SEC and DOJ Veteran Jina Choi Joins Gibson Dunn in San Francisco
Firm News | March 24, 2025
Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Jina Choi, most recently the Chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, has joined the firm’s San Francisco office as a partner in the Securities Enforcement and the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. Jina also previously served as Director for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s San Francisco Regional Office, affording her unrivaled insights into the Bay Area and Silicon Valley’s enforcement landscape. Jina’s practice will focus on internal and government investigations and enforcement actions, as well as civil litigation and compliance-related challenges.
“Jina brings a rarefied skill set in the government enforcement space, as a combined veteran of high-level roles as a federal prosecutor, SEC enforcement lawyer, and defense lawyer, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our market-leading team,” said Winston Y. Chan, Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group. “Jina’s varied and deep enforcement and investigations experience will provide clients with the first-hand knowledge, relationships, and strong reputation that only come from having been in the room at the highest levels of federal law enforcement in the Bay Area.”
Commenting on Jina’s arrival, David Woodcock, Co-Chair of the firm’s Securities Enforcement Practice Group, added: “Jina is well known in the Bay Area and beyond as a highly respected and seasoned securities enforcement lawyer, having led some of the SEC’s most complex and ground-breaking enforcement actions. Jina will enhance our leading practice and provide immense value to our global clients who rely on Gibson Dunn for its holistic approach to managing complex securities issues.”
“Gibson Dunn’s government investigations and white collar practice is exceptional, and I am excited to bring additional Northern California strength to the firm’s tremendous platform,” said Jina. “Global companies are facing investigations and enforcement actions on multiple fronts, especially tech clients in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. I look forward to beginning the next chapter of my career alongside this group of tremendously talented colleagues as we guide clients through this fluid regulatory and enforcement period.”
Gibson Dunn has a deep bench of seasoned securities enforcement partners. The firm recently added Osman Nawaz, former SEC Enforcement Senior Officer and National Unit Chief, to build on the firm’s strength. Notable recent government white collar investigations hires include Matthew Axelrod, former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General at DOJ, and Jake M. Shields, former Senior Trial Counsel in the Fraud Section of the Civil Division at DOJ.
About Jina Choi
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Jina served as the Chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, where she oversaw some of the most complex criminal investigations and prosecutions in the Bay Area.
Over the course of two decades, Jina served in a number of public service roles. She had a notable tenure at the SEC as Regional Director. Under her leadership, the San Francisco office brought numerous high-impact enforcement actions. Her SEC tenure included serving as an Assistant Regional Director and Branch Chief. Previously, Jina served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division at DOJ and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Jina earned her law degree from Yale Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review. Following graduation, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She also served as a partner at a major international law firm.