Mary McNamara is a trial and appellate lawyer specializing in white-collar criminal defense and commercial litigation
matters. She is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell, is profiled in Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers, is a Northern
California Super Lawyer in white-collar criminal defense and has been named as one of the top 50 women lawyers in Northern
California. She represents both entities and individuals in federal and state courts around the country.
Recent successes include a deferred prosecution on the eve of trial for a trading director in a high-profile criminal case
involving allegations of commodities manipulation and wire fraud during the year of the California electricity crisis. In addition,
she represented (with partner Ed Swanson) BALCO founder Victor Conte in a steroids distribution case involving allegations of doping by
prominent athletes and achieved dismissal of most counts and a four-month prison sentence. With partner Alexis Haller, she secured
dismissal of core causes of action against a foreign sovereign sued in a multi-million dollar fraud action in the Southern District of
Mississippi.
Ms. McNamara serves on the Criminal Local Rules Advisory Group for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
and also sits on the Northern District's Fee Review Committee for Criminal Justice Act cases. In 2002, she served as co-chair of the
Lawyer Representatives for the Northern District of California to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. In 2005, Ms. McNamara chaired
the Judiciary Committee of the Bar Association of San Francisco and in 2007 became the representative for Criminal Justice Act lawyers for
the Northern District of California. After law school, Ms. McNamara served as a law clerk to the Hon. Thomas Gibbs Gee of the United States
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Education
J.D. & LL.M, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, 1989
Boalt Hall School of Law
B.A. (First Class Hon.) TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, 1986
Graduated First in Class
Henry Hamilton Hunter Memorial Prize, 1986