Sidley Austin
How did Sidley Austin approach appellate success over the past year? Partner Jeffrey Green: "With gusto."
October 30, 2017 at 07:00 AM
8 minute read
Jeffrey Green of Sidley Austin. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi
Tell us about your top U.S. Supreme Court or federal circuit court victory over the past year and how you and your team achieved the win. Dean v. US, [a U.S. Supreme Court case], which answered the question whether federal courts must sentence gun use crimes separately from the underlying crimes during which defendant used the gun.
Sidley's Pro Bono Program handled the case in conjunction with the Northwestern [Pritzker School of Law] Supreme Court Clinic. We channeled the ghost of Justice [Antonin] Scalia in persuading the court that sentencing is a practical, wholistic endeavor and not a formulaic exercise.
How did your firm approach appellate success over the past year? With gusto. Appellate success is achieved by providing the court with reasons why your client should win—just as criminal defense success is achieved by coming up with alibis or excuses.
What practice advice would you give your younger self?
1. Avoid lawyerly 'splain'in. Explication, exegesis and theorizing rarely have a place. Give reasons instead—nothing more or less. What the Fourth Amendment or case X says is not going to win the day.
2. Say it well, but say it only once. You can't overestimate the goodwill you earn with any justice or judge by submitting a brief that is just about one-half of the allowable length. Don't be repetitive about what you want, the justices just want to know why you want it.
Responses submitted by Jeffrey Green, a partner at Sidley Austin.
Jeffrey Green of
Tell us about your top U.S. Supreme Court or federal circuit court victory over the past year and how you and your team achieved the win. Dean v. US, [a U.S. Supreme Court case], which answered the question whether federal courts must sentence gun use crimes separately from the underlying crimes during which defendant used the gun.
Sidley's Pro Bono Program handled the case in conjunction with the Northwestern [Pritzker School of Law] Supreme Court Clinic. We channeled the ghost of Justice [Antonin] Scalia in persuading the court that sentencing is a practical, wholistic endeavor and not a formulaic exercise.
How did your firm approach appellate success over the past year? With gusto. Appellate success is achieved by providing the court with reasons why your client should win—just as criminal defense success is achieved by coming up with alibis or excuses.
What practice advice would you give your younger self?
1. Avoid lawyerly 'splain'in. Explication, exegesis and theorizing rarely have a place. Give reasons instead—nothing more or less. What the Fourth Amendment or case X says is not going to win the day.
2. Say it well, but say it only once. You can't overestimate the goodwill you earn with any justice or judge by submitting a brief that is just about one-half of the allowable length. Don't be repetitive about what you want, the justices just want to know why you want it.
Responses submitted by Jeffrey Green, a partner at
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'Absurd Costs'?: Visa Faces Antitrust Class-Action Surge Following DOJ Complaint
3 minute read'Systemic and Pervasive'?: DiCello Levitt Alleges WWE Child Sexual Abuse Scandal
3 minute readThe 2024 NLJ Awards: Professional Excellence—Appellate Hot List
4th Circuit Revives Workplace Retaliation Lawsuit Against Biden's HHS Secretary
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 2Trump's Return to the White House: The Legal Industry Reacts
- 3Election 2024: Nationwide Judicial Races and Ballot Measures to Watch
- 4Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
- 5Judicial Face-Off: Navigating the Ethical and Efficient Use of AI in Legal Practice [CLE Pending]
- 6How Much Does the Frequency of Retirement Withdrawals Matter?
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250