Jones Day has announced that Noel J. Francisco will rejoin the firm’s Washington office after serving three years as the 48th Solicitor General of the United States.

“The partners, lawyers and professional staff of Jones Day have always held Noel in the highest regard both professionally and personally,” Jones Day’s Managing Partner Stephen J. Brogan said.  “We are confident that in the years ahead Noel will be of critical help to our clients as a strong and creative advocate and as a trusted and thoughtful advisor.  He will also be a great leader in our Firm and more broadly in the profession.” 

In his first tenure with Jones Day, Mr. Francisco chaired the Firm’s Government Regulation Practice and successfully argued several cases in the United States Supreme Court, including:  McDonnell v. United States, in which a unanimous Court overturned the federal bribery conviction of the governor of Virginia, and NLRB v. Noel Canning, in which the Court, by a 9-0 vote, limited the President’s constitutional recess appointment power.  Before joining Jones Day, Mr. Francisco served as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003 and as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel from 2003 to 2005.  He also previously was a law clerk to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

As Solicitor General, Mr. Francisco argued 17 cases in the Supreme Court on issues ranging from separation of powers to religious liberty and free speech.  Those included the successful defense of the President’s orders restricting travel from countries deemed to present security risks (Trump v. Hawaii), a ruling vindicating the First Amendment rights of public employees who decline to join a union (Janus v. AFSCME), and a decision lessening obstacles to property owners seeking to bring claims for government takings of private property (Knick v. Township of Scott).  Mr. Francisco also successfully argued that agency interpretations of their own regulations should be given significantly less judicial deference, a Supreme Court ruling that will ultimately strengthen the rule of law (Kisor v. Wilkie).  

"As one of the premier Supreme Court advocates in the country, Noel will bolster the Firm’s already strong bench of appellate lawyers, thirteen of whom have collectively argued more than fifty cases in the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Kevyn D. Orr, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Washington Office.  “Noel’s appellate experience, combined with his years of assisting clients with regulatory issues, providing them with strategic advice, and defending them against government overreach, will enable him to provide a broad range of counsel to our clients.  We are delighted that Noel is returning home.”

“I am delighted to be re-joining my Jones Day colleagues, and look forward to our collaboration on behalf of the Firm’s clients,” Mr. Francisco said.  

Jones Day is a global law firm with more than 2,500 lawyers in 43 offices across five continents. The Firm is distinguished by: a singular tradition of client service; the mutual commitment to, and the seamless collaboration of, a true partnership; formidable legal talent across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions; and shared professional values that focus on client needs.