How Employment Attys Can Pick Up Supportive Amicus Briefs

Labor and employment attorney Timothy Taylor was quoted in a Law360 article discussing the process of requesting and filing amicus briefs to support clients' legal arguments. An individual or organization that files such a brief is called an amicus curie, or "friend of the court," and the purpose of an amicus brief is to offer something helpful for the court to consider, such as relevant research or legislative history. Lawyers weigh factors like having the right message and ensuring voices are not lost when deciding whether to ask for amicus briefs, and government agencies often file them in cases that involve statutes they enforce. Mr. Taylor, who previously served as a deputy solicitor at the U.S. Department of Labor, said this represents one way agencies carry out their responsibility to enforce laws. He also noted that in private practice, his focus is on the client instead of how the client's interests may or may not affect an agency or administration.

"Our job is to advocate zealously for that single client and advance their position, their interests, regardless of what that may mean for some larger program in government," he said.

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