Law firm Quinn Emanuel hires Justice Dept. lawyer to co-head appellate team

(Reuters) – U.S. law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said Tuesday that Christopher Michel has left the U.S. solicitor general’s office to co-chair the firm’s appellate practice.

Michel joins the firm, which specializes in litigation and investigations, in Washington, D.C., after five years at the U.S. Justice Department serving as assistant to the solicitor general.

He argued 10 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, representing the U.S. government on issues including healthcare, securities and the environment, the firm said.

Michel said he was drawn to Quinn Emanuel because it has emerged as the “go-to firm for the most significant trial cases” while also developing a notable and expanding appellate group. He said the firm is seeking to demonstrate that it “should be the same kind of go-to destination for the most important appeals as it is for the most important trials.”

Michel is the latest notable hire out of the U.S. solicitor general’s office in recent months. Michael Huston left the office in October to co-chair the appellate practice at Perkins Coie. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and McGuireWoods also hired prominent lawyers from the office in 2021.

Michel is a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and assisted Bush in writing his post-presidential memoir “Decision Points.”

After graduating from Yale Law School, he clerked for Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, when Kavanaugh was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Michel also held roles at law firms Bancroft and Kirkland & Ellis before joining the Justice Department in 2017.

“Chris ranks among the finest appellate advocates of his generation, and we are pleased to have him on board,” John Quinn, Quinn Emanuel’s founder and chairman said in a statement.

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