LUIS LI is a trial lawyer in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. His practice focuses on corporate crisis management, internal corporate investigations, complex business litigation, art law, international enforcement matters and white collar criminal defense. As an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles, Mr. Li tried nearly twenty federal cases to verdict.
Before rejoining the firm as a partner in 2005, Mr. Li served three years as Chief of the Criminal Branch of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, where he directed one of the largest prosecutorial agencies in California.
Mr. Li’s white collar practice includes federal criminal jury trials, numerous internal corporate investigations, SEC proceedings, civil and administrative investigations, state attorney general matters, and international criminal and civil matters.
Mr. Li’s representative white collar engagements include:
- Represented at trial a high-level executive of a publicly traded internet advertising company criminally charged with fraudulently inflating the company’s revenues. Following a two-week trial in federal court, the jury acquitted the client on all charges after only two hours of deliberation despite the testimony of two company executives who pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
- Led an internal investigation for the J. Paul Getty Trust relating to the provenance of objects in its antiquities collection. The representation resulted in the successful settlement of claims with the governments of Italy and Greece. This investigation also focused on expenditures of Getty Trust funds and other corporate governance issues. A parallel investigation by the California Attorney General was resolved to the client’s satisfaction.
- Representation of an officer of one of the largest sub-prime mortgage companies in the United States in relation to SEC and US Attorney investigations into the collapse of the company.
- Representation of a number of senior executives in technology companies in relation to SEC and US Attorney investigations into purported stock options “backdating” practices.
- Representation of a government contactor accused of defrauding the City of San Francisco. No charges were filed.
- Representation of a major defense contractor in connection with an investigation by the US Attorney’s office into alleged environmental violations.
Mr. Li also handles a wide spectrum of civil litigation matters, including the defense of a major securities class action arising out of the sub-prime mortgage industry’s collapse and the defense of a claim brought against a major Los Angeles area museum relating to two 16th Century panels by German painter Lucas Cranach the Elder.
Los Angeles City Attorney's Office - Chief of Criminal Branch
From 2002 - 2005, under Mr. Li’s supervision, the Criminal Branch's 270 prosecutors achieved the highest conviction rate in over a decade. Mr. Li also was responsible for directing and implementing the largest neighborhood-based prosecution program in the nation, as well as numerous other programs aimed at improving public safety in Los Angeles.
US Attorneys Office - Los Angeles
From 1995 - 2002, Mr. Li served as an Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, where he concentrated on complex, large-scale racketeering and organized crime matters. From 2000 - 2002, Mr. Li was Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section responsible for overseeing the investigation and prosecution of organized crime and terrorism, including the successful prosecution of numerous violent, international criminal organizations.
As a federal prosecutor, convictions obtained by Mr. Li at trial include, among others: 24 members of the largest racketeering organization in Southern California, a professional football player who plotted to murder a federal district judge, and members of a white supremacist prison gang.
Mr. Li also argued frequently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and received several special commendations during his tenure, including the Director's Award from the Department of Justice for Superior Performance.
Community Service/Personal
Mr. Li has taught trial advocacy and criminal procedure as an Adjunct Professor at the U.S.C. Gould School of Law. He as also lectured at the U.C.L.A. School of Law.
In 1997, Mr. Li reached the summit of Denali (also known as Mount McKinley). He lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife Jenny, also an attorney, and his daughter Sofia.
Education
- University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (J.D., 1991); Associate Editor, California Law Review
- Yale University (B.A., cum laude, English, 1987); Distinction in major
Clerkships
- Clerk to Judge Dickran Tevrizian, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1991-1992
