Marcus Bourassa's aggressive trial practice focused on criminal defense and civil rights.
He has experience in both state and federal jury trials, including not guilty verdicts and the largest-ever excessive force verdict against law enforcement ($85 million). He backs up that trial experience with a forceful motions practice and serious pre-trial investigative efforts to ensure clients have the best possible chances of winning at trial (or before trial). Tireless in his advocacy, Marcus works to ensure he knows the facts and controlling law of his cases better than anyone else.
Outside of work, Marcus assists Stanford Law School annually in training students in a variety of trial skills and also serves the law school as an invited Moot Court judge.
Before entering legal practice, Marcus worked for a federal judge, the Honorable Christina A. Snyder of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He then joined the San Diego Federal Public Defender’s office, where he tried numerous cases to verdict, argued before the Ninth Circuit, and earned many federal felony case dismissals. He is tirelessly committed to advocating for the little guy.
Marcus Bourassa received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University before earning a juris doctor from Stanford Law School. At Stanford Law School, Marcus became a regional mock trial champion, was elected student-president, and received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service as well as top honors in criminal law, administrative law, and contract law. He worked in state and federal prosecutors’ offices, performed pro bono work for low-income tenants, and represented a man whom he helped get released from a sentence of 25-years-to-life.
Between stints at Stanford, Marcus served as an intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps, where he deployed to Afghanistan as a counterintelligence officer and managed a team of professional interrogators as well as confidential sources.
