Seth Waxman > WilmerHale > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

WilmerHale Offices

WilmerHale
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20036
United States
Visit website 1 202 663 6000 1 202 663 6363

Seth Waxman

Seth Waxman photo
1 202 663 6800 SETH.WAXMAN@WILMERHALE.COM

Work Department

Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation ; Government and Regulatory Litigation ; Litigation ; Public Policy and Legislative Affairs ; Intellectual Property Litigation ; Energy, Environment and Natural Resources ; Environmental Enforcement and Litigation ; Government Contracts ; National Security ; Antitrust Litigation ; Insurance, Annuities and Retirement ; Education ; Anti-Discrimination ; Administrative Law ; Native American Law ; Media and Entertainment ; Trials

Position

Partner

Chair, Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice

Career

Universally considered to be among the country’s premier Supreme Court and appellate advocates, Seth Waxman served as Solicitor General of the United States from 1997 through January 2001. In addition to leading the firm’s appellate practice, Mr. Waxman engages in a broad litigation and counseling practice, with particular emphasis on complex challenges involving governments or public policy, intellectual property, regulatory, criminal and commercial issues.

A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Waxman also is a widely respected trial litigator. In a December 2020 article, The Hill stated, “[T]here is no more respected lawyer in Washington.” The American Lawyer named him Litigation – First Amendment “Lawyer of the Year” for 2020, Appellate/Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” for 2018, and “Litigator of the Year” and Litigation – Intellectual Property “Lawyer of the Year” for 2016. Mr. Waxman was also named Litigation – First Amendment Law and Regulatory Enforcement Law “Lawyer of the Year” for 2015 by Best Lawyers in America, and, in 2014, Super Lawyers deemed him the “number one” lawyer in Washington DC. Mr. Waxman has been accorded both “star” rating by Chambers USA and “leading lawyer” ranking in PLC’s Global Counsel Handbook.

Mr. Waxman’s practice spans both federal and state trial and appellate courts. He has delivered over 80 oral arguments in the United States Supreme Court and many more in the lower federal and state courts. Mr. Waxman’s clients range from financial institutions to technology, consumer, industrial and media companies, universities and Indian tribes, and he leads the firm’s efforts to counsel tribal governments. He also represents a number of local, state and national governments and prominent business and government executives and professionals. The recipient of numerous professional awards and honors, Mr. Waxman is among a small handful of practicing attorneys elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds several honorary degrees, as well as the Jefferson Medal in Law, an honor awarded once a year and only rarely to an attorney in private practice. In recognition of exceptional service to law enforcement, Mr. Waxman holds the extraordinary status of permanent honorary Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Memberships

  • District of Columbia

Education

JD, Yale Law School, 1977

Rockefeller Fellow, 1974

AB, Harvard University, 1973

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Industry focus > Education

(Leading lawyers)

Seth Waxman – WilmerHale

United States > Industry focus > Native American law

(Leading lawyers)

Seth Waxman – WilmerHale

WilmerHale is a strong choice for Native American legal issues, drawing on an extensive track record representing tribes at every stage of dispute resolution and routinely litigating before the Supreme Court, appellate, and trial courts. The group’s broad caseload features contentious, advisory and transactional mandates relating to energy resource development, land acquisitions, water rights, gaming, tribal sovereignty and self-determination. The handling of tribal internal investigations, including white-collar and criminal internal investigation cases, constitutes another pillar of the practice. Seasoned litigator Seth Waxman heads up the department from Washington DC and specializes in appellate work, litigation and advisory matters, with particular focus on complex challenges at the intersection of public policy, regulatory, criminal and commercial issues. Additional key names to note include Tom Strickland, who specializes in advising on tribal lending, Congressional and internal investigations, corporate governance, and high-stakes crisis management; Christopher Babbitt, who covers litigation and enforcement matters involving the federal government and rival tribes; and Daniel Volchok, whose practice has an emphasis on representing tribes and nations in trial and appellate litigation.

United States > Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)

(Hall of Fame)

Seth Waxman – WilmerHale

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.

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