About Brendan
Brendan Hickey built a legal path that led from a psychology undergraduate degree to courtroom work in federal defense. He earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2005 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2008. Those academic years shaped the questions he asks in depositions and the way he weighs witness testimony.
He began practicing in federal defender offices almost immediately after law school. In 2008 he worked as a trial lawyer with the Federal Defenders of San Diego, handling matters that brought him into federal courtrooms. By 2010 he was listed as a trial lawyer for Defender Services. Those early positions gave him extensive bench and jury experience and steady exposure to the procedural and strategic demands of criminal litigation.
Hickey is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His professional work has centered on litigation and trial practice in federal settings, where the record-building and motion practice often move at a different pace than state court matters. He has represented clients at various stages, from pretrial hearings to appeals in the Ninth Circuit, drawing on the trial experience he accrued in defender offices.
Colleagues describe him as methodical in preparing for trial and pragmatic in courtroom advocacy. He tends to take a plainspoken approach when presenting facts to judges and juries, favoring clear narratives over technical flourish. That approach reflects his academic background in psychology and his early immersion in federal defender practice, where credibility and detail are critical.
Hickey now practices at Hickey & Chung, LLP. The firm handles litigation matters that include criminal defense in both federal and state forums, as well as related motions and appellate work. At the firm he continues to try cases and handle appeals, drawing on the procedural knowledge and trial experience he developed in defender roles.
He maintains active admission in the California courts and before the Ninth Circuit and remains based in the region where much of his trial work has taken place. He currently practices at Hickey & Chung, LLP, focusing on trial litigation and criminal defense matters.
