After eight years as deputy assistant attorney general heading appellate litigation in the Justice Department's civil division, Beth Brinkmann returned to private practice in 2017, co-chairing Covington & Burling's appellate and U.S. Supreme Court practice.

With her previous experience in the Solicitor General's Office and at Morrison & Foerster, Brinkmann argued in 24 Supreme Court cases up until 2008. So it was something of a homecoming when she argued and won her 25th case, Return Mail v. United States Postal Service, before the high court this year.

The win also keeps Brinkmann near the top of what is still a fairly short list of female Supreme Court advocates in private practice. We caught up with Brinkmann to discuss her return to Supreme Court advocacy, the small number of women in private practice arguing there, and the upcoming term of the court.