International law firm McDermott Will & Emery today announced the appointment of A. Marisa Chun as a partner in the Firm’s Trial Practice Group, based in Silicon Valley.

Ms. Chun joins McDermott from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) where she served as Deputy Associate Attorney General in Washington, D.C.  In that role, she advised the Associate Attorney General on various civil and criminal matters, including overseeing matters involving intellectual property, health care fraud, antitrust, telecommunications and financial fraud issues on his behalf.  Ms. Chun concurrently served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2011 to 2013 and for the District of Maryland in 2012, where she investigated and tried criminal cases to verdict.  Before returning to the DOJ in 2009, she was a partner at a highly regarded boutique law firm in San Francisco, where she litigated complex commercial matters at the trial and appellate levels on behalf of clients in various industries.

Ms. Chun previously served as a trial attorney and senior trial attorney at the DOJ through the Attorney General’s Honors Program and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Ms. Chun is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, where she served as Developments Editor of the Harvard Law Review.

“It is our great pleasure to welcome Marisa to the Firm,” said Lazar P. Raynal, McDermott’s Firm-wide Head of Trial. “Her high-level government experience and trial skills will benefit our clients facing difficult cases in the courtroom and in dealings with the US Government.  Her experience in the intellectual property, health care and white collar areas also fits nicely with McDermott’s major practice areas. Finally, as a Korean-American who has lived in South Korea, Marisa will play a key role in helping us service our growing Korean client base.”

“Marisa, with her work as a trial attorney combined with her public service as a senior DOJ advisor, will be an invaluable asset to us as we continue to expand the Firm’s operations in California and beyond,” said Dan Alberti, partner-in-charge of McDermott’s Silicon Valley office.  “While she has worked on many key legal issues facing the country, through her varied experiences, she also brings a true, global perspective to her new role. Marisa is well known in various circles in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Seoul.  Her sterling reputation and unique, personal network will help us deliver better client service in all three of these major business centers.”

McDermott’s Trial Practice Group takes on, and consistently wins, the most demanding cases for clients. McDermott’s skilled trial lawyers combine courtroom skills with a deep understanding of substantive areas of the law. This combination positions clients to resolve matters quickly, but with the confidence to go to trial when necessary.

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