Prava Palacharla

Drawing on her government background, Prava Palacharla advises Fortune 50 companies on the legal risks arising from cyber threats and emerging technology development. Prava provides strategic counsel to clients navigating cybersecurity and national security issues such as material cybersecurity incidents and insider threats, as well as sanctions and export control compliance. She works with leading cybersecurity firms and guides multidisciplinary teams through cross-border cybercrime investigations and prosecutions. Prava also provides tailored guidance on the seizure of cyber infrastructure and virtual currencies.

Before joining Ashurst Perkins Coie, Prava served as a trial attorney in the National Security Cyber Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division (NSD), where she collaborated with global law enforcement agencies, intelligence communities, financial institutions, and private-sector entities to lead complex, cybersecurity prosecutions. She also participated in working groups that addressed the legal and national security implications of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing, and cryptocurrency mining. In 2026, Prava received an Award in Excellence from the Assistant Attorney General for the NSD for her work in prosecuting the former general manager of a major U.S. defense contractor who sold stolen trade secrets to a Russian cybertools broker. 

Before her role at NSD, Prava served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) and a Senior Assistant United States Attorney (Senior AUSA) for the District of Columbia, where she managed a portfolio of cybersecurity, national security, and white-collar crime matters involving wire fraud, computer fraud, international financial crime, economic espionage, export controls, and sanctions evasion. During her time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she worked on many high-stakes prosecutions, including matters involving individuals who trafficked illicit Iranian oil through the U.S. financial system to fund a terrorist group, in violation of U.S. sanctions. She also prosecuted individuals engaged in a sophisticated, nationwide SIM-swapping conspiracy that ultimately led to the theft of hundreds of millions in cryptocurrency from a virtual currency exchange. Prava received multiple special achievement awards during her time as an AUSA and Senior AUSA,

At the DOJ, Prava worked regularly with the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, the Treasury, Energy, and Homeland Security. She maintained an active security clearance from 2022 to 2026. 

Prior to the DOJ, Prava worked for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as a local prosecutor in Chicago. Prava earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois and her Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law.