale Offices
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20036
United States
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
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)
Ranking among the market leaders for high-stakes appellate work, WilmerHale is widely hailed for the depth of its bench and the reputation of its senior partners. Indeed, for some, the ‘experience and expertise of the appellate team at WilmerHale is unmatched’. The national group routinely appears before state and federal courts across the US, right up to Supreme Court level, and is a particularly dominant performer in the Federal Circuit. High-profile department head Seth Waxman is a former US Solicitor General, who has delivered over 80 oral arguments in the US Supreme Court alone. Waxman recently paired up with Daniel Volchok to successfully represent the justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and the members and executive director of the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors, before the Tenth Circuit in a case concerning the association’s mandatory-dues requirement. The team also leans on experienced practice vice chairs Catherine Carroll, who has argued four cases before SCOTUS, and Boston-based Mark Fleming, who has argued before SCOTUS seven times. Other key contacts include IP specialist Thomas Saunders and New York-based Alan Schoenfeld. Named attorneys are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise. Danielle Spinelli recently retired.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Finance > Financial services regulation
- Antitrust > Cartel
- International Trade > CFIUS
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Industry focus > Education
- Industry focus > Native American law
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
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
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Government > State attorneys general
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Venture capital and emerging companies
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Government > Government contracts
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- International Trade > Trade remedies and trade policy
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- International Trade > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Finance > Fintech
- Government > Government relations
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Environment > Environment: litigation