Anna Erickson White
Anna has almost 30 years of experience in securities and other complex, high-stakes civil litigation. She has represented companies, as well as their officers and directors, in securities class actions, derivative suits, merger and acquisition litigation, and general commercial disputes. She also regularly advises boards and management on disclosure and high-profile governance issues. Her clients span a range of industries including technology, life sciences, renewable energy, gaming, and financial services.
In recognition of her ability to add real value to clients’ businesses, Anna was named a Client Choice Award winner. She is also recommended by Chambers USA and Legal500 US for securities litigation defense and most recently was honored with Euromoney LMG’s “Outstanding Achievement” award, which is given to a lawyer with an illustrious career and considerable achievements who has earned unanimous market recognition and praise. She was also recently named a “Top Woman Lawyer” in California by Daily Journal and was previously named a “Woman Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal in 2014.
Anna is also a frequent speaker on securities litigation and corporate governance topics and is regularly quoted in publications such as the Daily Journal, The Recorder, and Law360. Some recent engagements include:
- Stanford Directors' College
- Practising Law Institute
- Benchmark Women in Litigation
- Women in Securities (WISe)
- Directors Roundtable
In addition to her practice, Anna has served on the firm’s executive committee, compensation committee, and board of directors. She has also twice served as a firmwide managing partner, from 2006 to 2009 and 2012 to 2015.
Anna received her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1992. She received her B.A. from University of California, Berkeley, in 1985.
Before attending law school, Anna was a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, Central Africa, where she helped start and advise cooperative credit unions.
Experience
Precision Castparts Corp.
Represented Precision Castparts Corp. and its officers in the District of Oregon. Won summary judgment.
First Solar, Inc.
Represented First Solar, Inc. in the District of Arizona and the Ninth Circuit. Affirmed dismissal of derivative suit for failure to plead futility.
Sunrun, Inc.
Represented SunRun, Inc. in the Northern District of California. Won dismissal with prejudice on first motion to dismiss.
Yahoo!, Inc.
Represented Yahoo!, Inc. and former officers in the Northern District of California and the Ninth Circuit. Affirmed dismissal of securities class action.
JDS Uniphase
Represented JDS and former executives in the Northern District of California in a case seeking $20 billion for alleged securities fraud and insider trading. Won jury verdict.
Jacobs v. Yang
Represented Yahoo! Officers in Delaware Chancery and Delaware Supreme Court. Affirmed dismissal of derivative suit.
Ocera Therapuetics, Inc.
Represented Ocera and its directors in the Northern District of California and the Ninth Circuit. Affirmed dismissal of a consolidated securities class action related to Ocera’s merger with Mallinckrodt plc.
Cloudera
Represented Cloudera and its officers and directors in federal securities litigation in the Northern District of California and Santa Clara Superior Court.
Prothena Corporation plc
Represented Prothena and its officers in a federal securities class action in the Southern District of New York. The case settled on favorable terms before a motion to dismiss was filed.
Hortonworks, Inc.
Represented Hortonworks, Inc. and its officers in a federal securities class action. After the motion to dismiss was granted, the case settled on favorable terms.
Fitbit, Inc.
Represented Fitbit, Inc. and its officers and directors in federal and state securities class actions, which were settled on favorable terms. Also represented Fitbit in derivative actions in California and Delaware, which were settled on favorable terms.
Zynga, Inc.
Represented Zynga, Inc. and its directors and officers in a federal securities class action, two state class actions, and various derivative actions pending in California and Delaware. The federal securities class action and the Delaware class action were settled on favorable terms and the California class action was voluntarily dismissed.
UCBH Holdings, Inc.
Represented former directors and officers of UCBH Holdings, Inc. in a federal securities class action, a shareholder derivative action, FDIC claims, a bankruptcy action, and related investigations and proceedings.
Novellus Systems, Inc.
Represented Novellus Systems, Inc. and its directors in a consolidated class action in Santa Clara Superior Court arising from its merger with Lam Research Corporation.
Yahoo!, Inc.
Represented Yahoo!, Inc. and its directors in a consolidated class action in the Delaware Court of Chancery resulting from its merger with interCLICK, Inc.
Countrywide Financial Corp.
Represented former outside directors of Countrywide Financial Corp. in various securities class actions and shareholder derivative actions.
Altera Corporation
Represented Altera Corporation and current and former officers and directors in derivative suits concerning stock option practices. The action was dismissed with prejudice.
Wonder Auto Technology, Inc.
Represented Wonder Auto Technology, Inc. in a federal securities class action in the Southern District of New York and derivative actions in state and federal court in Nevada.
Wachovia and Wells Fargo
Represented former directors of Wachovia and Wells Fargo in a securities class action and derivative action in the Northern District of California.
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Represented Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Cisco Systems, Inc. in investigating derivative shareholder claims against directors and officers and related derivative litigation.
Oracle Corporation
Represented Oracle Corporation in related derivative actions in Delaware and California. Summary judgment was granted for defendants in the Delaware action.
CIENA Corp./ONI Systems, Inc.
Represented CIENA Corp./ONI Systems, Inc. and its officers and directors in a consolidated class action in Santa Clara Superior Court arising out of a merger. The case was dismissed with prejudice.
Rankings
Ranked in Litigation: Securities – California
Chambers USA 2024
Recommended for Dispute Resolution: Securities Litigation: Defense
Legal 500 US 2024
Recognized in Litigation: Securities and Criminal Defense: White Collar
Best Lawyers in America 2024
Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient
Women in Business Law 2022
Recognized in “Top Women Lawyers in California”
Daily Journal 2022
Client Choice Award Recipient – Litigation
Lexology 2022