Mr. Sorensen has a diverse complex litigation practice. He has extensive experience in litigation and investigations involving corporate governance and securities matters and allegations of fraud. His practice includes matters involving state and federal regulators and litigation under the False Claims Act. In addition to representing corporate clients and their directors and officers in a wide range of industries, from financial services to energy, telecommunications and construction, he represents a leading private university and teaching hospital in an array of matters.

Mr. Sorensen has successfully tried cases before juries, judges and arbitrators. He has experience in all phases of litigation in state and federal court, from investigation to discovery and motion practice through trial and appeal.

Representative matters include:

Securities and Financial Institutions

• Represented a bank and its affiliates in securities fraud class action relating to alleged shelf space agreements with regard to mutual funds.
• Represented former Chief Financial Officer of a bank in a securities fraud class action and in actions by the SEC, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency and the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation.
• Represented directors and officers of telecommunications company in a securities fraud class action, resulting in a Ninth Circuit opinion affirming the dismissal. Winick v. Pacific Gateway Exchange, Inc., 73 Fed. Appx. 250 (9th Cir. 2003).
• Representing a bank and senior executive in an SEC investigation regarding suspected insider trading.
• Representing an in-house attorney at a public company in a securities fraud class action and related investigation.

False Claims Act and Breach of Contract

• Represented at trial one of the world’s leading aggregates companies in an action in which the State of California sought over $200 million in damages under the False Claims Act.  
• Represented a hospital in a False Claims Act action involving alleged false claims to Medicare regarding cardiac devices.
• Represented a hospital in a multi-million dollar arbitration involving claims for breach of contract and related torts. The arbitration resulted in a substantial award in favor of a firm client, which was challenged and affirmed in federal court.

Antitrust and Unfair Competition

• Representing a major electronics company in multidistrict litigation relating to alleged price fixing.
• Assisted in antitrust compliance in support of a major merger in which he obtained merger approval from antitrust authorities in foreign jurisdictions.
• Represented telecommunications carrier in an action for unfair competition and related torts by a dealer of its mobile phone service.

Educational Institutions

• Obtained dismissal of a defamation case and an award of attorneys’ fees under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which was affirmed on appeal. Spirtos v. Stanford University, 2003 WL 1518762 (Cal. App. 6 Dist. March 24, 2003).
• Successfully handled several cases involving student misconduct. In one such case, he prevailed on demurrer and on the plaintiff’s appeal, extending helpful precedent to the student disciplinary context. Gupta v. Stanford University, 124 Cal. App. 4th 407 (2004).
• Defended numerous actions involving complex constitutional and legal issues in a university setting.

Pro Bono

• Represented an applicant for political asylum from Burma in the appeal of the denial of her asylum application. After the presentation of testimony and argument before an Immigration Judge, the prior decision was overturned and asylum was awarded.

Mr. Sorensen is a member of the firm’s pro bono committee and is its liaison to the Bay Area Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (LCCR). In this role, he oversees and counsels associates in staffing the LCCR clinic for indigent persons.

Prior to joining Pillsbury, Mr. Sorensen served as a judicial extern for U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken of the Northern District of California.

Education

J.D., University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 2000
Moot Court Board

B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1996
magna cum laude

Admissions

State of California

U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Affiliations

Bar Association of San Francisco; Association of Business Trial Lawyers

Speaking Engagements

Avoiding Pain in Securities Litigation: Loss Causation and D&O Developments (San Francisco and Silicon Valley MCLE presentations, January 2006)

Firm Publications

Supreme Court Resolves ‘Presentment’ Issue; Limits Scope of False Claims Act Liability, 10-Jun-2008

False Claims Act Liability Exposure is Increasing With Another ‘Presentment’ Decision, 22-Apr-2008

Supreme Court in Stoneridge Rejects Application of “Scheme Liability” to Customers and Vendors of Issuers Accused of Securities Fraud—Impact on Professionals and Securities Market Participants Less Clear, 15-Jan-2008

Supreme Court to Address “Presentment” Requirement Under False Claims Act, 02-Nov-2007

Bulletin 01-28, Parties Should Review Contracts In Wake Of September 11th Terrorist Attacks, 07-Nov-2001