A part-time partner who joined Arnold & Porter to start the firm’s Appellate and Supreme Court practice group in 2009, Lisa Blatt now holds the record among women for the most arguments before the U. S. Supreme Court.

Among U.S. law firms, the Supreme Court practice has long been dominated by men, with women making only about 15 percent of all arguments before the court in the past decade. Even in the face of such odds, Lisa still holds another even more impressive record, having prevailed in 29 of her 30 appearances — two of which she made while she was pregnant.

Not surprisingly, Lisa is an advocate for women and a great inspiration to others aspiring to argue in front of the country’s highest court. She attributes the start of her oral argument skills to high school debate, but sheer determination has a role as well. Indeed, Lisa graduated from college in three years while working full-time and continued to work while attending law school.

Since joining Arnold & Porter, Lisa has become an inspiration not only to her colleagues, but to the groups of women she addresses as well to share her experiences.

Lisa is most proud, however, of serving as an inspiration to her two children. While her daughter is already aiming to argue in the Supreme Court one day, her son recently posed an intriguing question to her: “Mommy, why do you have to have so many arguments?” he asked. “Why can’t you have agreements?”