Matt Yelovich is an experienced first-chair trial and appellate lawyer.

He has deep knowledge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, having served in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Northern and Eastern Districts of California for a decade, where he held senior leadership positions across administrations of both parties. He represents individuals and companies in all stages of enforcement proceedings, including internal and government investigations, trial, and appeal. Matt’s complex civil litigation practice capitalizes on his courtroom experience; he brings his knowledge of judge and jury to bear in all stages. His years of advising office leadership and fellow prosecutors on the most complex questions now benefit his clients. As a Chambers-ranked attorney, clients have lauded his strategic and practical advice, saying, “Matt is a guiding force” who “takes the time to understand our business and is always open and honest in his communications with us.”

Prior to joining Cleary, Matt served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, overseeing approximately 100 federal criminal prosecutors. Before that, he served as Appellate Chief, overseeing all briefing and argument at the Ninth Circuit, where he successfully argued numerous federal appeals. In these roles, Matt provided legal and strategic advice on the Office’s most significant white-collar cases—including the prosecutions of Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani of Theranos, prominent cyber and trade secrets cases in Silicon Valley, and one of the largest seizures of cryptocurrency in DOJ history. He regularly coordinated with leadership across Main Justice sections and other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices on health care, fraud, and appellate matters. Clients praise his “tremendous background as a former federal prosecutor,” noting his ability “to quickly understand the dynamics involved in supporting a fast-growth company.”

Matt has investigated, tried, and litigated on appeal a wide variety of white-collar matters, including corporate, health care, and tax fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, money laundering, professional sports-related schemes, and public corruption. Matt has substantial experience with briefing and arguing complex issues of first impression, including those involving foreign sovereign immunity and statutory construction, and cross-border legal issues, including extradition proceedings and international discovery.

Matt joined the firm as a partner in 2024. Since then, he has represented a broad range of companies and individuals in high-stakes investigations and litigation, advised dozens of global institutions on navigating shifting developments in federal and state law, and served as lead editor of the firm’s sixth edition of the Global Crisis Management Handbook.

 

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Notable Experience

Enforcement and Investigations

  • Represented a Fortune 50 company in a False Claims Act investigation with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

  • Represented the CEO and co-founder of a blockchain development company in a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

  • Represented a private equity firm and a healthcare company in federal and state False Claims Act investigations related to billing practices and payment arrangements.

  • Represented a Fortune 50 company in an investigation by a state Attorney General regarding “surveillance pricing.”

  • Represented a global financial institution and its employees in a criminal fraud investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

  • Conducted numerous internal investigations involving senior executives, including relating to confidential information, workplace safety, and government billing practices.

  • Advised multiple multinational companies on complying with trade, national security, and DEI-related executive orders, conducting risk assessments, drafting disclosures, and navigating related enforcement developments.

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Complex Litigation

  • Represented Amazon in a class action in federal court in the Western District of Washington alleging price gouging related to every product sold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Represented Capital One in merger litigation in the Northern District of California and Ninth Circuit related to its acquisition of Discover.

  • Represented GTCR BC Holdings LLC in successfully defeating the FTC’s challenge to the acquisition of Surmodics Inc. in the Northern District of Illinois.

  • Represented a group of digital asset investors in federal litigation in federal district courts across the country and multiple appeals before the Ninth Circuit challenging international discovery.

  • Represented investment industry group in Third Circuit amicus briefing regarding novel tax theories advanced by the Internal Revenue Service.

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Selected Activities

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  • Member, Northern District of California Federal Criminal Practice Committee
  • Executive Committee Member, Federal Bar Association, Northern District of California Chapter

  • Criminal Justice Act Panel Member, Northern District of California (selected by the Judges of the Northern District of California)
  • Appellate Lawyer Representative (selected by the Judges of the Ninth Circuit), 2023-2026
  • Founding and Executive Committee Member, Bay Area Appellate Inn of Court
  • Board Member, Northern District of California Court Historical Society
  • Previously served as a Lecturer in Law, Stanford Law School, and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
  • Fellow, Institute for Law & Strategy
  • Member, Pacific Council on International Policy

Publications

Events