Goodwin lawyers Jaime Santos and David Zimmer have been announced as Law360 Rising Stars for 2021. Santos was selected in the Benefits category, while Zimmer was selected in the Appellate category. Law360 received over 1,400 submissions for this year’s award, and winners were chosen based on their recent achievements, overall body of work and potential for future success in their respective disciplines.
Santos is a partner in Goodwin’s Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation and ERISA Litigation practices. Her work focuses on appellate matters and complex civil litigation in federal courts, with extensive experience litigating ERISA, intellectual-property, constitutional, and product cases. Santos has presented a dozen oral arguments, including appeals in 6 of the 13 federal circuits. She also maintains an active pro bono practice and has received awards from Goodwin and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights for her commitment to pro bono civil rights work.
In addition to her practice, Santos serves on the MacArthur Justice Center Supreme Court & Appellate Advisory Board, the National Women’s Law Center’s Leadership Advisory Council, and the Law360 Appellate Editorial Advisory Board. Santos has also been a thought leader in preventing and addressing bias and harassment in the legal profession. She speaks at conferences across the country, has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and has published several articles on the topic.
Zimmer is a partner in Goodwin’s Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation practice. He focuses on appellate matters and complex commercial litigation, and has a particularly strong influence in the areas of immigration law and intellectual property. Zimmer has argued three cases in the US Supreme Court. He has also led appellate teams and argued appeals before the US Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Ninth, and Federal Circuits and the Massachusetts, New York, and California state appellate courts, in addition to significant work in other federal courts of appeals and district and state courts throughout the country.
Outside of Goodwin, Zimmer currently serves as a Lecturer at Harvard Law School and as the Director of its Federal Courts Clinic; serves on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Massachusetts and Lawyers for Civil Rights; is a member of the Emerging Leaders Council of the Legal Services Corporation; and is on the Amicus Committees of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Boston Bar Association. His work has been recognized by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Legal Aid Society, and The Financial Times.
To see the full list of this year’s Law360 Rising Stars, click here.