Morrison Foerster is an international law firm with lawyers practicing throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. Click to discover more.

mofo_share_image.jpg

Morrison Foerster

common-default.jpeg

Terms / Notices

Cookies

Privacy Policy

Reporting Hotline

Attorney Advertising

Alumni

  Linkedin

MoFo LinkedIN

  Facebook

MoFo Facebook

YouTube

MoFo Youtube

Morrison Foerster - Footer

How California’s AG Will Shape Enforcement Landscape in 2025

You have not solved the recaptcha challenge yet or session expired, try again.

Email Disclaimer

Disclaimer

<p>Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/about/privacy-policy.html"><u><em>Privacy Policy</em></u></a>, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.</p>

Feedback

mofo-logo-2022.svg

People

Capabilities

Resources

About

Culture

Offices

Careers

Stay Connected

Carrie H. Cohen, Christine Y. Wong, Brian R. Michael and C.B. Rome published an article in Corporate Compliance Insights that...

About Morrison Foerster

people-default-header-desktop.jpg

people-default-header-mobile.jpg

Default Meta Data

<p>Carrie H. Cohen, Christine Y. Wong, Brian R. Michael and C.B. Rome published an article in <em>Corporate Compliance Insights</em> that explores California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s anticipated 2025 priorities, including environmental actions seeking profit disgorgement, collaborative antitrust investigations and intensified oversight of social media platforms and artificial intelligence.</p><p>Read the <a href="https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/how-california-ag-will-shape-enforcement-landscape-2025/" target="_blank">full article</a>. </p>

<p>How California’s AG Will Shape Enforcement Landscape in 2025</p>

Sign Up

<p>Carrie H. Cohen is global co-chair of the Investigations + White Collar Defense practice group and the firm’s State + Local Government Enforcement team. Prior to joining the firm, Carrie served in the New York State Attorney General’s Office as Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau and an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau where she received the Louis J. Lefkowitz Memorial Award for outstanding service. Carrie also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) where she prosecuted public corruption and securities matters, including obtaining the first trial conviction of former Speaker of the New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver.</p><p>As a former state and federal prosecutor, Carrie routinely represents corporations, boards, and c-suite executives in government-facing investigative and regulatory matters with a particular focus on state and local government matters. Carrie’s extensive trial experience and distinguished record of success in high‑stakes, white collar defense matters cement her position as a leading lawyer who often is called upon as trial counsel for particularly sensitive matters. Carrie’s trial and white collar expertise have been recognized by a variety of organizations including <em>Chambers USA</em>, which describes her as “. . . a terrific trial lawyer with great judgment and timing, [who] knows how to present complex cases in a digestible way.” Carrie also routinely prepares clients who are called to testify before Congress and state and city legislatures and works on matters that involve multijurisdictional investigations and significant media attention. </p><p>Carrie is a recognized industry expert in public corruption and state and local government actions. Carrie frequently is selected by government agencies to serve as independent counsel and issue public reports, which has included her appointment as Independent Monitor for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Special Counsel to the New York City Council, Special Independent Counsel to the City of Rochester, and Counsel to the California Attorney General’s Office (CA AG) as well as being part of the Monitorship Team appointed by DOJ for the global Odebrecht corruption matter. She also was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Metropolitan Transit Authority Inspector General’s Board and serves as its Acting Chair as well as having been appointed by the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York as Counsel to the Court’s Grievance Committee. Carrie also is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she teaches a seminar on Public Corruption and the Law. </p><p>Carrie serves on multiple bar committees and task forces as part of her effort to promote the rule of law. She was appointed Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s (NYSBA) Task Force on Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes and served as a member of the NYSBA Task Force on Wrongful Convictions. As a leader of the Bar, Carrie serves as a Vice President and Trustee of the Federal Bar Council and President of its Inn of Court and was appointed Co-Chair of the Federal-State Judicial Advisory Council as well as prior service as a Vice President of the New York City Bar, Chair of its Executive Committee, and member of its Nominating Committee. Carrie also is a member of the Board of Directors of Volunteers of Legal Service, an organization that provides pro bono legal services to the New York community, and was appointed by the SDNY to its Criminal Justice Act Panel to serve as counsel to indigent defendants in federal criminal cases. </p><p>Carrie has long been dedicated to advancing women in the legal profession, both in the United States and globally. She co-chairs Morrison Foerster’s Women’s Strategy Committee, a group that works with firm leaders to ensure the advancement of women remains a strategic priority, and serves as a member of the New York City Bar’s Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, where she spearheads a professional development program for women lawyers in Latin America and South Africa. She is also a member of the Women’s Forum of New York and the Belizean Grove, both of which are by nomination only and are comprised of a diverse group of recognized women leaders in their respective fields.</p><p>Carrie co-authored the acclaimed NYSBA report adopted by the American Bar Association “If Not Now, When? Achieving Equality for Women Attorneys in the Courtroom and in ADR” and the follow-up report “The Time is Now: Achieving Equality for Women Attorneys in the Courtroom and in ADR.” She serves on the Steering Committee of the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project, which she co-founded with other SDNY alumnae to honor the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by providing law school scholarships and mentorship.</p><h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li><strong>Government Appointments/Public Corruption</strong>. Appointments as independent counsel for federal, state, and local government agencies. Represents elected and appointed public officials, public entities, and individuals doing business with the government in a variety of public corruption-related matters with a focus on public-facing reports.</li><ul><li>Independent Monitor for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation related to workplace issues.</li><li>Special Independent Counsel to the New York City Council related to investigations of certain Council Members for misconduct and corruption.</li><li>Special Counsel to the MTA related to an examination of time, attendance, and overtime, which included presenting a report to the MTA Board.</li><li>Independent Counsel to the CA AG to conduct a review of its public release of confidential personal information associated with firearms permit holders and applicants, which included the preparation and release of a public report.</li><li>Service on the DOJ-appointed Monitorship Team for the global Odebrecht corruption matter.</li><li>Trial counsel for Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren for campaign finance charges; Hon. John A. Michalek for public corruption offenses; Hon. Sylvia Ash for obstruction of justice charges; County officials related to allegations of official misconduct and bid rigging.</li></ul><li><strong>Financial Institutions/Securities Matters</strong>. Represents banks and other financial institutions in investigations of regulatory and consumer-related matters. Represents corporations and individuals in a variety of criminal investigations and regulatory matters involving federal and state securities laws.</li><li><strong>Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)</strong>. Represents corporations in FCPA investigations across industries and in numerous jurisdictions. Service on the DOJ-appointed Monitorship team in the criminal prosecution of Odebrecht.</li><li><strong>Workplace Misconduct</strong>. Conducts investigations for corporations and boards related to workplace misconduct and #MeToo issues and provides related advocacy and legal advice.</li><li><strong>Cybersecurity</strong>. Conducts investigations of cybersecurity incidents and represents companies in related government and regulatory matters concerning disclosure of data and privacy issues.</li><li><strong>RICO/Civil Fraud/Commercial Litigation</strong>. Represents a wide variety of public and private corporations in civil fraud, RICO, and commercial litigation including at trial. Represented UPS at trial in SDNY in a case brought by the NYAG and the City of New York alleging illegal transportation of untaxed cigarettes.</li></ul>

Carrie Cohen

Partner

<div class="videoWrapper"><span class='youtube-wrapper'><iframe class="sticky-video" title="Meet MoFo San Francisco Litigation Partner Christine Wong" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/27P0I7oxkbc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="1" title="iframe"></iframe></span></div><p dir="ltr">Christine Wong focuses her practice on investigations, white collar criminal defense, and cross-border compliance matters. Christine draws on her unique background as an internal advisor and as a federal prosecutor in advising companies, boards and executives in a variety of matters that present significant legal and reputational risk – including white collar criminal and regulatory enforcement, internal investigations and related civil litigation. She also provides ongoing compliance advice to corporate clients. Christine has an active trial practice as first chair in both criminal and civil cases. </p><p>Christine is a former co-chair of MoFo’s Global Litigation Department and the firm’s Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White Collar Defense practice group. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, where she taught Civil Trial Practice. Christine served as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and the Northern District of California, where she investigated a wide range of matters including public corruption, fraud, and organized crime, and served as lead counsel in over a dozen jury trials. She briefed criminal appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.</p><p>Before joining MoFo, Christine led the development and implementation of the global compliance program for a Fortune 500 multinational corporation, where she served as vice president, head of international compliance. In that capacity, she conducted risk assessments for dozens of entities, which resulted in enacting necessary amendments to business workflows and policies. She was responsible for managing investigations and related litigation, reviewing policies and procedures, developing and delivering training modules, and ultimately reporting to the board of directors.</p><p>Christine speaks conversational Mandarin and Cantonese.</p><h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Representing Hawaiian Telcom in all matters arising from the 2023 Maui Wildfires.</li><li>Representing a waste management company in negotiating a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ and the resolution of a parallel civil lawsuit filed by local authorities related to a public corruption investigation.</li><li>Representing Pacific Gas and Electric Company in investigations by the Safety and Enforcement Division of the California Public Utilities Commission and related proceedings pertaining to wildfires.</li><li>Defending a Chinese semiconductor company indicted for theft of trade secrets and economic espionage.</li><li>Representing employees of a company in an accounting and securities fraud investigation.</li><li>Obtaining a declination for an individual in a criminal tax fraud investigation.</li><li>Representing a senior executive in an accounting fraud investigation by the DOJ and the SEC.</li><li>Counseling a multinational information technology equipment and services company on anti-bribery, antitrust and export control compliance.</li><li>Counseling a multinational entertainment company on anti-bribery training, policies and procedures.</li></ul><h4>Professional Memberships</h4><ul><li>American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime Committee, Vice-Chair</li><li>Women in White Collar Defense Association, Committee Member of the San Francisco Chapter</li><li>American Bar Association Northern District of California White Collar Subcommittee, Committee Member</li></ul>

Christine Wong

<p>Brian R. Michael is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Investigations + White Collar Defense Group, and the chair of the firm’s Global Ethics + Compliance practice.</p><p>Recognized as one of the top lawyers in California, Brian draws upon more than 25 years of high-profile experience in private practice, as an in-house leader, and as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the Central District of California to represent entities and individuals who turn to him for the most complex, high-stakes white collar criminal cases, internal and government-facing investigations, securities and regulatory enforcement matters, and related litigation and trials. Brian routinely advises clients on a wide range of matters involving corporate and securities fraud, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and global anti-corruption laws, workplace misconduct, public corruption, cybersecurity, FinTech and blockchain technologies, trade sanctions, whistleblowing, and human rights and supply chain due diligence, among other areas.</p><p>Brian’s practice also focuses on providing sensitive crisis management and compliance counseling, and he has extensive experience leading the design, enhancement, and implementation of cross-border compliance programs. He regularly leads global risk assessments and provides compliance and crisis preparedness training to companies, boards, and employees.</p><p>In addition to his many years in private practice, Brian served as Deputy General Counsel and Group Chief Compliance Officer at media and entertainment company 21st Century Fox, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Southern District of New York and the Central District of California. At 21st Century Fox, Brian played a critical role in the company’s response to multiple cross-border investigations, including the “UK phone hacking” crisis and the wide-ranging FIFA corruption matter, and oversaw global compliance for Fox broadcast, cable, digital, and sports media businesses, including National Geographic Partners and more than 300 channels in over 180 countries. As a federal prosecutor, Brian tried numerous cases and briefed and argued multiple appeals, as well as led criminal investigations and prosecutions involving complex financial, securities, and healthcare fraud, cybercrime, organized crime and racketeering, money laundering, violent crime, child sexual exploitation, and asset forfeiture, for which he received many commendations and awards. Brian also served as the Violence Against Women Act Coordinator and the Anti-Gang Coordinator for the Central District of California.</p><p>After graduating law school, Brian clerked for former Chief Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.</p><p>Brian is a frequent public speaker and commentator on white collar crime, securities and regulatory enforcement, and compliance topics. He is a member of the board of directors of the Southern California Regional Subcommittee of the ABA’s White Collar Crime Committee, is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and serves on the Executive Committee of Teach Democracy (formerly known as Constitutional Rights Foundation), a non-partisan nonprofit dedicated to advancing civics education and engagement among largely underserved youth.</p><p>Brian earned his B.A. with distinction in general scholarship from the University of California at Berkeley and earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was elected Order of the Coif.</p><h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Government-Facing Investigations</h5><ul><li>Representation of a national governing body for an Olympic sport in an investigation led by the California Attorney General’s Office into historical allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by local affiliates, resulting in successful resolution with no adverse findings.</li><li>Representation of a global auto manufacturer in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California into alleged foreign bribery and the prosecution of a former employee, successfully resulting in no adverse action against the company.</li><li>Representation of a prominent nonprofit entity in an internal investigation into multiple complaints regarding conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and other significant misconduct committed by top-level executives, resulting in successful separation of the executives on favorable terms for client.</li><li>Representation of a world-leading publisher of online video content in an investigation led by the New York Attorney General’s Office into alleged violations of state law regulating the nature of online content, resulting in successful outcome with no adverse action.</li><li>Representation of prominent private high school in Los Angeles embroiled in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, across from the U.S. Department of Justice.</li><li>Representation of a lobbyist in connection with a high-profile and wide-ranging corruption probe of the Los Angeles City Council led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, successfully resulting in no criminal action against client.</li><li>Representation of a fund and its three managing members in connection with investigations led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the SEC related to a $500+ million Ponzi scheme and the prosecution of the perpetrator in the largest Hollywood Ponzi scheme ever, successfully resulting in no criminal or civil enforcement actions; featured in a lead story in <em>The New Yorker</em>, CNBC’s <em>America Greed</em>, and multiple documentaries, podcasts, and other publications.</li><li>Representation of senior executives for multiple entities in connection with U.S. Department of Justice criminal and civil enforcement investigations, and related FDA proceedings, related to COVID-19 testing protocols and devices.</li><li>Representation of a high-profile individual in connection with asset forfeiture and related proceedings concerning the 1MDB criminal prosecution in the Eastern District of New York.</li><li>Representation of a former senior research scientist of a multinational life sciences company in an internal investigation and parallel FDA investigation regarding alleged research misconduct by the former CEO in relation to the then-most expensive drug therapy ever, resulting in no enforcement action.</li></ul><h5>Internal and Board Investigations</h5><ul><li>Engaged by the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Attorney General to lead and conduct an independent review of DOJ’s public release of confidential personal information associated with firearms permit holders and applicants, and to prepare and release a public report setting forth detailed factual findings regarding the data release and recommendations for remedial actions.</li><li>Representation of a public multinational media company in multiple highly sensitive internal investigations into manipulation and tampering by third parties of core business activities and information, resulting in successful disruption and cessation of the improper activities and preservation of company’s business integrity.</li><li>Representation of a global auction house in an internal investigation of misconduct by senior executive and advising company leadership and board on mitigation and remediation arising from investigative findings.</li><li>Representation of a global FinTech entity in investigating alleged financial misconduct in Asia-Pacific region that came to light during due diligence for a time-sensitive and significant transaction, resulting in the successful closing of the transaction.</li><li>Representation of CEO and founder of prominent digital media company in board investigation of allegations of misconduct from co-founder, resulting in successful determination that allegations were unfounded.</li><li>Representation of senior public university executive in an investigation arising from whistleblower allegations of misconduct directed towards university’s leadership, resulting in successful finding of no wrongdoing.</li></ul><h5>Compliance Counseling, Crisis Management, and Due Diligence</h5><ul><li>Representation of a global FinTech entity in the design and implementation of a global compliance infrastructure related to the successful roll-out of a new payment tool.</li><li>Led crisis response for prominent investment funds in response to racially charged incidents at real estate developments in the wake of the George Floyd incident, resulting in successful resolution of the conflicts.</li><li>Led due diligence for prominent hedge fund in connection with potential/successful deal activity.</li></ul><h5>Complex Litigation and Trials</h5><ul><li>Representation of high-net-worth individual in dispute over distribution of significant marital estate in litigation across from former spouse, resulting in successful resolution for client.</li><li>Representation of a high-profile professional athlete in mediation and litigation across from former spouse regarding sensitive personal matters.</li><li>Representation of prominent Hollywood executive in connection with termination due to allegations of misconduct and subsequent successful arbitration resulting in finding that termination was unlawful, along with significant financial recovery for client.</li><li>Defense of a global auto manufacturer in consumer fraud litigation across California, including extensive trial preparation for multiple cases the led to successful resolution on favorable terms for client.</li><li>Representation of healthcare executive in complex financial dispute across from multiple insurance carriers, resulting in mediated settlement and dismissal of action.</li></ul>

Brian Michael

<p><span>C.B. Rome is an associate in Morrison Foerster’s Litigation Department, based in the Los Angeles office.</span></p><p><span>C.B. received her J.D., cum laude, from Loyola Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and recognized as a Sayre Macneil Scholar. While in law school, she served as chief note and comment editor for the<span> </span></span><em>Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review</em><span> </span><span>and as co-vice chair of Loyola’s LGBTQ student organization, OUTlaw. C.B. also participated in Loyola’s Project for the Innocent and worked as a research assistant to Professor Laurie Levenson.</span></p><p><span>During law school, C.B. was a summer associate at Morrison Foerster and a judicial extern to the Honorable Virginia A. Phillips at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. She also served as an extern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in the Central District of California. Prior to attending law school, C.B. worked as a broadcast journalist at CNN. She also served as a communication professional at a variety of nonprofits, including the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the Downtown Women’s Center.</span></p><p><span>C.B. received a B.A. in English, with honors, from The George Washington University.</span></p>

C.B. Rome

Associate

Litigation