Featured Lawyer: Rachel K. Paulose
Rachel K. Paulose
Partner
DLA Piper
What is your area of practice?
I advise clients facing criminal investigations; conducting internal investigations; defending against government regulatory action; litigating civil actions, including commercial, securities, health care and cybersecurity suits; appealing civil and criminal cases; and policymaking. I have litigated, investigated, managed, and developed policy for cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; False Claims Act; white collar criminal and civil violations; and commercial statutes.
Why are you unique?
I am the only Twin Cities attorney with criminal and civil litigation and investigatory experience at the United States Department of Justice and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. I thrive on challenge, and I excel at crafting creative applications of the law to significant challenges. I have worked on landmark cases involving everything from the first Internet pump and dump scheme in the country to the first recidivist action against a municipality which violated the federal securities laws in its bond offerings to the first national class action suit demanding universal health care.
How did you do it?
As a former U.S. Attorney, first chair trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and senior policy advisor to two U.S. Attorneys General and other senior government leaders, I am grateful for the ways in which my government experience helped me understand how best to solve litigation, investigation, regulation, and policy problems. I enjoy working in a collaborative environment with dynamic colleagues on intellectually engaging issues to help solve problems for clients.
What do you like about the Twin Cities?
This is a progressive city with citizens who are invested in their community; business leaders who are committed to growth, innovation, and client service; and institutions which are dedicated to the public good. I am so grateful my grandfather immigrated to this community fifty years ago and gave four generations of his family the opportunity to call Minnesota home.
Who were the people critical to your success and who do you want to thank?
I have been incredibly blessed to have learned from and worked with people of high character, great intellect, and wise judgment. My family gives me unconditional love and prayers. My thoughtful professors and classmates at Yale Law School even now critically shape my perspective on the law as an instrument of justice. My clerkship with Judge James B. Loken of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit gave me the most rigorous training as a newly minted attorney. My generous mentors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office devoted much time and energy to training me when I served as the youngest Assistant U.S. Attorney in the office. My uniformly outstanding colleagues at Williams & Connolly LLP entrusted me with significant responsibility as we made law on high-profile, “bet the company” litigation for remarkable clients. My dedicated law enforcement partners who collaborated with me when I served as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota helped us set new priorities which brought justice to especially vulnerable members of our society, including victims of human trafficking, child pornography, and financial fraud. My incredibly supportive partners at DLA Piper LLP make it a joy to come to work every day serving a global clientele from the city I love. And Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, especially Val and Lily, are “all in” their commitment to making diversity a reality in our legal community, for which we should all be thankful.