October 7, 2025
New York, NY, October 7, 2025 -- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that appellate litigator Erica L. Ross has joined the Firm as partner. She is based in Washington, DC, is a member of Willkie’s Litigation Department, and will serve as the firmwide Chair of the Appeals & Strategic Motions Practice Group.
Erica is an experienced litigator who most recently served in the U.S. Department of Justice. In her more than seven years as Assistant to the Solicitor General, Erica personally argued 16 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, and briefed hundreds more at both the merits and certiorari stages. Erica litigated cases involving constitutional law, administrative law, intellectual property, business disputes, tax law, antitrust, foreign sovereign immunity, bankruptcy, and criminal law. She also advised the Solicitor General and federal agencies on litigation strategy in matters of national significance. In addition, Erica served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel, where she advised the White House, Executive Branch agencies, and senior Department of Justice leadership on complex legal questions and supervised teams of attorneys reviewing draft legislation, regulations, and Executive Orders.
Tariq Mundiya, Chair of Willkie’s Litigation Department, commented: “Erica is widely recognized as one of the leading appellate advocates of her generation, and she will bring unrivaled government and private practice experience to our global litigation platform. Our clients will benefit enormously from her exceptional advocacy, stellar track record, and deep understanding of appellate litigation.”
Mark Stancil, who along with fellow litigation partner Michael Gottlieb served as co-head of the Appeals & Strategic Motions Practice Group until Erica’s arrival, added: “Since Mike and I first launched this practice group several years ago, we have been searching for the ideal appellate lawyer to lead this group for the next generation. We are thrilled to have found Erica, whose unique combination of experience, skill, and strategic savvy makes her an excellent fit for our clients and the broad range of high-stakes litigation matters we handle.”
Prior to her government service, Erica was a partner at a global law firm, where she briefed and argued numerous cases in federal appellate courts, district courts, and state courts. Earlier in her career, Erica served as a law clerk for Justice Elena Kagan, on the Supreme Court of the United States, and for Judge David S. Tatel, on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In addition, Erica served as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General. She received her J.D. with distinction from Stanford Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor on the Stanford Law Review. Erica received her B.A., magna cum laude and with distinction, from Yale University.
Erica commented: “Over the past decade, Willkie has strategically built a preeminent litigation department that is highly renowned for its wide-ranging capabilities and its global strengths in complex matters and disputes. It has accomplished that goal while maintaining a genuinely collaborative and warm culture. I’m thrilled to join the talented team at Willkie to guide clients through their most challenging appellate and trial matters.”
Willkie’s Appeals & Strategic Motions group focuses on the important legal issues that arise from the earliest stages of litigation through appeal. Our interdisciplinary teams are led by experienced practitioners who have extensive first-chair experience litigating in federal and state appellate courts across the country, including the Supreme Court of the United States.
Willkie’s Litigation Department has a national and international practice representing major U.S. and non-U.S. financial services companies, accounting firms, insurance and reinsurance companies and brokers, media companies, and individuals in complex commercial and class-action litigation. We try cases before courts and tribunals throughout the United States and abroad. Beyond the courtroom, we have extensive experience conducting internal corporate investigations and handling internal corporate matters.
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,300 attorneys across 16 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 45 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.
