A. Carley Palmer

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PROFILE

Carley Palmer is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Halpern May Ybarra Gelberg LLP. She regularly tries cases and argues appeals in state and federal court. Ms. Palmer focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and internal and regulatory investigations. Her clients include individuals and corporations who are navigating high-stakes business disputes, facing sensitive government inquiries, and managing critical moments. Ms. Palmer previously practiced white-collar criminal defense and securities litigation at Dechert LLP in New York City, where she represented individual and corporate clients in civil and criminal litigation, government investigations, and regulatory-enforcement matters. She has provided legal commentary to Frontline, ProPublica, The Guardian, Bloomberg, and The Los Angeles Times.

Ms. Palmer is a former federal prosecutor. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, where she investigated and prosecuted federal crimes for over eight years. As Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section, Ms. Palmer trained and supervised dozens of federal prosecutors, overseeing hundreds of cases and scores of trials. While at the U.S. Department of Justice, Ms. Palmer also personally led more than ten trials or significant evidentiary hearings on behalf of the United States, argued six cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and wrote countless district-court motions and appellate briefs. As a member of the Criminal Appeals Section, Ms. Palmer consulted on cases at all stages of litigation from throughout the Central District of California’s Criminal and National Security Divisions. As a member of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section, Ms. Palmer led local, federal, and foreign law-enforcement efforts to investigate and impede transnational crimes. Finally, in her role as Opioids Coordinator, Ms. Palmer investigated healthcare providers’ illegal diversion of prescription drugs.

Ms. Palmer graduated magna cum laude from Boston College and Order of Barristers from New York University School of Law. After law school, Ms. Palmer clerked for the Honorable Jay C. Gandhi (Retired) in the Central District of California. She also taught Legal Writing and Advocacy to first-year law students at USC Gould School of Law. 

Ms. Palmer is a proud member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA), the Los Angeles Criminal Justice Inn of Court, and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA), where she has co-chaired the Appellate Law and Criminal Justice Committees. She also enjoys mentoring women law students of color through The Appellate Project (TAP).

Ms. Palmer is admitted to practice law in California and New York.

Education

  • New York University School of Law, J.D. Order of Barristers
  • Boston College, B.A. magna cum laude, English and Theater, Arts & Sciences Honors Program

Representative Cases

In Private Practice

Litigation

  • Represented manufacturing company and its CEO as plaintiffs in business litigation arising from hostile corporate takeover and fiduciaries’ self-dealing. Completed three-month complex civil trial after successfully opposing defendants’ motions for summary judgment and mid-trial dismissal.
  • Defended board of directors of international investment bank in federal fiduciary-breach and securities-fraud suit arising from global financial collapse. Successful pretrial motions and related Second Circuit appeal resulted in favorable pretrial resolution.
  • Obtained favorable pre-litigation resolution of civil securities-fraud allegations against tech company’s founder and CEO. 
  • Represented “unicorn” tech-driven real-estate company in challenging constitutionality and application of city’s zoning ordinances, and in obtaining favorable pretrial resolution.
  • Represented hoteliers in a nine-figure fraud and breach-of-contract lawsuit against their former business partners, whose scheme also resulted in state prosecution and SEC litigation.  
  • Won unanimous reversal in the California Court of Appeal of superior court’s denial of client’s motion to compel arbitration of partnership dispute.
  • Defended private-equity firm’s president in private arbitration of multi-million-dollar contract dispute.
  • Represented manufacturing company in federal insurance-recovery lawsuit and Ninth Circuit appeal. 
  • Represented global financial-services company in federal bankruptcy litigation.
  • Defended indigent criminal defendants in federal court under the Criminal Justice Act. Successfully obtained no-prison sentences for defendants charged with criminal conspiracy, financial fraud, and illegal employment practices.

Investigations

  • Represented employees of international bank in connection with economic-sanctions investigation and interviews conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Upon investigation’s completion, no clients were charged.
  • Conducted internal investigation of whistleblower allegations raised against hospital’s CEO. 
    • Conducted internal investigation of suspected insider trading at international bank. Responded to related inquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
    • Represented CEO of global financial-services firm in connection with cross-border financial-fraud investigation conducted by the SEC.
    • Counseled CEO of investment company regarding securities-fraud investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (CDCA).
    • Partnered with ACLU to advise healthcare provider regarding politically motivated criminal investigations and prosecutions. Secured California Governor’s denial of another state’s request to extradite healthcare provider on politically motivated criminal charges.

    As a Federal Prosecutor

    • Defended convictions and sentences on appeal from cases involving financial fraud, healthcare fraud, wire fraud, cybercrime, public corruption, embezzlement, tax evasion, export crime, environmental crime, organized crime, and terrorism.
    • Won an issue of first impression—whether an ankle monitor that alerts during trial automatically violates a criminal defendant's due-process rights—in a published Ninth Circuit opinion. Ninth Circuit argument available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDmMa7QNDS0
    • Successfully defended the trial conviction of a cyber-attacker who took out the Los Angeles Superior Court’s computer system. Ninth Circuit argument available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZmPB917Ecg
    • Successfully defended the substantial sentence given to an international black-market weapons trafficker who supplied anti-aircraft missiles and other warcraft to terrorists and militia groups in North Africa and the Middle East. Ninth Circuit argument available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPD8imsQNtE
    • Successfully defended the trial conviction of an ISIS supporter who used his federal student-aid funds to try to fly his co-conspirator to terrorist battlegrounds in Syria. Ninth Circuit argument available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjkYTl1jZM
    • Successfully defended a rare federal involuntary manslaughter conviction involving the death and injury of innocent commuters. Ninth Circuit argument available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5TsoKt6NoE
    • Investigated, charged, and convicted dozens of members of international drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies. Led takedowns of large-scale criminal organizations.
    • Won a federal jury trial against a methamphetamine trafficker linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Obtained Ninth Circuit affirmance.
    • Won a federal bench trial against a money launderer for a kidnapping and ransom scheme that targeted vulnerable immigrant communities. Obtained Ninth Circuit affirmance.

    Clerkships

    • Hon. Jay C. Gandhi (Retired) – U.S. District Court, Central District of California

    Areas Of Practice