Alexander Ely is a counsel in O’Melveny’s Washington, DC office and a member of the firm’s Supreme Court & Appellate Practice Group. His practice spans commercial, constitutional, regulatory, and national security law. Since arriving at the firm, his litigation practice has focused on ERISA, higher education, First Amendment, and insurance.

Prior to joining O’Melveny, Alex gained significant experience working for the US Department of Justice as a trial attorney for the Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch, where he represented the President and Executive Branch agencies in civil litigation in district courts throughout the United States and argued numerous dispositive motions as lead counsel. For his service, he received a Special Commendation Award from the Civil Division as part of the Post-Dobbs Reproductive Freedom Litigation team. He also served as an attorney advisor in the National Security Division of the US Department of Justice, where he helped to develop and implement federal policy relating to counterterrorism, border security, and economic sanctions, and provided legal advice to the Executive Branch on various national security law matters.

He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law and the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. He maintains a pro bono practice focused on reproductive rights access, as well as death penalty litigation.