Gupta Wessler LLP is a national appellate, constitutional, and complex litigation boutique. We brief and argue high-stakes cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and state and federal courts across the country. We also run the Harvard Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. Through all of our efforts, we aim to help shape the law in ways that enhance justice and improve people’s lives.
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An “impressive” and “highly rated appellate practice,” known for “terrific briefs” and “incredible oral advocacy.” — Chambers USA
Gupta Wessler has “staked a name for itself” as the nation’s “premier plaintiffs-side appellate firm.” – Law 360
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“Gupta Wessler — a small firm that scores big wins.” — David Lat, Original Jurisdiction
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In the upcoming 2023-24 term, Gupta Wessler’s attorneys will argue three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court: Cantero v. Bank of America, on whether federal banking law preempts state consumer-protection laws; Bissonnette v. LePage Bakeries, on transportation workers’ exemption from forced arbitration; and Vidal v. Elster, at the intersection of trademark law and the First Amendment.
In recent years, our advocacy on behalf of plaintiffs and public-interest clients has produced an unbroken string of improbable victories before the U.S. Supreme Court. For for three separate U.S. Supreme Court wins by four different firm lawyers between 2020 and 2022, the firm’s work has been repeatedly honored with the National Civil Justice Institute’s Appellate Advocacy Award, which “recognizes excellence in appellate advocacy in America.”
For its recent streak of wins in the Supreme Court and state and federal appellate courts, Gupta Wessler has been repeatedly placed on the National Law Journal’s Appellate Hot List. In addition, since 2021, the firm’s partners have served as instructors in the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic at Harvard Law School.
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A “vibrant appellate practice focused on public interest cases and plaintiff-side representations.” — Chambers USA
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In June 2022, Jennifer Bennett prevailed 8-0 in Southwest Airlines v. Saxon (2022), a win for workers over forced arbitration. Slate cited the case as one in which “good lawyering” made the difference, noting that “Jennifer Bennett, who represented Saxon, deployed her seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of interstate labor in 1920s America to shred each layer of Southwest’s reasoning.”
In June 2021, Jon Taylor won a rare summary vacatur for the family of a homeless man killed by the police. In a 6-3 decision in Lombardo v. City of St. Louis (2021), the Court tossed out a ruling that failed to consider “well-known police guidance recommending that officers get a subject off his stomach as soon as he is handcuffed.”
In March 2021, Deepak Gupta won a landmark victory for access to justice in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District (2021), which held that people injured by products may sue out-of-state corporations where their injuries occurred, bucking a decades-long trend of restrictive decisions. The American Association for Justice recognized Deepak’s advocacy with the Steven Sharp Public Service Award, the National Civil Justice Institute awarded him its Appellate Advocacy Award, and the National Law Journal named him a finalist for “Winning Litigator” of the year.
In February 2020, in Intel Corp. v. Sulyma (2020), Matt Wessler won a 9-0 victory for workers seeking to hold companies accountable under ERISA for risking their retirement savings. The Wall Street Journal called this a “pretty significant” victory for “people’s ability to bring lawsuits over fiduciary breaches.”
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The introduction of Gupta Wessler’s “impressive team” into a legal battle against a large corporate adversary means that “the opposing parties’ legal forces have been equalized” in the “arena of appellate combat.” — Bloomberg Businessweek
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In the lower state and federal courts, Gupta Wessler continues to rack up major appellate victories nationwide—on class actions, arbitration, antitrust, consumers’ and workers’ rights, civil rights, preemption, products liability, punitive damages, standing, the First Amendment, and a range of other issues.
In recent years, the firm has handled an increasing number of very high-stakes cases in state courts, including the defense of several nine-figure and eight-figure jury verdicts.
In addition, the firm routinely acts as outside counsel to nonprofits such as the American Association for Justice, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Project on Predatory Student Lending.
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“The difference with Deepak and with Gupta Wessler is that the firm is very well known as very strong in consumer rights appeals and they have a lot of Supreme Court experience. Gupta’s increasing presence in the Supreme Court . . . is particularly notable because of the small size and boutique nature of the firm.” — Empirical SCOTUS
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