Melinda L. Haag

Haag brings years of federal prosecutorial experience back to Orrick. She served as chief of the white collar section in San Francisco when Robert S. Mueller III was U.S. Attorney for the Northern District. She returned to Orrick, then was named by President Barack Obama to the position Mueller held in a district that remains an epicenter for complex, cutting-edge investigations and prosecutions.

"Working for Robert Mueller was an experience I've never had before or since," she said. "It was an honor. He is accurately portrayed as a man of extraordinary integrity. He made you want to learn from him and emulate him. It's no surprise that there have been no leaks from his current investigation, given the tone he sets."

Haag's current work at Orrick touches on national politics. She is lead counsel, on pro bono bases, for Oakland's mayor, Libby Schaaf, who has been threatened with legal action by the Trump administration for publicly disclosing the looming prospect of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in February. "What the mayor of Oakland did the other day was a disgrace," Trump said. "They say 85 percent [of the raid's targets] were criminals and the mayor went out and she warned them all." Haag confirmed that no litigation has been filed against Schaaf, though Attorney General Jeff Sessions has threatened subpoenas against California's sanctuary cities.

"There is nothing on the table so far and I hope and trust it will stay that way," Haag said. "I don't believe Mayor Schaaf has violated any law. Obviously she is on the mind of people at the highest levels of government." Haag is circumspect about the details of her representation. "I watched it all unfold in the press and thought I could help," she said, noting that she was not advising Schaaf before the ICE incident.

In mid-April, Haag arrived back in San Francisco from a foray to Las Vegas, where she was co-counsel for Wynn Resorts Ltd.'s general counsel, Kimmarie Sinatra, in a complex 5-year-old legal battle over boardroom control of Wynn Resorts. The civil matter involved dueling litigation involving former Wynn CEO Steve Wynn, his ex-wife and Kazuo Okada, a Japanese billionaire. The case settled the night before. "It was literally on the eve of trial," Haag said. "It was absolutely in my client's interest. She has many more important things to do. And no, she is no relation to Frank Sinatra."

-- John Roemer