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Michael Li-Ming Wong
Partner
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Michael Li-Ming Wong is a litigation partner in the San Francisco office of Ropes & Gray. An experienced courtroom attorney who has never lost a trial, Michael focuses on white-collar criminal matters, complex civil litigation and internal corporate investigations, with a particular expertise in anti-corruption investigations.
As first-chair trial counsel, Michael has tried nearly twenty civil and criminal jury trials to verdict. He has also briefed and argued numerous appellate cases before state and federal courts of appeal. He has extensive experience in both civil and criminal litigation in federal and state courts across the country.
- As co-lead trial counsel, secured complete defense verdict on behalf of Seton Medical Center following three-week jury trial in San Mateo Superior Court in November 2011. Delivered opening statement and closing argument, persuading trial jurors unanimously to find in client’s favor in all causes of action and to award plaintiff, former Seton Medical Center CEO, zero damages despite plaintiff’s claim for multimillion-dollar award (subject to trebling under California law);
- As co-lead counsel, defeated plaintiff classes’ attempt to block $1.7 billion merger between Bare Escentuals & Shiseido; presented oral argument at court hearing on behalf of Bare Escentuals, leading to bench ruling in favor of client;
- As co-lead counsel, secured settlement of 100 cents on the dollar on behalf of Tang Capital and class in lawsuit against Affymetrix; on eve of court hearing to enjoin Affymetrix's proposed $330 million purchase of eBioscience Holding, Affymetrix agreed to repurchase $95.5 million of notes from clients at full par value, plus accrued interest and legal fees; matter was widely publicized in Bay Area press, including in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Business Week, The Recorder, and numerous other media outlets;
- As co-lead counsel, obtained complete dismissal of breach-of-contract action filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of provider of electronic data interchange services;
- Lead counsel in representation of automatic-teller machine (ATM) provider in business litigation in U.S. District Court.
Domestic and International Regulatory Representations
- As co-lead counsel, successfully represented former senior executive of Barclays Bank plc in connection with criminal investigation jointly conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and Manhattan District Attorney’s Office; secured result of no penalty and no mention of client in connection with $297 million settlement between Barclays and DOJ;
- Lead counsel in representation of Japanese manufacturing company in connection with trade-secrets investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI, resulting in no charges filed and no actions taken against clients;
- As lead counsel or co-lead counsel, successfully represented publicly-traded companies in multiple SEC insider-trading investigations, resulting in no charges filed and no actions taken against clients;
- As co-lead counsel, successfully represented former executives of Fortune 500 pharmaceutical manufacturer in an investigation by U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding the promotion of a prescription drug; government closed investigations without taking any action against clients;
- Co-lead counsel in representation of Fortune 500 health-care products company in connection with federal investigation into alleged physician kickback scheme and off-label marketing of pharmaceutical drugs;
- Lead counsel in representation of hospital system in internal investigation involving suspected billing fraud;
- Co-lead counsel in representation of Southern California hospital in internal investigation involving whistleblower allegations of Stark Act violations;
- Co-lead counsel in representation of national hospital system in qui tam matter involving False Claims Act allegations.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”)
- Recently traveled to the Baltics, Brazil, China, Eastern Europe, Japan, Mexico, the Middle East, and Russia as lead counsel or co-lead counsel in FCPA investigations, training and compliance on behalf of multiple clients;
- Lead counsel in designing and implementing numerous FCPA compliance and training programs around the globe;
- Lead counsel in conducting on-the-ground FCPA due diligence in connection with global private-equity company’s $150 million acquisition of China-based plastic and chemical products company;
- Co-lead counsel in FCPA investigation involving alleged kickbacks paid to doctors by sales representatives of Hungarian subsidiary of global pharmaceutical company;
- Delivered in-person FCPA compliance training to employees in China, India, Japan and U.S. offices of prominent Bay Area social-networking company; co-lead counsel in worldwide compliance review for that company;
- Co-lead counsel in representation of Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company on FCPA compliance and investigative matters in numerous countries;
- Co-lead counsel in investigation of China operations of global medical-product company;
- Lead counsel in representation of former sales executive indicted on federal criminal charges in connection with the U.S. Department of Justice’s and SEC’s investigation of alleged FCPA violations at a Bay Area telecommunications company;
- Co-lead counsel in representation global private-equity firm in FCPA due diligence in connection with proposed acquisition of pharmaceutical distributor with operations in Central America and South America;
- Co-lead counsel in FCPA investigation and training programs for international medical-device manufacturer, including on-the-ground work in South America, China and Russia.
Prior to joining Ropes & Gray in 2008, Michael served for more than eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Chief of the White Collar Crimes Section, where he supervised a team of experienced Assistant United States Attorneys and oversaw investigations, prosecutions and trials concerning corporate fraud, health care fraud, mortgage fraud, bank fraud, environmental crimes, civil rights offenses, and public corruption. Michael was a founding member of the Northern District’s Stock Options Backdating Task Force and also represented the Northern District on the President’s Corporate Fraud Task Force. He frequently worked on parallel civil-criminal matters with SEC enforcement attorneys in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
From 2004 to 2005, Michael served as Chief of the Major Crimes Section, where he trained and supervised all new Assistant United States Attorneys and oversaw the largest and busiest unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As an Assistant United States Attorney, Michael served as lead counsel on some of the district’s most significant and high-profile matters, including cases involving allegations of multi-million dollar fraud schemes, health care fraud, commodities fraud, stock-options backdating, mortgage fraud, and public corruption. His cases have been covered in national publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, as well as by local newspapers and Bay Area television stations.
In 2004, and again in 2008, Michael was flown to Washington, D.C., to receive the U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Michael has taught trial advocacy at Stanford Law School, University of California-Hastings College of the Law, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
Prior to law school, Michael was a reporter for a daily newspaper. He won numerous professional awards for his investigative journalism, including the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Newswriting Award and the Kansas City Press Club Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Honors & Awards
- U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney (2004, 2008)
- Numerous law enforcement awards and commendations, including the FBI Director’s Award (2007)
- Selected as one of the nation’s “Best Lawyers Under 40,” National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (2005)
- Temple Bar Scholar in London, England (1996)
Professional & Civic Activities
- Board of Directors, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival
- Co-Chair, Government Enforcement & Compliance Committee, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- Member, Asian American Bar Association, Bay Area Chapter
- Honorary Member, Commercial Bar Association of London
- Member, Temple Bar Committee, American Inns of Court
- Member, Edward J. McFetridge Inn of Court
Clerkships
- Honorable José A. Cabranes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States
©1996-2012 Ropes & Gray LLP. All rights reserved.
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Education
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JD, magna cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1994; Boykin C. Wright Prize; Mead Prize; Editor, Harvard Law Review
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BA (English), Pomona College, 1990; Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- California
- District of Columbia
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