Mari Overbeck, a former federal prosecutor with the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, advises clients on complex commercial litigation and employment law.  

A seasoned trial lawyer, Mari has substantial experience litigating — and winning — on both the plaintiff and defense side.

She delivers practical trial, arbitration, and appellate guidance to clients on:

  • Complex commercial litigation, including class and collective actions
  • Employee mobility, particularly involving restrictive covenants and non-solicitation clauses
  • Unfair competition
  • Worker misclassification
  • Fraud
  • Breach of contract
  • Trade secret misappropriation
  • Internal investigations

Mari draws on her trial-ready posture and federal prosecutorial experience to forecast and plan for potential outcomes in litigation and counseling matters across a wide variety of industries.

Complementing her commercial work, Mari serves on the board of the San Francisco Bar Association and for more than 12 years was an adjunct professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), where she taught advanced legal writing and oral advocacy. Mari has also taught as a visiting professor at Middlebury College. 

Following law school, Mari clerked for Judges Bernard Zimmerman and William Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Mari’s experience includes representing:

  • Fortress Investment Group in obtaining a complete defense judgment following a five-week bench trial of claims of fraud by a hedge fund that had a line of credit with Fortress; recognized as a Top Defense Verdict of the Year by The Daily Journal*
  • A major financial services institution in securing a precedent-setting summary judgment ruling and denial of collective action certification in a case alleging the misclassification of financial advisors*
  • A major international contractor in winning a complete defense victory against a certified class of more than 7,000 employees alleging failure to pay overtime following a nearly three-month arbitration hearing involving several dozen witnesses; recognized as a Top Defense Verdict of the Year by The Daily Journal*
  • As a federal prosecutor overseeing the investigation, prosecution, and trial conviction of the leadership of the Nuestra Familia prison gang for decades-long violations of the Racketeering Corruption Organizations Act, including acts involving murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering; Mari received the US Attorney's Award for Outstanding Trial Achievement in 2024 for her prosecution of this case*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham

Bar Qualification

  • California
  • Indiana

Education

  • JD, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, 2008
    magna cum laude, second in class
  • BA in International Politics & Economics, Middlebury College, 2005
    magna cum laude, with high honors