A Seeger Weiss associate who litigated claims against
Caleb Seeley is the first lawyer at the boutique firm to achieve partner in such a short time span after a legal education, founding partner Stephen Weiss said in an interview.
“He worked hard, met all the requirements along the way, and earned our trust,” Weiss said.
Seeley was part of bellwether trial teams that successfully represented claims by veterans that earplugs sold by a 3M subsidiary were defective and led to hearing loss. He was co-lead counsel in a Pensacola, Florida trial that resulted in a $50 million award for Luke Vilsmeyer last March.
Seeley said he came to the boutique after his clerkship at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit because of Seeger’s push to get early-career litigators into the courtroom.
“It’s a great credit to the firm that they didn’t really put any rules on when those opportunities could arise other than being ready for them,” Seeley said.
Law School
He joined Seeger Weiss in 2019, roughly two years after his graduation from New York University Law School in 2017.
He first worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly, where he defended clients in complex federal litigation at the trial and appellate levels.
Weiss said the plaintiffs firm knew it had a “unique talent” on its hands with Seeley. Rather than wait to award him advanced trial work or a partnership, typically achieved in six or more years in Big Law, the firm decided to “reward that talent,” he said.
“There’s no worse dimension that could be imposed upon a young, talented lawyer than putting on these artificial restrictions based on their seniority,” Weiss said. “Caleb exceeded all our expectations.”
Seeger Weiss was co-founded in 1999 by former Shearman & Sterling and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson lawyers Christopher Seeger and Stephen Weiss. The firm represented retired NFL players that alleged their football careers caused them head trauma.