Pratik A. Shah briefs and argues cases in federal and state appellate courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Pratik also provides strategic advice to clients at all stages of constitutional, regulatory and other complex litigation.
Leading publications describe Pratik as:
- “Incredibly intelligent” and “one of the brightest and most personable members of the appellate bar” with “a total command of appellate issues,” Chambers USA.
- A top appellate advocate who has successfully “practiced before the highest court in the land on some of the most groundbreaking cases of the 21st century,” Washington Business Journal.
- Having “a knack for boiling down complex cases to their essence and advocating for his clients in a calm, clear and compelling way,” The Legal 500 US.
Under Pratik’s leadership, Akin Gump has been a mainstay on the National Law Journal’s Appellate Hot List and was named one of the top three appellate practices in the 2017 Best of Corporate Counsel rankings.Before joining the firm in 2013, Pratik served for more than five years as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the DOJ.
He received a number of awards for his advocacy before the Supreme Court during that time, including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his role as lead drafter of the successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor.Prior to his work at the DOJ, Pratik worked in the appellate practice of another international law firm, taught constitutional law, and clerked for Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge William A. Fletcher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Experience:
- Has argued 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Co-head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and appellate practice.
Representative Work:
- American Indian Law:
- Successfully briefed and argued a separation-of-powers/sovereign immunity issue for the Gun Lake Tribe (S. Ct. 2018).
- Successful appeal for the Gila River Indian Community’s water rights under a federal consent decree (9th 2017).
- Intellectual Propert:
- Successful patent/antitrust appeal on behalf of a medical technology company (Fed. Cir. 2018).
- Successful patent/IPR appeal on behalf of a major technology conglomerate (Fed. Cir. 2016).
- Bankruptcy and Tax:
- Successful appeal on the “make-whole” provision and debt subordination issues in bankruptcy proceedings (2nd Cir. 2017).
Affiliations:
- Trustee, Supreme Court Historical Society.
- National Advisory Council, South Asian Bar Association of North America.
- Constitutional Law & Federal Courts Advisory Committee, U.S. Chamber Litigation Center.
- Barrister, Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court.
- Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, American Bar Association.
- Advisory Committee on Procedures, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Education:
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law – Boalt Hall
- B.S.E., Princeton University, summa cum laude
Clerkships:
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S.C.A., 9th Circuit
Bar Admissions:
- California
- District of Columbia
Cost
Rate : $$$