Brian Sun

Brian Sun has earned a national reputation as a distinguished trial lawyer specializing in complex business litigation and white-collar criminal defense. He has successfully litigated cases against some of the nation’s top trial lawyers.

Brian represents Fortune 300 corporations, public and private companies, investment firms, accounting and law firms, automobile manufacturers, and individuals in state and federal courts and before administrative and regulatory agencies. He has successfully litigated complex business cases involving partnership disputes, intellectual property, securities, employment, unfair business practices claims, environmental, entertainment, professional negligence, and others.

In addition, as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, Brian distinguished himself by testifying before Congress and drafting and pioneering the passage of anti-money laundering legislation while serving as head of a multi-agency federal task force targeting sophisticated money laundering operations in the U.S. and abroad.

Brian’s criminal practice similarly covers a wide range of areas, including the full spectrum of business crimes. Some of his notable cases include:

· Co-counsel for former Los Alamos nuclear scientist Dr. Wen Ho Lee who was falsely accused by the U.S. government of spying for the People’s Republic of China. Lee, who was indicted on 59 counts of mishandling nuclear secrets, pled guilty to a single charge of mishandling classified data after serving nine months in solitary confinement. A civil suit on Lee’s behalf against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Justice is still pending.
· Represented Johnny Chung and the His Lai Buddhist Temple in separate matters involving political donations during the 1996 presidential campaign.

Brian is well known for his service to both the community and the legal profession. He is a former president of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. He has served as a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and has served on the boards of the Constitutional Rights Foundation and Southwestern University Law School. In 1992, he was appointed deputy general counsel to the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (the Christopher Commission) investigating the Rodney King incident. In 2000, he served as chair of the Litigation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Lawdragon Magazine as one of America’s 500 leading lawyers named Brian in 2005. Brian was also named “Defense Attorney of the Year” by the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section for 2003 and was awarded the 2003 “Distinguished Service Award” by the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association for dedication to pro bono work. He was also the recipient of the 2001 American Jewish Congress Award for pro bono work on behalf of Dr. Wen Ho Lee. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and has been ranked twice among the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in California” by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He is also listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers, 98 Best Lawyers in America, Los Angeles County Super Lawyers Top 100, Who’s Who in International Business Lawyers. Brian is a member of the prestigious Committee of 100.

Brian has lectured and written extensively on trial practice, ethics, white-collar crime, and corporate compliance with government regulations. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Bet Tzedek and the Board of Trustees of Southwestern University School of Law. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Southwestern and has taught trial advocacy for the U.S. Department of Justice. He is also a former martial arts stuntman Tae Kwon Do instructor.

Brian graduated, Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. magna cum laude in 1976 and J.D. 1979. He was Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles (1982-1986) and Chief, Financial Investigations Unit, U.S. Department of Justice (1984-1986). He was a Law Clerk to the Honorable A. Andrew Hauk, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (1979-1980).