Retired D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith Joins Hunton Andrews Kurth

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is pleased to announce that former D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith has joined the firm as a special counsel in its issues and appeals practice. Judge Griffith will be based in Washington, D.C., where he will focus his practice on appellate litigation, Congressional and internal investigations, and strategic counseling.

Appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by President George W. Bush in 2005, Judge Griffith served on the court for 15 years until his retirement in 2020. During his judicial tenure, Judge Griffith authored more than 200 opinions touching a wide range of issues, including administrative law, environmental law, energy law and congressional investigations.

“Judge Griffith served the D.C. Circuit with distinction, and is among the most widely-respected former appellate judges in the country,” said Hunton Andrews Kurth Managing Partner Wally Martinez. “We are honored to have him join the firm.”

As a member of the D.C. Circuit, Judge Griffith was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to serve on the Judicial Conference's Committee on the Judicial Branch, which concerns the judiciary's relationship to the Executive Branch and Congress, and the Code of Conduct Committee, which sets the ethical standards that govern the federal judiciary.

Before his appointment to the D.C. Circuit, Judge Griffith served as Senate Legal Counsel from 1995 to 1999. In that role, he represented the interests of the U.S. Senate in litigation and provided non-partisan legal advice to Senate leadership. He represented the institutional interests of the Senate in litigation over the Line Item Veto Act and in numerous committee investigations.

“Judge Griffith’s acumen, judicial temperament and dedication to the rule of law defined his career as a jurist and helped guide the D.C. Circuit through some of its most challenging and high-profile cases,” said Elbert Lin, co-chair of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s issues and appeals practice. “His invaluable experience, insight and reputation bring additional strength to our practice.”

“Throughout his impressive judicial career, Judge Griffith led by example in practicing civic charity and professionalism,” said practice co-chair Stuart Raphael. “We are privileged to have him as the newest addition to our issues and appeals practice.”

Earlier in his legal career, Judge Griffith spent several years in private practice and served as general counsel for Brigham Young University, where he received his undergraduate degree. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Judge Griffith is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and has taught previously at the law schools at Stanford and BYU.

Judge Griffith is a senior advisor at the National Institute for Civil Discourse and a member of the advisory board of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU. He has long been active in international rule of law projects and is currently a member of the International Advisory Board of the CEELI Institute in Prague, which promotes international legal reform projects in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

Attorneys in Hunton Andrews Kurth’s issues and appeals group represent clients in federal and state appellate courts nationwide, including in the Supreme Court of the United States. Among the firm’s lawyers are former justices of the Texas Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Virginia, two former state solicitors general, and more than 30 who have clerked for federal and state appellate judges throughout the country.