Rasha Gerges Shields is a former federal prosecutor with more than 20 years of first-chair trial and appellate experience. Rasha defends companies and executives in high-stakes civil and criminal matters, including DOJ and State Attorneys General enforcement actions. She also helps companies conduct internal investigations and develop effective compliance programs. She has been the lead trial counsel in federal court, has argued before the California Supreme Court and federal/state appellate courts, and has submitted amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court as lead counsel.
Rasha has significant experience representing clients in internal, whistleblower, and government investigations, including investigations relating to fraud, public corruption, tax, health care, cybersecurity, harassment/workplace violence, and e-commerce compliance. Rasha also litigates complex civil cases both affirmatively and defensively, involving a broad spectrum of claims, including high-profile disputes, contractual disputes, trade secret theft, product liability, fraud, antitrust and unfair business practices, racketeering, and claims against financial institutions.
Rasha has an active pro bono and public service practice. She is vice president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, overseeing the LAPD, and has served in leadership roles on several nonprofit boards and diversity pipeline programs. Rasha was the sole recipient of California Minority Counsel Program's Law Firm Diversity Leader Award in 2018.
Rasha serves on the Firm's diversity committee and on the Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform Task Force. She immigrated from Egypt and is a first generation professional.
Experiencia
- October 20, 2021
Global Governmental Response, Eradicate Hate Global Summit - September 22, 2021
Puffing and Lies: Ethics in Negotiations, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, Seventeenth Annual Career Strategies Conference - August 20, 2021
Keynote Speaker, UCLA School of Law 2021 Convocation - June 23, 2021
Side Bar Café Webinar: Criminal Justice Reform, Legal Education Access Pipeline, Inc. - April 2021
Challenges and Opportunities for Arab American Lawyers, National Arab American Bar Association - March 2021
Race in the Courtroom: A Look at How Race and Racial Justice Are Influencing Litigation Across the Legal Spectrum, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Litigation Forum - October 2020
Succeeding as an Arab American Lawyer, Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California - October 2020
Making Legal Representation Representative, UCLA Law Alumni Association - July 28, 2020
Transforming the Minneapolis Police Department: Reviewing the Minneapolis Police Contract, Jones Day Webinar - July 16, 2020
Building Allyship Among Attorneys of Color, California Minority Counsel Program - June 2020
Trade Secrets Theft, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer's West Coast White Collar Crime Conference - October 29, 2019
What You Need to Know About Trade Secrets and the Recent Rise in Trade Secret Litigation - May 2019
The President's Address, Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California's Annual Banquet - 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 Leaders 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
- University of California, Los Angeles (J.D. 2001; Order of the Coif; Moot Court President; Recipient of the Law Guild of Beverly Hills Eleanor Klein Merit Award); University of California, Irvine (B.A in Political Science with honors 1997; Phi Beta Kappa)
- California; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits; and U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California
- Vice President, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners (2023-present)
CMCP's Law Firm Diversity Leader Award (2018)
Southern California Super Lawyers (2018-2022)
Who's Who Legal: Investigations — Future Leaders (2020-2021)
LACBA's Patricia Phillips Outstanding Committee Service Award (2017)
Recognized as among the "Most Influential Lawyers: White Collar and Cyber Crime," Los Angeles Business Journal (2015)
"Best Lawyer Under 40" Award, AALASC (2015)
- Law Clerk to the Honorable Ferdinand F. Fernandez, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2002-2003) and the Honorable Gary A. Feess, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (2001-2002)
- Arabic