Audrey Barron

audrey@smllp.law

 

Education

J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 2012

B.A., University of San Francisco, 2008
Summa cum laude

Chambers Associates to Watch for White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations in California

“Audrey showed excellent judgment and skills for her years of practice.” –Chambers 2024

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2024 Recognition
  • Criminal Defense: White Collar

Audrey Barron

Of-Counsel

Audrey Barron represents individuals and corporations facing investigations and enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the California Attorney General, and other federal and state authorities.  Audrey has extensive criminal and civil litigation experience, including representing defendants in accounting fraud, RICO, securities fraud, trade secret, and price fixing actions.

Audrey also regularly leads internal investigations for public and private entities.  She shares her expertise as an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, where she teaches an advanced level seminar on internal investigations. 

Audrey was named an Associate to Watch for White Collar Crime & Government Investigations in California by Chambers and Partners.  She is also a 2023 Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Star in White Collar Criminal Defense.  Audrey is the recipient of the 2022 Skip Glenn Award for Excellence in Advocacy, offered annually by the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice.  She also won the 2023 AJC Pursuit of Justice Award for her pro bono work in overturning the conviction of a woman charged with murder after she suffered a stillbirth. Audrey was also the recipient of the 2021 and 2019 CJA Panel Award for excellence in indigent criminal representation from the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of California.  

Representative matters include:

  • Led internal investigation for technology client regarding potential criminal wrongdoing of company’s employee
  • Won motion to suppress evidence in federal district court resulting in dismissal of all charges
  • Represented technology CEO in trade secret investigation, resulting in declination to prosecute after presentation to United States Attorney’s Office
  • Represented technology CEO in visa fraud investigation, resulting in declination to prosecute after presentation to United States Attorney’s Office
  • Obtained declination of prosecution of executive in criminal antitrust investigation
  • Represented senior executive in bank fraud investigation, resulting in no charges after presentations to United States Attorney’s Office
  • Conducted investigation of Oakland Police Department spanning several months and including dozens of witness interviews, resulting in report of findings and recommended reforms
  • Conducted internal investigation of sexual assault allegations on behalf of private school
  • Obtained diversionary resolution in case where the statute of prosecution called for a ten-year mandatory minimum
  • Won restraining order following evidentiary hearing in case involving violent threats made against client

Before joining Swanson & McNamara, Audrey served as a law clerk to the Hon. Nathanael Cousins of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  She was also an associate in the San Francisco office of Shearman & Sterling where she worked primarily on white collar criminal cases and parallel civil proceedings.  While in law school, Audrey externed for one year with the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

 

Audrey is a Board member for the Berkeley Law Foundation and co-chairs the Year Long Grant Committee, which awards an annual fellowship to a new lawyer providing legal services for underserved communities.  Audrey is also a member of the American Bar Association’s White Collar Crime Young Lawyer’s Subcommittee and the Women in White Collar Defense Association.  Audrey played Division I volleyball at the University of San Francisco, and she continues to play competitive beach volleyball today.