Overview

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Sherry Haus is a Shareholder in the Firm’s Sacramento office and a member of the Litigation practice group. Ms. Haus is a seasoned litigator with 25 years of experience in white collar criminal defense, securities litigation and counseling, and internal investigations. A former federal prosecutor and a former special assistant district attorney, she has tried many cases to verdict in federal and state courts.

Ms. Haus counsels, handles government investigations and prosecutions, and litigates on behalf of public and private companies, as well as officers and directors, in civil and criminal matters. She has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies and financial institutions in investigations by DOJ, the SEC, and other government agencies. She also provides guidance on compliance and AML requirements, and conducts internal investigations for companies and their audit committees.

Ms. Haus grew up in, and has spent the better part of her career representing clients in and around, Northern California and the Central Valley. She takes a particular interest in areas of import to the region, including matters affecting the technology and clean energy sectors, as well as food, drug and wine industries; research universities; and government relations.

As an Assistant United States Attorney for one of the largest and busiest federal districts in the country, Ms. Haus investigated and prosecuted white collar cases including tax fraud, financial fraud, public corruption, procurement fraud, healthcare fraud, and child exploitation matters. She prosecuted a massive unemployment and disability fraud case that Chief U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. called “one of the longest-running, most sophisticated fraud schemes that [the court has] ever seen,” and successfully opposed an appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a major public corruption scandal.

Ms. Haus has served clients in white collar and securities matters at multiple major international law firms. In addition to her work in white collar and securities litigation, Ms. Haus also previously served as a law firm General Counsel, advising attorneys on legal and ethical issues; serving on the AI Committee; and drafting, implementing and overseeing policies and procedures on AI, the GDPR, CPPA, CPRA and HIPAA.

Ms. Haus is staunchly committed to pro bono legal work in a variety of arenas. She has performed significant pro bono work in a variety of areas, including internet safety, immigration, civil rights, constitutional law, diplomatic immunity, and international human trafficking, among others. She was a key member of a team that provided legal advice regarding amendments to a country’s peace agreement. She also served on a team that drafted legislation to address sextortion as part of a national effort to craft state laws to address what the FBI has identified as “by far the most significant growing threat to children” on the Internet.

White Collar Defense and Investigations Matters

  • Representation of companies and individuals in parallel federal civil and criminal investigations.
  • Representation of retailer involving allegations related to alleged employment of undocumented workers.
  • Conducted internal investigation for major research university.
  • Representation of software companies in investigations by the California Department of Justice.
  • Representation of medical device manufacturers in federal criminal and civil healthcare fraud investigations.
  • Conducted internal investigation in Central America of a Fortune 500 company into alleged anti-money laundering violations related to its vendors.
  • Successfully represented clients in the healthcare industry in civil and criminal proceedings involving the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.
  • Obtained dismissal of qui tamFalse Claims Act suit against a medical device manufacturer.

White Collar Compliance Advice

  • Drafted corporation’s policies and procedures for federal and state foreign economic sanctions programs.
  • Advised Fortune 500 technology company on anti-money laundering policies.
  • Advised clean energy financing company on issues related to the Bank Secrecy Act.
  • Representation of a large bank in government investigations concerning foreign exchange pricing and ERISA claims.
  • Advised major financial services institution with respect to anti-money laundering issues.

Securities Litigation Matters

  • Obtained dismissal of class action against a major provider of student loans and its officials, which accused defendants of making false claims about the company’s loan portfolios.
  • Representation of many public companies, officers and directors, in securities class actions and parallel derivative actions and government investigations.
  • Representation of numerous financial services companies, including banks, broker dealers, mutual funds and hedge funds, in SEC investigations involving alleged trading irregularities and insider trading.
  • Obtained denial of class certification in and voluntary dismissal of a securities class action for a life sciences company.

Appellate Matters

  • Successfully appealed $62 million award against client companies, on grounds that the award was not supported by substantial evidence and the valuation model was without foundation.
  • As an AUSA, successfully handled appeal in county’s largest public corruption scandal.

Admissions

  • California
  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Education

  • UC Berkeley School of Law, J.D.
    •  UC Berkeley Law AI Institute, Certificate
  • Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, M.P.P., Public Policy
  • UCLA, B.A., Economics and English
    • Specifically, American Literature and Culture

  • Sacramento Magazine, Top Lawyer, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2019 and 2024; Securities Litigation, 2022
  • Super Lawyers, New England Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2009-2011
  • Harvard Kennedy Fellowship (full-tuition merit-based scholarship)
  • UCLA Chancellor’s Service Award

  • Sacramento County Bar Association, Criminal Law Section
  • California Lawyers Association, Criminal Law Section
  • Federal Bar Association, Sacramento Chapter

  • Capital Stage, Board of Directors
  • Sacramento Ballet, former Board member

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