WilmerHale

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

Partner

Chair, Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice

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.

JD, Yale Law School, 1977

Rockefeller Fellow, 1974

AB, Harvard University, 1973