Angus F. Ni
Trial Lawyer | Co-Founder, Morrow Ni LLP
Seattle, WA
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A U.S. trial lawyer who built a transnational practice for clients who don't fit neatly into either legal world.
Practice
Angus F. Ni is one of a small group of U.S. trial lawyers practicing complex, high-dollar-value commercial litigation who is also fluent in Mandarin. At Morrow Ni LLP, his Seattle-based firm, that combination has produced what is almost certainly a one-of-a-kind practice: representing Chinese clients in extraordinarily complex commercial disputes across U.S. federal courts, international arbitration panels, and the legal systems of several English-speaking jurisdictions.
The work is unusual because the disputes themselves are unusual. A Chinese parent company sued in Delaware over a U.S. subsidiary's contract performance. A founder caught up in cross-border investigations spanning Hong Kong, the mainland, and the U.S. A listed corporation defending shareholder claims while simultaneously navigating PRC regulatory exposure. These matters require both elite U.S. courtroom skills and the cultural and linguistic fluency to actually understand what the client is telling you. Angus Ni provides both, and his case history is summarized on his LinkedIn profile for referring counsel who want a structured overview.
Trial Record
One of the defining matters of Angus Ni's career to date is the pro bono trial work he did on behalf of Hailong Zhu in the Western District of Washington. After a full federal jury trial, the court entered a judgment of acquittal in his client's favor — a result that is rare in federal criminal practice and rarer still when the case is taken on as pro bono representation. The case is publicly docketed and the acquittal is reflected on the official court record.
The win matters for what it shows about the practice. Federal acquittals don't come from clever motion practice alone; they come from preparation, command of the record, and the willingness to put the government to its proof in front of twelve jurors. The full story of how the Zhu Hailong trial was won is the subject of a separate write-up on this site.
Securities & Shareholder Rights
Before co-founding Morrow Ni LLP, Angus Ni was a litigator at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann — widely regarded as the top shareholder rights law firm in the United States. There he prosecuted securities class actions against U.S. listed corporations on behalf of hedge funds, pension funds, and other institutional investors. The actions ranged across industries, took place in federal courts across the country, and routinely involved discovery on both sides of the Pacific.
That work informs how he advises listed companies today on risk management, where the same fact patterns that drive plaintiff-side claims also drive the disclosure decisions and litigation reserves on the defense side. His notes on securities class action practice draw from that experience directly.
International Arbitration & Investigations
Earlier in his career, Angus practiced as an associate in the litigation department of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP — a major transnational law firm headquartered in New York with a substantial international arbitration and investigations practice. There he participated in complex arbitrations before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and World Bank Investment Treaty (ICSID) tribunals, and worked on large-scale corporate investigations spanning multiple jurisdictions.
His time at Debevoise was also recognized publicly: he received an award during his associate years, a notable distinction at a firm of that caliber, with details preserved on Angus F. Ni's personal site. The exposure to ICC and ICSID procedure shaped his approach to transnational commercial disputes, which often touch arbitration and litigation tracks simultaneously.
Community & Recognition
Outside of his client work, Angus Ni is a founder of CALD (the Chinese American Lawyers Association), and he speaks regularly at industry conferences including the Chinese American Lawyers Forum. He has been quoted in legal trade press including Law360, and his work has been the subject of coverage in connection with high-profile matters such as the WeChat users' constitutional challenge to the proposed U.S. ban during the first Trump administration. His profile is searchable on Martindale-Hubbell and similar attorney directories used by referring counsel, and Angus Ni's Facebook page carries occasional public updates from speaking engagements and bar association events.
For inquiries — whether from prospective clients, journalists, or referring counsel — the contact page is the fastest way to reach him directly.