Michael Attanasio

Michael Attanasio is in charge of the intellectual property, business litigation and employment groups at the law firm, Cooley LLP. He is the chair of its global Litigation Department and leads its growth strategy and lateral recruiting efforts. He is the Partner-in-Charge of the San Diego office of his law firm, Cooley LLP. He also serves on its management committee.

He has represented many companies in complicated business disputes in several high-profile and complex trials. He has helped individuals in investigations and prosecutions threatening their financial future and personal liberty.

Attorney Attanasio has over 25 years of trial experience. His practice areas include antitrust litigation, commercial class action litigation, commercial litigation, false claims act, international anti-corruption, international commercial arbitration, securities litigation, sports & entertainment, trials, and white collar & regulatory defense.

He is a fellow at the American College of Trial Lawyers. The District Court appointed him as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Attorney Discipline for the Southern District of California. He is one of the most sought-out trial lawyers in the country due to his leadership, dedication towards understanding the business of his clients and most importantly his trial skills.

One of his high-profile cases is when he acted as co-trial counsel for baseball legend Roger Clemens. the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia had brought the obstruction of Congress and perjury prosecution against Clemens.

He cross-examined prosecution witness Andy Pettitte, a former teammate of Clemens, which was a key turning point in the trial. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on all six counts after a nine-week trial. He also debunked the DNA evidence that prosecutors claimed linked Clemens to the use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout the trial and in his closing argument.

The daily journal has named him in the Top 100 Lawyers in California list. The Recorder granted him the Game Changer award for the case US v. Jacobson. The Law360 named him White Collar MVP. The Daily Journal named him in the Top Defense Verdicts list for the case, Moser v. Encore Capital et al.

He has won the John Marshall Award granted by the Attorney General for his legal achievement in the trial. The San Diego Daily Transcript named him in the Top San Diego County Attorneys for Criminal Law. Benchmark Litigation recognized him for Litigation and White Collar.