Alison L. Plessman

Alison Plessman is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Irell & Manella LLP, where she is a member of the firm's litigation practice group.  Ms. Plessman represents plaintiffs and defendants in a range of complex litigation cases in both state and federal courts.  Ms. Plessman specializes in securities litigation, including securities and shareholder class action defense, securities fraud, negligence and breach of contract, and both SEC and FCPA investigations.  She has represented clients in a broad range of industries, including finance, information technology, entertainment, and healthcare. 

Ms. Plessman's current and recent matters include:

• Dismissal of criminal mortgage fraud indictment after evidentiary hearings for prosecutorial misconduct; Dallas County District Attorney held in contempt (featured as "Hill Wins, Watkins Loses" in the Dallas Morning News).
  
• Represented Pacific Select Fund in connection with an investment mismanagement case against Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) that resulted in $20 million for the firm's client on partial summary judgment and the defeat of BNY's motion for summary judgment on all accounts.
• Representing a workers’ compensation insurance provider in connection with federal and state securities claims, as well as common law fraud and negligent misrepresentation related to losses suffered as a result of Lehman’s collapse and defendants’ misleading disclosures.
• Representing a well-known music content company in connection with a negligence and breach of contract lawsuit involving lost recordings due to a fire.
• Represented an information technology services company, in defense of negligence and breach of contract claims involving the computer security assessment of a credit card processor that was hacked and from which credit card information was stolen.
• Together with attorneys from the Natural Resources Defense Council, represented plaintiff environmental organizations in a series of successful challenges to the Navy's use of environmentally harmful high-intensity sonar in training exercises, resulting in the issuance of court orders providing for injunctive relief against the Navy for its violation of U.S. environmental laws.
• Resolved federal investigation of alleged celebrity privacy breaches at UCLA without charges or fines.

In 2013, Ms. Plessman was selected by The Recorder as one of only 50 "California Lawyers on the Fast Track." The list highlights attorneys in their first 10 years of practice who stand out among their peers based on career achievements and leadership roles within their practice, organization and community.

In addition to her practice, Ms. Plessman currently serves on the firm’s Hiring Committee and Women’s Committee, and as Vice-Chair of the Summer Committee.  She is also an active member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (“WLALA”), serving on its Board of Governors since 2010.  Ms. Plessman served as Co-Chair of WLALA’s Litigation Section from 2010 to 2012, and  has been appointed to serve as Co-Chair of the Career Development and Life Balance Committee in 2012 and 2013.  Additionally, Ms. Plessman serves on the Western Center on Law & Poverty Board of Directors, as well as on the finance and public relations committees.

In June 2006, the Securities Litigation Report published her article, "Electronic Discovery and the Proposed Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure." The New York Law Journal published her article "Lessons from Moussaoui: The Ethics of Witness Prep," in March 2006.  Prior to joining Irell, Ms. Plessman was an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City.

Ms. Plessman earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.  As a first-year law student, she received the prestigious Frederick H. Weisberg Award for the top-ranked student in Constitutional Law.  Ms. Plessman earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota.

Bar & Court Admissions

• 2007, California
• 2004, New York