Vicki Chou and Mike Purpura have once again been named “Top White Collar Lawyers” in California by the Daily Journal.
Ms. Chou is a former U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles and a key member of the white collar and investigations team. “Her ability to step into cases on short notice, often replacing star litigators from major law firms, demonstrates her exceptional skills and the trust clients place in her capabilities,” notes the Daily Journal. She played a pivotal role in securing a unique plea agreement in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal and a favorable plea agreement for Marilyn Flynn, former dean of USC’s School of Social Work on federal corruption charges. Editors further noted that her “approach to legal challenges is characterized by creativity and a deep understanding of the law.”
Mr. Purpura has served as an adviser to two United States Presidents, handling complex separation-of-powers issues between the executive and legislative branches, worked as a commercial litigator in private practice, and served as a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. “In many of my representations since entering private practice, there has been tremendous media and political attention,” said Mr. Purpura to editors. “I have found that my experience has been valuable in helping our clients successfully navigate public attention as well as the legal issues.” Mr. Purpura’s notable cases include representing former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, former Deputy Counsel Patrick Philbin, and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe in the DOJ investigations into the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol and the handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. He was also recently retained by the State of Hawaii to assist with legal and strategic issues arising from the devastating Maui wildfires.