Erik S. Jaffe

Erik S. Jaffe is a 1990 Graduate of the Columbia University School of Law. From 1990 to 1991 he was a law clerk to Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Following that clerkship he spent five years in litigation practice with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Williams & Connolly. In the summer of 1996 he left Williams & Connolly to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. At the end of that clerkship he started his own practice, and has been a sole practitioner since 1997.

Mr. Jaffe's legal practice consists primarily of appellate litigation and motions work in trial courts and administrative fora. His appellate practice includes work in state and federal courts of appeals, including the United States Supreme Court. His motions practice includes work in a variety of state and federal venues, including administrative proceedings. Mr. Jaffe also provides consulting on legal issues arising in anticipation of litigation with an eye towards shaping the subsequent litigation in a way that favorably frames the legal issues for motions and appeals.

Mr. Jaffe's overall practice covers a wide variety of substantive issues involving both federal and state law. A particular emphasis within the practice, however, involves the First Amendment and related state constitutional provisions protecting freedom of speech. Clients include individuals, business corporations, and non-profit organizations. Mr. Jaffe also collaborates with other law firms and lawyers seeking to supplement their resources in litigation involving significant motions practice or seeking to bring in an attorney with an appellate perspective. Services include representation of parties in litigation and appeals, preparation of amicus curiae briefs for non-parties with an interest in cases having the potential to create significant legal precedent, and assistance with or review of briefs prepared by primary counsel in a case.