Described by Benchmark Litigation as one of the “brightest litigators across the US” and by Chambers as “incredibly smart” and “tenacious, engaging and hard charging,” Vicki Chou is an accomplished trial lawyer and a key member of both the Trial Practice and the White Collar and Investigations teams.
Recognized among the “Top White Collar Attorneys” in California by the Daily Journal, Ms. Chou leverages her public-sector experience to develop unique strategies that solve the most complex business issues. She secured a unique plea agreement for one of the highest-profile criminal defendants in the “Varsity Blues” college admissions case; secured a favorable plea agreement, including a sentencing recommendation from the government of probation, for the former dean of USC’s School of Social Work on federal corruption charges in an alleged bribery scheme involving a public official (Los Angeles Times); and secured a declination for Southern California Edison in the criminal investigation of the deaths caused by the California wildfires.
Ms. Chou also has an active trial practice and obtained a favorable settlement, after a week of trial, for Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital) in a lawsuit involving breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation and alter ego claims, as well as a settlement for Palantir Technologies on the eve of trial in a tortious interference action.
As an assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California, Ms. Chou represented the United States in hundreds of criminal cases involving computer and internet fraud, intellectual property, money laundering, bank fraud, tax fraud, and racketeering offenses. Many of her matters included high-level international coordination, including a case in which she successfully negotiated a first-of-its-kind joint investigative agreement with a European country. She has successfully tried over 10 cases as lead counsel and won every one of her appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was awarded the Director of National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation for her work involving China. Her many notable prosecutions include the indictment of El Mayo, the counterpart to El Chapo and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the successful convictions of two individuals and a corporation for money laundering in connection with the Los Angeles Fashion District takedown.
Ms. Chou has been recognized as a rising star by multiple publications. She was named to a list of “up and coming” lawyers in California by Chambers USA and a list of “Top White Collar Attorneys” in California by the Daily Journal, and on the “40 & Under List” and a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Ms. Chou is one of only 20 lawyers recognized in the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s (NAPABA) 2020 “Best Under 40,” a significant accomplishment, as the field includes those in all areas of law, including the judiciary, academia, and politics.
Ms. Chou has also been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal multiple times, including in the “Top 100 Lawyers,” “Women of Influence,” “Minority Leaders of Influence: Attorneys,” “Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys,” and “Leaders of Influence: Thriving in Their 40s.”
Updated Aug 2023
