Osete named ‘Influential Appellate Advocate’ for 2023 by ‘Missouri Lawyers Weekly’

BCLP Associate Jesus Osete has been selected by Missouri Lawyers Weekly (subscription required) as “Influential Appellate Advocate” for 2023.

Jesus was highlighted for his appearance before the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 7, 2022, in a case that challenged President Biden’s nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Jesus served as lead attorney, working with a 10-state coalition that spanned from Alaska to New Hampshire. Then-Missouri Attorney General (now U.S. Senator) Eric Schmitt appointed Jesus to argue the case after Jesus secured a nationwide injunction against the mandate in the lower courts.

“For an argument in front of the Supreme Court, the parties usually have several months to prepare,” Jesus said. “We had 16 days. It was very unusual for the court to take this case. The last time all nine justices had heard a case on a stay application and heard oral argument on it was in 1970.” Jesus was picked to argue the case just four days before the hearing. Jesus, then 30, joined a handful of lawyers (including BCLP Partner and Co-Chair of the Appellate and Supreme Court Group, Jean-Claude André) to become one of the youngest lawyers in history to argue before the highest court in the land.

Nominations for the 2023 Missouri Lawyers Awards were submitted from across the state and from a wealth of resources. The publication stated, “The nominations alone are a testament to the great work practiced day in and day out by so many dedicated men and women. In addition to the profession, these lawyers make a commitment to their communities, however they define that.”

Jesus is a member of BCLP’s Appellate & Supreme Court and Commercial Disputes Practice Groups. He rejoined BCLP after serving as general counsel to Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Missouri’s deputy attorney general, where he litigated high-profile cases in federal and state courts across the country.