Glaser Weil Expands White Collar Platform with Addition of Former Federal Prosecutor, Joseph Orabona

LOS ANGELES – April 15, 2026 – Glaser Weil is pleased to announce that Joseph Orabona, a nationally recognized former federal prosecutor and trial lawyer, has joined the Firm as a partner in its Litigation Department. Orabona will be based in the Firm’s San Diego office and will spearhead the expansion of Glaser Weil’s Investigations and White Collar Litigation practice.

Orabona brings two decades of experience handling some of the most complex and high‑profile civil and criminal matters in the country. Prior to joining Glaser Weil, he served as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, where he led multidisciplinary teams prosecuting major fraud, public corruption, national security and cybercrimes and other sensitive, high‑impact cases. Over the course of his government career, Orabona also held senior leadership roles including Chief of the Violent Crime and Human Trafficking Section, Senior Litigation Counsel and Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Trial Team.

A veteran courtroom advocate, Orabona has tried more than 40 federal felony cases, argued nine matters before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, authored more than 30 appellate briefs and served as lead prosecutor in more than 1,500 criminal cases. His practice is defined by deep experience in evidentiary strategy, financial analysis and complex, long‑running investigations involving multi‑defendant conspiracies, international conduct and extensive electronic and forensic evidence.

Drawing on this experience, Orabona now focuses on defending clients facing significant criminal and civil exposure, internal investigations and parallel regulatory proceedings. His practice concentrates on white collar and regulatory defense, securities and investment fraud, accounting irregularities, criminal tax matters and corporate governance issues, with a particular emphasis on matters where reputational risk and business continuity are paramount.

“Joe is a transformative addition to our Firm,” said Peter Weil, Managing Partner of Glaser Weil. “His depth of experience as a senior federal prosecutor, combined with his trial record and sophisticated understanding of financial and regulatory matters, immediately elevates our white collar and investigations capabilities. Joe will play a central role in building and leading this practice as client demand continues to grow in this area.”

Orabona is widely regarded within the San Diego legal community as one of the region’s leading prosecutors of white collar crime, public corruption, criminal tax matters, racketeering enterprises and complex financial fraud. His career includes leading roles in landmark prosecutions involving conspiracy, securities and investment fraud, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, identity theft, bribery, obstruction of justice, civil rights violations and violent crime tied to organized criminal enterprises.

“Joe’s arrival is a major development for our San Diego office,” said Emil Petrossian, managing partner of Glaser Weil’s San Diego office. “He brings extraordinary trial and investigative experience in securities and white collar matters and is a proven leader. His presence significantly strengthens our litigation bench and positions our San Diego team to take on the most sophisticated civil and criminal investigation and enforcement matters our clients may face.”

In addition to his trial work, Orabona is an experienced leader, mentor and educator. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he supervised more than 30 prosecutors, 20 paralegals and 15 staff members, played a key role in attorney recruitment, and served as a frequent instructor on trial advocacy, evidence, white collar crime, criminal tax and prosecutorial ethics. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego School of Law and is a sought‑after speaker at national training programs and legal conferences.

“I’m excited to join Glaser Weil and to help build a premier white collar and investigations practice,” said Orabona. “The Firm’s litigation reputation is exceptional, and there is a tremendous opportunity to further develop a platform that helps clients navigate high‑stakes investigations, enforcement actions and parallel proceedings. I’m looking forward to working with this talented team to deliver practical, strategic and trial‑ready solutions.”

Orabona earned his LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation, with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center, his J.D., cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law, and his B.S. in Accountancy, magna cum laude, from Boston College. He is admitted to practice in California, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.