Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2007, JD, cum laude
University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Executive Editor
Yale University, 2001, BA, cum laude, with distinction in Religious Studies major
Clerkship
Hon. Marjorie O. Rendell, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 2007 – 2008
Admissions
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals:
Third Circuit
U.S. District Courts:
District of New Jersey
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Middle District of Pennsylvania
Western District of Michigan
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Eli Segal
Eli Segal is a seasoned litigator who thrives when tackling complex legal issues, thinking creatively, and crafting and implementing litigation strategies to best serve his clients’ goals. In nearly 20 years of practice, Eli has applied these skills to a broad range of sophisticated business disputes, including breach of contract, fiduciary duty, fraud, business divorce, trusts and estates, intellectual property, trade secret, RICO, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and False Claims Act matters. He also has developed extensive experience in First Amendment law, frequently handling defamation, invasion of privacy, and other speech-related cases.
In recent years, Eli has devoted a substantial portion of his practice to representing nonprofit and other mission-driven clients. For example, he has handled matters for child welfare, community development, local news, educational, and criminal justice reform organizations. In addition, Eli is the former Chair of the Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association and has partnered with advocacy organizations such as the Public Interest Law Center, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, GLAD Law, and the Penn Carey Law School Civil Practice Clinic in litigation involving mortgage redlining, free expression, government transparency, transgender military member rights, and elder fraud. He is a new member of the Board of the Public Interest Law Center, after serving for six years on the Board of the Juvenile Law Center.
Eli is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, where he was recognized in the 2025 and 2027 editions as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation - First Amendment in Philadelphia and in the 2026 edition as the “Lawyer of the Year” for First Amendment law in Philadelphia. In addition, Eli is listed in Chambers USA and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and was previously named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer.
Eli is a cum laude graduate of Yale University, a cum laude graduate of University of Pennsylvania Law School, a former law clerk for the Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and a former partner in the national law firm that is now known as Troutman Pepper Locke. He joined SSC at the beginning of 2022, drawn by the prospect of working with SSC’s exceptional litigators (and people) and by the unique combination of values, efficiency, flexibility, attentiveness, and effectiveness that a litigation boutique like SSC offers to clients.
Awards & Recognitions
Named a “Super Lawyer” by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2023 – 2025
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2018 – 2026
Listed in Chambers USA, 2020 – 2026
Named a “Rising Star” by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2017 – 2019
Named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by The Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly, 2015
University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Executive Editor and Board Member
See Award Methodologies here
Leadership & Community Involvement
Advisory Board Member
Law360 Pennsylvania Editorial Advisory Board
2025
Member
ACLU of Pennsylvania Legal Committee
2025
Barrister
University of Pennsylvania American Inn of Court
2024-present
Board Member
Juvenile Law Center
2020 – present
Core Class Member
Leadership Philadelphia
2019
Board of Governors Representative
Philadelphia Bar Association
2017
Public Interest Section Executive Committee Member
Philadelphia Bar Association
2014 – 2016 (Vice Chair, 2015; Chair, 2016)
Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, Freedom of Expression
Rutgers University School of Law – Camden
2015
Selected Speaking Engagements
Presenter
The First Amendment
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey Civics Education for Adults
October 29, 2025
Presenter
Is There a Journalist’s Privilege? For Whom? And Protecting What?
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts One-Day Law School for Journalists
August 14, 2025
Panelist
From Jokes to Hoax: An Overview of Defamation Law
Philadelphia City Law Department CLE Program
July 25, 2025
Presenter
Defamation, Libel, & Slander with a Focus on High Profile Litigation
Pennsylvania Bar Institute
March 12, 2024
Presenter
Update on Pennsylvania Defamation and Invasion of Privacy Law
Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Media Lawyers Conference
November 2023
Panelist
Media & the Courts
Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges
July 2023
Panelist
The Grand Jury Process
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts
July 2021
Panelist
Journalists, Judges and Counsel: The Tension Between a Fair Trial and an Informed Public
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts
July 2020
Presenter
The Public’s Right of Access
First Judicial District of Pennsylvania Judges’ Retreat
September 2019
Panelist
Coffee with Your Counsel
News Leaders Association News Leadership Conference
September 2019
Presenter
Update on Pennsylvania Defamation and Invasion of Privacy Law
Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Media Lawyers Conference
July 2019
Presenter
The First Amendment, Court Proceedings, and Judicial Records
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts and University of Pennsylvania Law School
March 2019
Panelist
Letting the Sunshine In: A Look Back at the 10-Year History of the Right to Know Law and a Glimpse of the Future
The Caucus
March 2019
Presenter
What’s the First Amendment Got to Do with It
Pennsylvania Bar Institute
October 2018
Panelist
Litigating a First Amendment Case
Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Rights Symposium
April 2018
Presenter
Hot Issues in Social Media
American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law Annual Conference
March 2018
Panelist
Internet Defamation
Pennsylvania Bar Institute
February 2018
Presenter
Hot Issues in Libel and Privacy
American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law Annual Conference
February 2017
Panelist
Third Circuit Update: Decisions Affecting Commercial Litigation
Pepper Hamilton Commercial Litigation CLE
June 2016
Panelist
Current Issues in New Jersey Media Law
Rutgers Institute for Information Policy & Law (RIIPL), N.J. Press Association, N.J. Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists, and Center for Cooperative Media
February 2016
Selected Publications
Co-Author, Pro Bono Success Stories: Righting the Wrongs of Redlining, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Winter 2026
Author, What's the First Amendment Got to Do With It? President Trump’s Defamation Burden Against the Wall Street Journal, The Legal Intelligencer, Aug. 4, 2025
Author, What's the First Amendment Got to Do With It? The White House's Associated Press Ban, The Legal Intelligencer, Feb. 26, 2025
Co-author, Pennsylvania Chapter in Media Law Resource Center’s 50-State Survey on Media Libel Law (2012 – 2021, updated annually)
Author, Insufficient Actual Malice Allegations Doom Defamation and False Light Claims, Media Law Resource Center’s MediaLawLetter, December 2019
Co-author, Can the Right of Publicity Be Squared with New York Times v. Sullivan and Its Progeny, Communications Lawyer, October 2015
Representative Cases
Litigation with Mission-Driven Clients / Partners
Representing child welfare organization in adoption-related lawsuit involving fraud, negligence, emotional distress, unfair trade practice, and breach of contract claims
Represented affordable housing and community development organization in lawsuit involving trade secret, fraud, fiduciary duty, and breach of contract claims
Represented political action committee and criminal justice reform activist in false light invasion of privacy action
Represented journalists and news organizations in numerous defamation and false light invasion of privacy cases
Represented journalists and news organizations in efforts to access government records and court proceedings and in connection with subpoenas relating to confidential sources and newsgathering
Represented news organization in opposing prior restraint against publication of confidential government document
Represented educational institutions in Title IX, civil rights, and breach of contract actions challenging outcomes of, and procedures followed in, internal investigations and disciplinary proceedings
Represented college in defamation suit based on column in student-run newspaper
As co-counsel with GLAD Law, representing 17 transgender U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force members challenging revocation of retirement benefits
As co-counsel with Public Interest Law Center, representing fair housing organizations challenging proposed termination of consent orders designed to combat mortgage redlining
As co-counsel with Penn Carey Law School Civil Practice Clinic, represented senior citizen in lawsuit alleging fraudulent conveyance of his home
Represented White House Correspondents' Association in opposing White House's suspension of press passes of CNN's Jim Acosta and Playboy's Brian Karem
As co-counsel with ACLU of Pennsylvania, represented Montgomery County residents in lawsuit alleging violation of Pennsylvania Sunshine Act in termination of public defenders
Represented American Bar Association on Pennsylvania Supreme Court amicus brief in support of recognition of cause of action to challenge inadequate public defender resources
Represented Society for Photographic Education on Third Circuit amicus brief in support of recognition of a First Amendment right to photograph police
As co-counsel with ACLU of Pennsylvania, represented journalists and formerly incarcerated community leaders in successful challenge to constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s Revictimization Relief Act, which had permitted courts to enjoin and penalize speech that caused crime victims mental anguish
Business Litigation
Representing real estate developer in lawsuit involving breach of contract, fiduciary duty, promissory estoppel, conversion, fraud, and unjust enrichment claims
Represented two media companies in copyright suit based on movie imagery
Represented sellers of study-abroad company in lawsuit involving trade secret, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and tortious interference claims
Represented businesses and individuals in claims related to funds diverted by computer fraud
Represented cashless payment company in breach of contract action
Represented transportation and defense company in breach of contract action
Represented siding manufacturer in breach of contract action
Represented metal processor in breach of contract action
Represented management consulting company in breach of fiduciary duty action
Represented CEO and directors of wastewater treatment company in post-merger fiduciary duty action
Represented biotechnology company in RICO and fiduciary duty action
Represented member of investment advisor LLC in buyout dispute
Represented shareholder of closely held corporation in arbitration of buyout dispute
Represented sellers in real estate dispute involving unfair trade practice and negligent misrepresentation claims
Represented trust in foreclosure action involving apartment building
Represented estate in dispute over ownership of Stradivarius violin
Represented hospital system in False Claims Act suit
Represented IT company, its president and CEO, and former executive in independent contractor’s tortious interference, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress suit