Paul Hastings Adds Elite Litigator From U.S. Solicitor General’s Office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a move that significantly strengthens the firm’s appellate and Supreme Court practice, Paul Hastings LLP announced that Benjamin W. Snyder, former Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States, is joining the firm as a partner in Washington, D.C. and Co-Chair of the appellate practice.

Previously a clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts, Snyder has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, filed hundreds of Supreme Court briefs at the merits and certiorari stages, and helped to prepare for approximately 100 Supreme Court arguments. He also advised the solicitor general on whether to authorize government appeals and reviewed and supervised lower court briefing in cases that implicated programmatic or legal interests of particular significance to the United States.

“Our strategy is to serve clients at the top of the market with intellectual capital. Ben adds an exceptional pedigree and critical dimension to clients in bringing and defending cases at all levels, including the Supreme Court,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “We believe his arrival and our further focus on bringing in elite litigation talent is a competitive advantage in handling our clients’ most sensitive and important matters from the trial court through all phases of appellate review.”

Snyder’s Supreme Court matters have ranged from cases involving the First Amendment, False Claims Act, and Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to those involving the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Administrative Procedure Act challenges to old regulations. Prior to clerking at the Supreme Court, he clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and was an associate in Latham & Watkins LLP’s Supreme Court and appellate practice.

At Paul Hastings, Snyder will work closely with the firm’s premier trial lawyers, developing a strong record for appellate review and further positioning the firm to bring and defend cases at the highest levels when necessary. He joins the firm's nearly 100 other litigators with clerkship experience at the Supreme Court, appellate, and district court levels.

“I’m excited to expand an already-impressive appellate practice that not only handles traditional appeals and Supreme Court matters but also brings affirmative challenges to federal and state regulations on behalf of our clients,” said Snyder. “Paul Hastings is building a go-to practice for appellate and Supreme Court matters, and we’ll be continuing to recruit top-tier appellate clerks and veterans of the Solicitor General’s office as we add to our bench in D.C.”

Snyder is the latest premier litigator to join Paul Hastings, following:

• former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti (Chicago);
• preeminent Chambers Band 1-ranked environmental litigator Brian D. Israel (Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.);
• top-tier trial and regulatory enforcement lawyer Manuel Berrelez (Dallas);
• a premier six-partner IP litigation team including Shamita Etienne-Cummings, Jay Gagen, Eric Lancaster, Lisa Nguyen, David Tennant, and Grace Wang (Palo Alto and Washington, D.C.);
• prominent international arbitration partner Jonathan Hamilton (Washington, D.C.);
• Chambers Band 1-ranked Antonin Lévy, Ophélia Claude, Joris Monin de Flaugergues, and a nine-lawyer team (Paris);
• leading white collar and investigations partner Stuart Alford KC and Chambers-ranked international arbitration and commercial litigation partner Oliver Browne (London);
• nationally recognized white collar defense and trial partner Avi Weitzman (New York);
• premier securities and commercial litigator Jennifer Conn (New York);
• Chambers-ranked complex commercial litigator Paul Genender (Dallas);
• prominent white collar and investigations partner Adam Fee (Los Angeles);
• complex commercial litigator Josh Berman (New York);
• elite investigations and SEC enforcement partner Brad Bondi (Washington, D.C.);
• top-tier IP litigator Rudy Kim (Palo Alto);
• leading complex litigator Susan Leader (Los Angeles); and
• IP litigator Doug Sawyer (Chicago).

 

About Paul Hastings

With widely recognized elite teams in finance, mergers & acquisitions, private equity, restructuring and special situations, litigation, employment, and real estate, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers, and corporations.