Daniel Volchok > WilmerHale > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

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.

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.