Nicholas S. Crown

Nicholas Crown helps clients navigate complex matters at every level of the judicial system. He recently served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General and as an Attorney on the Civil Division’s Appellate Staff at the U.S. Department of Justice. In those roles, Nick argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and several federal appellate courts (including an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit). He also drafted a wide range of briefs, advised on whether to appeal adverse decisions, and developed the federal government’s prevailing legal strategies—often on expedited timelines—in cases involving novel questions of constitutional, administrative, and intellectual property law. For example, Nick’s successful arguments resulted in precedent-setting decisions on the copyrightability of certain AI-generated works, the availability of monetary remedies for trademark infringement, the standards for expert witness reports, and the constitutionality of state laws governing independent-contractor relationships. 

Before joining the DOJ, Nick litigated bet-the-company cases—including antitrust, breach-of-contract, class-action, intellectual property, and tort matters—for plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts across the country. He prepared complaints and answers, took fact and expert depositions, authored and argued dispositive motions, and handled appeals and interlocutory class-certification challenges. Nick helped secure or defeat claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of both industry-leading companies and private individuals.