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Extensive Experience
Mark has argued over 50 appeals, including in ten- and nine-figure matters, and has conducted numerous jury trials and complex litigations.
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National Reputation
Recognized in Chambers USA as “a fantastic trial lawyer, a brilliant appellate lawyer, and one of the smartest people in the business,” Mark is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and was identified as one of the top 100 lawyers in California by the Daily Journal.
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Community Leadership
Mark has served on the boards of Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles and the Friends of the L.A. County Law Library, and was a member of the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity. His public service and pro bono work have received numerous commendations, including from the Federal Bar Association, the FBI, the Department of Defense, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Supreme Court of Thailand.
Mark Yohalem is co-chair of Wilson Sonsini’s complex litigation practice and a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He has deep trial and appellate experience, handling complex litigation at every level in state and federal courts across the country.
A nationally recognized litigator, Mark is described by clients in Chambers USA as “incredibly talented and gifted,” “unparalleled” in his “ability to see legal issues and understand how the court is going to respond.” His “writing is fantastic,” his “strategic thinking is second to none,” and he has “the rare ability to convert brilliant analysis of extremely complex business cases into clear and simply stated briefs and oral argument.”
Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Mark was a partner at Munger Tolles & Olson, the Deputy Chief of Appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and a law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Judge Pamela A. Rymer. As a federal prosecutor, he worked on many of the district’s highest-profile matters, including the well-publicized dispute between Apple and the FBI regarding the unlocking of the iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists in the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. His work in public corruption, violent crime, and national security matters was recognized by numerous federal agencies, including the FBI, the ATF, and the Department of Defense, as well as the Federal Bar Association and the Anti-Defamation League.
Mark has received numerous accolades in private practice as well. He has been recognized as a “Top 100 Lawyer” by the Daily Journal, a “Legal Lion” by Law360, and one of the “Leading Litigators in America” by Lawdragon; he is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and served on the board of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. In 2020, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, a group created to develop police reforms in Los Angeles. In 2026, he was retained by four California trial courts to represent them before the California Supreme Court.
Mark has delivered lectures at the Supreme Court of Thailand, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit, and he has taught appellate advocacy, cyberlaw, and jury selection at the National Advocacy Center, the USC Gould School of Law, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, and American Bar Association conferences. He regularly publishes and speaks about appellate advocacy and recent appellate decisions, and he has performed in the Trial of Hamlet at the Kennedy Center. Alongside his legal career, Mark is a prolific author. He has written stories for many award-winning computer games and has published dozens of short stories. He also penned two episodes of an animated children’s television show.
Mark Yohalem is co-chair of Wilson Sonsini’s complex litigation practice and a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He has deep trial and appellate experience, handling complex litigation at every level in state and federal courts across the country.
A nationally recognized litigator, Mark is described by clients in Chambers USA as “incredibly talented and gifted,” “unparalleled” in his “ability to see legal issues and understand how the court is going to respond.” His “writing is fantastic,” his “strategic thinking is second to none,” and he has “the rare ability to convert brilliant analysis of extremely complex business cases into clear and simply stated briefs and oral argument.”
Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Mark was a partner at Munger Tolles & Olson, the Deputy Chief of Appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and a law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Judge Pamela A. Rymer. As a federal prosecutor, he worked on many of the district’s highest-profile matters, including the well-publicized dispute between Apple and the FBI regarding the unlocking of the iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists in the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. His work in public corruption, violent crime, and national security matters was recognized by numerous federal agencies, including the FBI, the ATF, and the Department of Defense, as well as the Federal Bar Association and the Anti-Defamation League.
Mark has received numerous accolades in private practice as well. He has been recognized as a “Top 100 Lawyer” by the Daily Journal, a “Legal Lion” by Law360, and one of the “Leading Litigators in America” by Lawdragon; he is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and served on the board of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. In 2020, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, a group created to develop police reforms in Los Angeles. In 2026, he was retained by four California trial courts to represent them before the California Supreme Court.
Mark has delivered lectures at the Supreme Court of Thailand, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit, and he has taught appellate advocacy, cyberlaw, and jury selection at the National Advocacy Center, the USC Gould School of Law, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, and American Bar Association conferences. He regularly publishes and speaks about appellate advocacy and recent appellate decisions, and he has performed in the Trial of Hamlet at the Kennedy Center. Alongside his legal career, Mark is a prolific author. He has written stories for many award-winning computer games and has published dozens of short stories. He also penned two episodes of an animated children’s television show.
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2005Magna Cum Laude; Notes Editor and Developments in the Law Chair, Harvard Law Review; First Place, Williston Competition
- B.A., Dartmouth College, 2002Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Rufus Choate Scholar
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Board Member, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles
- Former Board Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Former Member, Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity
- Former Trustee, Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library
- Recognized as a leading appellate litigator by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Named among the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Lawyers”
- Named among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America”
- Named a “Legal Lion” by Law360
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (Appellate)
- Received the Helene and Joseph Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate from the Anti-Defamation League
- Recognized among the “Top 40 Under 40” in California by the Daily Journal in 2018
- Received the “Younger Federal Lawyer” award from the Federal Bar Association
- State Bar of California
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2005Magna Cum Laude; Notes Editor and Developments in the Law Chair, Harvard Law Review; First Place, Williston Competition
- B.A., Dartmouth College, 2002Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Rufus Choate Scholar
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Board Member, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles
- Former Board Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Former Member, Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity
- Former Trustee, Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library
- Recognized as a leading appellate litigator by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Named among the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Lawyers”
- Named among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America”
- Named a “Legal Lion” by Law360
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (Appellate)
- Received the Helene and Joseph Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate from the Anti-Defamation League
- Recognized among the “Top 40 Under 40” in California by the Daily Journal in 2018
- Received the “Younger Federal Lawyer” award from the Federal Bar Association
- State Bar of California
Select Representations
- Major internet platforms and technology companies—including Google, TikTok, YouTube, and others—in high-stakes trial and appellate litigation, both federal and state, involving privacy law, negligence, intellectual property, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and standing
- Major entertainment companies—including Disney, Netflix, ITV, Fox, Pixar, FX, Mar Vista, and others—in copyright, First Amendment, and other litigation in the Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, the California Court of Appeal, and federal and state trial courts
- Fortune 500 companies—including Starbucks, Seagate, Mylan, Autodesk, and others—in securities class actions, both in trial courts and on appeal
- Four California Superior Courts in cases before the California Supreme Court involving the use of electronic recording when no court reporter is available and the standing of taxpayers to challenge court procedures
- Tokyo Electric Power Company, the fourth-largest electric utility in the world, in winning complete dismissal of billion-dollar claims stemming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, with certiorari denied by the U.S. Supreme Court
- Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in overturning a $417 million verdict against J&J and its subsidiary, winning judgment notwithstanding the verdict for J&J and a new trial without punitive damages for its subsidiary, affirmed by the California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Founders of Beats Electronics and Beats Music in winning demurrer and summary judgment in a billion-dollar lawsuit brought by Monster Inc. and Noel Lee, affirmed by California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Fox in winning summary judgment in corporate governance dispute in Delaware Chancery Court, affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court
- High-profile attorneys in successfully resolving California State Bar matters
Pro Bono Work and Community Service
- Major litigation challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s persistent discriminatory lending practices against Black and other minority farmers
- Representation of 25 California-based legal organizations in the Supreme Court, defending the role of diversity considerations in higher education
- Extensive immigration appellate work in the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit, winning victories for asylum petitioners from China, Nigeria, and Mexico
Select Representations
- Major internet platforms and technology companies—including Google, TikTok, YouTube, and others—in high-stakes trial and appellate litigation, both federal and state, involving privacy law, negligence, intellectual property, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and standing
- Major entertainment companies—including Disney, Netflix, ITV, Fox, Pixar, FX, Mar Vista, and others—in copyright, First Amendment, and other litigation in the Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, the California Court of Appeal, and federal and state trial courts
- Fortune 500 companies—including Starbucks, Seagate, Mylan, Autodesk, and others—in securities class actions, both in trial courts and on appeal
- Four California Superior Courts in cases before the California Supreme Court involving the use of electronic recording when no court reporter is available and the standing of taxpayers to challenge court procedures
- Tokyo Electric Power Company, the fourth-largest electric utility in the world, in winning complete dismissal of billion-dollar claims stemming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, with certiorari denied by the U.S. Supreme Court
- Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in overturning a $417 million verdict against J&J and its subsidiary, winning judgment notwithstanding the verdict for J&J and a new trial without punitive damages for its subsidiary, affirmed by the California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Founders of Beats Electronics and Beats Music in winning demurrer and summary judgment in a billion-dollar lawsuit brought by Monster Inc. and Noel Lee, affirmed by California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Fox in winning summary judgment in corporate governance dispute in Delaware Chancery Court, affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court
- High-profile attorneys in successfully resolving California State Bar matters
Pro Bono Work and Community Service
- Major litigation challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s persistent discriminatory lending practices against Black and other minority farmers
- Representation of 25 California-based legal organizations in the Supreme Court, defending the role of diversity considerations in higher education
- Extensive immigration appellate work in the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit, winning victories for asylum petitioners from China, Nigeria, and Mexico
Select Publications and Speaking Engagements
- “Literature’s first courtroom drama: Brennu-Njáls Saga,” Daily Journal, May 26, 2022
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“Legal Advocacy as Interactive Storytelling,” American Bar Association Litigation Section, Winter 2022
- “Expert Q&A on Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls in Oral Argument,” Practical Law: The Journal, December 2018/January 2019 issue
- Co-author, “Law is Mightier than the Quill,” Daily Journal, June 2018
- Moderator, “Discussion About Oral Argument Strategies Before Appellate Judges,” ABA Section of Litigation Conference, May 2018
- Co-author, “Fraud Ruling Stresses Mens Rea,” Daily Journal, December 2016
Select Publications and Speaking Engagements
- “Literature’s first courtroom drama: Brennu-Njáls Saga,” Daily Journal, May 26, 2022
-
“Legal Advocacy as Interactive Storytelling,” American Bar Association Litigation Section, Winter 2022
- “Expert Q&A on Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls in Oral Argument,” Practical Law: The Journal, December 2018/January 2019 issue
- Co-author, “Law is Mightier than the Quill,” Daily Journal, June 2018
- Moderator, “Discussion About Oral Argument Strategies Before Appellate Judges,” ABA Section of Litigation Conference, May 2018
- Co-author, “Fraud Ruling Stresses Mens Rea,” Daily Journal, December 2016
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