HSG Named a Finalist for The National Law Journal’s Appellate Hot List and Winning Litigators Award

Holwell Shuster & Goldberg has been named a finalist for The National Law Journal’s prestigious Appellate Hot List, which recognizes the top appellate practices in the country, and a finalist in the Winning Litigators category for the firm’s $125 million jury verdict against Walmart.

The Appellate Hot List honor reflects the firm’s rapid ascent in a little more than a decade to a destination firm for high-stakes appeals and talent. The firm’s appellate team includes four former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, three of whom are partners, two former judges, and a deep bench of additional talent that has secured a string of notable recent wins, including a:

• Unanimous Supreme Court Win in Waetzig v. Halliburton (February 2025): Representing Gary Waetzig, HSG secured a 9–0 ruling resolving a circuit split on federal procedure, with its merits brief praised as a “masterclass” and “tour de force in advocacy.”
• Ninth Circuit Reinstatement of $81 Million Jury Verdict Against Boeing (August 2025): After a Washington federal judge tossed the jury verdict, HSG secured a full reinstatement of the $81 million trade secrets jury verdict on behalf of client Zunum Aero, an aerospace startup, against Boeing.  
• Supreme Court Cert. Denial Preserving the Copyright “Discovery Rule” (June 2025): HSG successfully opposed certiorari in a case that could have upended longstanding protections for copyright holders, safeguarding a doctrine that allows claims after infringement is discovered.
• Fifth Circuit Victory in Serta Simmons Bankruptcy (December 2024): HSG prevailed for CLO issuers in a closely watched appeal involving an “uptier” transaction, securing a decision described by The Wall Street Journal as a “landmark” ruling in distressed-debt restructurings.

• Delaware Supreme Court Win Against CVS (August 2025): HSG secured a critical appellate victory for Chubb, with the Delaware Supreme Court affirming the Superior Court’s grant of summary judgment, holding that CVS’s opioid coverage claims did not trigger insurers’ duty to defend or indemnify because the underlying lawsuits did not seek damages because of bodily injury, as required for coverage.

• Second Department Constitutional Ruling (August 2025): HSG secured a decision striking down a statute that penalized judges for refusing to issue a writ of habeas corpus, with the court holding it violated both the Compensation Clause of the New York Constitution and the separation of powers doctrine.

These results are just the latest chapter in HSG’s history of impactful appellate advocacy, which spans constitutional challenges, complex financial disputes, and cutting-edge statutory issues.

HSG partners Brendon DeMay and Priyanka Timblo were recognized among a list of finalists as Winning Litigators for securing a $125 million jury verdict against Walmart in a hard-fought 10-day trial over the retailer’s wrongful cancellation of a $500 million PPE contract during the Covid-19 pandemic. The verdict stands as one of the largest jury verdicts ever obtained in Walmart’s home state of Arkansas.   

The full list of finalists is available here and winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 5 in Washington, D.C.