RashaGerges Shields

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Los Angeles + 1.213.243.2719

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Rasha Gerges Shields is a former federal prosecutor and an experienced first-chair trial and appellate lawyer. Rasha defends companies and executives in high-stakes civil cases and criminal investigations. She also assists companies in conducting internal investigations and developing effective compliance programs. She has been the lead trial counsel in federal court and has argued before the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, the California Court of Appeal, and federal/state trial courts.

Rasha was an Assistant United States Attorney for more than seven years and served as Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section. As a federal prosecutor, she first-chaired trials and directed law enforcement in grand jury and wiretap investigations. Her investigations and prosecutions involved a variety of crimes, including money laundering, organized crime, high-level drug trafficking, and fraud.

Rasha received California Minority Counsel Program's Law Firm Diversity Leader Award in 2018. She serves as president of the UCLA Law Alumni Association and of the Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California. She is a member of the board of directors of California ChangeLawyers, is secretary of the LA Chapter of the Women's White Collar Criminal Defense Association, co-chairs LACBA's Dialogues on Freedom Committee, is on the Steering Committee for Just the Beginning, and volunteers at El Rancho High School's Teen Court.

Rasha serves on Jones Day's Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement Committee. She immigrated to the United States from Egypt and was the first in her extended family to obtain a post-graduate degree.

Experience

  • Swiss bank employees avoid U.S. criminal tax chargesJones Day represented a pool of current and former employees of a large Swiss financial institution being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly aiding and abetting tax evasion by the bank's U.S. customers.
  • International U.S.-based software company conducts internal investigation into allegations of employee misconductJones Day conducted an internal investigation into allegations that employee misconduct resulted in the disclosure of confidential information of an international U.S.-based software company.
  • Global packaging company conducts independent investigation in Netherlands of breached shipping containerJones Day conducted an independent investigation in the Netherlands arising after a global packaging company discovered that a container used to transport the company's products from the United States to Europe contained a large amount of narcotics.
  • U.S. company responds to bribery investigation by Chinese GovernmentJones Day represented a U.S. company in connection with requests by the Chinese government for testimony and documents, pursuant to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, in a bribery investigation involving our client's business transactions with a Chinese company.
  • Internet software company avoids criminal copyright infringement chargesJones Day represented an internet software company and its partners in a criminal investigation conducted by the FBI for allegedly selling counterfeit software.
  • Scholars file amicus brief in Ninth Circuit related to executive order on immigrationJones Day filed an amicus brief on behalf of a group of constitutional law scholars to assist the Ninth Circuit as it considered whether to grant an emergency stay of a temporary injunction entered by the District Court for the Western District of Washington.
  • Parallel Capital Partners sells 12 office buildings located in Sorrento Valley area of San Diego to Boston-based Longfellow Real Estate PartnersJones Day advised Parallel Capital Partners, Inc. in its $112 million sale of 12 office buildings located in the Sorrento Valley area of San Diego to Boston-based Longfellow Real Estate Partners.
  • California Women's Law Center and Veterans Legal Institute file amicus brief in U.S. Supreme Court advocating for the rights of active duty mothers and their childrenJones Day filed an amicus brief on behalf of California Women's Law Center and Veterans Legal Institute to assist the U.S. Supreme Court as it considered whether to grant a petition for writ of certiorari relating to the rights of children of active duty mothers to allege negligence claims against military hospitals for birth injuries. 
  • Legal scholars file amicus brief in Second Circuit in support of sexual assault victim at military academyJones Day filed an amicus brief on behalf of a group of legal scholars to assist the Second Circuit as it considered whether a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point could bring claims under the Federal Torts Claims Act for the rape and sexual harassment she endured.
  • Jones Day obtains asylum for unaccompanied minor from GuatemalaA Jones Day Los Angeles team of Rasha Gerges Shields, Michael Dailey, Jessica Sawyer, and Joe Gonzalez recently obtained asylum for our client, W.C., an unaccompanied minor who fled Guatemala for the United States at age 16.
  • Federated defends employee arbitration programFederated Department Stores, Inc. retained Jones Day to enforce its nationwide voluntary employment arbitration program, including its class action waiver, in the face of multiple putative class actions involving wage-hour claims.
  • Bloomingdale's wins disqualification of class representatives in wage and hour actionJones Day represented Federated Department Stores, Inc. in a putative class action by employees alleging off the clock work, unlawful wage deductions, missed meal and rest breaks, waiting time penalties, improper wage statements, conversion of wages, and unfair business practices.
  • Wrongfully convicted client seeks compensation for over 20 years of imprisonmentJones Day represented a client before the California Victim Compensation Board seeking restitution for the time he spent in prison for a murder he did not commit.
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    January 2020 White Paper

    Evidence Collection in Criminal Investigations: Cross-Border Issues and Corporate Employee Considerations

    October 29, 2019 Firm Hosted

    Women in IP Speaker Series: What You Need to Know About Trade Secrets and the Recent Rise in Trade Secret Litigation

    February 2018 External Publications

    Protecting Company Information From Disloyal Employees, Corporate Counsel

    September 2015 Commentaries

    Phishing for Corporate Dollars: The Emerging Global Threat Posed by Spear Phishing and Business Email Compromise

    Speaking Engagements

    • October 29, 2019
      What You Need to Know About Trade Secrets and the Recent Rise in Trade Secret Litigation
    • April 27, 2018
      Marijuana Prosecutions: California v. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Fidler Institute on Criminal Justice
    • April 18, 2018
      Leaders Create More Leaders - Leading and Developing Diverse In-House and in Law Firms, California Minority Counsel Program
    • January 31, 2018
      Effectively Responding to Government Investigations, Jones Day MCLE University
    • January 31, 2018
      Navigating the Attorney-Client Privilege Around the Globe, Jones Day MCLE University
    • November 28, 2017
      Women and Minorities on Boards, National Association of Women Business Owners - Los Angeles Chapter
    • May 24, 2017
      Leadership Essentials, California Diversity Council's Annual Southern California Diversity & Leadership Conference
    • April 21, 2017
      Interview with the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California's Annual Banquet
    • January 25, 2017
      How to Deal with Ethical Lapses (Real or Perceived) Once They've Occurred, Jones Day MCLE University
    • October 20, 2016
      What to Do When the Government Comes Knocking, California Minority Counsel Program's Annual Business Conference
    • January 27, 2016
      Lawyers Behaving Badly: How to Avoid Being Tomorrow's Headline, Jones Day MCLE University
    • August 25, 2015
      Mobile Privacy and Security Issues in 2015: Practical Guidance to Mitigate Data Breaches
    • June 10, 2015
      Cybersecurity for Lawyers: Understanding and Complying with Your Ethical Obligations, Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California
    • March 20, 2015
      Cybersecurity: An In-House Primer, Motion Picture Association of America
    • January 22, 2015
      Ethical Blind Spots -- Top-Rated Lawyer Shows on Television Score Poorly on Legal Ethics, Jones Day MCLE University
    • January 14, 2015
      Prosecuting and Defending Doctors & Pharmacists in Prescription Drug Cases, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' 35th Annual Advanced Criminal Law Seminar
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