Brook Dooley handles high-stakes criminal defense and complex civil litigation in jurisdictions across the United States. A first-chair trial lawyer, he has tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts and before arbitration panels across the country.
For more than 20 years, Brook has defended clients in government investigations. He has extensive experience with criminal investigations and trials involving mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, and public corruption. He advises clients on all manner of government enforcement matters, including Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and state attorney general inquiries.
Brook also handles complex civil litigation for publicly traded companies, private businesses, and senior executives. His civil cases are often complex and hotly contested, involving claims of breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and professional negligence.
Through his substantial pro bono practice, Brook has achieved life-changing outcomes in cases involving prisoners’ rights, gun violence prevention, and immigrants’ rights. In 2025, he received a CLAY Award from the Daily Journal for securing a landmark settlement for families separated from their children at the border. Brook serves on the Board of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Cases of Note
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Technology Company v. Internet Search Engine
We defended a leading Internet search engine in a high-stakes binding arbitration. The founders of a company acquired by our client alleged our client breached the merger agreement, and sought…
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Plaintiffs v. Technology Company
We successfully handled a series of state and federal class actions, and related derivative actions for our client concerning its alleged failure to disclose discord among its management. In the…
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United States v. Attorney
Special prosecutors appointed by the United States District Judge charged our client, a nationally-known Mississippi trial attorney, with federal criminal contempt. We persuaded the court to dismiss the charges following…
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United States v. Attorney
We represented a nationally-known Mississippi trial attorney in multiple federal criminal cases alleging judicial bribery and honest services fraud. Our client received favorable plea agreements.
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United States v. Executive
We represented an investment fund executive charged with criminal tax fraud related to a tax-shelter transaction that the fund designed and implemented. We resolved the matter by negotiating a plea…
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United States v. Lawyer
The U.S. Attorney’s Office investigated our client, a prominent plaintiff’s lawyer, in connection with the federal criminal investigation of his firm's historical payment of referral fees in class action litigation….
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Plaintiff v. Software Company
We defended a leading enterprise and mobile software company against breach of contract and related claims. The foreign plaintiff alleged he had entered into a joint venture with a company…
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Securities and Exchange Commission v. Executive
We defended a former Citigroup executive in one of the rare financial crisis cases to go to trial. Our client worked on the structuring desk at Citigroup and was charged…
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Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Investigation
We achieved a favorable resolution of an FDIC investigation of the former President and Chief of Operating Officer of a southern California bank in connection with the bank’s Option ARM…
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Securities and Exchange Commission v. Former Chief Executive Officer
We defended the former CEO of Fannie Mae in an SEC action filed in the Southern District of New York related to Fannie Mae’s disclosures regarding its exposure to “subprime”…
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United States v. Executive
During a nine-week trial, we defended the former chief financial officer of a British software company against federal criminal charges accusing our client of alleged accounting fraud, relating to an…
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ICTSI Oregon v. ILWU and its Locals 8 and 40
We defended the ILWU in a two-week jury trial in Portland, Oregon, against allegations by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. that the union and one of its locals engaged in…
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Peters, Gray, Staelin v. Infor
We represented a software provider in an earnout dispute with the senior executives of a company it acquired, filed counterclaims, and ultimately obtained a favorable pre-trial settlement.
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People of the State of California v. Blackhawk Manufacturing
In conjunction with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, California Attorney General’s Office, and Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence we obtained a settlement in a 17200 case where…
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Wilbur P.G. v. USA
We represented three immigrant families intentionally separated by the Trump Administration in 2018. Asserting novel claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, we vigorously pursued the case until the eve…
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Law Firm v. Law Firm
We represented a Bay Area union-side labor law firm in an arbitration related to the division of attorneys’ fees awarded in a wage-and-hour class action. After a four-day hearing, the…
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Mickelson et al. v. PGA TOUR
We represented the PGA TOUR in an antitrust lawsuit filed by 11 professional golfers who left the PGA TOUR and joined LIV Golf. We defeated plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary…
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County of San Mateo v. Sheriff Christina Corpus
We represented the County of San Mateo in California’s first-ever contested removal proceedings against an elected Sheriff. Following a 10-day evidentiary hearing, during which we presented testimony and evidence concerning…
News & Events
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17 Keker Partners Named Among Lawdragon’s Leading Litigators for 2027
Seventeen Keker, Van Nest & Peters lawyers have been named among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America for 2027. The annual guide recognizes lawyers’ exceptional work in handling disputes in areas inclu…
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Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Third Attempt to Cancel VA Union Contract
A federal judge has ruled for a third time that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cannot terminate its collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees, which covers mo…
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1st Circ. Keeps Union’s Contract With VA Intact During Appeal
The First Circuit denied a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs request to shelve its contract with a union representing government workers during an appeal, while also pausing a lower court’s order that the VA …
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Earns “Shout-Out” For Securing Injunction Restoring VA Union Agreement
Keker, Van Nest & Peters earned a “Litigator of the Week Shout-Out” from Law.com for securing a preliminary injunction on behalf of the American Federation of Government Employees’ National Veterans Affairs Cou…
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Keker Joins ABA in Celebrating Pro Bono Work
At Keker, Van Nest & Peters, pro bono work is an integral part of our firm. From challenging illegal mass deportation tactics, to pushing for criminal justice reform, to fighting for the rights of individuals a…
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High Court Ruling in Kousisis Bucks Trend of Narrowing Fraud Theories
In a Law360 Expert Analysis column, Brook Dooley, Sara Fitzpatrick, and Britta Kajimura analyze the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Kousisis v. U.S., a case addressing the so-called fraudulent inducement …
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Staying The Course Amid Seismic DOJ White Collar Changes
We are now more than four months into the second Trump administration. In that time, the administration has sought to enact seismic changes throughout government, including at the U.S. Department of Justice. Wi…
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Clay Award Honors Landmark Settlements for Families Separated by Trump-Era Policy
In a landmark legal victory, three immigrant families have secured sizable settlements from the U.S. government for trauma suffered during family separations at the southern border in 2018. The settlement, anno…
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Just One Cookie? Supreme Court to Decide Liability for Half-Truths
Keker attorneys Brook Dooley, Sara Fitzpatrick and Britta Kajimura analyze Thompson v. United States, a case that goes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 14 that could add to the court’s recent line of cases…
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Analysis of How White-Collar Enforcement May Shift in Trump’s 2nd Term
In an article for Law360, Keker attorneys Brook Dooley, Cody Gray, and Kayla Crowell analyze factors bearing on Trump’s ability to affect the U.S. Department of Justice’s day-to-day operations and preview for w…
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KVP Partners Recognized in 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
The 2025 edition of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America featured 13 KVP partners.
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Final Judgments Bar Manufacturers and Retailers from Selling Ghost Guns in California
Attorney General Bonta and District Attorney Jenkins announce final judgments barring manufacturers and retailers from selling ghost guns in California.
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Brook Dooley and Sara Fitzpatrick Discuss the Ripple Effects of the High Court’s Jan. 6 Rioter Case
Keker, Van Nest & Peters attorneys Brook Dooley and Sara Fitzpatrick discuss the ripple effects of the High Court’s Jan. 6 Riot in a recent piece featured on Law360.
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Brook Dooley and Hillary Irvin Discuss the Implications of United States v. Diaz with Reuters Legal News
Brook Dooley and Hillary Irvin discuss the potential implications of the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Diaz which centers on the interpretation of Federal Rule of Evidence 704(b).
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California Justices Won’t Review Stay of Two Uber Contractor Cases
The California Supreme Court denied petitions by the state’s labor commissioner and attorney general seeking review of lower court orders staying their cases alleging that Uber and Lyft misclassified drivers as…
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Am Law Litigation Daily: Another Dose of Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout Outs
Litigators at Keker, Van Nest & Peters land runners-up honors in the case they’re handling for the PGA Tour involving antitrust claims brought by suspended golfers who have joined the professional golf tour’s u…
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Federal judge denies LIV golfers bid for PGA Tour postseason
A federal judge in California ruled Tuesday that three golfers who joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf will not be able to compete in the PGA Tour’s postseason.
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters CLE Workshop 2022
This 2-day program, 1/24/22 and 1/25/22, qualifies for 6 hours of general CLE credit, 1 hour of ethics credit, and 1 hour of elimination of bias credit.
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Keker, Van Nest & Peters Teams with San Franciso DA’s Office and Giffords Law Center in Civil Prosecution Against Ghost Gun Manufacturers and Retailers
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announces that the District Attorney’s Office has submitted for filing a civil prosecution action against three corporations that manufacture and distribute ghost gu…
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KVP Files Amicus on Behalf of 24 Former Federal Judges In re: Michael Flynn
In an amicus brief filed by Keker, Van Nest & Peters, a group of two-dozen former federal judges are defending Judge Emmet Sullivan’s refusal to immediately approve the Justice Department’s bid to drop the pros…
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Another Judge Turns Back Lyft Driver Worker Reclassification Attempt Amid Pandemic
San Francisco Superior Judge Ethan Schulman denied a motion that would have reclassified Lyft drivers as employees, so that they can reap the state’s paid sick leave, agreeing with a federal judge who found tha…
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Lyft Drivers Lose Second Bid for Emergency Covid-19 Sick Pay
A group of Lyft drivers in California lost their latest bid to convince a state court judge to immediately reclassify them as employees with paid sick leave to help fight the spread of Covid-19.
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Senators’ Stock Sales Raise Corporate Insider Trading Concern
Brook Dooley was quoted by Bloomberg in an article about U.S. Senators selling stocks after briefings on COVID-19 raising concerns for potential insider trading.
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White Collar Cases and Trends to Watch at High Court
This October, white collar lawyers should set their eyes on Kelly v. United States, the one white collar criminal matter the Supreme Court has currently agreed to hear.[1] The case stems from New Jersey’s Bridg…
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White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2014 in Review
Brook Dooley and Eric MacMichael’s article highlights some of 2014’s key developments in white collar practice, along with cases to watch in 2015.
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Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933: Unanswered Questions
Brook Dooley and Matan Shacham provide an overview of Section 17(a), the key differences between Section 17(a) and Rule 10b-5, and significant unanswered questions regarding Section 17(a).
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Former Citigroup Manager Cleared in Mortgage Securities Case
Keker & Van Nest defeats the SEC in this high-profile case.
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Keker & Van Nest Leads Trial Team Which Disposed of NY AG’s Antitrust Suit
The New York Attorney General claimed Intel violated federal and state antitrust statutes by maintaining an illegal monopoly in the microprocessor market.
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Publications & Presentations
- “Uninvited Guests: What to Do When the Government Comes Knocking,” Keker, Van Nest & Peters CLE Annual Workshop, March 2026
- High Court Ruling in Kousisis Bucks Trend of Narrowing Fraud Theories, Law360, 2025, co-authored with Sara Fitzpatrick and Britta Kajimura
- Staying The Course Amid Seismic DOJ White Collar Changes, Law360, 2025, co-authored with Cody Gray and Kayla Crowell
- Just One Cookie? Supreme Court to Decide Liability for Half-Truths, The Recorder, 2025, co-authored with Sara Fitzpatrick and Britta Kajimura
- How White Collar Enforcement May Shift in Trump’s 2nd Term, Law360, 2024, co-authored with Cody Gray and Kayla Crowell
- High Court’s Jan. 6 Rioter Case May Have Wide Ripple Effects, Law360, 2024, co-authored with Sara Fitzpatrick
- Top White-Collar Criminal Trends of 2019, Daily Journal, 2020
- Reviewing 2019’s White Collar Cases And Controversies, Law360, 2020, co-authored with Eric MacMichael, Nick Goldberg, and Cecily Harris.
- White Collar Cases and Trends to Watch at High Court, Law360, 2019, co-authored with Cody Gray.
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2017 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2018, co-authored with Eric MacMichael, Nicholas Goldberg, and Cecily Harris
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2016 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2017, co-authored with Eric MacMichael and Nick Goldberg
- “Official Acts and McDonnell v. United States,” Westlaw Journal’s White-Collar Crime, 2016
- “2015 in Review: Securities Enforcement,” Bloomberg BNA Corporate Law & Accountability Report, 2016, co-authored with Eric MacMichael and Julia Choe
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2015 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2016, co-authored with Eric MacMichael and Nick Goldberg
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement,” Bar Association of San Francisco, 2015
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2014 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2015, co-authored with Eric MacMichael
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2013 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2014, co-authored with Eric MacMichael and Andrew Dawson
- “Securities Enforcement: 2013 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2014, co-authored with Matan Shacham
- “Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933: Unanswered Questions,” Bloomberg BNA Securities Regulation & Law Report, co-authored with Matan Shacham, 2013
- “White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement: 2012 in Review,” Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2013
- “Trends in White Collar Crime and Securities Enforcement,” Bar Association of San Francisco, 2013