James Tysse Named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer for Appellate Win in Bolivian Extrajudicial Killings Case

(Washington, D.C.) – James Tysse, a partner in Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and appellate practice, has been named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer for his role in helping to secure justice in a long-running pro bono human rights case. Mr. Tysse led the team and argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in a case involving the extrajudicial killings by Bolivia’s military of more than 50 unarmed indigenous Bolivians. Mr. Tysse persuaded the appeals court to reverse a trial court ruling on behalf of the defendants, Bolivia’s former president and defense minister, who fled to the United States shortly after the killings. (Click here to learn more.)

In a Q&A with Am Law, Mr. Tysse discussed his primary arguments in the appeal, the importance of the trial testimony and what the next steps in the case will be. He noted that the win builds on Akin Gump’s “rather remarkable track record of human rights appellate litigation generally, and TVPA litigation in particular, and shows the impact that law firms like ours can have in seeking justice for victims and their families.”

Mr. Tysse credited Akin Gump pro bono partner Steven Schulman with first bringing the case to the firm as well as associate Lide Paterno who, during the appeal, wrote “dazzling briefs” and learned the trial record “backwards and forwards.” He also cited the original trial team, led by partners Joseph Sorkin and Rubén Muñoz, and the firm’s pro bono partner firms, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Harvard University’s International Human Rights Clinic and the Center for Justice and Accountability.

To read the story in The American Lawyer on Mr. Tysse, please click here.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers and advisors in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1945, the firm is proudly celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020. #AkinGump75

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