Seth M. Rokosky is of counsel in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and focuses his practice in the Appellate and Constitutional Law group, where he litigates a broad array of commercial litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal court.
Seth rejoined Gibson Dunn after serving in the New York Attorney General’s Office. As an Assistant Solicitor General in the Bureau of Appeals and Opinions, his public service included representing the State and its agencies as principal attorney on 43 appellate matters. Seth previously began his career as a litigation associate in Gibson Dunn’s New York office.
Seth is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, which works to improve appellate representation in commercial litigation by writing and speaking about matters of interest to appellate lawyers and judges, developing programs specific to appellate litigation, sponsoring bench-bar initiatives, and working with other committees and sections of the bar association to improve appellate practice.
Throughout his public and private practice, Seth has had extensive appellate experience. He has conducted more than 20 oral arguments and filed more than 90 appellate briefs in both state and federal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and New York appellate courts. His experience includes affirmative and defensive appeals, emergency motions, motions arguments, stay applications, and amicus briefs, and it covers a wide range of subject matters such as commercial litigation, securities litigation, antitrust, bankruptcy, RICO, intellectual property, C.P.L.R. article 78, civil and criminal procedure, administrative procedure, class actions, and constitutional law.
In the trial court, Seth has maintained a robust litigation practice, with a particular focus on complex briefing and providing strategic advice to trial counsel. Seth is often asked to analyze and brief difficult issues of paramount importance to our clients, and he is regularly embedded on trial teams to help develop and litigate matters in pending cases and beyond. He has been consulted for input on all aspects of a case from complaint to final judgment. Seth has drafted pleadings, served discovery documents, briefed dispositive and Daubert motions, prepared pre- and post-trial submissions, and negotiated settlement.
Seth has been recognized, since 2021, in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Appellate Practice.
Seth has received numerous awards for his pro bono service. He has received three outstanding service awards from the Legal Aid Society for work on behalf of a class of disabled New Yorkers challenging a disaster food stamp program in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and New York State Bar Association have also recognized his pro bono work at the firm.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas M. Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Seth also served as a legal intern to the Honorable Sara Lioi of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Seth graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2011, where he was a legal writing instructor and an extern in the appellate program. He was also a member of the moot court board and a senior editor of the Penn Law Review, which published his comment, Denied and Disparaged: Applying the “Federalist” Ninth Amendment, 159 U. Pa. L. Rev. 275 (2010). Seth received his undergraduate degrees, summa cum laude, in History and Philosophy from the Ohio State University, where he graduated with honors and research distinction in history.
Outside of his legal practice, he is an accomplished competitive chess player. He is certified a “National Master” by the United States Chess Federation, with accomplishments including a national championship and numerous state championships.
Seth is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits.
Capabilities
- Appellate and Constitutional Law
- Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
- Antitrust and Competition
- Class Actions
- Intellectual Property
- Litigation
- Public Policy
- Securities Litigation
Credentials
Education:
- University of Pennsylvania - 2011 Juris Doctor
- The Ohio State University - 2008 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- New York Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit, Hon. Thomas Hardiman, 2011 - 2012