Mark J. Chasteen
Partner
Education
Yale Law School
New Haven, Connecticut
J.D., 1997
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
B.A., History, honors, 1994
Clerkships
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Honorable David F. Hamilton
Bar Admissions
Michigan
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States District Court for Eastern District of Michigan
United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
United States Tax Court
Litigation Attorney
Mark is a trial and appellate attorney and former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. He brings two decades of state and federal prosecutorial experience to Varnum, where he is a member of the White Collar Defense and Government Investigations Practice Team and Litigation and Trial Practice Team. Mark’s practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, complex civil litigation, and appeals.
During his 17-year tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, most recently serving as Chief of the White Collar Crime Unit, Mark led investigations and prosecutions involving health care fraud, financial crimes, and other sophisticated white collar matters.
Prior to his role as Chief of the White Collar Crime Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mark served in the Appellate Division, as a line attorney and later as Deputy Chief, where he gained extensive appellate experience. He handled legal brief writing and review, for affirmative and defensive appeals, and argued cases before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mark also served as the first Deputy Chief of the new Violent & Organized Crime Unit where he prosecuted complex gang cases and other serious violent felonies.
Mark has tried more than 30 jury trials in state and federal court and argued more than a dozen cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Among his notable cases, he was lead trial counsel for the government in a multi-week homicide case that followed years of pretrial litigation. Another matter involved complex, multi-party appeals following two related RICO trials. As the sole attorney representing the government, Mark briefed and argued appeals filed by eight defendants, requiring coordination and response across a range of legal issues and procedural challenges.
In addition to his trial and appellate experience, Mark has provided counsel and training to attorneys, investigative teams, and law enforcement agencies. He has also supervised and handled a variety of tax-related cases.
Professional Affiliations
State Bar of Michigan