Deanne E. Maynard

Deanne E. Maynard, co-chair of the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group, is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, and a former Assistant to the Solicitor General at the United States Department of Justice.

Ms. Maynard has argued and briefed significant cases in the Supreme Court of the United States and the federal courts of appeals. Clients have described her as “an exceptionally skilled lawyer and incredibly hardworking” and “one of the finest advocates in the Supreme Court bar” (Legal 500 2014). Others have described Ms. Maynard as “incredibly established … always polite and civilized but a zealous advocate for her clients. A great person and a great lawyer” (Legal 500 2014).

Ms. Maynard has argued 13 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, and she has filed over 100 briefs in that Court. Her Supreme Court arguments include prevailing for the respondent in RadLAX Gateway Hotel, LLC v. Amalgamated Bank, an important bankruptcy case involving the rights of secured creditors. She also argued and prevailed in Ransom v. FIA Card Services, a case involving the interpretation of the federal bankruptcy statute.

Ms. Maynard also has substantial knowledge and understanding of cutting-edge antitrust and intellectual property issues. Her Supreme Court arguments include the patent case MedImmune, Inc. v. Genentech, Inc. and the antitrust case Pacific Bell Telephone Company v. linkLine Communications, Inc. She also was a principal author of the briefs for the United States in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc., and briefs at the certiorari stage in Bilski v. Doll and American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League.

Ms. Maynard has an active practice in the federal courts of appeals. She has argued and briefed significant appeals on a wide-range of business law issues, including antitrust, securities, class action, and intellectual property.  She recently argued and won a decision from the en banc Ninth Circuit in Estate of Graham, et al. v. Sotheby’s, Inc., which held portions of a California copyright royalty statute unconstitutional.  In addition to her many arguments in the regional federal courts of appeals, she also has argued more than 25 appeals in the Federal Circuit.

Ms. Maynard served in the Solicitor General’s office from 2004-2009. Before joining the Solicitor General’s office, Ms. Maynard was a partner at Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C. Her practice at Jenner involved a wide variety of complex litigation matters at all levels of the federal judiciary, ranging from a multi-billion dollar government contracts case to media and First Amendment litigation.

After law school, Ms. Maynard clerked twice on the Supreme Court of the United States. During the October 1994 Term, she clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer in his first year on the Court. During the 1993 Term, she clerked for retired Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell and affiliated with Justice John Paul Stevens. From 1991-1993, Ms. Maynard clerked for Judge Stanley Harris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Ms. Maynard graduated magna cum laude in 1991 from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She earned a B.A., with distinction, in English from the University of Virginia, where she was also Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Ms. Maynard is a Master in, and Past President of, the Coke Appellate Inn of Court. Ms. Maynard was elected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers in 2012 for her recognized distinction as an appellate lawyer.

Ms. Maynard is annually recommended as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA, Legal 500 US, and Best Lawyers in America.