WASHINGTON, DC – International law firm Hogan Lovells announced that The American Lawyer has named its partner Neal Katyal as the grand prize winner in its 2017 Litigator of the Year awards. At the age of 47, he has already argued more Supreme Court cases in U.S. history than has any minority attorney, breaking the record held by Thurgood Marshall.
In choosing Katyal as its sole grand prize winner, The American Lawyer cited his seven Supreme Court cases in the last term, far more than any other lawyer in the country, the firm said in a statement.
Since then, he has added to that number and just last month broke Thurgood Marshall’s 50-year old record for most arguments before the Supreme Court by a minority lawyer in United States history.
Among his other achievements, The American Lawyer cited Katyal’s Supreme Court victories for Bristol-Myers Squibb limiting forum-shopping in mass torts cases, and for Wells Fargo reversing a decision allowing cities to sue under the Fair Housing Act. The American Lawyer also pointed to his ongoing representation of the state of Hawaii as it challenges the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
The Litigator of the Year award is given once every two years and covers achievements during the same timeframe. Katyal was selected from a shortlist of honorees, all of whom were recognized for their work in the “most complex, high-profile, precedent-setting matters facing some of the largest institutions, most well-known individuals and hottest industries.”
In addition to recognizing Katyal as its Litigator of the Year, The American Lawyer also named Hogan Lovells as a finalist for Litigation Department of the Year.
Katyal, the former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, focuses on appellate and complex litigation. He has extensive experience in matters of patent, securities, criminal, employment, and constitutional law, according to his official bio on the firm’s website.
Katyal has orally argued 35 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, with 33 of them in the last eight years. In the 2016-17 Term alone, Neal argued seven cases in six separate arguments at the Supreme Court, far more than any other advocate in the nation (the next highest number, four arguments, was reached by two attorneys). At the age of 47, he has already argued more Supreme Court cases in U.S. history than has any minority attorney, breaking the record held by Thurgood Marshall.
