Former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal Joins Hogan Lovells as Partner and Co-Head of Appellate Practice

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hogan Lovells announced today that Neal Katyal, former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, has joined its Litigation, Arbitration and Employment practice as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office. Neal will be Co-Head of Hogan Lovells' Appellate practice alongside Washington, D.C. partner Cate Stetson.

"Neal's career is most impressive by any standard. His recent service to the United States as Acting Solicitor General and his success in many notable Supreme Court cases over the course of his career have given him insight into some of the most complex and important legal issues facing our country today," said Warren Gorrell, Co-CEO of Hogan Lovells. "They also have given him great practical insights into the various ways our clients' critical matters can be addressed through the judicial process, from beginning to end. Neal is widely regarded as an exceptional lawyer and a prominent legal scholar, and our clients will immediately benefit from his deep knowledge of constitutional, administrative, and patent law, among many other areas."

"Hogan Lovells has one of the most prominent appellate and litigation practices in the nation," said Katyal. "With world-class lawyers experienced in handling oral arguments in sophisticated cases before the Supreme Court and federal and state courts of appeals across the country, Hogan Lovells is uniquely positioned to serve clients across all industries and geographies."  

As Acting Solicitor General, Katyal was responsible for representing the federal government in all appellate matters before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals throughout the nation. He served as Counsel of Record in hundreds of cases and orally argued 15 U.S. Supreme Court cases, as well as numerous cases in lower courts. Katyal has also served as a law professor for nearly 15 years at Georgetown University Law Center and was Director of the Georgetown Center on National Security and the Law until his appointment as Principal Deputy Solicitor General. He has extensive experience in matters of patent, securities, tort, commercial, and constitutional law.

"Neal is intimately familiar with the complex legal issues involved in the healthcare reform case now pending on a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court, having argued all of the major federal appeals in which the healthcare reform legislation was challenged. Neal also has argued and won several notable Supreme Court cases during his illustrious career, including Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the landmark case that ruled military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay to be unconstitutional. Neal also argued the major defense-industry case of General Dynamics v. United States, making him one of very few people who have argued in the Supreme Court with $6 billion on the line. The breadth and depth of his experience in a wide variety of appellate matters is unparalleled," said Stephen Immelt, Co-Chair of Hogan Lovells' Litigation, Arbitration and Employment practice.

In addition to Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Katyal has argued numerous Supreme Court cases during his career. He successfully defended the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the landmark case, Northwest Austin v. Holder, and secured a unanimous win in a Supreme Court case defending former Attorney General John Ashcroft against alleged abuses of civil liberties in the war on terror. In 2011, Katyal secured a unanimous Supreme Court win in American Electric Power Company v. Connecticut, a major decision that rejected attempts to litigate, through common-law "nuisance" lawsuits, issues related to greenhouse gas emissions. He also is the only head of the Solicitor General's Office to argue a patent appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Katyal presented arguments in a high-profile case posing the question whether certain aspects of the human genome were patentable.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have Neal join Hogan Lovells," said Cate Stetson, Co-Head of the Appellate practice. "He will significantly deepen our appellate practice at all levels and across all areas. Neal is not only brilliant; he is a thoughtful and creative counselor, and he will be a wonderful colleague."

About Neal Katyal

In addition to his service at the Department of Justice and as a Georgetown Law professor, Katyal has also served as a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Early in his career, he clerked for The Honorable Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and The Honorable Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court. Katyal has published dozens of scholarly articles in law journals, as well as approximately 20 op-ed articles in publications, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has testified before various committees of the House and Senate and has won numerous awards for his legal acumen and community service.

Katyal is the recipient of the very highest award given to a civilian by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Edmund Randolph Award, which the Attorney General presented to him in 2011. Additionally, he was named as One of the 40 Most Influential Lawyers of the Last Decade Nationwide by the National Law Journal (2010); One of the 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers Over the Last 30 Years by Legal Times (2008); Lawyer of the Year by Lawyers USA (2006); Runner-Up for Lawyer of the Year by the National Law Journal (2006); One of the Top 50 Litigators Nationwide 45 Years Old or Younger by American Lawyer (2007); and one of the top 500 lawyers in the country by LawDragon Magazine for each of the last five years.

Katyal received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1995 and earned his A.B. in government and Asian studies, with highest honors, from Dartmouth College in 1991. After graduating from law school, he worked as a summer associate with one of Hogan Lovells' legacy law firms, Hogan & Hartson.

About Hogan Lovells' Appellate Practice

Hogan Lovells' nationally recognized Appellate practice, which secured coveted spots on the National Law Journal's annual Appellate Hot List in 2010 and 2011, was established by E. Barrett Prettyman Jr., and led for many years by former partner Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Other prominent former members of Hogan Lovells' Appellate practice include David G. Leitch, currently the General Counsel of Ford Motor Company. 

About Hogan Lovells

www.hoganlovells.com

Hogan Lovells combines the breadth of business-oriented legal advice and high-quality service that clients have come to expect through working with its two founding firms – Hogan & Hartson and Lovells.

"Hogan Lovells" or the "firm" refers to the international legal practice comprising Hogan Lovells International LLP, Hogan Lovells US LLP, Hogan Lovells Worldwide Group (a Swiss Verein), and their affiliated businesses, each of which is a separate legal entity. Hogan Lovells International LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC323639. Registered office and principal place of business: Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2FG. Hogan Lovells US LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in the District of Columbia.

The word "partner" is used to refer to a member of Hogan Lovells International LLP or a partner of Hogan Lovells US LLP, or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications, and to a partner, member, employee or consultant in any of their affiliated businesses who has equivalent standing. Rankings and quotes from legal directories and other sources may refer to the former firms of Hogan & Hartson LLP and Lovells LLP. Where case studies are included, results achieved do not guarantee similar outcomes for other clients.

SOURCE Hogan Lovells