Mary Carter Andrues

Andrues, a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, opened white collar defense boutique law firm Andrues/Podberesky this month with longtime criminal defense attorney Vicki I. Podberesky. She now defends companies and individuals she may have once investigated.

"I've always felt, whether it was as a prosecutor or defense lawyer, that my job was to protect individuals' constitutional right. I don't think that differs between jobs," Andrues said. "And I've always been in court, so being in court as a defense lawyer really wasn't that much of a transition for me."

Recently departing from Arent Fox LLP where she was the firmwide white collar and investigations practice group leader, Andrues focuses on white-collar criminal defense; internal corporate investigations; anti-corruption and bribery compliance, defense and investigations; international and domestic export compliance and enforcement; health care fraud and abuse; and complex commercial litigation. She has more than 25 years of trial experience.

One case Andrues is particularly proud of is the successful pro bono representation of Film @ Eleven, which fought attempts by the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, or MICT, to keep the film "The Uncondemned" from being released. Prosecutor v. Akayesu, MICT-13-30-R90.1 (ICTR 2016).

The MICT sought to prevent Film @ Eleven and the three survivors profiled in the film from telling their story of being raped during the Rwandan genocide and enduring the groundbreaking trial that first prosecuted mass rape as a war crime. After submitting a briefing to MICT judges defending the film company and the survivors' right to self-identify, the MICT ordered the prosecutor's office to drop all contempt investigations and withdrew its orders blocking distribution of the film.

"The film went forward, and has been screened nationwide and worldwide," Andrues said. "For me personally, it was important because these women wanted to tell their story. They wanted to help other victims of sexual violence and rape, whether it's in a time of war or otherwise, by showing there are other people who have suffered similarly and that there's a bravery, courage and a community in survival."

— Jennifer Chung Klam