Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation

Polygon split hero banner
Our services
Client results
Quote carousal
Item list with tile
Key contacts
Representative experience interactive
Award and recoginitions
Filterable tiles
Faq
Insights
Register and login banner
Useful links

Our Supreme Court and Appellate practice is among the most sophisticated in the nation. The group is led by Cate Stetson (one of the most prominent female appellate litigators in the country, who has argued approaching 100 appeals). We handle appeals on a vast array of subjects, from complex issues of administrative procedure to major constitutional and criminal challenges. Last year, we argued more than 10 percent of all cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In addition to our Supreme Court practice, we’ve argued hundreds of cases in all 13 federal courts of appeals and state appellate courts across the country, as well as before trial courts nationwide. We appear regularly before, and have deep ties to, the D.C. Circuit and the Federal Circuit. We also oversee trials from an appellate perspective, making sure legal strategy is laced-in from the start and adequately preserved. As a hands-on team, we work with you to craft briefs and arguments that engage the reader and tell a persuasive story based on the facts and the relevant law, concisely and compellingly.

We have appellate team members in multiple cities throughout the U.S. All our lawyers spent at least one year clerking for an appellate judge; many also clerked for a Supreme Court Justice. Every associate brings unique insights and we endeavor to make sure every associate has significant personal courtroom experience.

Our capabilities at a glance

Judicial review wins

Ex-government policy advisors

Pieces of legislation changed

Hear from our clients and industry leaders

The whole team is super smart. They are all really easy to work with and then know our business inside out. They come to us proactively with issues and are incredibly responsive.

Chambers & Partners, UK Guide, 2025

An intellectually brilliant and commercially astute public law team. One of the very best in the city.

Chambers & Partners UK 2025

Hogan Lovells has a high capability in solving complex issues that involve both legal and technical perspectives.

Chambers & Partners, Germany, 2025

The lawyers are just experts. They are there when you need them and happy to entertain all my questions. They understand the wider context and the politics and sensitivities of it.

Chambers & Partners, UK 2025

Judicial Review

Legislation

UK Parliamentary Affairs

Challenge unlawful government decisions and protect your rights with our market-leading judicial review team.

Learn more

Turn your legislative challenges into opportunities with our market-leading legal and policy team who will help you help you craft, influence and interpret legislation.

Learn more

Achieve legislative and public policy change without blended legal and policy market-leading team.

Learn more

Key contacts

Cate Stetson

Partner

Cate Stetson

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Jessica L. Ellsworth

Partner

Jessica L. Ellsworth

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Representative experience

Our lawyers have argued multiple Supreme Court cases in almost every major area of law, including patents, preemption, class actions, trademarks, Native American law, employment, privacy, and ERISA.

Our team has handled dozens of complex regulatory appeals in the D.C. Circuit and other federal appellate courts for the communications, energy, food, health, and pharmaceutical industries.

We have argued significant appeals in federal courts involving issue ranging from False Claims Act liability to class actions, contract interpretation, and patent law.

Our litigators have briefed and argued appeals in the intermediate and high courts of many states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and in the District of Columbia.

Navigate change with our latest insights

News

New technical standard for Natural Gas Pipelines: NOM-020-ASEA-2024 officially published

03 September 2025

Insights and Analysis

Expansion of Hong Kong’s anti-bribery legislation – The Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Order 2025 brings four new institutions within scope of the POBO.

02 July 2025

News

U.S. House of Representatives passes proposal to prohibit enforcement of state AI laws for 10 years

22 May 2025

News

Reforms to the Mexican competition law

28 April 2025

Our capabilities at a glance

Judicial review wins

Ex-government policy advisors

Pieces of legislation changed

Hear from our clients and industry leaders

The whole team is super smart. They are all really easy to work with and then know our business inside out. They come to us proactively with issues and are incredibly responsive.

An intellectually brilliant and commercially astute public law team. One of the very best in the city.

Hogan Lovells has a high capability in solving complex issues that involve both legal and technical perspectives.

The lawyers are just experts. They are there when you need them and happy to entertain all my questions. They understand the wider context and the politics and sensitivities of it.

Explore our capabilites

Judicial Review

Legislation

UK Parliamentary Affairs

Key contacts

Representative experience

Navigate change with our latest insights

Freedom of Information requests – is disclosure really in the public interest?

A win for online speech in Patterson v. Meta

Reforms to the Mexican competition law – Cofece and IFT extinction

Expansion of Hong Kong’s anti-bribery legislation – The Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Order 2025 brings four new institutions within scope of the POBO.

U.S. House of Representatives passes proposal to prohibit enforcement of state AI laws for 10 years

Reforms to the Mexican competition law

You may also be interested in...