Carrie Akinaka Associate

Carrie Akinaka is a trained persuasive writer and oral advocate—a strategic storyteller. Multinational corporations and startups alike turn to Carrie for her skills in defending food and consumer products companies embroiled in class actions as well as commercial landlords, loan servicers, technology suppliers, and others in real estate, tax, intellectual property (IP), fraud, and contract disputes. She also prosecutes actions and advises clients on regulatory compliance.

Equipped with a federal clerkship, deep regulatory knowledge, and a prelaw career managing a $500 million business at a Fortune 50 retailer, Carrie is well suited to counsel clients on how to protect their products, properties, reputation, and bottom line. She has secured early dismissals, low-cost settlements, cost-effective discovery, and successful appeals, practicing regularly in nationwide state and federal courts, including the U.S. appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. For example, Carrie contributed to an amicus brief cited by Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan in the dissent of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Carrie sharpened her writing and research skills as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Bruce S. Jenkins of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah and as a senior editor for the UCLA Law Review. She graduated from the UCLA School of Law, twice earning the Mason Family Academic Excellence Award for top performance on a written exam.

Committed to a robust pro bono practice, Carrie won a dismissal for a disabled homeless veteran in a civil rights action. She also helped a transgender man from Saudi Arabia obtain asylum and an Afghan interpreter for the U.S. military obtain green cards for his wife and children.

In her spare time, Carrie coaches high school speech and debate. A decorated former competitor herself, she has coached four state champions and a national champion in persuasive speaking. Whether it is for students, veterans, immigrants, or business clients, Carrie is committed to solving problems with well-crafted strategies and well-conveyed stories that engage and persuade.

*Admitted in California only. Admission in Washington pending.