I am a Washington, D.C.-based appellate specialist who wears two hats:
At my independent, nationwide, appellate litigation boutique, Capital Appellate Advocacy PLLC, I handle appeals for individual companies, and write amicus curiae briefs for industry trade associations and nonprofit advocacy groups, primarily in the Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals. I charge appellate litigation clients a flat fee rather than bill by the hour.
At the Atlantic Legal Foundation, a national, nonprofit, public interest law firm, I am Executive Vice President & General Counsel. I conduct the Foundation’s amicus curiae program by writing Supreme Court and lower court briefs in cases involving individual liberty, free enterprise, protection of property rights, limited and responsible government, sound science in judicial and regulatory proceedings, and effective education, including parental rights and school choice.
My volunteer professional activities include chairing the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel's Appellate Law Section and serving as a vice chair of its Amicus Committee. I also am immediate past chair of the DRI Center for Law and Public Policy, and a past chair (and a senior member) of DRI's Amicus Committee.
In October 2024 DRI awarded me its Tom Segalla Excellence In Education Award. The award is given to a “member of DRI whose contributions through legal scholarship exemplify the highest educational standards of the organization and further its mission of improving the skills of the defense practitioner.”
I am proud to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.
My legal career began in 1972 as an Honors Program attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Two years later I joined what morphed into a now-global law firm, where I founded and headed its appellate litigation practice group. Launching my own law firm in 2016 was the best decision of my legal career.
Barbara Ebner and I have been married for 52 years. We enjoy traveling throughout the United States, especially Hawaii, and spending as much time as possible with our two daughters and their families.
*****
A person listed as a contributor has spoken or otherwise participated in Federalist Society events, publications, or multimedia presentations. A person's appearance on this list does not imply any other endorsement or relationship between the person and the Federalist Society. In most cases, the biographical information on a person's "contributor" page is provided directly by the person, and the Federalist Society does not edit or otherwise endorse that information. The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues. All expressions of opinion by a contributor are those of the contributor.
State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v. U.S. ex rel. Rigsby - Post-Decision SCOTUScast
SCOTUScast 2-9-17 featuring Lawrence Ebner
On December 6, 2016, the Supreme Court decided State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v....
State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v. U.S. ex rel. Rigsby Decided - Podcast
Litigation Practice Group Podcast
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court upheld the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in...
The Blackberry Case—An Alternate Ending
For more than six months I have been ruminating about the BlackBerry patent infringement case...
Warning to Trial Lawyers: Read the Law -- The Federal Law -- Before Proceeding
In the world of toxic tort suits, “failure to warn” can be a trial lawyer’s...