Practice Areas

Matthew B. Pavone practices primarily in the area of white collar criminal defense, including the investigation and defense of alleged police misconduct.  He also handles civil litigation, specializing in cases asserting quasi-criminal claims such as fraud, conversion and civil RICO.  Mr. Pavone is a trained mediator.

Mr. Pavone was formerly the Chief Assistant United States Attorney in San Francisco and head of the Northwest Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, overseeing major federal drug and money-laundering prosecutions throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Subsequent to his government career, he spent six years as a partner in a prominent San Francisco law firm.

Civil Litigation Corporate Compliance Counseling Mediation Police Misconduct White Collar Crime

Mr. Pavone has extensive experience with multi-party, complex, major case litigation.  He has overseen litigation involving the United States in the areas of civil, criminal, tax, environmental, asset forfeiture, and appellate law in the Northern District of California (comprised of 15 counties).

In addition to his traditional white collar defense practice, covering state and federal investigations involving primarily alleged police misconduct, fraud, securities, environmental, and high tech transfer offenses, he spends considerable time advising and assisting corporate clients in developing effective compliance programs.  He is the co-author of "Avoiding The Long Arm Of The Law For Corporations And Their Executives," Contra Costa Lawyer (March 1995), which analyzes the need for effective compliance programs in modern business.

Mr. Pavone was awarded the Exceptional Service Award in 1992 for his efforts with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.  Mr. Pavone is a member of the San Francisco and Marin County Bar Associations.  He is a founding member of the Northern California Chapter of the White Collar Crime Association.  Mr. Pavone is a member of the mediation panel for the Northern District of California (federal court).

Mr. Pavone did his undergraduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1980.  He is a former federal judicial law clerk.