Amicus Briefs

Showalter PLLC writes amicus briefs for trade associations, public-interest organizations, companies, and individuals in the U.S. Supreme Court, the federal courts of appeals, and state supreme courts.

Supreme Court Rule 37.1 says that an amicus brief “may be of considerable help to the Court” when it “brings to the attention of the Court relevant matter not already brought to its attention by the parties.” We build every brief around that standard. We start with what your organization knows and the parties do not, including what a ruling would do outside the courtroom, and we turn that knowledge into legal argument the Court can use. We find the arguments the parties leave unmade and build your brief on those grounds.

Recent amicus work

U.S. Supreme Court: Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. Showalter PLLC drafted The Breakthrough Institute’s amicus brief supporting the petitioners. Writing in National Review, Michael Fragoso called the brief “very helpful” and said it “simply demolishe[d]” the opposing arguments.

U.S. Supreme Court: Boddie v. United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Showalter PLLC drafted the amicus brief of a group of lot purchasers in a Belize residential development, supporting the petitioner in a due-process case at the certiorari stage.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit: American Securities Association v. SEC. Showalter PLLC filed PTG Markets’ amicus brief supporting the petitioners’ challenge to an SEC order.

U.S. Supreme Court: Younge v. Fulton Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Showalter PLLC filed an amicus brief supporting the respondent.

At prior firms. Michael was the lead drafter of Supreme Court amicus briefs in administrative-law, Fourth Amendment, statutory-interpretation, and retirement-plan cases. In SEC v. Jarkesy (2024), his brief for telecommunications trade associations made arguments that Justice Neil Gorsuch later advanced in his concurring opinion. In Calcutt v. FDIC (2024), he drafted a banking trade association’s brief.

The landmark case, and the cases your budget used to skip

A Supreme Court merits case can set the rule for your members or your cause. No organization should file in a case like that without a lawyer who knows how to use AI. Even the best lawyer in the world is fallible.

At traditional prices, most organizations sit out cases they would like to join. At our prices, an organization can file at the certiorari stage, in the federal courts of appeals, and in state supreme courts, not only in the one merits case a year that its budget used to allow.

Every citation checked twice

When it comes to citation mistakes, AI is not the problem but the solution. Our cite check has two layers. The first layer is deterministic: each case name, court, and reporter volume is matched against legal databases, and the match succeeds or fails. That layer cannot hallucinate, because it looks up a record. The second layer uses a model to test whether each authority supports the proposition it is cited for. This summer, our cite-checking skill flagged in three minutes that opposing counsel in a Ninth Circuit appeal had rested a central argument on a hallucinated quotation.

What clients have said

Showalter PLLC’s “very helpful” Supreme Court amicus brief “simply demolishe[d]” opposing arguments.

Michael Fragoso, Partner, Torridon Law, writing in National Review

“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.”

Joanna Mallers, Secretary, PTG Markets

“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. I strongly recommend his legal engagement and expertise.”

Alex Trembath, Executive Director, The Breakthrough Institute

“Just one week before the deadline to submit an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, I asked ChatGPT for recommendations. Michael was the only attorney who personally responded, and I couldn’t be more grateful that he did! He was very efficient, communicative, met the deadline, and all for a very fair price. What could’ve been an overwhelming experience became a smooth and successful process thanks to Michael and his team.”

Cheryl Goff, Amicus Curiae, Boddie v. United States District Court for the District of Maryland (U.S. Supreme Court)

Price

Showalter PLLC guarantees a price at one half of any standard-rate quote from an AmLaw 100 firm for the same brief.