RANDY K. JONES

SAN DIEGO - Randy K. Jones joined Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. in 2015 as a member of the litigation, white collar crime and government investigations practice. His move to private practice followed a 28-year career as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District where he tried more than 50 white collar and other criminal cases to verdict and litigated and settled hundreds more.

He's on Mintz' executive compensation committee and its pro bono practice group. He's also a past president of the National Bar Association.

A job fair on campus at the University of North Carolina School of Law led Jones to a job in the U.S. Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps and a posting to San Diego. "I wanted to travel and try cases, and they told me there'd be a stack of files on my desk from day one," he said. "I was from rural North Carolina -- I'm a double Tar Heel -- and the big city really appealed to me. I haven't left since."

The job as a federal prosecutor followed. "That was a natural progression for me to hone my skills," Jones said. "Then I woke up one day and felt I wanted something different. I was fortunate to get some interviews with firms. Mintz felt like home right away."

For a client charged in a 10-count federal indictment by federal prosecutors in the first-ever case brought under the CAN-SPAM Act, Jones secured a favorable resolution -- even though the client faced exposure to multiple years in prison.

The law, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003, sets standards for the sending of commercial emails. U.S. v. Bychak et al., 3:18-cr- 04683 (S.D. Cal., filed Oct. 31, 2018).

Jones' client, Mark Manoogian, is a former manager of a global digital advertising firm. He was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and electronic mail fraud. Jones was able to persuade his former colleagues at the U.S. attorney's office to allow Manoogian to plead guilty to one count, a no-jail misdemeanor charge with a modest fine. "My client was a low-level manager, and this was a great result," Jones said.

In a high-profile pro bono impact litigation, Jones worked with the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties and other groups to challenge San Diego's cellphone seizure practices and achieved a settlement that included reforms. Griffin-Jones v. City of San Diego, 3:21- cv-00024 (S.D. Cal., filed Jan. 7, 2021).

His client, Christina Griffin-Jones, was arrested during a peaceful protest over the George Floyd murder. The police refused to return her phone for months. Under the settlement, officers must obtain a warrant to hold or search any phone they seize or return the phone within a reasonable time frame. "We hope this will be a model for other jurisdictions," Jones said.

He added: "I'm having a good time working on this side of the fence and trying to make a difference."