WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Latham & Watkins LLP¹ is pleased to announce that appellate litigator Roman Martinez has returned to the firm as a partner in the Litigation & Trial Department and a member of the Supreme Court & Appellate Practice in the Washington, D.C. office. Martinez, a former associate of the firm from 2010 to 2013, has served as an Assistant to the United States Solicitor General since he left the firm in 2013.

Over the past three years, Martinez has argued seven cases in the Supreme Court of the United States.  He has briefed some of the most important commercial cases to come before the Supreme Court in the past several terms, advised on many more cases before the Supreme Court and the courts of appeals, and worked with many federal government agencies and components of the Department of Justice. His cases have spanned a wide array of areas, including intellectual property, environmental, securities and criminal law.  Most notably, Martinez successfully argued on behalf of the United States in Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, helping to secure a win in one of the most important intellectual property cases before the Court last Term, addressing the legal standard for awarding enhanced damages under the Patent Act.  He also successfully argued for the United States in Octane Fitness, LLC v. Icon Health & Fitness Inc., a high-profile case concerning the availability of attorney fees in patent litigation.  In recognition of his achievements, the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia presented Martinez with its 2016 “Rising Star Award.”

“Roman’s thoughtful advice and advocacy experience will undoubtedly benefit clients across industries as they face complex legal challenges. He earned universal acclaim for his extraordinary work, broad skill set and judgment when he worked at Latham previously and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back at the firm following his service in the Solicitor General’s office,” said Michael Egge, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C. 

Martinez rejoins Latham’s nationally renowned Supreme Court and Appellate Practice in Washington, D.C., led by Gregory Garre, a former Solicitor General of the United States, and including such notable appellate litigators as Richard Bress, Scott Ballenger and Melissa Arbus Sherry, who returned to Latham in 2014 after serving as an Assistant to the United States Solicitor General as well. Prior to his work in the Solicitor General’s office, Martinez handled a wide variety of matters in the Supreme Court and before federal and state appellate courts, and he argued appeals in the D.C. Circuit, Federal Circuit and Tennessee Court of Appeals.  Martinez received the Veterans Community Service Award from the National Organization of Veterans Advocates for his successful Administrative Procedure Act challenge to a Department of Veterans Affairs regulation depriving veterans of due-process protections in the disability claims process. In a letter commending Martinez, Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr., wrote that “Roman’s work on behalf of American veterans is admirable and in the best tradition of the bar’s commitment to pro bono service.”

Gregory Garre, Global Chair of the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Roman back to our appellate practice. He is a rare talent—an excellent oral advocate and superb writer with judgment well beyond his years.”

“I was honored to work in the Solicitor General’s office alongside extraordinarily talented colleagues on many precedent-setting matters. It was an invaluable experience that I will cherish for years to come,” said Martinez. “I’m excited to return to Latham and put the knowledge and experience I’ve gained to use by advising the firm’s clients as they navigate the many legal challenges that organizations face today. My practice will center on appellate litigation, defending against administrative action raising constitutional and other legal issues and helping clients develop creative approaches to difficult legal questions that arise in and out of litigation.”

Martinez earned his law degree in 2008 from Yale Law School. He then clerked for Judge Brett Kavanaugh at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., at the Supreme Court of the United States.  Before law school, he worked for several years at the U.S. Department of Defense, at the United States diplomatic mission in Iraq and on the National Security Council staff at the White House.  

About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with more than 2,200 lawyers in its offices located in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, including: Barcelona, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the website at www.lw.com.

Notes to Editors
¹Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in the United Kingdom, France and Italy and affiliated partnerships conducting the practice in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Latham & Watkins operates in Seoul as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins practices in Saudi Arabia in association with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi.

Contacts

Michael Egge, Office Managing Partner, Washington, D.C., +1.202.637.2285

Gregory Garre, Global Chair of the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, Washington, D.C., +1.202.637.2207

Photo – http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/453413/Latham_Watkins_Roman_Martinez.jpg