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Lucas Townsend is a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. office, and a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Class Action, and Intellectual Property practice groups.
Lucas focuses his practice on appellate, administrative law, and complex litigation matters. He regularly litigates constitutional and statutory issues in the Supreme Court of the United States and courts of appeals around the country; represents clients in challenging and defending regulatory action by administrative agencies under the Administrative Procedure Act; and defends clients in high-stakes commercial disputes.
Lucas’s extensive experience includes representing the world’s largest online retailer in various ligation matters concerning COVID-19 safety and arbitration issues; representing an educational institution in litigation involving the U.S. Department of Education; representing a major benefits administrator in closely watched ERISA class action litigation in the Ninth Circuit; representing the holder of a $1.2 billion judgment against the Republic of Venezuela in proceedings before the Supreme Court, D.C. Circuit, Third Circuit, and District of Delaware; representing a bondholder and a bond insurer the Supreme Court in constitutional litigation arising from Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy; representing a major freight railroad in appellate matters before the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit; serving as appellate counsel for the world’s largest social networking website and drafting successful briefing in significant patent noninfringement appeals; briefing appeals on behalf of pharmaceutical patent holders in Hatch-Waxman Act litigation; drafting successful briefing for a documentary filmmaker’s First Amendment challenge to Colorado’s campaign finance laws; briefing Second Circuit appeals in a landmark securities-fraud class action; representing a national hospital network in litigation resulting in a $60 million reduction in a jury’s punitive damages award; representing broadcasters in litigation against the Federal Communications Commission; and briefing numerous other matters in the Supreme Court involving class certification, antitrust, employment, and constitutional issues.
Lucas’ representative matters include:
Before joining the firm, Lucas served as a law clerk to the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Honorable Maryanne Trump Barry of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Honorable Harold A. Ackerman of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Lucas also served as an Attorney Adviser in the United States Department of Justice, National Security Division, from 2007 to 2009.
Lucas graduated magna cum laude from the Seton Hall University School of Law. He received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Cornell University.
Seton Hall University - 2004 Juris Doctor
Cornell University - 1999 Bachelor of Arts
District of Columbia Bar
New Jersey Bar
New York Bar