For the 11th consecutive year, WilmerHale was named to The National Law Journal’s (NLJ) Appellate Hot List, which highlights a select group of law firms whose appellate practices are viewed as setting the standard for the legal industry. “The stars of the appellate bar featured in this year’s Appellate Hot List special report practice what they preach,” NLJ Editor-in-Chief Lisa Helem said in the feature, making the point that the success the firms enjoy results from leaders with the experience to know what matters and what doesn’t.  

As part of the special report, appellate practice leaders from each listed firm were asked for the keys to their appellate team's successes. In a Q&A, Seth Waxman, co-chair of WilmerHale's Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice, discussed the US Supreme Court’s May 2018 decision to reverse the death sentence and conviction of WilmerHale’s client, Robert McCoy. “The Court agreed with us that Mr. McCoy’s Sixth Amendment rights were violated when his trial lawyer, believing a conviction by jury was inevitable and hoping to spare his client’s life in the penalty phase, conceded Mr. McCoy’s guilt on capital murder charges over Mr. McCoy’s objection,” he said. 

Mr. Waxman highlighted the importance of “meticulous work and intensive preparation” to winning victories for clients. These watchwords are “baked into our practice’s DNA,” he said.