News About Marisa Chun

MARISA CHUN TAPPED FOR TOP JUSTICE POST

San Francisco, April 20, 2009 - Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP Partner A. Marisa Chun has been appointed to serve as Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, starting May 1, 2009. Ms. Chun, who has practiced at the Coblentz firm for nearly a decade, brings civil litigation and leadership experience, in returning to the Justice Department, where she began her legal career.

The Associate Attorney General is the third-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office of the Associate Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General in formulating and implementing the Department's policies and programs pertaining to a broad range of civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters. The Office oversees the Department's civil litigating components, including the Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environmental and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions. A Principal Deputy and four Deputies, including Ms. Chun, will assist Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli with respect to his responsibilities.

Richard R. Patch, the Firm's Litigation Chairman, said, "We are thrilled that Marisa has been selected by the Obama Administration for this position. Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass has a longstanding tradition of public service and we are proud that Marisa will be continuing this Coblentz tradition, by serving the nation."

Ms. Chun joined Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass in 1999 and became a partner in 2003. She practices complex civil litigation, with an emphasis on business litigation, consumer protection and unfair business practices actions, appellate litigation, and employment law. At Coblentz, she has worked on a wide variety of cases in the federal and state courts, including disputes involving breach of contract, business torts, unfair competition and antitrust, cable and telecommunications, trade secrets, employment, securities, and First Amendment claims.

"I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the American people and the Justice Department at this critical time in our history," said Ms. Chun. "At the same time, I will miss my colleagues at Coblentz very much. Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass has always stood for excellence in lawyering and the best values of our profession, so I hope to apply what I have learned here in Washington, D.C."

Ms. Chun first joined the Department of Justice in 1992, through the Attorney General's Honors Program. She served as a Trial Attorney and Senior Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division, from 1992 to 1996, where she investigated and prosecuted public employers for violations of federal civil rights laws.

Ms. Chun has been actively involved in the legal community. She has served as Chair of the State Bar of California's Federal Courts Committee, Chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco's (BASF) Litigation Section, a Lawyer Representative for the Northern District of California to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and President of the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California. She was appointed by Chief Judge Vaughn Walker to the Northern District's Federal Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Review Panel, which recommended the re-appointment of Magistrate Judges Edward Chen and Richard Seeborg. Her pro bono work at Coblentz has included serving as a mediator for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Ms. Chun received her B.A. from Yale University, summa cum laude, in 1987. She graduated from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 1991, where she served as Developments Editor of the Harvard Law Review. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert Boochever of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.