“I’ve become more like my mother as I’ve matured and grown older and appreciate the moments of solitude and introspection.”

Carol Alexis Chen

Carol Alexis Chen, partner & trial lawyer in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Los Angeles office, shared the story behind her title with us on April 17, 2022.

Carol, an award-winning former career federal prosecutor, who was the first (and still only) female chief in office history of her unit, and trial lawyer in the United States Department of Justice, is a partner and trial lawyer in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Los Angeles office.

As a member of the Firm’s White Collar, Regulatory Defense, & Internal Investigations group, she represents public and private companies, corporate officers, and other individuals in white-collar criminal and regulatory matters, both before and after charges have been filed. With respect to investigations, in addition to responding to government inquiries, she conducts sensitive internal investigations for her corporate and individual clients and counsels them on the development, implementation, and enhancement of compliance and remediation programs, including with respect to the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering, trade, export control, and health care laws and regulations, and the False Claims Act and related qui tam provisions. In the civil realm, Carol represents clients on a wide range of complex commercial litigation issues, including business torts, fraud, and RICO. 

Based on her over twenty years of legal experience, Carol’s practice covers all aspects of investigations, regulatory and compliance work, and civil and criminal litigation, and cuts across many different sectors such as Financial and Banking; Health Care and Life Science; Disruptive Technology, New Media, and Telecommunications including matters involving cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and encrypted communications; and Complex Commercial Litigation. Widely regarded as a skilled negotiator and strategist, litigator, and trial lawyer, Carol tackles the most difficult cases at all stages of a matter.

From 2005 to 2021, Carol served with distinction as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, California (“CDCA USAO”). In her over 15-year tenure, she held various supervisory positions, including most recently, Chief of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section (“OCDETF”)).