Larson LLP is pleased to announce the addition of five attorneys to the firm, across all three U.S. offices.
Michael Zweiback joins the Orange County office as of counsel, Ashley Amell and William Wardlaw Jr. have joined the Los Angeles office as associates, and Matthew M. Beckwith and Gregory Taylor have joined the Washington, D.C. office as associates.
Michael Zweiback has an extensive background in white collar criminal defense, cyber security and privacy, complex commercial litigation, and international arbitration. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California and Chief of the Cyber & Intellectual Property Crimes Section, he has tried cases in state and federal courts across the country. Michael has defended clients against government investigations, including individuals and corporations in health care services, financial services, data security and privacy, anti-trust, and anti-corruption, as well as against enforcement actions brought by agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and various State Attorneys’ General. He holds a J.D. from Loyola Law School, and a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Ashley Amell’s practice primarily centers on white-collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, and complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts. She has represented clients in high-stakes matters involving the Department of Justice, SEC, CFTC, and FTC, and she regularly advises whistleblowers in qui tam and retaliation actions under the False Claims Act and Dodd-Frank Act. Ashley holds a J.D. from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Billy Wardlaw’s practice is focused on white collar defense, complex commercial litigation, and intellectual property issues. Before joining Larson, he served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Billy holds a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Matthew Beckwith’s practice centers on white collar defense and government investigations. Before joining Larson, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., conducting investigations in conjunction with federal law enforcement agents and successfully taking multiple cases to trial. He also spent two years as an associate at a global Am Law 100 firm, where he advised clients facing federal and state investigations on non-profit tax compliance, counseled a software manufacturer on regulatory obligations related to autonomous vehicles, and provided guidance on international sanctions. Matthew holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and a B.A. from Boston College.
Greg Taylor advises companies and individuals in high-stakes commercial disputes and regulatory matters across a variety of industries, including media, technology, renewable energy, finance, and cryptocurrency. He was previously a litigation associate at a multinational firm, and also worked at the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, supporting projects to strengthen the rule of law in the Middle East and Latin America. Greg holds a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, and a B.A. from the University of Arizona.
