Anna O. Mohan

Anna is an accomplished appellate litigator and strategic advisor, with a demonstrated record of advocacy and leadership in government and private practice. She has briefed significant cases in the US Supreme Court and federal and state courts of appeals and has presented oral argument in six appellate matters. From her time at the US Department of Justice (DOJ), she has particular substantive experience in administrative law litigation and advising.

Before joining Cooley, Anna held several significant roles at DOJ. Most recently, she served as an attorney on the Civil Division’s Appellate Staff. In that role, she managed high-stakes federal appeals, including nationwide defenses of executive orders, often as part of emergency proceedings. Her oral and written advocacy persuaded courts of appeals to uphold key agency actions related to immigration and personnel management. She also regularly advised cabinet agencies and the White House on litigation risk, rulemaking and appellate strategy. During her time at DOJ, Anna also served as senior counsel to then-Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta and then-Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer, advising DOJ’s senior leadership on priority antitrust, civil, Tribal and environmental matters. 

Anna also worked for several years as an associate in another firm’s Supreme Court and appellate litigation group. There, she was the principal drafter on briefs involving complex questions under the Communications Decency Act and other federal statutes. She represented airlines in challenges to rulemaking, financial institutions in breach-of-contract disputes and universities in lawsuits stemming from student disciplinary proceedings. Anna also maintained an active pro bono practice, advocating on behalf of noncitizens and criminal defendants in the US Supreme Court.

Anna clerked for Judge Pamela A. Harris of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge T.S. Ellis III of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. In law school, she served as managing editor of the Yale Law Journal and as student director of the Yale Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic. Before law school, she worked for a national consulting firm, serving clients in several federal agencies.