State Attorneys General
Wilson Sonsini’s State Attorneys General (SAG) practice is anchored by a core team that represents clients in high-profile matters undertaken by SAG offices, including multi-state and joint state-federal investigations and lawsuits, and other enforcement efforts. As the number of inquiries, regulatory measures, and enforcement campaigns originating from SAG offices has increased in recent years, so too has our work on behalf of clients in such matters. These controversies have encompassed areas ranging from digital applications and ESG issues to fraud allegations and transportation—and our attorneys’ extensive antitrust, privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection experience allows them to confidently guide clients through the process of responding to SAG actions.
An Experienced Team
In representing clients confronted by SAG challenges, Wilson Sonsini has drawn from an experienced team of litigation and regulatory attorneys across multiple practice areas and industry groups. Our core SAG practice consists of more than 25 attorneys; however, the number of our firm’s attorneys who have been involved in recent SAG matters or have highly relevant experience is much larger. Our core team includes:
- a former deputy attorney general in the antitrust section of the California Attorney General’s office;
- a former antitrust bureau chief at the New York Attorney General’s Office;
- a former antitrust counsel in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office;
- a former assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General;
- a former assistant solicitor general for the State of Alabama;
- multiple former prosecutors in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including U.S. Attorneys for the Districts of Utah and Nevada;
- several former state district attorneys;
- multiple Wilson Sonsini attorneys who previously held senior enforcement positions in federal regulatory agencies, including the DOJ, FTC, and SEC; and
- five former federal or state judges.
Our attorneys draw on experience gained through current and past roles to advise and represent clients effectively when investigations are initiated by SAG offices. Clients benefit from our attorneys’ situational awareness, which is sharpened by their familiarity with prosecutorial and enforcement tactics. Further, based on their collective experience, our team can lead investigations of any size and scope, from short-term, fact-finding inquiries to long-term comprehensive probes involving highly sensitive issues.
In addition to our SAG team’s substantial state-level experience and prior positions, our team’s federal-level experience–specifically having former federal regulators, enforcers, and judges who are experienced in addressing complex matters–is important in situations when state and federal agencies are either working together in concurrent state/federal investigations or situations where their respective interests may not be aligned.
Our team includes attorneys from the following practice areas who have represented clients in several industries, including the sectors listed below:
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Practice Areas
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Industry Groups
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Strong Relationships Lead to Favorable Results
Through prior roles and matters undertaken since joining Wilson Sonsini, our attorneys have established strong ties to Attorneys General offices in states across the country. It is because of these strong relationships that, in the early stages of a SAG investigation, we have helped clients develop and evaluate available strategies and, in certain cases, significantly narrowed the scope of the investigation or convinced the SAG office(s) involved that charges were not warranted. In some instances, we helped clients achieve complete containment. In others, we secured settlements resulting in limited or no financial penalty or admissions of wrongdoing.
Wilson Sonsini’s State Attorneys General (SAG) practice is anchored by a core team that represents clients in high-profile matters undertaken by SAG offices, including multi-state and joint state-federal investigations and lawsuits, and other enforcement efforts. As the number of inquiries, regulatory measures, and enforcement campaigns originating from SAG offices has increased in recent years, so too has our work on behalf of clients in such matters. These controversies have encompassed areas ranging from digital applications and ESG issues to fraud allegations and transportation—and our attorneys’ extensive antitrust, privacy, cybersecurity, and consumer protection experience allows them to confidently guide clients through the process of responding to SAG actions.
An Experienced Team
In representing clients confronted by SAG challenges, Wilson Sonsini has drawn from an experienced team of litigation and regulatory attorneys across multiple practice areas and industry groups. Our core SAG practice consists of more than 25 attorneys; however, the number of our firm’s attorneys who have been involved in recent SAG matters or have highly relevant experience is much larger. Our core team includes:
- a former deputy attorney general in the antitrust section of the California Attorney General’s office;
- a former antitrust bureau chief at the New York Attorney General’s Office;
- a former antitrust counsel in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office;
- a former assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General;
- a former assistant solicitor general for the State of Alabama;
- multiple former prosecutors in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including U.S. Attorneys for the Districts of Utah and Nevada;
- several former state district attorneys;
- multiple Wilson Sonsini attorneys who previously held senior enforcement positions in federal regulatory agencies, including the DOJ, FTC, and SEC; and
- five former federal or state judges.
Our attorneys draw on experience gained through current and past roles to advise and represent clients effectively when investigations are initiated by SAG offices. Clients benefit from our attorneys’ situational awareness, which is sharpened by their familiarity with prosecutorial and enforcement tactics. Further, based on their collective experience, our team can lead investigations of any size and scope, from short-term, fact-finding inquiries to long-term comprehensive probes involving highly sensitive issues.
In addition to our SAG team’s substantial state-level experience and prior positions, our team’s federal-level experience–specifically having former federal regulators, enforcers, and judges who are experienced in addressing complex matters–is important in situations when state and federal agencies are either working together in concurrent state/federal investigations or situations where their respective interests may not be aligned.
Our team includes attorneys from the following practice areas who have represented clients in several industries, including the sectors listed below:
|
Practice Areas
|
Industry Groups
|
Strong Relationships Lead to Favorable Results
Through prior roles and matters undertaken since joining Wilson Sonsini, our attorneys have established strong ties to Attorneys General offices in states across the country. It is because of these strong relationships that, in the early stages of a SAG investigation, we have helped clients develop and evaluate available strategies and, in certain cases, significantly narrowed the scope of the investigation or convinced the SAG office(s) involved that charges were not warranted. In some instances, we helped clients achieve complete containment. In others, we secured settlements resulting in limited or no financial penalty or admissions of wrongdoing.
Before joining the firm, Chris served as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada. As the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, he oversaw criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States, including financial litigation cases, and prosecuted cybercrime (particularly ransomware and business email compromise), white collar crime, and public corruption. In 2021, Chris served on a nationwide task force to determine how the U.S. Department of Justice can more effectively combat hate crimes and hate incidents.
Chris was previously a partner at Jenner & Block, where he helped start the Los Angeles office in 2009.
Before joining the firm, Chris served as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada. As the district’s chief federal law enforcement officer, he oversaw criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States, including financial litigation cases, and prosecuted cybercrime (particularly ransomware and business email compromise), white collar crime, and public corruption. In 2021, Chris served on a nationwide task force to determine how the U.S. Department of Justice can more effectively combat hate crimes and hate incidents.
Chris was previously a partner at Jenner & Block, where he helped start the Los Angeles office in 2009.
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