Bar Admissions

District of Columbia

North Carolina 

Education

Stanford University, J.D., with distinction, 2007, Order of the Coif; Articles Editor, Stanford Law Review, 2006-07

Harvard College, B.A., summa cum laude, 2004, Phi Beta Kappa; Detur Prize; John Harvard Scholarship

Profile

Erik Zimmerman counsels companies and individuals in complex disputes. He has a particular focus on appellate litigation, in which he draws on his experience as a law clerk for Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Erik has argued appeals in the 4th Circuit and the North Carolina Supreme Court, and has filed numerous briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and appellate courts across the country.

His recent experience covers a broad range of subject matters, including business disputes, antitrust litigation, class actions, trade secrets, unfair trade practices and constitutional law.

Erik's work includes helping to secure dismissal of a multibillion-dollar contract dispute in federal court. He also successfully represented a client in appealing a judgment of nearly $100 million to the 4th Circuit in another contract dispute.

Erik also maintains an active pro bono practice. He has represented indigent clients in appeals involving issues of criminal law, the Fourth Amendment and landlord-tenant law.

Honors & Awards

Clerkships

  • Law Clerk, The Honorable John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the United States, 2009-10
  • Law Clerk, The Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson III, U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2008-09

Experience

Experience

  • Appellate

  • Submitted an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court defending the constitutionality of a federal statute authorizing terror victims to execute on money judgments against Iran for constitutional law professors Edward Hartnett and Erwin Chemerinsky.

  • Submitted an amicus brief for the Cato Institute to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as applied to military-style raids by police.

  • Successfully represented a federal contractor on the merits in the U.S. Supreme Court in a False Claims Act case.

  • Filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court for a medical device manufacturer on an issue of federal preemption of state law.

  • Submitted a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court concerning whether a state court ruling on the preclusive effect of a prior judgment violated federal due process.

  • Successfully appealed a judgment of nearly $100 million to the 4th Circuit in an insurance contract dispute.

  • Persuaded the D.C. Circuit to overturn an FCC ruling against a cable television provider under the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

  • Submitted briefs for numerous additional clients in the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal courts of appeals.

  • Class Actions

  • Defended an aerospace company in a class action brought by employees and labor unions under ERISA and the Labor Management Relations Act.

  • Represented the independent directors of a financial services company in a class action involving ERISA claims brought by participants in the company's retirement plan.

  • Defended an accounting firm against class action claims under the federal securities laws.

  • Complex Commercial Litigation

  • Obtained dismissal of a multibillion-dollar breach of contract action against a social networking company.

  • Secured dismissal of a False Claims Act suit against a health insurance company.

News & Events

Events

Insights

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations

  • North Carolina Bar Association, Appellate Section Council, 2018-present
  • North Carolina Bar Association, Appellate Rules Committee, 2017-present
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