About Brandon Orewyler
Brandon co-founded Astraea Counsel with Chanté Eliaszadeh to create a firm where regulatory expertise and litigation muscle work hand in hand.
Before launching Astraea, Brandon spent nearly a decade building the kind of litigation experience that most attorneys never get. He clerked for three years in one of California's busiest complex courts, writing the rulings that decide cases. He then moved through Big Law and litigation boutiques, trying cases and building a book of business through direct client relationships—not hand-me-downs.
The result: a litigator who knows what judges actually care about and knows how to get results.
Practice Areas
Professional Journey
Brandon built his practice on a simple premise: know what judges want, then deliver it. His clerkship gave him the insider view. His trial experience proved he could use it.
The Complex Division
Most litigators spend their careers guessing what judges want. Brandon spent three years writing the answers.
As Law Clerk to the Honorable Daniel J. Buckley in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Complex Division—the busiest complex litigation department in California and one of the busiest in the nation—he drafted tentative rulings and orders on dispositive motions, class certifications, and discovery disputes across the full spectrum of complex civil litigation: mass torts, class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and multi-party commercial disputes.
The experience was formative in a way that briefing alone never could be. He saw how judges actually evaluate arguments, what makes a motion succeed or fail, and where even experienced attorneys routinely miss the mark. That perspective now informs every brief, motion, and argument he makes.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
From the clerk’s chambers, Brandon moved to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he litigated complex white collar, securities, and corporate matters at the highest stakes. He managed discovery and investigative projects involving dozens of attorneys and millions of documents, drafted dispositive motions in state and federal court, and supported corporate clients navigating compliance and regulatory exposure.
At Simpson Thacher, he gained the training that only a top-tier global firm provides: rigorous analytical frameworks, meticulous attention to procedural detail, and the ability to manage massive, multi-party litigation without losing sight of strategy.
From Associate to Lead Counsel
After Simpson Thacher, Brandon moved to litigation boutiques where he could take the lead. At Miller Barondess he first-chaired a books-and-records trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery, took and defended depositions in high-stakes commercial disputes, and developed a client base through direct relationships and referrals—not institutional hand-me-downs.
The transition from Big Law to boutique practice was deliberate. Brandon wanted to own his cases from intake through resolution, maintain direct client relationships, and try cases—not just brief them. That independence and client-first approach is what he brings to Astraea Counsel.
Astraea Counsel
Brandon co-founded Astraea Counsel with Chanté Eliaszadeh because he saw the same gap she did: founders building in crypto and emerging tech needed litigation counsel who understood their industry—not generalists learning on the job. By pairing Chanté’s regulatory and transactional expertise with his litigation experience, Astraea offers clients something rare: a firm that can structure the deal and fight the dispute.
He represents blockchain companies, technology founders, and corporate clients in disputes ranging from shareholder derivative actions to novel questions of personal jurisdiction over foreign cryptocurrency defendants. His clients get a litigator who has written the rulings, tried the cases, and argued the appeals.
Building the Practice
In mid-2025, when agentic AI tooling was still nascent, Brandon picked up software development with Claude Code and built his first custom MCP that same month. From there, he developed a production-grade suite of AI-native legal tools—citation verification pipelines, multi-agent research and drafting workflows, document automation, matter intelligence—battle-tested across active matters and refined by an instinct for where AI force multipliers carry the most weight.
The unlikely cross-training turned out to be a natural fit. Litigation and software development are both, at root, language disciplines. A brief is a specification; a specification is an argument. The skills that win cases—frame the question, marshal the context, choose the words with precision—are the skills that build AI systems that actually work. Brandon’s clients now get the leverage advantage of that combined craft: Big Law caliber work product, at boutique rates, on a turnaround timeline that traditional small-firm overhead does not permit.
Areas of Focus
Brandon doesn't just understand digital asset law—he understands the technology. That fluency lets him translate complex regulatory requirements into practical business strategies.
Cryptocurrency & Digital Asset Disputes
Litigation involving blockchain projects, token disputes, and novel questions of personal jurisdiction over foreign defendants in the crypto space. In 2026, briefed and argued a Ninth Circuit appeal testing how traditional jurisdictional frameworks apply to virtual contacts and internet-native commerce — the panel unanimously reversed the district court's dismissal (Gelasio v. Zafar, No. 24-7277, argued Feb. 10, 2026; reversed Apr. 29, 2026).
Shareholder & Governance Litigation
Books-and-records demands, derivative suits, and corporate governance disputes. First-chaired a Section 220 books-and-records trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery, at a prior firm; currently prosecuting the related derivative action in California state court following successful opposition to demurrer.
Securities Litigation
Defense and plaintiff-side securities matters in federal court, including class actions and individual fraud claims. Experience managing large-scale discovery and taking depositions in high-stakes, multi-party disputes.
Internal Investigations
Represented boards and special committees of public companies in sensitive investigations involving executive misconduct. Handled document review, witness interviews, and preparation of investigation reports.
Complex Commercial Disputes
Breach of contract, fraud, and fiduciary duty claims across state and federal courts. Served as lead counsel on parallel matters involving both prosecution and defense of related claims.
Appellate Advocacy
Briefing and oral argument in state and federal appellate courts. In Gelasio v. Zafar (9th Cir. No. 24-7277), Brandon argued before a Ninth Circuit panel at the James R. Browning Courthouse in San Francisco on February 10, 2026; on April 29, 2026, the panel unanimously reversed the district court's dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction.
Personal Injury & Habitability Litigation
Plaintiff-side injury and habitability litigation, including a pending Los Angeles Superior Court toxic-mold and habitability action against a homeowners association. Brandon's personal injury practice began at Ervin Cohen & Jessup and continues today in co-counsel trial partnerships.
Representative Matters
Gelasio v. Zafar, et al.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 24-7277 (Gould, Friedland, Miller, JJ.); on remand, N.D. Cal. No. 3:24-cv-01555-JSC (Hon. Jacqueline Scott Corley) · Active — on remand
Represents the plaintiff in a digital-asset dispute against offshore defendants. Briefed the appeal and argued it before a Ninth Circuit panel in San Francisco on February 10, 2026, while at his prior firm; on April 29, 2026 the panel reversed the district court's dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, holding that the defendant had "expressly aimed" his conduct at California. The disposition is unpublished and reached personal jurisdiction only, not the merits. The mandate issued May 21, 2026 and the case proceeds on remand, where both defendants are now without appearing counsel.
Shareholder derivative litigation
Delaware Court of Chancery, C.A. No. 2022-1069-LM; Alameda County Superior Court, No. 25CV137957 (Dept. 22, Hon. Han N. Tran), trial set August 16, 2027 · Active — discovery
Represented a minority shareholder of a technology manufacturer in a Delaware Section 220 books-and-records action, obtaining an inspection order after the Master's report went against the shareholder and the court sustained his exceptions to it; the action closed. That work was done at his prior firm. Now prosecutes the follow-on derivative action in California, where the demurrer was overruled on all four grounds on January 8, 2026 and the matter is in active discovery with a disqualification motion and three motions to compel on calendar.
Federal business-dispute litigation
U.S. District Court, Central District of California — three actions (Nos. 2:24-cv-08418-SRM-PD, 2:25-cv-10588-SRM-PD, 2:26-cv-03583-SVW-AS) · Active — trial preparation
Represents a technology company and its founder across three federal actions arising from a soured business relationship — defending one, prosecuting two — with claims including trade-secret misappropriation in the most recent case. One case was inherited from prior counsel and one was filed at his prior firm. The defense case is resolving on a stipulated judgment and the plaintiff's own motion to dismiss; the affirmative cases are in pleading and arbitration motion practice.
Token-compensation action
Los Angeles Superior Court, No. 26STCV16964 (Hon. Upinder S. Kalra, Dept. 511) · Active
Represents three former Supra personnel — including a co-founder — and a contracting entity in a thirteen-count action over token-based compensation. After the drafting party failed to pay the arbitration provider's initiating fee within the thirty days allowed by Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.97(a)(1), the plaintiffs elected under section 1281.97(b)(1) to withdraw from arbitration and proceed in Superior Court, where the case is pending on the operative first amended complaint. No defendant has yet appeared.
Technology-founder litigation
Los Angeles Superior Court, West District, No. 26SMCV01799 · Active — pleading
Represents a technology founder and his former company in affirmative state-court litigation on claims including breach of fiduciary duty and defamation. Filed April 1, 2026; the complaint is being amended before service.
Toxic mold and habitability action
Los Angeles Superior Court, West District, No. 25SMCV04266 (Hon. Lisa K. Sepe-Wiesenfeld); appeal noticed June 12, 2026 · Active — motion practice and appeal
Represents a condominium owner and his holding entity against a homeowners association and members of its board over toxic mold and habitability failures, in an action he filed at his prior firm and continues at Astraea. The operative second amended complaint proceeds against the association, and against one director on two of the surviving counts; the dismissal of four other directors, and of two causes of action as to all defendants, is on appeal, with a demurrer to the amended pleading set for January 2027.
Pending matters are described in general terms; no outcome is implied or predicted. Each result described was dependent on the facts of that case, and the results will differ if based on different facts.
Recognition & Thought Leadership
Brandon writes and speaks in his practice areas—published analysis, panels, and commentary in the legal and trade press. The record is below.
His published work and his client counsel run on the same habit: reading a rule while it is still forming, then saying plainly what it means for a business that has to act now.
Awards & Rankings
- •Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America — Commercial Litigation – Best Lawyers (2027)
- •Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America — Commercial Litigation – Best Lawyers (2026)
Published Authority
Select Publications:
- •Law360 (Expert Analysis) – "Complying With Calif. Crypto License Law's 11th-Hour Rewrite" (August 13, 2026)
Watch: Oral Argument Before the Ninth Circuit
Official court recording, published by the Ninth Circuit. Brandon argued for the appellant on February 10, 2026; the panel unanimously reversed the dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction on April 29, 2026, and the matter continues on remand in the district court. Watch on the court's channel →
The published record and the client work are the same work. Reading a rule before it settles is what makes it possible to advise on one that hasn't.
Education & Bar Admission
Brandon earned his J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he competed as a McBaine Moot Court finalist, placed fourth regionally in the Jessup International Moot Court, and served as articles editor on both the Berkeley Technology Law Journal and the Berkeley Journal of International Law. His undergraduate work at UC Irvine centered on game theory and strategic decision-making—the mathematics of risk, incentive, and competitive behavior—an analytical foundation that carries directly into how he approaches litigation.
J.D., 2018
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
McBaine Moot Court Finalist | Jessup Int'l Moot Court, 4th Place Regional Oralist | Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Articles Editor | Berkeley Journal of International Law, Articles Editor | Blockchain at Berkeley Law, Senior Advisor | California Constitution Center, Senior Research Fellow
B.A., magna cum laude, 2015
University of California, Irvine
Political Science (emphasis in Game Theory & Methods)
Bar Admission: California (Bar No. 324391)
Why Founders Choose Astraea Counsel
Judicial Insider Perspective
Three years in the Complex Division taught Brandon how judges actually decide cases—not how law school says they should. He has evaluated the briefs from the other side of the bench and seen what works and what doesn't. That perspective shapes every motion and argument he files.
Trial-Tested
Brandon has first-chaired a books-and-records trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery, taken and defended depositions in multi-party disputes, and argued before the Ninth Circuit — where his 2026 argument in Gelasio v. Zafar won a unanimous reversal of a dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction. He doesn't just write briefs—he tries cases and argues appeals.
Big Law Rigor, Direct Access
Simpson Thacher trained him to manage litigation at scale—millions of documents, teams of dozens. But at Astraea Counsel, there's no associate buffer. You work directly with the attorney handling your case, at every stage.
Built on Relationships
Brandon built his practice through direct client relationships, not institutional hand-me-downs. His clients come back because of results—and because they always know who's handling their case.
"I've written the rulings and tried the cases. When a dispute lands in court, you need a litigator who knows how judges think—and isn't afraid to go to trial."
– Brandon Orewyler
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Whether you're launching a token, navigating regulatory compliance, or structuring a digital asset business, Astraea Counsel can guide you forward with practical, strategic counsel grounded in real-world execution.
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