Jeffrey B. Wall

Jeff Wall is a partner in the Sullivan & Cromwell Litigation Group and the head of its Supreme Court and Appellate Practice. Mr. Wall is the former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. He has argued 30 cases in the Supreme Court in a number of areas, including securities, class actions, arbitration, intellectual property, taxation, labor and employment, bankruptcy, preemption, the False Claims Act, the First Amendment, and criminal law and procedure. His recent arguments for the government and in private practice include Murphy v. NCAA (sports gambling), Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC (fiscal oversight of Puerto Rico), Frank v. Gaos (class actions), Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis (arbitration), and Halo Electronics v. Pulse Electronics Inc. (patent damages). Mr. Wall has briefed and argued numerous cases before federal and state courts of appeals and administrative agencies. In addition to his appellate experience, Mr. Wall has represented clients in a range of complex civil and criminal matters at the trial level, including as lead counsel in a successful federal criminal trial. He often counsels clients on strategic legal issues arising from litigation, legislation, or governmental oversight or investigation.

Mr. Wall’s past clients have included corporations and financial institutions such as Bank of Montreal, Barclays, First Tennessee Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, LexisNexis, State Farm Insurance Company, UBS, and U.S. Bank. He has represented leading industry groups, among them The Clearing House Association, Institute of International Bankers, Securities and Financial Markets Association, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Wall also has represented individuals in high-profile criminal matters. He has an active pro bono practice and has previously been named to the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll.

Before rejoining Sullivan & Cromwell, Mr. Wall served in the Office of the Solicitor General as the Principal Deputy for four years, twice leading the office as the Acting Solicitor General from March to September 2017 and again from July 2020 to January 2021. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing appellate litigation by the United States in the Supreme Court and the courts of appeals, which required coordinating with and counseling agencies throughout the federal government on their regulatory objectives. He successfully argued several major Supreme Court cases on the separation of powers, constitutional rights, executive authority, and religious liberty. Mr. Wall also served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General from 2008 to 2013.

Following law school, Mr. Wall clerked for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court, and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He has taught courses in law school on administrative law and federal jurisdiction. He is a member and former officer of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court, a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society, and a former member of the Advisory Committee on Procedures for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.