Jeff Wall is a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Group and the head of its Supreme Court and Appellate Practice. Mr. Wall is the former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. He has argued more than 30 cases in the Supreme Court in a number of areas, including securities, class actions, arbitration, intellectual property, taxation, labor and employment, bankruptcy, preemption, the False Claims Act, the First Amendment, and criminal law and procedure. His recent arguments for the government and in private practice include Great Lakes Insurance SE v. Raiders Retreat Realty Co., LLC (maritime insurance), Murphy v. NCAA (sports gambling), Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC (fiscal oversight of Puerto Rico), Frank v. Gaos (class actions), Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis (arbitration), and Halo Electronics v. Pulse Electronics Inc. (patent damages). Mr. Wall also has argued numerous cases before federal and state courts of appeals and administrative agencies. He often counsels clients on strategic legal issues arising from litigation, legislation, or governmental oversight or investigation.
A fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA, Mr. Wall is recognized as one of the country’s leading appellate lawyers. Chambers USA notes that Mr. Wall “has a formidable reputation for the quality and pedigree of his appellate practice,” and an “impressive track record before the Supreme Court.” He is regarded as a “top-shelf,” “sophisticated,” and “brilliant advocate.” In the last year, he persuaded the Supreme Court to unanimously reverse the Third Circuit in a case involving parties’ freedom to contract (Great Lakes Insurance v. Raiders Retreat); he persuaded the en banc Delaware Supreme Court to affirm the dismissal of a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit (Merck v. Bayer); he helped to obtain an injunction against the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements (Ryan, LLC v. FTC); he successfully defended on appeal Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption (Nostalgic Partners v. MLB); and he prevailed on appeal in a precedent-setting case for the trillion-dollar syndicated-loan industry (Kirschner v. JP Morgan Chase). He also served as lead counsel in a week-long criminal trial against a local law-enforcement officer that resulted in a full judgment of acquittal.
Before rejoining Sullivan & Cromwell, Mr. Wall served in the Office of the Solicitor General as the Principal Deputy for four years, twice leading the office as the Acting Solicitor General from March to September 2017 and again from July 2020 to January 2021. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing appellate litigation by the United States in the Supreme Court and the courts of appeals, which required coordinating with and counseling agencies throughout the federal government on their regulatory objectives. He successfully argued several major Supreme Court cases on the separation of powers, constitutional rights, executive authority, and religious liberty. Mr. Wall also served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General from 2008 to 2013.
Following law school, Mr. Wall clerked for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court, and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He has taught courses in law school on administrative law and federal jurisdiction. He is a member of the American Law Institute, President-Elect of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court, trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society, and former member of the Advisory Committee on Procedures for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He dedicates substantial time to pro bono representation and has been recognized on the 2024 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll. In the community, he serves on the board of the St. Albans School of Public Service, a program that brings together high-school students from across the country to explore their interest in public service.
Recent Speaking Engagements
- “Legal Writing Workshop” (Fourth Circuit Criminal Appellate Practice Seminar, December 9, 2024)
- “The Impact of the Supreme Court on the Banking Sector: A Look Back and a Look Ahead” (The Clearing House Annual Conference, November 13, 2024)
- “November Fireside Chat” (Federal Bar Association Tampa Bay Chapter, November 7, 2024)
- “Daniel Webster Debate Series: Should the United States Ban Noncompete Agreements?” (Georgetown Law Federalist Society, November 6, 2024)
- “A Conversation with Jeff Wall, Brent McIntosh, and Judge Readler” (Michigan Law Federalist Society, September 26, 2024)
- “Recent Cases and Future implications for Business: The Power of the Administrative State” (Federalist Society Annual In-House Counsel Network Conference, May 17, 2024)
- “Beating the (Financial) Regulators in Court” (Federalist Society Annual In-House Counsel Network Conference, May 17, 2024)
- “Appellate Advocacy” (Federalist Society at University of Chicago Law School, April 18, 2024)
- “Appellate Advocacy” (Federalist Society at Yale Law School, April 17, 2024)
- “Supreme Court Preview” (Association of American Law Schools, March 8, 2024)
- “Oral Argument Before The Supreme Court” (National Association of Attorneys General, November 29, 2023)
- “Update on the Autumn Supreme Court Docket” (Audit Committee Leadership Network Meeting, Tapestry Networks, November 9, 2023)
- “Importance of an Independent Department of Justice” (American College of Trial Lawyers, September 22, 2023)
- “25th Annual Supreme Court Review: October 2022 Term” (Practising Law Institute, August 3, 2023)
- “Market Evolution and the Effects of Regulation in the Asset Management Industry” (Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, June 13, 2023)
- “Reflections: A Conversation with Judge Julius N. Richardson and Jeffrey B. Wall” (Columbia Law School and NYU Law School April 4, 2023)
- “Oral Argument Before The Supreme Court,” (National Association of Attorneys General, November 30, 2022)
- “A Conversation with Jeff Wall and U.S. Judge Julius Richardson,” (Federalist Society at the University of Virginia School of Law, September 29, 2022)
- “Supreme Court Preview,” (Heritage Foundation, September 27, 2022)
- “Supreme Court Preview,” (Federalist Society, September 27, 2022)
- Supreme Court Preview,” (William & Mary Law School, September 16, 2022)
- “Appellate Advocacy: Tips from the Pros” (Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference, September 1, 2022)
- “Supreme Court – A Year in Review, 2021 Term” (New York City Bar, July 20, 2022)
- “An Evening with Adrian Vermeule,” (The National Press Club, Book Launch for Adrian Vermeule’s Common Good Constitutionalism, May 26, 2022)
- “Congress, Jurisdiction, Process, & the Institution of the Supreme Court,” (The C. Boyden Gray Center, Congress’s Interbranch Role: The Executive, the Court, and Dobbs, May 25, 2022)
- “The Supreme Court at a Crossroads,” (Harvard Law School Association, May 12, 2022)
- “Regulatory Outlook: EPA, FTC, & SEC,” (U.S. Chamber Litigation Center and Institute for Legal Reform, Free Enterprise in the Courts: What to Expect in 2022 and Beyond, April 27, 2022)
- “U.S. Supreme Court Update,” (Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference, Law in a Time of Crisis, October 29, 2021)
- “Advocacy in the Thomas-era Court,” (The Heritage Foundation, Justice Thomas’s Thirty-Year Legacy on the Court, October 21, 2021)
- “Backing a Winner: Long Term Davis Conference Center Strategies for Cases to Advance to the Supreme Court,” (The Heritage Foundation, Legal Strategy Forum, October 6, 2021)
- “Supreme Court Press Preview: Anticipating the Supreme Court’s October Term 2021,” (Georgetown University Law Center, September 21, 2021)
- “Dunn Lecture: A Conversation About The Supreme Court,” (William & Mary Law School, September 13, 2021)