The Wharf
1000 Maine Ave. SW
Suite 450
Washington, D.C. 20024
Bret Vallacher is a commercial litigator who represents companies, executives, and government entities in complex disputes and appeals. His experience spans a wide range of matters, including contract, securities, antitrust, employment, trade secret, trademark, deceptive trade practices, fraud, defamation, election law, and constitutional claims.
Before joining the firm, Bret served as a Trial Attorney in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the United States Department of Justice, where he represented the United States in federal trial and appellate courts in matters involving breach of contract, constitutional takings, employment disputes, bid protests, and international trade.
Earlier in his career, Bret clerked for federal trial and appellate judges and practiced at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and Jones Day.
Bret received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he worked in the Stanford Criminal Defense Clinic and served as a judicial extern to the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.
Representative Matters
- Represented Walmart in consumer class actions nationwide, including securing dismissal of a case in the Southern District of Florida.
- Represented Baxter in a $130 million arbitration involving alleged failure to commercialize a product; secured a unanimous defense award after a six-day evidentiary hearing.
- Represented the Official Committee of Talc Claimants in high-profile bankruptcy litigation challenging Johnson & Johnson’s “Texas Two-Step” restructuring strategy, including drafting appellate briefs and portions of the trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law.
- Represented the Board of Directors of a national insurance services company in a confidential, high-stakes internal investigation arising from alleged employee misconduct; conducted a multi-month review and delivered findings to the Board.
- Represented a class of AIG shareholders in a multibillion-dollar constitutional takings case arising from the federal government’s rescue of AIG.
- Represented a major credit card network in antitrust litigation brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, including participation in a seven-week bench trial.
- Represented Jaime Vial et al. in a putative class action challenging Delaware’s unclaimed property scheme under federal constitutional law, seeking recovery of millions in securities; defeated the State’s motion to dismiss, overcoming sovereign immunity defenses and allowing claims to proceed.
Education
- Stanford Law School, J.D., pro bono distinction, 2013
- Dartmouth College, B.A., cum laude, 2010
Clerkships
- Hon. J. Clifford Wallace, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Hon. K. Michael Moore, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Awards
- Washington DC Elite, Commercial Disputes and Antitrust (2026), Legal 500
- 40 & Under Hot List, Dispute Resolution (2024–present), Benchmark Litigation
Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. Court of International Trade
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- New York