-
Extensive Experience
Fred has argued over 65 appeals, including appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, and federal and state appellate courts across the country.
-
A Recognized Leader
Fred is ranked in Band 1 for California Appellate Litigation in Chambers USA, where clients describe him as “brilliant, rigorous and dedicated.” He is an elected member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Law Institute.
-
Outstanding Results
Fred’s work and advocacy regularly draw recognition from Chambers USA, Lawdragon, Law360, and the legal press. His appellate wins have been featured twice among the Daily Journal’s annual “Top Appellate Reversals” and he has received California Lawyer’s Attorney of the Year (CLAY) honors.
Fred A. Rowley, Jr. is a litigation partner based in the Los Angeles and Palo Alto offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He handles appeals and complex litigation, and serves as co-chair of the firm’s nationwide Supreme Court and appellate practice.
Fred is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He is regularly recognized as a leading appellate lawyer by Chambers USA, Lawdragon 500, and the legal press. In Chambers USA, Fred is ranked in Band 1 for California Appellate litigation, and clients have described him as “brilliant, rigorous and dedicated” and “extremely smart and an excellent writer,” noting that he “will take enormously complex concepts and explain them perfectly.” Fred received the California Lawyer’s “Attorney of the Year” (CLAY) Award for his successful representation of the Norton Simon Museum in a long-running art ownership dispute. He is a two-time winner of the Daily Journal’s “Top Appellate Reversals” award: in 2025, for his successful representation of Google before the Ninth Circuit in Best Carpet Values, Inc. v. Google, 90 F.4th 962 (9th Cir. 2024), an appeal raising complex copyright preemption and property law issues; and in 2019, for his California Supreme Court victory in King v. CompPartners, 5 Cal.5th 1039 (2018), an important workers’ compensation appeal. Law360 also recognized Fred for his work on the Best Carpet Values v. Google appeal, naming him to its “Legal Lions of the Week” list. And in 2019, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Fred one of its “Most Influential Minority Lawyers.”
Fred represents clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to nonprofit organizations in appeals before federal and state courts across the country. He has argued more than 65 appeals and served as lead counsel in dozens more. He has presented argument before the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, and the Delaware Supreme Court (three-justice and en banc panels). Fred frequently appears before the California Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Second Circuits and has also presented argument in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Tenth Circuits and the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court.
Fred’s appellate representations cover a wide range of subjects and issues, spanning civil, criminal, and regulatory matters. He has particular expertise and experience in intellectual property matters, representing technology companies in copyright and trade secret appeals; in labor and employment cases, representing companies in arbitration, discrimination, and class action appeals; in the securities field, representing executives and companies in securities class action appeals; and in consumer class action matters, representing companies in appeals centering on business torts, product liability, and privacy claims. Fred also maintains an active pro bono practice, regularly representing indigent criminal defendants in seeking review before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Fred was a litigation partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson, where he helped establish and build the firm’s appellate practice group. During his time at MTO, he left for four years to serve as an assistant United States attorney in the Central District of California, where he handled criminal appeals, before rejoining in 2006. Following law school, Fred served as a law clerk to the Honorable James R. Browning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1997-1998) and the Honorable David F. Levi of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California (1998-1999).
Throughout his career, Fred has played a leadership role in civic affairs and bar organizations. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute, serving as adviser to the Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States, and served for many years on the California Commission on Uniform State Laws, representing the State of California at a national conference on uniform laws issues. Previously, Fred served as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee, co-chair of the Central District of California Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and president of the Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles. He is a past fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Outside the law, Fred is active in the community. He has coached youth baseball and soccer, and served as a president and board member of the Pasadena Southwest Little League. He previously served on the boards of Foothill Family Service (a non-profit that provides counseling and educational services to needy families in the Los Angeles area) and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (a non-profit that promotes Asian-Americans in politics).
Fred A. Rowley, Jr. is a litigation partner based in the Los Angeles and Palo Alto offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He handles appeals and complex litigation, and serves as co-chair of the firm’s nationwide Supreme Court and appellate practice.
Fred is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He is regularly recognized as a leading appellate lawyer by Chambers USA, Lawdragon 500, and the legal press. In Chambers USA, Fred is ranked in Band 1 for California Appellate litigation, and clients have described him as “brilliant, rigorous and dedicated” and “extremely smart and an excellent writer,” noting that he “will take enormously complex concepts and explain them perfectly.” Fred received the California Lawyer’s “Attorney of the Year” (CLAY) Award for his successful representation of the Norton Simon Museum in a long-running art ownership dispute. He is a two-time winner of the Daily Journal’s “Top Appellate Reversals” award: in 2025, for his successful representation of Google before the Ninth Circuit in Best Carpet Values, Inc. v. Google, 90 F.4th 962 (9th Cir. 2024), an appeal raising complex copyright preemption and property law issues; and in 2019, for his California Supreme Court victory in King v. CompPartners, 5 Cal.5th 1039 (2018), an important workers’ compensation appeal. Law360 also recognized Fred for his work on the Best Carpet Values v. Google appeal, naming him to its “Legal Lions of the Week” list. And in 2019, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Fred one of its “Most Influential Minority Lawyers.”
Fred represents clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to nonprofit organizations in appeals before federal and state courts across the country. He has argued more than 65 appeals and served as lead counsel in dozens more. He has presented argument before the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, and the Delaware Supreme Court (three-justice and en banc panels). Fred frequently appears before the California Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Second Circuits and has also presented argument in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Tenth Circuits and the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court.
Fred’s appellate representations cover a wide range of subjects and issues, spanning civil, criminal, and regulatory matters. He has particular expertise and experience in intellectual property matters, representing technology companies in copyright and trade secret appeals; in labor and employment cases, representing companies in arbitration, discrimination, and class action appeals; in the securities field, representing executives and companies in securities class action appeals; and in consumer class action matters, representing companies in appeals centering on business torts, product liability, and privacy claims. Fred also maintains an active pro bono practice, regularly representing indigent criminal defendants in seeking review before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Fred was a litigation partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson, where he helped establish and build the firm’s appellate practice group. During his time at MTO, he left for four years to serve as an assistant United States attorney in the Central District of California, where he handled criminal appeals, before rejoining in 2006. Following law school, Fred served as a law clerk to the Honorable James R. Browning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1997-1998) and the Honorable David F. Levi of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California (1998-1999).
Throughout his career, Fred has played a leadership role in civic affairs and bar organizations. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute, serving as adviser to the Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States, and served for many years on the California Commission on Uniform State Laws, representing the State of California at a national conference on uniform laws issues. Previously, Fred served as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee, co-chair of the Central District of California Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and president of the Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles. He is a past fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Outside the law, Fred is active in the community. He has coached youth baseball and soccer, and served as a president and board member of the Pasadena Southwest Little League. He previously served on the boards of Foothill Family Service (a non-profit that provides counseling and educational services to needy families in the Los Angeles area) and the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (a non-profit that promotes Asian-Americans in politics).
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 1997
Magna Cum Laude; Recipient, Joseph H. Beale Prize for Conflict of Laws; Research assistant to Professor Arthur R. Miller
- A.B., Stanford University, 1993
With Departmental Honors and University Distinction; Phi Beta Kappa; Recipient, Leavelle Prize for Political Theory
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, American Law Institute
- Member, Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society Advisory Board
- Former member, California Commission on Uniform State Laws
- Former member, Standing Committee on Appellate Courts, California State Bar
- Former co-chair, Appellate Practice Committee, American Bar Association
- Former co-chair, Central District of California Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference
- Former president, Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles
- Past fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
- Honored among the 2026 “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” by Los Angeles Business Journal
- Named among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America,” 2025-26
- Regularly recognized as a leading appellate lawyer in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and the Daily Journal
- Regularly selected for inclusion to Super Lawyers, 2014-2023
- Named among the “Most Influential Minority Lawyers” by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2019
- Recognized by the Daily Journal in its 2019 annual review of “Top Appellate Reversals” for his win in King v. Comp Partners, 5 Cal.5th 1039 (2018), an important workers’ compensation appeal in the California Supreme Court
- Recognized with a California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award for successfully defending the Norton Simon Museum in a closely watched ownership challenge
- State Bar of California
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 1997
Magna Cum Laude; Recipient, Joseph H. Beale Prize for Conflict of Laws; Research assistant to Professor Arthur R. Miller
- A.B., Stanford University, 1993
With Departmental Honors and University Distinction; Phi Beta Kappa; Recipient, Leavelle Prize for Political Theory
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, American Law Institute
- Member, Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society Advisory Board
- Former member, California Commission on Uniform State Laws
- Former member, Standing Committee on Appellate Courts, California State Bar
- Former co-chair, Appellate Practice Committee, American Bar Association
- Former co-chair, Central District of California Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference
- Former president, Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles
- Past fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
- Honored among the 2026 “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” by Los Angeles Business Journal
- Named among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America,” 2025-26
- Regularly recognized as a leading appellate lawyer in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and the Daily Journal
- Regularly selected for inclusion to Super Lawyers, 2014-2023
- Named among the “Most Influential Minority Lawyers” by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2019
- Recognized by the Daily Journal in its 2019 annual review of “Top Appellate Reversals” for his win in King v. Comp Partners, 5 Cal.5th 1039 (2018), an important workers’ compensation appeal in the California Supreme Court
- Recognized with a California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award for successfully defending the Norton Simon Museum in a closely watched ownership challenge
- State Bar of California
Recent Representations
- Successfully represented Google before the Ninth Circuit, which reversed the district court and dismissed a website owner’s class action lawsuit claiming a property interest in the copies of websites rendered on web browsers. The Ninth Circuit issued a published opinion holding that the website owner lacked a property interest in the website copies, and that its claims were preempted by Copyright law.
- Successfully represented Pinterest before the Ninth Circuit in a case brought by a photographer claiming that Pinterest violated his copyrights by allowing its users to post his images. The Ninth Circuit held that these claims fell within the Digital Millenium Copyright Act’s safe harbor for internet-based service providers.
- Prevailed in a Ninth Circuit appeal for Google and YouTube challenging the lawfulness and clarity of YouTube’s sign-up disclosures. The appeal raised novel issues regarding state disclosure laws governing automatic renewal and free offer terms.
- Prevailed in an appeal arising from a lawsuit alleging that YouTube discriminated against a website owner’s content in violation of federal and state law. The Court of Appeal held that the plaintiff’s claims were barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
- Successfully represented Google in an appeal before the California Court of Appeal that ended a long-running trade secret and contract action. The case was brought by an architect who claimed Google stole his trade secrets and breached its agreements with him
- Won a major age discrimination appeal before the California Court of Appeal, which vacated a $30 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict*
- Successfully represented a major web-based dating company in a Ninth Circuit appeal involving the arbitrability of a high-profile sexual harassment dispute*
- Successfully represented a leading toy manufacturer in a securities class action appeal in the Ninth Circuit*
- Persuaded the Ninth Circuit, on interlocutory appeal, to reverse an order certifying a class of oil industry plaintiffs seeking economic damages arising out of a 2015 oil spill*
- Won a major appeal for a leading managed care company before the California Supreme Court concerning California’s utilization review system and the scope of pre-emption under the Workers’ Compensation Act*
- Successfully represented a national bank in an appeal before the Second Circuit arising from residential mortgage-backed securities litigation*
- Successfully represented the Norton Simon Museum before the Ninth Circuit in a long-running dispute over ownership of two paintings forcibly sold to the Nazis and returned to the Netherlands following World War II; in the latest appeal—the third in the case—the Ninth Circuit affirmed a grant of summary judgment deeming the museum the owner of the paintings*
* Denotes experience at another firm prior to joining Wilson Sonsini in 2021.
Recent Representations
- Successfully represented Google before the Ninth Circuit, which reversed the district court and dismissed a website owner’s class action lawsuit claiming a property interest in the copies of websites rendered on web browsers. The Ninth Circuit issued a published opinion holding that the website owner lacked a property interest in the website copies, and that its claims were preempted by Copyright law.
- Successfully represented Pinterest before the Ninth Circuit in a case brought by a photographer claiming that Pinterest violated his copyrights by allowing its users to post his images. The Ninth Circuit held that these claims fell within the Digital Millenium Copyright Act’s safe harbor for internet-based service providers.
- Prevailed in a Ninth Circuit appeal for Google and YouTube challenging the lawfulness and clarity of YouTube’s sign-up disclosures. The appeal raised novel issues regarding state disclosure laws governing automatic renewal and free offer terms.
- Prevailed in an appeal arising from a lawsuit alleging that YouTube discriminated against a website owner’s content in violation of federal and state law. The Court of Appeal held that the plaintiff’s claims were barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
- Successfully represented Google in an appeal before the California Court of Appeal that ended a long-running trade secret and contract action. The case was brought by an architect who claimed Google stole his trade secrets and breached its agreements with him
- Won a major age discrimination appeal before the California Court of Appeal, which vacated a $30 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict*
- Successfully represented a major web-based dating company in a Ninth Circuit appeal involving the arbitrability of a high-profile sexual harassment dispute*
- Successfully represented a leading toy manufacturer in a securities class action appeal in the Ninth Circuit*
- Persuaded the Ninth Circuit, on interlocutory appeal, to reverse an order certifying a class of oil industry plaintiffs seeking economic damages arising out of a 2015 oil spill*
- Won a major appeal for a leading managed care company before the California Supreme Court concerning California’s utilization review system and the scope of pre-emption under the Workers’ Compensation Act*
- Successfully represented a national bank in an appeal before the Second Circuit arising from residential mortgage-backed securities litigation*
- Successfully represented the Norton Simon Museum before the Ninth Circuit in a long-running dispute over ownership of two paintings forcibly sold to the Nazis and returned to the Netherlands following World War II; in the latest appeal—the third in the case—the Ninth Circuit affirmed a grant of summary judgment deeming the museum the owner of the paintings*
* Denotes experience at another firm prior to joining Wilson Sonsini in 2021.
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Use
- Accessibility