Heather S. Nyong'o
Partner
“Heather is extremely well versed in her area of law. She is somebody whose judgment we can trust in high stakes matters.”
Chambers USA
“Heather’s advice is phenomenal; she is responsive, knowledgeable, and practical.”
Chambers USA
“She has a fantastic knowledge of the law and an unbelievable ability in the courtroom to win the judge and jury to her side.”
U.S. News, Best Lawyers
“[Heather] brings a wealth of experience from her time in the Department of Justice and also applies that knowledge in a practical and commercial manner.”
The Legal 500 U.S.
“[A]rguably the best antitrust trial lawyer in the country.”
U.S. News, Best Lawyers
Heather Nyong’o focuses her practice on antitrust enforcement, including governmental and criminal investigations, international cartel disputes, merger clearance, and other complex civil and criminal litigation.
With over two decades of white-collar and antitrust experience, Heather is a seasoned litigator and skilled first-chair trial lawyer. She regularly represents major multinational corporations and executives in complex investigations and litigation in the United States and abroad. Heather fully serves her clients across every phase of investigations and litigation, including through trial. She has led multiple notable cases for individuals and corporations in non-public grand jury investigations.
After spending nearly a decade working in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Heather brings a wealth of experience in government investigations, particularly those that result in criminal or civil litigation. She won the Attorney General’s Award, the DOJ’s second-highest honor, and handled some of the agency’s most significant investigations and criminal prosecutions in recent years. After her time at the DOJ, Heather developed and led a successful antitrust, complex civil and criminal litigation, and enforcement investigations practice at another prominent firm in the Bay Area, where she served as the partner-in-charge of that firm’s San Francisco office.
Heather joined the firm as a partner in 2021.
Notable Experience
Previous Experience
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Rohan Ramchandani, former head of European spot foreign exchange trading for a large financial institution, in the complete acquittal on a landmark federal grand jury indictment following an extensive two-week trial, in which he faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for his alleged involvement in one of the largest investigations in the history of cartel enforcement.
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Former CEO and CFO of Thornburg Mortgage, previously the second-largest independent mortgage company in the U.S., in the dismissal after jury trial of a lawsuit related to alleged securities violations arising out of the 2008 financial crisis.
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An international manufacturer in a price-fixing investigation into an alleged decade-long manufacturing cartel conducted by multiple national authorities and favorable settlement of follow-on class action litigation.
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Chesapeake Energy in rare dismissal of charges by the Michigan Attorney General of allegations of price-fixing and bid-rigging.
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A senior executive in rare dismissal of OCC charges relating to allegations of market manipulation, safety and soundness, and fiduciary duty violations.
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Multiple non-public grand jury and government investigations relating to alleged antitrust (price-fixing, market allocation, bid-rigging, and no-poach arrangements), FCPA, money-laundering, and fraud violations.
Selected Activities
triggerFellow, Litigation Counsel of America – Trial Lawyer Honorary Society
Vice Chair, Cartel and Criminal Enforcement Committee, American Bar Association
Member, American Bar Association International Task Force
Advisor, California Lawyer’s Antitrust, Unfair Competition, and Privacy Executive Committee
Former Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Competition, California State Bar and Westlaw
Publications
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DOJ Antitrust Creates Guidance for Evaluating Antitrust Compliance Programs
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Merger Safe Harbor for Sherman Act Violations Punishes Innocent Acquirors
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FTC Announces Revised Hart-Scott-Rodino Notification Thresholds Effective as of March 6, 2024
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Fourth Circuit Emphasizes Narrowness of the Per Se Rule in U.S. v. Brewbaker
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Court Ends Antitrust No-Poach Trial in U.S. v. Patel With Judgment of Acquittal
Events
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June 25, 2024
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June 13, 2024
PLI’s Criminal Prosecutions Under the California Cartwright Act
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May 2, 2024
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May 10, 2023
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May 2, 2023
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March 29, 2023
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May 13, 2022
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May 12, 2022
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April 6, 2022
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February 1, 2022
14th Annual Los Angeles/California Legal Market Conference 2022