Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation

Combining our trial and appellate strengths allows us to shape litigation strategy from the outset to maximize the likelihood of ultimate success.

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Meet Our Team

Recognition

  • Award Text

    National Tier 1 in Appellate Practice 2024

    U.S. News – Best Lawyers

    CONSISTENTLY RECOGNIZED AS A TOP-TIER FIRM

  • Award Text

    Appellate Hot List 2022

    The National Law Journal

    NAMED TO THIS LIST FOR THE 14TH YEAR

  • Award Text

    Top-Tier Appellate Practice

    The Legal 500 United States

    TIER 1 RANKING IN 2021–2023


  • Chambers USA has recognized the firm’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice since 2005, including with Band 1 rankings in 2018–2023. Clients praise the group, saying "they have an incredibly deep appellate bench with experience at all circuits as well as the Supreme Court that is second to none." Partner Seth Waxman is consistently cited as a star individual, with sources calling him "simply the best appellate lawyer in the country right now" and a "powerhouse." Partner Catherine Carroll is said to be “very meticulous” and “able to grasp complex issues in a quick and meaningful way.”
  • The National Law Journal has named WilmerHale to its Appellate Hot List for 14 years. In the National Law Journal’s 2022 Legal Awards, WilmerHale was named to the Appellate Hot List and recognized with the 2022 Crisis Management and Government Oversight Professional Excellence Award. 
  • Four WilmerHale appellate lawyers were selected by their peers for inclusion on Boston Magazine’s inaugural list of Top Lawyers in 2021.  
  • Benchmark Litigation recognized a slew of WilmerHale’s appellate lawyers as National Litigation Practice Area Stars, Local Litigation Stars and Future Stars and also ranked WilmerHale among the top firms in the nation for several practices, including appellate, in 2021–2023
  • In U.S. News - Best Lawyers' 2013–2024 Best Law Firms rankings, our Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice ranked in the first tier nationally and in Boston and Washington DC, and was named the 2019 First Amendment Litigation Firm of the Year.
  • IAM Patent 1000 again ranked WilmerHale a leading firm in 2020 and 2021 for litigation internationally and nationally in the US. The firm is also recognized in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Washington DC and the UK.
  • The Legal 500 United States has ranked WilmerHale’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice in the top tier in its annual guide from 2015–2023 and has also named Partner Seth Waxman to its Hall of Fame. The publication has commended the firm for its “superb pedigree before the US Supreme Court."
  • Law360 named WilmerHale’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice a “Practice Group of the Year” for the 2010–2016 and 2019 editions. This annual series highlights up to five practice groups that notched the biggest litigation victories or deals of the year. The publication has also recognized Partner Mark Fleming as an “MVP of the Year” with distinction in appellate law (2011), Partner Seth Waxman as an “Appellate MVP of the Year” (2014) and Partner Tom Saunders as an “Appellate MVP of the Year” (2015).
  • Managing IP named WilmerHale the 2023 Patent Disputes Firm of the Year and Appellate Firm of the Year, and recognized with the Impact Case of the Year Award for our role in Centripetal Networks v Cisco Systems and Open Sky Industries v VLSI Technology; also awarded the Impact Case of the Year Award for our role in Intel v Qualcomm (2022), Mission Products Holdings Inc v. Tempnology LLC (2020), PNC Bank National Association v. Secure Axcess (2019). In 2015, WilmerHale and Partner Seth Waxman received Managing IP's Supreme Court Milestone Case of the Year award for the successful representation of POM in POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola.
  • The American Lawyer named WilmerHale the 2020 Law Firm of the Year and a finalist in its 2021 and 2018 Litigation Department of the Year contests. The magazine also recognized the firm with its IP Litigation Department of the Year title twice and has named WilmerHale a finalist in the category six times since first awarding it in 2004.
  • Washingtonian magazine has named Partner Seth Waxman among "Washington's Best Lawyers."

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