WILLIAM M. JAY
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PARTNER
901 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
USA
202.346.4190
Willy Jay is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department and a member of its Appellate Litigation Practice. A former Assistant to the Solicitor General, Mr. Jay has extensive experience with litigation involving the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals. He has argued 11 cases before the Supreme Court, briefed 20 cases on the merits and briefed more than 150 cases at the certiorari stage. He also has significant experience with cases in the Court’s original jurisdiction.
Mr. Jay has handled cases in every federal court of appeals as well. He has personally briefed or argued more than a dozen appellate cases, both in private practice and on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment, Criminal and Civil Divisions, and he has participated in numerous appellate matters involving government appeals or amicus participation.
Mr. Jay has particular experience in cases involving environmental law, federal preemption of state law and the First Amendment, including those involving campaign finance regulation, election law and constitutional challenges to public-corruption prosecutions.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Prior to joining Goodwin Procter in 2012, Mr. Jay served for five years as Assistant to the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice. In that capacity, he handled Supreme Court and appellate matters for a wide variety of federal agencies, including every Cabinet Department and numerous executive and independent agencies. Previously, he was a litigation associate with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in its Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group. He served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from 2004-2005, after which he served as special counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary during its consideration of the nomination of Chief Justice Roberts. After law school, Mr. Jay served as a law clerk to the Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
Mr. Jay is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Virginia and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
RECOGNITION
As Assistant to the Solicitor General, Mr. Jay received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his work on litigation arising from the bankruptcy of Chrysler, as well as a Special Commendation from the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division for his work on litigation involving oil drilling, invasive species and interstate water rights.
While in law school, Mr. Jay was executive editor of the Harvard Law Review.
EDUCATION
- J.D., 2001
Harvard Law School
(magna cum laude) - A.B., 1998
Government
Harvard College
(magna cum laude)