Merry Jean Chan, 38, Assistant U.S. Attorney
Northern District of California
Fast facts: Chan was entrusted with a lead role in her office's most high-profile case: U.S. v. Barry Bonds. She delivered key legal arguments at the perjury trial, and later gave oral arguments at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, opposite the slugger's all-star, veteran legal team. But it's a less flashy case that she's most proud of: the prosecution of a woman who committed visa fraud to arrange entry into the U.S. for her Peruvian nanny, then forced the nanny to work on threat of deportation. She successfully defended the conviction on appeal.
