Nicole A. Saharsky

Clients turn to Nicole Saharsky to brief and argue high-stakes appeals in the US Supreme Court and in the federal and state appellate courts. Clients also rely on Nicole to develop legal strategy and to advocate for them in trials and in administrative agency proceedings. 

Nicole has argued 32 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and briefed hundreds of cases there. Most recently, she argued Cunningham v. Cornell University, an important case about ERISA’s prohibited-transaction provisions. Nicole’s Supreme Court oral arguments are available here.

Nicole also has argued many cases in the federal and state courts of appeals. Her appeals cover a wide range of subjects, including administrative law, antitrust, banking, bankruptcy, constitutional law, environmental law, labor and employment law, corporate criminal liability, securities fraud, ERISA, intellectual property, personal jurisdiction, and tax.

Nicole was recognized on the Forbes inaugural list of “America’s Top 200 Lawyers.” She has been identified by the Legal 500 as a “Leading Lawyer” in the Dispute Resolution (Appellate) practice area and ranked in Chambers USA for Appellate Law. She also has been recognized by Washingtonian as one of Washington DC’s best lawyers for Supreme Court practice and as one of Washington DC’s “most powerful women.”

• Represented the players on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team in their equal-pay appeal against the U.S. Soccer Federation, leading to an historic settlement;
• Successfully challenged administrative agency decisions, including persuading the D.C. Circuit to completely vacate a Consumer Product Safety Commission rule regulating the billion-dollar window coverings industry;
• Obtained a total victory on appeal for Georgetown University in a case where plaintiffs challenged the University’s administration of its retirement plans under ERISA;
• Secured a resounding victory for creditors in the United States Supreme Court in a case about when a bankruptcy court can impose contempt sanctions on a creditor for seeking to collect on a debt when there was a “fair ground of doubt” about whether that debt that was discharged in bankruptcy;
• Represented Southwest Airlines in negotiating a favorable settlement after a year-long Department of Transportation investigation of the carrier’s operational disruption due to a massive winter storm in December 2022;

• Recognized on the Forbes inaugural list of “America’s Top 200 Lawyers”
• “Leading Lawyer” in the Dispute Resolution (Appellate) practice area by Legal 500
• Ranked for Appellate Law by Chambers USA
• Received Benchmark Litigation’s Impact Case Award for her work on behalf of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Appellate Practice
• Recognized as one of Washington DC’s best lawyers for Supreme Court practice by Washingtonian
• Recognized as one of Washington DC’s “most powerful women” by Washingtonian
• Featured on “Will the Future of the Supreme Court Bar Be Female?” Law360 article and video series.
• Selected for the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America

• Northwestern University, BS, Chemical Engineering
• University of Minnesota Law School, JD, summa cum laude
  Lead Articles Editor, Minnesota Law Review

• District of Columbia
• Virginia

• Commentary on the Supreme Court for C-SPAN, Law360, Reuters, and other national media outlets
• Active pro bono practice focused on issues of particular importance to women
• Member of the DC Circuit Standing Pro Bono Committee and the Virginia Bar Appellate Council