NLJ Publishes Akin Profiles for Legal Awards Recognitions in Appellate Hot List, DC Rising Stars, Gov’t Relations Contests
In The National Law Journal’s NLJ Awards, Akin was recognized in two categories—Appellate Hot List, DC Rising Stars (Amanda Butler-Jones)— and placed as a finalist in a third, Government Relations/Lobbying (learn more here). NLJ has now published profiles for all its recognitions.
In the Appellate Hot List profile, marking the firm’s 14th such recognition in 16 years, Supreme Court & appellate practice head Pratik Shah spoke about the firm’s top recent Supreme Court or appellate win.
Pratik pointed to two precedent-setting D.C. Circuit victories that, he said, show “our status as the go-to practice for bet-the-company...[Administrative Procedure Act] litigation involving federal agencies”: Akin’s successful representation of SpaceX’s FCC satellite license against competitors’ objections, winning a unanimous D.C. Circuit decision and defeating en banc review, and the firm’s win, in Viasat v. FCC on behalf of all private appellants, obtaining a unanimous D.C. Circuit decision and, again, defeating en banc review.
On the practice’s key to appellate success, he pointed to its build-out of West Coast capabilities to strengthen the firm’s position as the premier bicoastal appellate practice. Regarding the most satisfying element of appellate practice, Pratik pointed to “finding the right framing for a complicated appeal that weaves both the facts and the law into a compelling narrative.” He also said that the most valuable lesson he learned as a young lawyer was, before oral argument, to explain to one’s significant other or friend why one should win; if they are unconvinced, “try something else.”
Investment management partner Amanda Butler-Jones’ profile saw her describe her biggest accomplishment as her work on two billion-dollar-plus continuation fund transactions. Her team advised each client as it met its investment goals, and, she noted, one was a lead buyer, and the other the sellers in these transactions, spotlighting “the agility of our practice.”
The most valuable lesson she learned in her first year as a lawyer was to be a self-starter, “whether that meant spending hundreds of non-billable hours to understand key regulations and industry trends or being proactive in anticipating the needs of senior attorneys and clients.” Amanda, who was named a winner at the 2023 Black Women in Asset Management 40 Under 40 Awards earlier this month, said that her lawyer mentors have taught her that the best attorneys “will need to harness expertise and innovation to meet the challenges of tomorrow effectively.” She also said that the key to success is defining it in a way that “encompasses both your personal and professional goals at the moment” and to ensure that passion and purpose lead in defining those goals.
In the Government Relations profile, Akin lobbying & public policy practice co-heads Hunter Bates and Brian Pomper pointed to the firm’s pro bono representation of Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit founded and led by family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, as they worked with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This was called the most significant piece of federal gun safety legislation in decades, and it was passed by a bipartisan vote in both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
On crucial tips for government relations work, they said that, to be effective, professionals need to know “the policy, the process, the players and the politics.”
