Litman grew up in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a Jewish family and was named a presidential scholar upon graduation from high school in 1976.

In that capacity, he was co-counsel for Operation Underhand, prosecuting a narcotics ring that smuggled drugs into prison under the guise of providing religious counseling.

[23] He is listed in "Best Lawyers of America" in the categories "Commercial Litigation", "White Collar Criminal Defense", and "Qui Tam Law".

[24] In March 2024, he launched "Talking San Diego," a series of conversations with some of the nation's most interesting and prominent figures.

[35][36][37] He is a regular commentator on legal issues for cable television networks including MSNBC,[38] CNN,[39] and Fox News.

[40] Litman also provides legal and political analysis on BBC News, National Public Radio (NPR), and France 24.

Litman was lead counsel for the relator in Washington v. EDMC,[41] a False Claims Act case against a for-profit education chain.

[42] Litman represented Pittsburgh Mayor Thomas J. Murphy Jr. in a successful effort to prevent indictment on federal charges.

[46] Litman currently serves on the Regional Leadership Councils of Brady,[47] and the boards of the Constitutional Accountability Center and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.

[48] In March 2019, Litman launched the podcast Talking Feds, a round-table of former federal officials discussing the legal issues of the day.

In March 2020 Marie Claire named it the second-best political podcast in the US to prepare listeners for the upcoming presidential election.