Partner
Los Angeles
Tel: 1.213.243.2858
Fax: 1.213.243.2539
Email: basun@jonesday.com

Profile | Experience | Publications | Speaking Engagements

Related Services

• Corporate Criminal Investigations
• Trial Practice

Brian Sun has earned a national reputation as a distinguished trial lawyer specializing in complex business litigation and white-collar criminal defense. He has successfully litigated cases against some of the nation's top trial lawyers.

Brian represents Fortune 300 corporations, public and private companies, investment firms, accounting and law firms, automobile manufacturers, and individuals in state and federal courts and before administrative and regulatory agencies. He has successfully litigated complex business cases involving partnership disputes, intellectual property, securities, employment, unfair business practices claims, environmental, entertainment, professional negligence, and others.

In addition, as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, Brian distinguished himself by testifying before Congress and drafting and pioneering the passage of anti-money laundering legislation while serving as head of a multiagency federal task force targeting sophisticated money laundering operations in the U.S. and abroad.

Brian's criminal practice similarly covers a wide range of areas, including the full spectrum of business crimes: securities fraud, corporate internal investigations and fraud, tax fraud, bank fraud, customs and technology transfer violations, fraud in government procurement, and campaign finance violations involving prominent elected officials.

Some of his notable cases include:

• Lead counsel for former Los Alamos nuclear scientist Dr. Wen Ho Lee in a civil suit brought on Lee's behalf against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Justice alleging unlawful leaks by those federal agencies in Dr. Lee's internationally publicized espionage case. The suit resulted in an unprecedented $1.645 million payment by the government and several major media organizations in Dr. Lee's favor.

• Obtained a seven-figure jury verdict in federal court, affirmed on appeal, on behalf of a computer systems integration company against a software manufacturer in a dispute relating to the sale of software to an international telephone company.

• Represented a major auto manufacturer in a number of cases arising out of a nationwide dispute with the company's dealer network concerning allegations of commercial bribery.

• Co-lead trial counsel in a wrongful termination and discrimination suit against a national package delivery company. Won a jury verdict on behalf of an African-American employee who charged that the company wrongfully terminated him in retaliation for complaining and testifying about racial discriminatory practices at the company.

• Represented Johnny Chung and the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in separate matters involving political donations during the 1996 presidential campaign.

• Represented former Orange County auditor/controller, Steve Lewis, in connection with the 1994 Orange County bankruptcy and efforts by the Orange County district attorney seeking to remove him from office.

• Represented James J. Smith, a retired FBI counterintelligence agent accused of mishandling national security documents.

• Lead counsel for a major foreign multinational corporation accused of violating U.S. tax laws by not properly withholding income tax and remitting payroll tax on tens of millions of dollars of employee stock bonus compensation; the case resulted in a civil/criminal global settlement and no prosecution of any individual employee.

• Obtained a seven-figure judgment against the National Committee of a major political party on behalf of one of its former officers, who sought indemnification for his legal fees in various civil, criminal, and regulatory investigations probing his activities as a fund-raiser.

Brian is well known for his service to both the community and the legal profession. He is a former president of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. He has served as a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and has served on the boards of the Constitutional Rights Foundation and Southwestern University Law School. In 1992, he was appointed deputy general counsel to the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (the Christopher Commission) investigating the Rodney King incident. In 2000, he served as chair of the Litigation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Brian was named in 2005 by Lawdragon magazine as one of America's 500 leading lawyers. In 2007, Brian was recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as among the "Best of the Bar in Los Angeles." Brian was also named "Defense Attorney of the Year" by the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section for 2003 and was awarded the 2003 "Distinguished Service Award" by the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association for dedication to pro bono work. He was also the recipient of the 2001 American Jewish Congress Award for pro bono work on behalf of Dr. Wen Ho Lee. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and has been ranked twice among the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in California" by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He is also listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, 98 Best Lawyers in America, Los Angeles County Super Lawyers Top 100, and Who's Who in International Business Lawyers. Brian is a member of the prestigious Committee of 100, a nonpartisan organization of prominent Americans of Chinese descent who have demonstrated leadership in their respective fields and are committed to addressing important issues concerning the Chinese-American community and issues affecting U.S.-China relations.

Brian has lectured and written extensively on trial practice, ethics, white-collar crime, and corporate compliance with government regulations. He currently sits on the board of directors of Bet Tzedek and the board of trustees of Southwestern University School of Law. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Southwestern and has taught trial advocacy for the U.S. Department of Justice. He is also a former martial arts stuntman and Tae Kwon Do instructor.

California

University of Southern California (Phi Beta Kappa; B.A. magna cum laude 1976; J.D. 1979)

Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office, Los Angeles (1982-1986) and Chief, Financial Investigations Unit, U.S. Department of Justice (1984-1986)

Law Clerk to the Honorable A. Andrew Hauk, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (1979-1980)