Susan Muck focuses her practice on shareholder class actions, derivative suits, and internal and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations. She also regularly advises boards and management on disclosure and accounting issues, cybersecurity, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), whistleblower investigations, and other high-profile governance matters. Her practice spans a wide range of industries, including life science, software, social media, cloud computing, energy, financial services and retail. Ms. Muck has represented companies, directors and officers in a wide variety of SEC, US Department of Justice and whistleblower investigations. She has also developed FCPA, UK Bribery Act, and general ethics and compliance programs for dozens of public and private companies.

Ms. Muck has practiced in the Bay Area for more than three decades. She joined WilmerHale in 2020 after more than 15 years at another law firm, where she co-founded the securities litigation and securities enforcement practices and served as a trusted advisor to many of the region’s most innovative companies. 

Professional Activities

Ms. Muck is a founding member of Women in Securities, a network for women securities litigators, and is an active member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association. 

Ms. Muck has lectured and written extensively on governance, crisis management, shareholder litigation and compliance, including for the Association of Corporate Counsel, Compliance Week, Law360, Northwestern University and Stanford University. 

Experience

  • Representative Litigation

    Ms. Muck concentrates her practice on shareholder litigation, governance, and SEC enforcement matters.  She has obtained dismissals of dozens of securities class action and derivative suits.  She also represents boards, independent directors, and board committees in connection with derivative litigation demands and related investigations.

Recognition

  • Award Text

    Woman Leader in the Law

    Daily Journal

    2020

  • Award Text

    Securities Litigation MVP

    Law360

    2019

  • Award Text

    Lawyer of the Year, Securities Litigation

    Best Lawyers

    2019

  • Regularly ranked by Chambers USA (Band 1), most recently in 2024, with commenters describing her as “a wonderful, creative lawyer…an excellent attorney [who has] great relationships with regulatory bodies” (2019) and noting that she “embraces difficult situations and possesses great analytical skills that provide value to her clients” (2018).
  • Repeatedly ranked by The Legal 500 and, in 2018, named one of the top securities litigators in the United States, with reviewers noting that she “has gravitas and experience that are practically unmatched.”
  • Named a 2020 Woman Leader in the Law by the Daily Journal.
  • Named a 2019 Securities Litigation MVP by Law360.
  • Recognized as a 2019 Lawyer of the Year in San Francisco by Best Lawyers for excellence in securities litigation, an honor given to one lawyer in a practice area in each community annually, and regularly recognized by the publication as a top litigator in California.
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation (2008–2025), securities litigation (2018–2025), white collar criminal defense (2019–2025) and regulatory enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) litigation (2023–2025).
  • Recognized as a 2019 Securities Litigation San Francisco Lawyer of the Year by US News and World Report.
  • Repeatedly recognized as one of the top women lawyers in California by the Daily Journal.
  • Repeatedly recognized by Northern California Super Lawyers as a top litigator.

Insights & News

Credentials

  • Education

    • JD, University of Virginia School of Law, 1986

      Executive Editor, Virginia Journal of International Law
    • BA, University of Maryland at College Park, 1982

      with honors

      Phi Beta Kappa

  • Admissions

    • California

Credentials

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