Appellate Litigator Dirk Phillips Joins Arnold & Porter from the US Department of Justice

Washington, DC, June 8, 2011 -- Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that Dirk Phillips, an appellate attorney from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), has joined as counsel in the firm's Washington, DC office. An accomplished appellate litigator, Mr. Phillips has argued numerous cases in the federal courts of appeal and has worked closely with the Office of the Solicitor General on matters pending before the Supreme Court.

"Dirk is a talented lawyer with a well established track record at DOJ," said Lisa Blatt, head of Arnold & Porter's Appellate and Supreme Court Practice. "Dirk's extensive experience regarding a wide range of appellate matters, including those involving lower court appeals, will help broaden the scope of our existing practice."

While at DOJ, Mr. Phillips handled a broad range of civil and criminal appeals in federal courts across the country. He also worked with the Office of the Solicitor General on cases pending before the Supreme Court at both the certiorari and merits stages. Mr. Phillips received four awards for superior performance during his service at DOJ, including Meritorious Awards in 2007, 2008, and 2010, and a Special Achievement Award in 2009. Prior to his government service he was a member of the appellate practice at another national law firm. Mr. Phillips served as a law clerk to The Honorable James C. Cacheris of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and to The Honorable Jane R. Roth of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.

"Arnold & Porter has a first-class appellate practice with impressive experience across a number of areas such as healthcare, financial services, and antitrust," said Mr. Phillips. "I look forward to contributing to the firm's success in this area."

In 2009, Arnold & Porter expanded its Appellate and Supreme Court Practice with the addition of Lisa Blatt, former Assistant to the Solicitor General, who had worked directly with six solicitors general over the course of three administrations since 1996. Ms. Blatt has argued 30 cases before the Supreme Court, prevailing in 29. Since joining the firm, the Supreme Court granted the first two petitions Ms. Blatt filed and ruled unanimously on the merits for the firm's clients in both cases.

Ms. Blatt's leadership has strengthened Arnold & Porter's nationally recognized appellate practice. The firm handles appellate matters in numerous areas of the law. In the Supreme Court's 2010-11 term, the firm was counsel in several Supreme Court cases, including two successful petitions for certiorari, four merits cases (three unanimous victories and one case pending), and numerous high-profile cases in the courts of appeals.

Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm of more than 700 lawyers with offices in Brussels, Denver, London, Los Angeles, New York, Northern Virginia, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC. The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.