Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Financial Services Disputes and Investigations

Partner - Litigation and Investigations

Saurish Appleby-Bhattacharjee is a seasoned trial attorney who has extensive experience litigating complex, high-stakes matters in federal and state court. He advises clients in civil and criminal litigation, white-collar matters, and internal investigations.

Before joining the firm, Saurish served as an Assistant United States Attorney, first in the Central District of California (Los Angeles), and then in Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), where he was a Deputy Chief in the General Crimes Section. In that role, Saurish is best known for serving as co-counsel in a 10-week, billion-dollar fraud trial culminating in guilty verdicts of the top executives of Outcome Health, a Chicago-area healthcare advertising startup. Having built a reputation as a dogged investigator and fierce courtroom advocate, Saurish’s extensive experience offers clients facing governmental inquiries an insider’s view into how cases are built and won.

During his eight years as a prosecutor, Saurish tried multiple cases to verdict before federal juries. He also led complex investigations covering a diverse array of white-collar crimes, including bank fraud, honest-services fraud, healthcare fraud, investor fraud, and cybercrime. Saurish also briefed and argued a dozen federal appeals covering constitutional challenges to criminal statutes, criminal procedure, and interpretation of the United States Sentencing Guidelines, among many other complex issues.

While a federal prosecutor, Saurish twice received the FBI Director's Certificate for his role in significant criminal prosecutions in Los Angeles and Chicago, the Excellence in Law Enforcement Award from the Cook County Crime Stoppers, and the prestigious Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service.

Before his career in government service, Saurish worked as an associate in the Los Angeles offices of two international law firms, where he maintained a diverse civil-litigation practice that included trial and appellate work in state and federal courts, as well as a robust pro-bono docket.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS South Asian Bar Association of Chicago Foundation, Treasurer (2023–present) South Asian Bar Association of Southern California Foundation, Grants Chair (2017–2018) South Asian Bar Association of North America Leadership Institute, 2022 Fellow