BRIAN STRETCH is the former United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. He is a seasoned trial lawyer with over 25 years of litigation experience. He focuses his practice on the full range of federal enforcement and internal investigation matters, with a particular emphasis on corporate investigations and criminal defense matters.
Brian is ranked by Chambers USA among the leading lawyers in California for White Collar Crime & Government Investigations (2022–2023). Clients note in Chambers that he is “an outstanding attorney” who “can be trusted with the most sensitive and important assignments," and that he “has the gift of helping keep emotions calm during challenging situations.”
Prior to joining Sidley, Brian spent 18 years as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, where he personally handled cases involving securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, RICO, drug trafficking, firearms, and sex trafficking. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, he served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. During his career, Brian has personally tried over three dozen federal and state jury trials to verdict and argued multiple appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Brian served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from 2016 to 2018. In addition to that post, he held other high-level positions in that office including First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division. Brian led an office of over 130 lawyers and professionals, overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal, civil, tax, and appellate work in the district. He 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.
Brian is a native of San Francisco.