The appellate group at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP operates a nationwide practice with a particular emphasis on patent, constitutional, and high-value commercial litigation. From the Washington DC office, Christopher Michel recently secured a significant Delaware Supreme Court victory that reinstated a $55bn compensation package for Tesla and its directors. Michel works alongside Derek Shaffer, who focuses on commercially significant appeals, including a victory in the Eleventh Circuit regarding a $1bn fraud dispute. Based in Austin, John Bash led the successful effort to have an en banc Sixth Circuit panel vacate class certification for a major automotive manufacturer. The New York team includes Sanford Weisburst, who handles a wide array of patent and procedural appeals, and William Adams, whose expertise extends to bankruptcy-related appellate litigation and products liability.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘We were very impressed with the depth and understanding of our appellate issues as compared to the appellate specialist and trial counsel for the opposing party. This was a legal fight to undo a trial judge's ruling that was fought at a high level by a team of clients and attorneys who are genetically disinclined to lose.’
- ‘The firm showed a commitment to keep fighting over an arcane, technical issue that landed us in the California Supreme Court using the same skills that we used to defeat the opposing party at the appellate level.’
Key clients
- General Motors, LLC
- Otto Candies, LLC
- Vimeo, Inc.
- Express Scripts, Inc.
- Berkeley Research Group, LLC, Robert J. Duffy, Stephen L. Coulombe and Elliot A. Fuhr
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd.
- National Association of Realtors
- Attestor Master Value Fund LP, Trinity Investments Limited, Bybrook Capital Master Fund LP, Bybrook Capital Hazelton Master Fund LP, White Hawthorne, LLC, White Hawthorne II, LLC, Bison Bee LLC
- Americredit Financial Services, Inc., d/b/a GM Financial
- Unification Church International (UCI)
- Altara RK Investments Limited, Altara NK Investments Limited, VV NK Ltd., Bahia VV RK Ltd.
- Taction Technology, Inc.
Work highlights
Represented General Motors in a significant en banc Sixth Circuit victory, securing the reversal of class certification in a consumer action involving alleged transmission defects.
Represented more than 30 shipping companies, including Otto Candies, in a landmark Eleventh Circuit victory reinstating fraud, RICO, and conspiracy claims against Citigroup. The decision allows the plaintiffs to pursue over $1 billion in damages related to one of the largest frauds in Latin American history.
Secured a full Second Circuit victory for Vimeo in a long-running copyright dispute, affirming that the DMCA safe harbor protects service providers from liability for user-uploaded content even when employees have interacted with the videos. The January 2025 ruling rejected the music industry's attempt to impose proactive monitoring obligations on internet platforms.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
John Bash
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Christopher Michel
Practice head
Sanford Weisburst; Derek Shaffer; William Adams; John Bash; Christopher Michel