Gilbert Dickey, a recent law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has joined McGuireWoods’ nationally recognized appellate practice in Washington, D.C. He is one of seven former Supreme Court law clerks in the firm’s litigation practices.
Dickey clerked for Thomas during the court’s 2017-2018 term. Before that, he served for two years as an assistant state attorney general in West Virginia. In that role, he defended state legislation in trial courts, prepared multistate amicus briefs in U.S. Supreme Court matters, and briefed and argued cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 2012, Dickey clerked for Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and spent a year in private practice before joining the West Virginia attorney general’s office.
“Gilbert’s experience with Justice Thomas and as an assistant attorney general brings tremendous benefits for the firm and our clients,” said Matt Fitzgerald, who also clerked for Thomas. Fitzgerald co-chairs the firm’s appellate practice with partners Brad Kutrow and John Adams, also a former Supreme Court clerk. “His decision to join McGuireWoods reflects the national reputation of our appellate practice,” Fitzgerald said.
“Gilbert brings great knowledge and experience to our appeals and issues team and is a valued addition to the firm,” added Managing Partner J. Tracy Walker IV.
Dickey joins a McGuireWoods practice that The National Law Journal recently named to its prestigious 2018 Appellate Hot List honoring leading firms that achieved great success before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal appeals courts. Besides Adams and Fitzgerald, the appellate team includes former Supreme Court clerks Benjamin Hatch, Brian Schmalzbach, Rebecca Gantt and Katherine Mims Crocker.
“The opportunity to clerk for Justice Thomas and learn from him was the opportunity of a lifetime for me, and I will always be grateful for that,” Dickey said. “I am excited to begin a new chapter professionally at McGuireWoods with a powerhouse appellate practice that has set the standard for excellence.”