Seth Waxman, a Washington-based partner and chair of WilmerHale’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice, was recognized as a recipient of The American Lawyer’s highest honor, the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors those who have left an indelible mark on society and the legal profession through their substantive work in the public and private spheres.
The American Lawyer highlighted some of Waxman’s notable achievements over his historic, 40-plus-year career in a profile featured in the publication’s December issue. Waxman, who served as Solicitor General of the United States from 1997 to 2001, has argued more than 80 cases before the Supreme Court and is widely regarded as a premier appellate advocate.
Among the cases revisited in the profile is Waxman’s successful defense of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 before the Supreme Court. Fred Wertheimer, whose reform group Democracy 21 was involved in the legislative battle said, “There’s no other lawyer than Seth that I would want to be working with to defend our democracy and the integrity of our political system. He is the classic example of the super lawyer. The only thing he can’t do is put on a cape and fly.”
Waxman’s influence in the legal sphere goes beyond his work in the courtroom. In addition to leading the firm’s appellate practice, Waxman has served on Harvard’s Board of Overseer and is a faculty member at the Georgetown University Law Center. He serves on the Council of the American Law Institute and is a director and fellow of several professional, educational and cultural institutions, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation, the Supreme Court Institute and the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Waxman joins three other WilmerHale partners who have been named Lifetime Achievers, including Robert Mueller (2020), Bill Lee (2019) and Jamie Gorelick (2018). This year’s honorees will be recognized at The American Lawyer Industry Awards on Thursday, December 2, at the Marriott Marquis in New York.