Ellen has a deep knowledge and understanding of government
investigations and litigation, having served as an Assistant United
States Attorney in the Civil Divisions for the Southern District of
New York and the Northern District of California from 2010-2020. As
an AUSA, she handled complex and high-stakes matters involving a wide range of subject areas, including the False Claims Act, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Freedom of Information Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, constitutional law, tax and bankruptcy, torts, and appeals. She also has worked extensively with matters arising under the Americans with Disabilities Act, having served as the Civil Division's Civil Rights Coordinator in San Francisco.
Ellen has successfully litigated or settled multiple cases involving
multi-million dollar resolutions, including being a member of the Bank of America FIRREA government trial team, multiple False Claims Act cases resulting in large recoveries for the government, and two
significant tax cases. Most recently, she served as one of the lead
counsel for the Government in the Wells Fargo sales practices
investigation which resulted in a $3 billion settlement. Ellen is a
recipient of a Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an
Assistant United States Attorney as well as the Award for Excellence
from the Council of the Inspector General on Integrity and Efficiency.
She has spoken at multiple conferences about FIRREA and the False
Claims Act, as well as FOIA.
Before serving as an AUSA, Ellen worked at two law firms in New York City.