A partner in Paul, Weiss' Litigation Department and co-chair of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group, Melinda Haag is widely recognized as among the nation’s leading trial lawyers. Over more than three decades, Haag has led or co-led more than 20 jury and bench trials, including complex white collar and civil rights cases, and has handled numerous white collar criminal matters, corporate investigations and complex commercial litigations. Haag has long represented companies and their boards in law enforcement and multi-regulator investigations and in internal investigations, as well as senior executives in connection with government and internal investigations. Clients have described Haag as “one of the best white collar lawyers in practice right now” and the lawyer that they “like to bring the thorniest cases.”
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management | 2026 | White Collar, Investigations, Litigation |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2026 | Litigation, esp. White Collar |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | White Collar, Regulatory Investigations, Securities Litigation |
| The Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management | 2025 | White Collar, Investigations, Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2025 | Litigation, esp. White Collar |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2025 | White Collar, Regulatory Investigations, Securities Litigation |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2024 | Litigation, esp. White Collar |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2024 | White Collar, Regulatory Investigations, Securities Litigation |
Haag has had a distinguished career in public service. During her five-year tenure as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, she spearheaded numerous high-profile investigations and prosecutions. Earlier, Haag served for nine years as a federal prosecutor, ultimately being tapped by then-U.S. Attorney Robert Mueller as Chief of the White Collar section of the San Francisco office.
Haag has handled a wide variety of significant litigations and government and internal investigations, including matters concerning securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, trade secret theft, bribery, antitrust, FCPA, environmental, civil rights, defense contractor fraud, health care fraud and money laundering.