Eric Wolff is a nationally recognized appellate advocate with important cases on federal jurisdiction, removal, and forum non conveniens. He has written hundreds of briefs in trial and appellate courts and has argued more than 35 appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as many others in federal and state courts of appeals. Drawing on years of teaching legal writing and oral advocacy, he has a well-developed personal approach for effective, reader-friendly persuasion, which he writes about and teaches at the University of Washington School of Law.
Eric is deeply committed to pro bono service. He supervises junior lawyers who appear in the Washington Supreme Court on behalf of Court Appointed Special Advocates in parental termination and dependency matters, and he sponsors emerging advocates representing immigration clients in the federal courts of appeals. He values trusted, collaborative relationships with clients.
Earlier in his career, Eric served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and the lead appellate lawyer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana. He argued numerous Ninth Circuit appeals and had multiple jury trials in federal district court. During that period, he taught brief writing and oral argument at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
Eric earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 1998, where he was an articles editor of the California Law Review and a research assistant to Professor Jesse Choper. He clerked for Judge William A. Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1999, Judge Stephen F. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1999 to 2000, and Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States during O.T. 2000.
Outside the office, Eric has completed two Ironman triathlons and several marathons, and he is a noteworthy guitar player and owner.
- Representation of a leading global e-commerce and cloud services company in a Ninth Circuit appeal, securing complete reversal and an award of attorneys’ fees following an adverse bench-trial judgment.*
- Representation of a large aerospace and defense contractor in a Ninth Circuit appeal that produced the leading published opinion on the timeliness of removal under the federal officer removal statute, reversing remand of an asbestos case and confirming the timeliness of removal.*
- Representation of former Montana ranch owners in a certified-question appeal before the Montana Supreme Court concerning whether rare Tyrannosaurus rex and other multimillion-dollar dinosaur fossils qualify as “minerals” under reserved mineral rights. The court held they do not.*
- Representation of a large multinational food producer before the Maryland high court in appellate proceedings challenging a $2 million award that had held it liable for medical expenses of a worker at an independent chicken farm based on alleged “employee” status, resulting in reversal.*
- Representation of a leading U.S. aerospace manufacturer in multidistrict litigation arising from the disappearance of an international flight, including proceedings before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the transferee court in the District of Columbia, and the D.C. Circuit, resulting in dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds and establishing significant precedent for mass-tort cases involving foreign accidents involving U.S. citizens.*
- Representation of a Fortune 100 multinational corporation in an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit concerning federal officer removal, resulting in reversal of a district court remand order and establishing a leading precedent on the pleading standard.*
- Representation of a leading aerospace manufacturer in appellate litigation addressing complex admiralty jurisdiction issues arising from litigation concerning the crash of an international commercial airliner. The resulting opinion is the most significant appellate discussion of admiralty jurisdiction involving air travel since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Executive Jet Aviation.*
- Representation of a global aerospace manufacturer in securities fraud class action litigation concerning an alleged confidential source who proved to be a sham, resulting in attorney sanctions.*
- Representation of a leading global aviation data and navigation services company in appellate litigation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, securing affirmance of removal and summary judgment in litigation arising from an aviation accident in Australia.*
- Representation of a leading aerospace manufacturer in False Claims Act litigation concerning allegations related to the manufacturing of 737 aircraft, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirming summary judgment after more than a decade of litigation.*
- Representation of a large multinational food producer in an appeal before the Maryland Court of Appeals, securing reversal of a $2 million judgment and entry of judgment in the client’s favor.*
- Representation of a leading global aerospace manufacturer in a high-profile securities fraud class action, successfully arguing an appeal before the Seventh Circuit concerning plaintiffs’ counsel’s misrepresentations about a confidential source, and subsequently achieving a successful outcome on remand, including the district court’s imposition of sanctions against plaintiffs’ counsel.*
- Representation in an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in an aviation mass tort concerning federal removal of state‑court actions arising from the crash of a widebody commercial airliner operated by a major international carrier.*
- Representation of a major aerospace manufacturer in a Ninth Circuit appeal regarding whether U.S. lawsuits arising from the crash of a Spanish airliner should proceed in the United States or be dismissed under forum non conveniens in favor of Spain. Argued and prevailed.*
- Representation of a leading global aerospace manufacturer in a Ninth Circuit appeal concerning the application of Sarbanes-Oxley Act whistleblower protections to employees’ unauthorized contacts with the media, resulting in a favorable decision.*
* The above matters were handled by Mr. Wolff prior to joining McGuireWoods LLP.
- Named, “2023 BTI Client Service All‑Star,” BTI Consulting Group
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, 2023
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice, 2024–2025
- Named, “2022 BTI Client Service All‑Star,” BTI Consulting Group
- Named, “Rising Stars,” Expert Guides (Euromoney Legal Media Group), 2015
- Named, “Legal Who’s Who: Securities Defense,” Corporate Responsibility Magazine, 2014