Description of field of expertise

April D. Seabrook is Special Counsel in the firm’s Appellate Practice, where she represents corporate clients and individuals in appeals and complex trial-court litigation. She specializes in dispositive and evidentiary motion practice, issue preservation, pre- and post-trial strategy, administrative-law challenges, and matters involving novel or consequential legal questions.

April brings more than two decades of experience representing corporate and government clients in high-stakes litigation and investigations. Over nearly eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, she defended the United States and federal agencies in more than 300 civil actions and briefed civil and criminal appeals before the D.C. Circuit and the D.C. Court of Appeals. Her service as an AUSA earned her a DOJ Special Achievement Award and a DOJ Special Act Award. Immediately before joining the firm, April served as Senior Litigation Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she investigated potential violations of federal consumer-financial laws, litigated enforcement matters, and briefed complex and novel legal issues regarding abusive and deceptive practices. She began her career in private practice, representing individuals and companies in commercial and product-liability litigation, white-collar matters, internal investigations, and government investigations.

April draws on that breadth of experience in her appellate practice, along with a practical understanding of how complex cases develop. She puts that perspective to work for her clients—identifying where a ruling, a record gap, or an undeveloped argument may prove decisive in the trial court or on appeal.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Clear, precise legal writing is central to appellate practice, and improving requires more than accumulating drafts. Two habits will sharpen both your writing and your judgment. First, study the substantive edits to your own work—whether a brief, letter, motion, or section of a larger document. Compare your draft with the final version and look beyond wording. Ask questions: why one argument was narrowed, why another moved forward, why a seemingly minor fact became central, why an entire argument or issue was removed. For court filings, follow the thread: read the court's opinion and examine which arguments it engaged with, what it found persuasive, and what it passed over. Second, read exceptional briefs and opinions with the same eye—notice which arguments lead, how the standard of review shapes the framing, and how facts and doctrine work together. These habits will make you both a better writer and sharper advocate.

Final thoughts...

I care about helping lawyers who built careers without early access to the guidance, stability, or support needed to shape their careers intentionally. I am committed to expanding career-development conversations, so those lawyers receive resources that honors their experience while recognizing that the intentional part of their career journey is just beginning.