Our firm is pleased to announce the addition
of the following highly-accomplished trial attorneys
Jesse Gessin, Senior Counsel
White Collar Criminal Defense, Complex Commercial Litigation, and Appellate Litigation
Jesse Gessin is a star trial lawyer. He has tried twenty-five federal jury trials to verdict as lead or co-lead counsel, teaches trial advocacy at the University of California Irvine School of Law, and has lectured on trial strategy and techniques throughout the United States. As a deputy federal public defender, Jesse won an astonishing fourteen of those jury trials through acquittal, dismissal, hung jury or reversal on appeal. Jesse’s appellate expertise is almost as impressive. He has drafted and argued over fifteen cases to the Court of Appeals, with impressive results. Two of his victories resulted in opinions that have been heavily cited by other courts.
Mr. Gessin focuses on trials of all types. Before joining Keller/Anderle, he was an attorney in two different federal public defender offices, most recently in the Central District of California. Before that he practiced civil litigation, was an extern for the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division, and during college served an internship in The White House Scheduling and Advance Office.
Jesse recently wrote an article in the September 2017 issue of “Legal Insights,” published by Best Lawyers. The article, “Could the Feds Make a Felony Case Out of a Lost Lunch Receipt?” previews the United States Supreme Court case, United States v. Marinello. In Marinello, the Supreme Court will decide the scope of the criminal obstruction statute for tax investigations, which has been recognized by federal appellate judges as being interpreted to afford “‘capacious, unbounded, and oppressive’ opportunities for Government abuse.” The article also describes some of the issues facing General Counsel because of this statute and its interpretation by the Courts.
Jesse is a graduate of The George Washington University School of Law.
Chase A. Scolnick, Senior Counsel
Trials, Complex Commercial Litigation and White Collar Criminal Defense
Chase Scolnick specializes in complex civil and criminal litigation, and trials of all types.Having tried as lead counsel approximately fifty federal jury trials, Chase is among the most seasoned young federal trial attorneys in the United States. He has also been one of the most successful. In separate years, Chase led three of the nation’s largest federal districts in both defense trials and wins.
Before joining Keller/Anderle, Chase served for fourteen years as a Deputy Federal Defender in the Southern and Central Districts of California, and in the Eastern District of New York. Chase has handled some of the nation’s most serious and complex cases, including insider trading and financial market manipulation, international terrorism, and organized crime. Chase fights tirelessly for all of his clients, and has consistently secured amazing results. He has won many difficult jury trials. In other cases, Chase’s aggressive pretrial litigation made trial unnecessary. He has won twelve motions to suppress evidence, and convinced prosecutors and judges to dismiss over thirty serious felony cases. Chase has also won multiple appeals and writs before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In addition to being a highly regarded trial attorney, Chase is also a sought-after legal contributor. He was chosen as an editor of the latest edition of Defending a Federal Criminal Case, a nationally recognized treatise. He regularly trains attorneys on all aspects of trial skills at local and national seminars throughout the United States. He also frequently advises other attorneys as they prepare for trial.
In 2017, Chase was the only defense attorney in the United States to receive the Federal Bar Association’s “Younger Federal Lawyer Award” — a prestigious national honor reserved for rising courtroom stars in the federal bar.
Chase is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law.