D.C. Circuit Judge David Tatel to join Hogan Lovells’ Washington, D.C. office

Judge Tatel, one of the nation’s most respected jurists, has served with distinction on the D.C. Circuit since 1994 and will be returning to the firm he left as a partner nearly 30 years ago.  

“Judge Tatel is a luminary of the federal judiciary, and we are thrilled to welcome his return to the firm, where he will continue his long history of mentoring junior lawyers and engaging in impactful pro bono and community service work,” said Des Hogan, Global Head of the firm’s Disputes Practice. 

On the D.C. Circuit, Judge Tatel quickly earned a reputation as one of the most respected jurists in the nation, known for his brilliant mind, his incisive questions at oral argument, and his exacting attention to the craft of writing. He presided over some of the court’s most important cases in the past three decades, including high-profile voting rights issues, the military trials at Guantánamo Bay, and complex and nationally consequential constitutional and administrative appeals. Judge Tatel recently was awarded the 2023 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for his distinguished work on the bench.

Cate Stetson, co-head of the firm’s Appellate Practice, said: “We are thrilled to celebrate Judge Tatel’s return to the firm. He will be missed as a jurist by his colleagues on the D.C. Circuit, the appellate bar, and the entire federal judiciary. But we are delighted for the Judge to become our colleague again, and to share his immense wisdom and legal acumen with the next generation.”  

Judge Tatel was appointed to the D.C. Circuit by President Clinton in 1994 to fill the seat previously held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Prior to his appointment, Judge Tatel was a partner at our predecessor firm Hogan & Hartson from 1979 until he joined the bench. He founded the firm’s Education Practice and worked closely with the Pro Bono and Appellate Practices.  

Judge Tatel said: “Serving on the D.C. Circuit has been the honor of a lifetime. I will miss my colleagues on the bench and all the marvelous advocates I’ve encountered over the past three decades. I look forward to returning to Hogan Lovells; it is a true homecoming for me. I particularly look forward to mentoring junior lawyers again, and engaging in important pro bono work.”

Before joining the firm, Judge Tatel was the Founding Director of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee. He later became the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and taught as a lecturer at Stanford Law School. Among his many civic activities, Judge Tatel co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Science, Technology, and Law. He previously served as chair of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and The Spencer Foundation, as well as on the Board of the Federal Judicial Center and the Judicial Advisory Board of the American Society of International Law.

Judge Tatel’s announcement comes after another high-profile addition to the firm’s litigation practice this year—former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine joined the firm in January.