San Francisco – Sidley congratulates partner Brian J. Stretch on his appointment by California Governor Gavin Newson to judgeship in the San Francisco County Superior Court. Announced January 29, Stretch is one of 16 Superior Court judicial appointments across the state, and he fills the vacancy created by the federal bench appointment of Judge Rita F. Lin.
“We hold our White Collar Defense team in the highest regard and it is always gratifying when statewide leaders identify our lawyers for judicial appointments. Since joining us six years ago, Brian has proven to be a strong and steady presence on the most challenging matters. We are confident that as a Superior Court Judge, he will be an asset to the people of San Francisco County, where he was born and raised,” said Yvette Ostolaza, Sidley’s Management Committee Chair.
Stretch joined Sidley’s White Collar Defense and Investigations group in 2018, following nearly two decades as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, including tenures as United States Attorney, First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, he served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and as a Law Clerk at the San Francisco County Superior Court.
“Brian has been an outstanding partner in our San Francisco office, where his leadership and deep experience has been leveraged across all of our offices. For all who have worked with him, it comes as no surprise that Brian was tapped for the bench,” said Sharon Flanagan, managing partner of Sidley’s San Francisco office.
During his career, Stretch has tried more than three dozen federal and state jury trials to verdict and argued multiple appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has handled cases involving securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, RICO, drug trafficking, firearms, and sex trafficking; and he has supervised investigations involving financial fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, the False Claim Act, public corruption, RICO, computer intrusion, theft of trade secrets, digital currency, terrorism, and civil rights violations, among others.
Stretch is ranked by Chambers USA among the leading lawyers in California for White Collar Crime & Government Investigations (2022–2023). He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (1992) and his B.A. from Dartmouth College (1996).
Stretch’s term begins later this month. A press release from Gov. Newsom’s office is available here.
Sidley is an elite global law firm. With 2,300 lawyers, annual revenue of US$3.1 billion, and experience that spans 158 years, we have established a reputation using Built to Win℠ legal strategies in successfully representing clients in more than 70 countries on complex transactional, investigation, regulatory, and litigation matters.
With 21 offices strategically situated in key commercial and financial hubs throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific, our perspective and our reach are truly global. Our lawyers and business professionals, fluent in more than 80 languages, possess the cultural awareness and cross-border legal acumen needed to bring clarity to a dynamic business landscape.
Attorney Advertising—Sidley Austin LLP is a global law firm. Our addresses and contact information can be found on our website at www.sidley.com/en/locations/offices. Sidley and Sidley Austin refer to Sidley Austin LLP and affiliated partnerships as explained at www.sidley.com/disclaimer.