PETER BRULAND is an appellate lawyer. He has argued before the Supreme Court, written or coauthored dozens of Supreme Court briefs, and led briefing and strategy in appellate courts around the country. Best Lawyers recognized Peter as “One to Watch” in 2024 and 2025.
In March 2025, Peter became the first Sidley associate ever to argue at the Supreme Court. After identifying a circuit split involving the federal habeas statute, Peter persuaded the Court to grant cert in Rivers v. Guerrero (No. 23-1345), his second cert grant in as many years. Peter then led merits briefing and argued the case, earning praise for his “meticulous preparation” and “dedicat[ion] to his craft.”
Beyond the Supreme Court, Peter regularly handles high-stakes appeals in federal and state court. His experience spans a range of subject areas, including administrative law, healthcare, energy, foreign sovereign immunity, environmental law, arbitration, intellectual property, securities, tax, and criminal law and procedure.
Peter also represents clients at the trial level and before federal agencies, briefing critical motions in cases involving complex statutory and regulatory questions. He has extensive experience challenging agency actions and often counsels clients on key strategic issues arising from regulations and governmental oversight.
Peter maintains a robust pro bono practice that includes disability, education, First Amendment, and criminal appeals. Peter recently briefed and argued a postconviction case in the D.C. Court of Appeals, and he has led cert-stage and merits-stage briefing in multiple pro bono cases at the Supreme Court.
Before joining Sidley, Peter clerked for Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He was also an associate in the Supreme Court practice of another global law firm. Peter earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his LL.M., with first-class honours, from the University of Cambridge, where he was editor-in-chief of the Cambridge Law Review.