Sean A. Mirski practices a combination of foreign-relations, international, and appellate law in high-stakes, cutting-edge litigation. He has assisted individuals, businesses, and foreign governments on issues such as the law of armed conflict, foreign sovereign immunity, the act of state doctrine, the conflict-of-laws doctrine, human-rights law, the law of the sea, the Helms-Burton Act, and other subjects of public international and foreign relations law. Mr. Mirski has also worked on appeals and dispositive motions relating to a wide variety of other subjects, including land use policy, products liability, patent estoppel, antitrust and RICO claims, environmental law, the False Claims Act, attorney's fees, and the Fourth Amendment. Mr. Mirski regularly practices in front of the Supreme Court of the United States as well as every level of the federal and state court systems.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Mirski served as a law clerk to the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of the United States Supreme Court and to the Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also served with distinction as Special Counsel to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Mr. Mirski graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as Supreme Court Chair for the Harvard Law Review and as an oralist on the winning team in the annual Ames Moot Court Competition.
Mr. Mirski is the author of We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus (PublicAffairs), which Kirkus selected as one of the 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of 2023. Mr. Mirski has written extensively on law, history, politics, and international relations for a variety of publications, including The Washington Post, The National Interest, and Lawfare.
Perspectives
Credentials
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2015, magna cum laude
- M.A., International Relations, University of Chicago, 2011, honors
- B.A., Political Science and Economics, University of Chicago, 2011, honors
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
Government & Military Service
- Special Counsel (International Affairs), U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the General Counsel, 2016–2017
Clerkships
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, The Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Supreme Court of the United States, The Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
Activities
- Award for Outstanding Achievement, Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense