Overview

Eric M. Fraser specializes in appeals. He is known for his work on high-profile and precedent-setting cases, often leading groundbreaking appeals with state and national significance. He has a particular focus on constitutional cases and major legal issues.

For example, Eric argued a nationally prominent appeal about Christian wedding vendors who challenged a law prohibiting sexual orientation-based discrimination. He argued a groundbreaking appeal about rights to fertilized human embryos upon divorce. He argued a series of four appellate arguments in challenges to a major pension plan’s practices, winning each time.

Eric also handles patent, copyright and trademark litigation. He has represented four of the five largest technology companies in the world in intellectual property cases. He is a registered patent attorney with a degree in Physics.

Eric clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He serves as a Ninth Circuit Appellate Lawyer Representative and previously chaired the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar. He also regularly writes about appeals, including contributing to SCOTUSblog, co-editing the azapp.com blog, and co-authoring a monthly column in Arizona Attorney magazine covering civil appeals. Best Lawyers named Eric the “Lawyer of the Year” for appellate practice in 2023, and  Law360 featured Eric as one of five rising stars nationwide in 2020. He is also recognized by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List, Best Lawyers, and Southwest Super Lawyers for his legal skills.  

Eric has been tapped as a source for national news outlets including CNNFox NewsNBC Nightly News, and CBS Evening News, alongside every major local television station in Arizona. He has also been featured in The New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalArizona RepublicPeople MagazineBloomberg BusinessweekLaw360, and many others.

A leading peer-review medical journal, CHEST, recently published an article Eric co-authored on Covid vaccine mandates.

Representative Matters

Case Highlights

  • Defended the constitutionality of a law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in a lawsuit brought by a wedding stationery company.
  • Represented a divorcing spouse in a dispute over frozen embryos.
  • Defended the constitutionality of government action ending pension spiking.
  • Established the legality of medical marijuana extracts.
  • Overturned administrative actions against schools and universities for lack of rulemaking.

Constitutional Issues

Major Legal Issues

Administrative Law

Appeals from Jury Trials

Intellectual Property & Antitrust

Other Legal Issues

Media

National Television Coverage

  • CNN, “An Arizona Woman Can’t Use Her Embryos After Divorce, state Supreme Court Rules”
  • Fox News, “AZ Artists Challenge Phoenix Discrimination Ordinance”
  • NBC Nightly News, NBC Nightly News Broadcast, January 25, 2020
  • CBS Evening News, “Arizona Woman Fights to Keep Frozen Embryos”

National Newspaper/Magazine Coverage

  • The New York Times, “A Spur in the Filibuster Fight: A Court’s Workload and Politics”
  • The Wall Street Journal, “Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Wi-Fi Plan Draws Critics”
  • People Magazine, “Arizona Cancer Survivor Can’t Use Her Frozen Embryos After Divorce, Court Rules”
  • Bloomberg Businessweek, “Would Regulation Make Airlines’ Mileage Programs Less Maddening?”
  • Vice, “Planned Parenthood: In a divorce, who gets custody of the embryos?”

Local Media Recognition

  • AZ Mirror, “In Arizona, you can be forced to sell your condo”
  • Arizona Republic, “Woman can’t use fertilized embryos without ex-husband’s consent, Arizona Supreme Court rules”
  • Arizona Republic, “Phoenix artists don’t have to make LGBTQ wedding invitations, Arizona Supreme Court rules”
  • Arizona Republic, “Phoenix LGBT wedding invitation case back in court”
  • Arizona Republic, “Is ‘heterosexuals only’ the same as ‘whites-only?’ Arizona Supreme Court will answer that”
  • Arizona Capitol Times, “Gay discrimination case could turn on question of message conveyed”
  • Phoenix Business Journal, “Online patrol: Law plays catch-up with evolving cyber security business regulations”
  • Eric has been featured in nearly every major television station in Phoenix commenting on his cases or providing legal analysis on current news matters.

Legal Publications 

Activities

Professional Activities

  • Ninth Circuit Appellate Lawyer Representative, 2017-Present
  • State Bar of Arizona, Appellate Practice Section, Chair, 2020-2021; Executive Council, 2015-Present
  • State Bar of Arizona, Intellectual Property Law Section, Chair, 2020-2021; Executive Council, 2015-Present
  • Arizona Court of Appeals Pro Bono Attorney Coordinator, 2019-Present
  • State Bar of Arizona, Antitrust Law Section, Chair, 2016-2017; Executive Council, 2014-Present
  • Arizona Appellate Handbook Committee, 2014-Present
  • Judicial Review of Administrative Decisions Rules Study Group, 2016-2017

Community Activities

  • Phoenix-Taipei Sister Cities Committee, Cultural Trade Exchange Program; 2013-Present

Insights

Recurring Writing Contributions

  • SCOTUSblog – Eric contributes opinion analysis, commentary on SCOTUS news, case previews and more.
  • Arizona Appellate Handbook (2020) (co-author of chapter on interlocutory appeals)
  • Civil Appellate Highlights – Eric contributes to the monthly column in Arizona Attorney with Joseph N. Roth.
  • Arizona Appeals – Eric contributes content for Practical Law with Hayleigh S. Crawford.

Journals, Law Reviews, and Book Chapters

Speaking Engagements