Richard Katskee is a member of the Supreme Court & Appellate practice in Mayer Brown’s Washington, DC, office. Journalist Lauri Lebo describes Richard as “a First Amendment expert known for his encyclopedic knowledge and the engaging prose he brings to his legal briefs.” According to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes, Richard’s “elegantly written briefs are legendary, veritable beach reading in a field better known for its ponderous prose.” Richard is also an experienced oral advocate who has argued cases before the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits, as well as in federal district courts across the country.
Having begun his legal career at Mayer Brown, Richard went on to become the Assistant Legal Director at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, where he litigated cutting-edge constitutional challenges in appellate and trial courts nationwide, principally under the First Amendment’s Establishment, Free Exercise, and Free Speech Clauses. He was then appointed Deputy Director of the Program Legal Group in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, where he led the development of policy initiatives on the implementation of federal antidiscrimination laws for the nation’s elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools. Returning to Mayer Brown’s appellate practice, Richard brings with him a wealth of litigation and regulatory experience across a wide range of issues.
Richard has been a frequent lecturer, guest instructor, and panelist at law schools, universities, and legal, educational, and scientific associations, including the National Academy of Sciences. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. He previously taught professional and political ethics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and at Harvard College, and he was the Eugene P. Beard Graduate Fellow in Ethics at Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics.
Richard received his J.D. from the Yale Law School, where he served as Articles Editor on the Yale Law Journal. Following graduation, he clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.