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Extensive Experience
Mark has argued over 50 appeals, including in ten- and nine-figure matters, and has conducted multiple jury trials and complex litigations.
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National Reputation
Described in Chambers USA as “an incredibly talented and gifted” lawyer who is “wonderful strategically” and “truly excels in storytelling and advocacy,” Mark is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and has received numerous commendations from the Anti-Defamation League, the Supreme Court of Thailand, the FBI, the Department of Defense, the ATF, the Daily Journal, Law360, and the Federal Bar Association.
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Community Leadership
Mark served as a member of the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, and the Deputy Chief of Appeals in the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office. He also serves on the boards of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library.
Mark Yohalem is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he focuses on complex litigation and appeals. Recognized by Chambers USA for his “rare ability to convert brilliant analysis of extremely complex business cases into clear and simply stated briefs and oral arguments,” Mark has argued over 50 appeals in federal and state court, twice before en banc panels of the Ninth Circuit, and has successfully conducted jury trials involving public corruption and other federal offenses.
Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Mark was a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger Tolles & Olson LLP. He previously served as the Deputy Chief of Appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Central District of California. As a federal prosecutor, he worked on many of the USAO’s highest-profile matters, including the well-publicized dispute between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the unlocking of the iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists in the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.
In 2024, Mark was elected into the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. In 2022, he was inducted into the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. In 2020, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, a group created to develop police reforms in Los Angeles. In 2018, Mark was named one of the Daily Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40.” He has also received commendations from the Anti-Defamation League, the Supreme Court of Thailand, the FBI, the Department of Defense, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Law360, and the Federal Bar Association.
Mark has delivered lectures at the Supreme Court of Thailand and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he has taught appellate advocacy, cyberlaw, and jury selection at the National Advocacy Center, the USC Gould School of Law, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, and American Bar Association conferences. He regularly publishes and speaks about appellate advocacy and recent appellate decisions. Alongside his legal career, Mark is a prolific author. He has written stories for many award-winning computer games and has published dozens of short stories. He also penned two episodes of an animated children’s television show.
Following law school, Mark served as a law clerk for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Pamela A. Rymer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mark Yohalem is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he focuses on complex litigation and appeals. Recognized by Chambers USA for his “rare ability to convert brilliant analysis of extremely complex business cases into clear and simply stated briefs and oral arguments,” Mark has argued over 50 appeals in federal and state court, twice before en banc panels of the Ninth Circuit, and has successfully conducted jury trials involving public corruption and other federal offenses.
Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Mark was a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger Tolles & Olson LLP. He previously served as the Deputy Chief of Appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Central District of California. As a federal prosecutor, he worked on many of the USAO’s highest-profile matters, including the well-publicized dispute between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the unlocking of the iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists in the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.
In 2024, Mark was elected into the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. In 2022, he was inducted into the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. In 2020, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, a group created to develop police reforms in Los Angeles. In 2018, Mark was named one of the Daily Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40.” He has also received commendations from the Anti-Defamation League, the Supreme Court of Thailand, the FBI, the Department of Defense, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Law360, and the Federal Bar Association.
Mark has delivered lectures at the Supreme Court of Thailand and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he has taught appellate advocacy, cyberlaw, and jury selection at the National Advocacy Center, the USC Gould School of Law, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, and American Bar Association conferences. He regularly publishes and speaks about appellate advocacy and recent appellate decisions. Alongside his legal career, Mark is a prolific author. He has written stories for many award-winning computer games and has published dozens of short stories. He also penned two episodes of an animated children’s television show.
Following law school, Mark served as a law clerk for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Pamela A. Rymer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2005Magna Cum Laude; Notes Editor and Developments in the Law Chair, Harvard Law Review; First Place, Williston Competition
- B.A., Dartmouth College, 2002Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Rufus Choate Scholar
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Board Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Board Member, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles
- Former Member, Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity
- Former Trustee, Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library
- Recognized as a leading appellate litigator by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Named a “Legal Lion” by Law360
- Received the Helene and Joseph Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate from the Anti-Defamation League
- Recognized among the “Top 40 Under 40” in California by the Daily Journal in 2018
- Received the “Younger Federal Lawyer” award from the Federal Bar Association
- State Bar of California
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2005Magna Cum Laude; Notes Editor and Developments in the Law Chair, Harvard Law Review; First Place, Williston Competition
- B.A., Dartmouth College, 2002Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Rufus Choate Scholar
- Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- Board Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Board Member, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles
- Former Member, Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity
- Former Trustee, Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library
- Recognized as a leading appellate litigator by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Named a “Legal Lion” by Law360
- Received the Helene and Joseph Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate from the Anti-Defamation League
- Recognized among the “Top 40 Under 40” in California by the Daily Journal in 2018
- Received the “Younger Federal Lawyer” award from the Federal Bar Association
- State Bar of California
Select Representations
- Major internet platforms and technology companies in federal and state appellate and trial courts in matters involving tens of millions of dollars in claims, establishing critical limits on liability via Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the Lanham Act, and underlying state and federal legal principles
- Major entertainment companies in copyright, First Amendment, and other litigation in the Ninth Circuit, the California Court of Appeal, and federal district court
- Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the fourth-largest electric utility in the world, in winning complete dismissal of billion-dollar claims stemming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, with certiorari denied by the U.S. Supreme Court
- Johnson & Johnson in overturning a $417 million verdict against J&J and its subsidiary, winning judgment notwithstanding the verdict for J&J and a new trial without punitive damages for its subsidiary, affirmed by the California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Founders of Beats Electronics and Beats Music in winning demurrer and summary judgment in a billion-dollar lawsuit brought by Monster Inc. and Noel Lee, affirmed by California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Fox in winning summary judgment in corporate governance dispute in Delaware Chancery Court, affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court
- Disney in winning complete dismissal of copyright infringement and implied contract claims involving Disney Pixar’s acclaimed film Inside Out, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, with certiorari denied by the U.S. Supreme Court
- ITV in first overturning a preliminary injunction and restoring control of Gurney Productions to ITV, and then winning dismissal of claims against ITV under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, leading to resolution of the dispute, both victories in the California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- High-profile attorneys in successfully resolving California State Bar matters
Pro Bono Work and Community Service
- Major litigation challenging USDA’s persistent discriminatory lending practices against Black and other minority farmers
- Representation of 25 California-based legal organizations in the Supreme Court, defending the role of diversity considerations in higher education
- Extensive immigration appellate work in the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit, winning victories for asylum petitioners from China, Nigeria, and Mexico
Select Representations
- Major internet platforms and technology companies in federal and state appellate and trial courts in matters involving tens of millions of dollars in claims, establishing critical limits on liability via Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the Lanham Act, and underlying state and federal legal principles
- Major entertainment companies in copyright, First Amendment, and other litigation in the Ninth Circuit, the California Court of Appeal, and federal district court
- Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the fourth-largest electric utility in the world, in winning complete dismissal of billion-dollar claims stemming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, with certiorari denied by the U.S. Supreme Court
- Johnson & Johnson in overturning a $417 million verdict against J&J and its subsidiary, winning judgment notwithstanding the verdict for J&J and a new trial without punitive damages for its subsidiary, affirmed by the California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Founders of Beats Electronics and Beats Music in winning demurrer and summary judgment in a billion-dollar lawsuit brought by Monster Inc. and Noel Lee, affirmed by California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- Fox in winning summary judgment in corporate governance dispute in Delaware Chancery Court, affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court
- Disney in winning complete dismissal of copyright infringement and implied contract claims involving Disney Pixar’s acclaimed film Inside Out, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, with certiorari denied by the U.S. Supreme Court
- ITV in first overturning a preliminary injunction and restoring control of Gurney Productions to ITV, and then winning dismissal of claims against ITV under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, leading to resolution of the dispute, both victories in the California Court of Appeal, with review denied by the California Supreme Court
- High-profile attorneys in successfully resolving California State Bar matters
Pro Bono Work and Community Service
- Major litigation challenging USDA’s persistent discriminatory lending practices against Black and other minority farmers
- Representation of 25 California-based legal organizations in the Supreme Court, defending the role of diversity considerations in higher education
- Extensive immigration appellate work in the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit, winning victories for asylum petitioners from China, Nigeria, and Mexico
Select Publications and Speaking Engagements
- “Literature’s first courtroom drama: Brennu-Njáls Saga,” Daily Journal, May 26, 2022
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“Legal Advocacy as Interactive Storytelling,” American Bar Association Litigation Section, Winter 2022
- “Expert Q&A on Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls in Oral Argument,” Practical Law: The Journal, December 2018/January 2019 issue
- Co-author, “Law is Mightier than the Quill,” Daily Journal, June 2018
- Moderator, “Discussion About Oral Argument Strategies Before Appellate Judges,” ABA Section of Litigation Conference, May 2018
- Co-author, “Fraud Ruling Stresses Mens Rea,” Daily Journal, December 2016
Select Publications and Speaking Engagements
- “Literature’s first courtroom drama: Brennu-Njáls Saga,” Daily Journal, May 26, 2022
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“Legal Advocacy as Interactive Storytelling,” American Bar Association Litigation Section, Winter 2022
- “Expert Q&A on Best Practices and Potential Pitfalls in Oral Argument,” Practical Law: The Journal, December 2018/January 2019 issue
- Co-author, “Law is Mightier than the Quill,” Daily Journal, June 2018
- Moderator, “Discussion About Oral Argument Strategies Before Appellate Judges,” ABA Section of Litigation Conference, May 2018
- Co-author, “Fraud Ruling Stresses Mens Rea,” Daily Journal, December 2016
The American Academy of Appellate Lawyers was founded in 1990 to recognize outstanding appellate lawyers and promote the improvement of appellate advocacy and the administration of the appellate courts. Academy membership is limited to 500 members in the United States and is open only to those who possess a reputation of recognized distinction as an appellate lawyer. Candidates for membership must be nominated and seconded by current Academy Fellows, reviewed and recommended by a Membership Screening Committee, and elected at an Academy board of directors meeting.
Mark’s reputation as an appellate specialist has previously been recognized by the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers (to which he was inducted in 2022) and Chambers USA, in which he is highly ranked. Clients surveyed by Chambers recognized that Mark “truly excels in storytelling and advocacy” and is “wonderful strategically” and “incredibly smart,” with “the rare ability to convert brilliant analysis of extremely complex business cases into clear and simply stated briefs and oral arguments.” He has argued more than 50 appeals in federal and state court, twice before en banc panels of the Ninth Circuit. Before entering private practice, he served as the Deputy Chief of Appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and as a law clerk to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Pamela Ann Rymer of the Ninth Circuit.
For more information about the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, please click here.
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