Federal Prosecutor Alicia Villarreal Joins Morgan Lewis in Los Angeles
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date:
11/30/2006 -
news source:
Press Releases
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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30, 2006: Morgan Lewis is extremely pleased to announce that Alicia Villarreal, Senior Litigation Counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, will be joining the firm as a partner in the Litigation Practice as of January 2. Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Villarreal will focus on commercial litigation, corporate compliance, and internal investigations.
“Alicia is an outstanding trial lawyer and an incredibly energetic and dynamic person,” said David L. Schrader, Managing Partner of Morgan Lewis’s Los Angeles office. “We are thrilled she is joining us. She is a perfect addition to the potent litigation team we have assembled in Los Angeles.”
“Alicia's arrival benefits the Litigation Practice firmwide,” added James D. Pagliaro, head of Morgan Lewis’s global Litigation Practice. “She'll be part of an elite cadre of white-collar trial lawyers across the firm's domestic offices.”
Since joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1992, Ms. Villarreal has conducted numerous jury trials and has supervised and trained other Assistant U.S. Attorneys in conducting trials and complex grand jury investigations. She has investigated and prosecuted violations of federal white-collar crimes, including public corruption, corporate fraud, healthcare fraud, defense contractor fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, and national security matters. She also has coordinated criminal prosecutions with civil suits brought by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Villarreal has written more than 30 appellate briefs and handled related oral arguments before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ms. Villarreal is founding president of the Mexican American Bar Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to Latina/o law students attending local law schools. She has been honored by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women for her dedication to public service.
Ms. Villarreal earned her B.S., M.P.A, and J.D. from the University of Texas. She served as Deputy Chief of the Public Corruption & Government Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 2001 to 2004. Most recently, she has led the prosecution of defendants in national security cases—including that of former FBI agent Denise Woo. Ms. Villarreal has received numerous awards for her handling of prosecutions; she was twice recognized by the U.S. Attorney General, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association recently honored her with its national award for Investigative Excellence.
“I am proud to be joining Morgan Lewis, a firm with a well-deserved outstanding reputation for counseling global clients in today's complex legal and business environment,” Ms. Villarreal said. “I am excited to be a part of this diverse and talented legal team.”
About Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Morgan Lewis is a global law firm with more than 1,300 lawyers in 21 offices located in Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Harrisburg, Irvine, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information about Morgan Lewis or its practices, please visit us online at www.morganlewis.com.