Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is pleased to announce that Pratik A. Shah, most recently an assistant to the solicitor general at the U.S. Department of Justice, will be joining the firm as co-head of the Supreme Court practice and a partner in the national appellate practice in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
Mr. Shah had served in the Office of the Solicitor General since 2008, where he argued 13 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and authored merits briefs in 10 others. In that capacity, he handled some of the office’s most challenging cases, including those on issues ranging from same-sex marriage to securities law and from tax and ERISA law to Indian and environmental law. Prior to his time in the Office of the Solicitor General, Mr. Shah worked at another large international law firm in its appellate and Supreme Court practice.
Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith said, “Akin Gump has one of the finest Supreme Court and appellate practices in the country, and Pratik’s intellectual skills, courtroom experience and sterling credentials as a Supreme Court advocate will add tremendously to the quality and depth of the service we offer clients.”
Patricia Millett, who heads the firm’s Supreme Court practice and co-heads the national appellate practice, noted, “I could not be more pleased that Pratik will be joining Akin Gump. He is a brilliant advocate with a rigorously analytical mind, and his broad experience and superb academic background will contribute materially to our provision of the highest-caliber appellate representation for our clients.”
Mr. Shah added, “Joining Akin Gump is a tremendous opportunity for me. The firm’s reputation and achievements are known to everyone in the industry, and Patricia’s reputation, in particular, as a top-tier Supreme Court advocate is second to none. I very much look forward to joining this great practice and to working with my new colleagues throughout the firm on behalf of Akin Gump’s clients.”
