Law360 Profiles Akin Gump as One of Its Appellate Groups of the Year
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Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and appellate practice “stood out with a series of significant wins over the last year,” which Law360 says secured the firm a spot as one of its 2019 Appellate Groups of the Year.
One of the highlights, Law360 notes, was a 7-1 Supreme Court victory against the federal government on behalf of Allina Health Services and other hospitals in a Medicare Act rulemaking challenge. The victory will have a big impact on future Medicare payment policy.
In a another appellate victory, Law360 reported on Akin Gump securing a rare preliminary injunction from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in a case involving patient access to a treatment for people who have trouble breaking down and absorbing fats. As the article notes, the firm represented the drug company Alcresta and a patient against the Secretary of Health and Human Services for using billing codes that limited access to the treatment.
“Both cases broke significant new ground in health law,” said Pratik Shah, co-head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court and appellate practice. The Allina victory marked Shah’s 15th Supreme Court argument.
Law360 also reported on a separate case in which the firm represented an Air Force veteran who was jailed and abused in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Shah described the victory at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit as one that broke new ground in holding that foreign ministers are not immune from claims seeking only personal liability. (Click here to learn more.)
The article touts the firm’s focus on Native American law, adding that Akin Gump had a Supreme Court last year win on behalf of tribes with respect to challenges to their trust lands. The article also notes the appellate group’s focus on labor law and intellectual property cases, with Shah adding that the firm seeks “cases that will shape law.”
