News

Former Solicitor General Joins Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.

Experienced Supreme Court lawyer to chair appellate practice

Washington, D.C., September 8, 2009…Latham & Watkins LLP¹ is pleased to announce that Gregory G. Garre, former Solicitor General of the United States, has joined the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department in the Washington, D.C. office and as Global Chair of the firm's Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group.

Garre served until January 2009 as the 44th Solicitor General of the United States. As Solicitor General, he was the federal government's top lawyer before the Supreme Court and was responsible for overseeing the government's litigation in the federal appellate courts. Prior to his nomination by the President and unanimous confirmation as Solicitor General by the Senate, he served as Principal Deputy Solicitor General from 2005 to 2008, and then as Acting Solicitor General. In addition, he served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General from 2000 to 2004. He is the only person ever to have held all of those positions within the Office of the Solicitor General.

Garre has argued 27 cases before the Supreme Court involving a wide array of nationally important matters, including in the areas of administrative law, business and employment law, education, environmental law, First Amendment, intellectual property, international law, media and telecommunications, and separation of powers. This past term, he won each of the cases he argued as Solicitor General, including the landmark case of Ashcroft v. Iqbal, which clarified the gateway requirements for civil litigation in the federal courts, as well as FCC v. Fox Television Stations and Winter v. NRDC. In addition, he has argued numerous cases before the federal courts of appeals, including some of the most significant cases heard by the appellate courts over the past decade.

In January 2009, Garre received the Attorney General's Medallion for his service as Solicitor General as well as the Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award, its highest civilian honor, for his successful argument in Winter v. NRDC, which secured a Supreme Court ruling setting aside an injunction restraining critically important naval exercises. He has also received the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Furthering Interests of US National Security, and additional honors from the Civil Division and Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice for his work on nationally important litigation matters. In 2006, he was also named to The American Lawyer's "Fab 50" list of top litigators under the age of 45.

Robert M. Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins, said: "Greg is one of the most accomplished appellate advocates in the country, and we are thrilled he has chosen to join our firm."

Latham's appellate team, led by Maureen Mahoney for two decades, has won many landmark cases such as overturning the conviction of Arthur Anderson and successfully defending the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action admissions program. The National Law Journal recognized Latham & Watkins for its appellate work, naming the firm to its 2009 "Appellate Hot List" and The American Lawyer noted Latham's "brilliant appellate record" in its 2008 "Litigation Department of the Year" survey. Mahoney, who previously advised the firm of her intention to step down from full-time practice in 2010, added: "Greg is a superb lawyer and friend. We are delighted that he has agreed to join us and assume the leadership of our appellate group."

Eric Bernthal, Washington, D.C. Office Managing Partner, said: "Greg's talent, judgment, experience and leadership position us to continue to succeed in the highly competitive field of high stakes appellate litigation."
   
Garre stated: "I am very excited to be joining Latham & Watkins and its formidable appellate practice. Maureen Mahoney is a model of appellate excellence, and Latham's depth of talent, reputation and commitment to the practice are well known. I look forward to working with Maureen and the firm's outstanding appellate team to carry on that tradition of excellence and to grow and develop the Supreme Court and appellate practice in the service of firm clients."

Before joining the Justice Department, Garre was a partner at Hogan & Hartson LLP in Washington, D.C., where, in 2004, he succeeded John G. Roberts, Jr., as head of the firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice group and was named to Chambers USA's list of leading appellate litigators in Washington, D.C. While at Hogan & Hartson, he argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court and appellate courts on behalf of firm clients including corporations, individuals and government entities.

Garre received his J.D. degree with high honors from the George Washington University Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the law review and was selected to Order of the Coif, and his B.A. degree cum laude from Dartmouth College, where he was a Rufus Choate Scholar. Following his graduation from law school, he served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist (1992-1993), and to Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1991-1992).

After leaving the Justice Department in January 2009, Garre served as a Visiting Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School, where he taught constitutional law and Supreme Court practice and has taught for nearly a decade on an adjunct basis.

Notes to Editor

¹ Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in the United Kingdom, France and Italy and an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Hong Kong.

About Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with approximately 2,000 attorneys in 27 offices, including Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Brussels, Chicago, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com.

Contacts

Robert M. Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner, +1.415.395.8050
Maureen Mahoney, Global Chair of the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group, +1.202.637.2250
Eric Bernthal, Washington, D.C. Office Managing Partner, +1.202.637.2236