Services
Litigation
High-stakes appellate representation, complex commercial litigation, amicus briefs, and legal analysis for clients who want senior-lawyer attention without traditional large-firm staffing.
The litigation and appellate practice is led by Michael J. Showalter, the firm's founding partner, who has drafted merits and certiorari-stage Supreme Court briefs and dozens of briefs in the federal circuit courts. Every matter is handled by a partner from strategy through the final brief.
On litigation and appellate matters, Showalter PLLC guarantees a price at one half of any standard-rate quote from a Chambers-ranked practice. Matters are handled on flat-fee or contingency terms designed to capture the efficiency of a senior-lawyer, AI-native workflow rather than hourly associate leverage. The firm recently filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court for a flat $20,000; a BigLaw partner estimated a $200,000 quote for the same brief.
Appellate Representation
A partner handles every stage of the appeal. The work includes issue identification and preservation, record development, briefing, and argument preparation.
The firm also enters matters to write or rewrite briefs, review strategy, or support incumbent counsel when a client wants a focused appellate deliverable rather than a full substitution of counsel.
- Merits and reply briefs in the federal courts of appeals and state appellate courts
- Certiorari petitions, oppositions, and merits briefing in the U.S. Supreme Court
- Issue preservation and post-trial motion strategy
- Oral argument and moot preparation
- Appellate strategy review for trial counsel
Complex Commercial Litigation
The firm handles commercial matters end-to-end—strategy, motion practice, discovery coordination, depositions, hearings, briefing, and argument—or enters in a second-chair or of-counsel capacity when clients prefer to keep an incumbent firm in place.
The research and first drafts that firms staff to associates are handled by AI with senior lawyer oversight, so a partner appears at every hearing and on every filing, without clients paying for the layers that make traditional litigation teams expensive.
- Contract and commercial disputes
- Business torts and fraudulent-transfer claims
- Emergency injunctive relief
- Enforcement of judgments and arbitration awards
- Lender and creditor litigation
Amicus Briefs
Amicus engagements are a natural fit for a lean, senior-lawyer model: a defined record, a defined deadline, and a brief that has to be both precise and useful to the court.
The firm works closely with each amicus to translate its expertise—scientific, economic, industry, or policy—into an argument the court can use, and delivers on a flat fee agreed at the outset.
Legal Analysis and Predictive Assessment
These engagements produce a written answer to a specific legal question. Clients keep their existing counsel relationship where they want it and use Showalter PLLC for the question that has to be worked all the way through before a decision gets made.
Typical engagements include a pre-suit memorandum on whether a claim is worth bringing, an assessment of an unsettled question on which the authorities pull in different directions, an opinion on the strength of a defense before it is asserted, and a written evaluation of exposure on a live dispute.
What others have said
Showalter PLLC’s “very helpful” Supreme Court amicus brief “simply demolishe[d]” opposing arguments.
“Mike is among the best legal writers I've worked with at Gibson Dunn.”
“Showalter PLLC's seamless drafting process, clear communication, and early delivery of the completed brief turned a high-pressure amicus filing into a stress-free experience.”
“In our efforts to draft an amicus brief for a prominent Supreme Court case, Showalter was very quick to grasp and communicate my relatively obscure scientific, policy, and legal arguments. He also did so in a strikingly short amount of time and utilized AI tools to reduce costs on my end.”
“As the author of Point Made and a trainer for federal judges, I've spent decades analyzing what makes legal writing shine. Michael Showalter's writing has the discipline, clarity, and confidence of the nation's very best advocates.”
“Mike is an exceptional writer and legal thinker. He wrote top-flight briefs before AI. Now he's using AI to produce the same quality more quickly.”
“I supervised Michael's first-ever deposition, in 2020 in a nuanced constitutional case. … His deposition of the named plaintiff was one of the best depositions I had ever seen.”
“I hired Showalter PLLC when a borrower defaulted on a substantial loan and began dissipating assets. Michael immediately understood what was at stake and acted with real urgency. … I got top-tier advocacy at a fraction of what it would have cost elsewhere.”
“Michael Showalter stands out as one of the most sophisticated AI users among American litigators.”
“Michael has a unique method of working with AI which is extremely effective. It's not that he has a different set of tools than everyone else, but he uses them differently and more effectively.”
“Mike is at the top of the game when it comes to integrating changes in technology with high-end legal representation.”
