Felicia Ellsworth

Partner-in-Charge, Boston Office Vice Chair, Litigation/Controversy Department at WilmerHale

Felicia Ellsworth is a first-chair trial lawyer and experienced appellate advocate who is widely recognized for combining her significant trial experience with her recognized appellate skill to represent clients in complex disputes at all stages of litigation.

Felicia is known for her successful representation of clients in complex, high-stakes disputes in both state and federal courts, and has extensive experience representing clients in government-facing litigations and investigations, including those brought by state Attorneys General. She has argued in numerous appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She is a member of the American Law Institute, and is routinely recognized as a leading trial and appellate and litigator in industry publications, including The American Lawyer, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and Law360.

Felicia was among the lead trial and appellate counsel to Harvard University in Students for Fair Admissions vs. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the case in which the Supreme Court ultimately overturned decades of affirmative action precedent, where Felicia first secured a victory for Harvard in both the District Court, which earned her the "Litigator of the Week" title in October 2019, and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Felicia has also represented numerous clients in disputes on a wide range of legal issues with a particular emphasis on complex disputes in the areas of administrative law, commercial law, constitutional law, the First Amendment, intellectual property, and real property.