Laura Carwile is a seasoned trial attorney with over a decade of experience, who focuses on criminal defense and complex commercial litigation as well as intellectual property disputes.

From public service to private practice, Laura has first-chaired over 30 jury trials to verdict and handled thousands of in-court hearings in her career. Her success in the courtroom has earned her a spot among The Recorder’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track,” honoring the next generation of legal leaders in California, as well as among Law360’s Rising Stars in white collar litigation.

Laura was part of the winning trial team to secure a complete defense verdict in an ultra-rare price-fixing trial against the Department of Justice (DOJ). The case stemmed from a high-profile grand jury indictment by the DOJ that charged 10 executives with criminal violations of the Sherman Act, alleging a price-fixing scheme in the $28 billion-per-year broiler chicken industry. The trial win earned the RJLF team The AmLaw Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” first runners-up recognition, and the case has garnered extensive national attention from major news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, Politico, and CNBC, among others.

As one of three lead trial attorneys in the case, she successfully represented Roger Austin, a former Vice President of Pilgrim’s Pride, in a series of three criminal trials held in Colorado district court, ultimately earning the not-guilty verdict after 10 months and two mistrials when jurors deadlocked after weeks of trial. Laura examined multiple witnesses before all three juries, including cross-examining one of the prosecution’s main fact witnesses, as well as the witness sponsoring the entirety of the prosecution’s summary evidence. She wrote critical pre-trial and in limine motions and spearheaded arguments about a variety of important evidentiary issues in all three trials, many of which she personally argued before Chief Judge Brimmer.

Recently, Laura was part of the trial team representing Cirba (d/b/a Densify) in a complex patent infringement dispute against tech giant VMware in a five-day jury trial in the District of Delaware. Tasked with marshalling and presenting the willfulness case to the jury, her efforts helped secure an $84 million willful patent infringement verdict on behalf of Cirba. After only two hours of deliberation, the jurors decided VMware willfully infringed Cirba’s patent that covers cutting-edge virtualization technology. The verdict earned The AmLaw Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” shout out. This is the second time a jury determined that VMware committed willful infringement.

Prior to joining RJLF, Laura served as an Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco for six years. As a trial attorney for multiple units, she gained extensive experience in all areas of trial practice, including oral arguments, witness examinations, trial motions, and jury selection. Laura has experience defending clients accused of criminal conduct in both federal and state jurisdictions. She has represented witnesses who have testified in front of grand juries and has negotiated countless plea deals.

Pro Bono

Laura also lends her criminal defense trial savvy to her active pro bono cases. In 2021, she helped secure an acquittal for her pro bono client, an Arkansas man falsely accused of murder. The not-guilty verdict in State v. Jordan Shreeve was announced following a five-day jury trial before the Crawford County Circuit Court. The jury returned the verdict after less than two hours of deliberation, finding the defendant not guilty of all counts of both first- and second-degree murder.

Lean In Podcast 

Laura is also the Resident Legal Expert for the Lean In podcast with Dr. Jabraan Pasha. Now in its fourth season and with thousands of listeners, Dr. Pasha interviews guests who can engage in tough but necessary conversations. Laura’s regular guest spot involves educating listeners about all aspects of the criminal justice system, including those that involve implicit bias and racial disparities.

Education & Professional Affiliations

Laura is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she received honors in Evidence, Criminal Law, and Corporations. During law school, she served as an editor for the Harvard Journal of Law & Gender and was recognized for completing more than 1,000 hours of public interest work in the Harvard Domestic Violence and Family Law Clinic. Laura earned a master’s degree in education from Lehman College and previously worked for Teach for America in Bronx, New York. She has an undergraduate degree in human biology from Stanford University.

Rankings & Honors

• Law360, Rising Star in White Collar Litigation

• The AmLaw Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” Shout Out, $84 Million Patent Infringement Verdict

• The Recorder, Lawyers on the Fast Track

• The AmLaw Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week” Runners-Up, Complete Defense Verdict in Rare Price-Fixing Trial

• Northern California Super Lawyers, Rising Stars List in White Collar Litigation

Media & Publications

• “The Deutsche Bank LIBOR Case: When Justice Is Outsourced," The New York Law Journal (March 29, 2024)

• “A Jury of Your Peers?” Lean In Podcast with Dr. Jabraan Pasha (February 7, 2022)

• “Bias Within the Criminal Justice System,” Lean In Podcast with Dr. Jabraan Pasha (August 11, 2021)

• “Imbalance In Our Justice System,” Lean In Podcast with Dr. Jabraan Pasha (June 8, 2021)

• “The Right to Cross-Examine Government Witnesses: Crawford and Beyond,” Editor, Chapter in Treatise: Defending Federal Criminal Cases