Gibson Dunn Welcomes Clifford Chance Litigation Trio To Its New York Office
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Mark Kirsch, Joel Cohen and Christopher Joralemon have joined the firm’s New York office as partners. All three were previously with Clifford Chance, where Kirsch served as the Global Chair of the Litigation Practice and a member of its Global Management Committee, and Cohen served as head of its U.S. Litigation & Disputes Resolution Practice. Kirsch joins Gibson Dunn as Co-Chair of its more than 500-lawyer Litigation Practice Group.
“We are delighted to have such a well-known and respected group of litigators join the firm,” said Ken Doran, Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Litigation is a growth area for the firm across all offices, but particularly in our New York office. Mark, Joel and Chris are highly regarded trial lawyers and have extensive experience in complex civil litigation, including in the areas of securities and white-collar defense. They will add to our already strong litigation team, raise our profile, and most importantly, enhance our ability to serve our clients’ needs.”
“This is a unique opportunity for us to bring aboard this dynamic, successful litigation team,” said Randy M. Mastro, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn's Litigation Practice and Crisis Management Groups. “Mark is one of New York City's top complex commercial litigators and trial lawyers, and Joel and Chris also enjoy stellar reputations in the City's civil litigation, trial and white collar bars. This outstanding group will be joining our strong litigation team here in New York, and we see tremendous synergies between their complementary litigation practice, particularly in representing financial institutions in their most complex matters, and our strong litigation platform.”
“Joining Gibson Dunn, with its resources and international platform of one of the top U.S. litigation firms, is a tremendous opportunity for us and for our clients,” said Kirsch.
About Mark A. Kirsch
Kirsch has been involved in some of the most high-profile matters in the country, including leading the team that obtained summary judgment for Citigroup in a class action seeking over $13 billion in damages for its alleged role in the collapse of Parmalat. He was also involved in litigation related to the collapse of Enron, winning five significant victories for AllianceBernstein, including a seven-week jury trial in which the Florida state pension fund attempted to recover over $3 billion in losses the fund sustained in Enron and other stocks. He is the lead attorney defending the Royal Bank of Canada in a lawsuit over the sale of synthetic CDOs and representing the Bank of New York Mellon and Morgan Stanley in the Chapter 11 and class action proceedings arising out of the Adelphia bankruptcy, and Bank of New York Mellon in a money-laundering claim by the Russian government, among other high-profile matters. He is ranked among the top securities litigators by both Chambers and Legal 500.
Kirsch practiced with Clifford Chance since 1995, most recently serving as Global Chair of the Litigation Practice and a member of the firmwide Global Management Committee. From 1991 to 1995, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, focusing on complex financial crimes. During his tenure, he was awarded the Justice Department Director's Award for Superior Achievement. He graduated from Yale University Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review and clerked for U.S. Judge John M. Walker, Jr. in New York.
About Joel M. Cohen
Cohen focuses his practice on representing major U.S. and international companies in regulatory, criminal and civil matters. Cohen, who was co-lead trial counsel with Kirsch in the AllianceBernstein case, has led over 20 civil and criminal trials and argued over a dozen times before the U.S. Court of Appeals. He regularly counsels clients on a wide range of issues, including securities litigation, class actions, fraud, anti-corruption and money laundering. He has also conducted numerous internal investigations and devised anti-corruption compliance programs for financial institutions. Notably, he recently has been representing, among others, Citi in the Parmalat class action litigation, a board member in one of the first criminal stock option backdating cases, a hedge fund in an insider trading case filed by the SEC, and oil and gas companies in connection with two of the largest FCPA investigations in history.
Cohen previously was the head of the U.S. Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice at Clifford Chance, where he practiced from 2004 to 2009. From 1999 to 2004 he practiced with Greenberg Traurig. From 1992 to 1999, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, supervising the Business/Securities Fraud Unit. He was a senior advisor to OECD in connection with the effort to prohibit corruption in international transactions and was the first Department of Justice legal liaison advisor to the French Ministry of Justice. He graduated in 1988 from Duke University School of Law, where he was a moot court champion.
About Christopher M. Joralemon
Joralemon focuses on securities litigation and enforcement, complex civil disputes and white collar matters. He advises major financial institutions, companies and individuals in regulatory and criminal proceedings, class actions and internal investigations. He currently represents The Bank of New York Mellon and Morgan Stanley in significant ongoing litigation, and has successfully defended clients in several high-profile matters, including Merrill Lynch in various Enron-related disputes and SMBC Capital Markets in connection with the municipal bond market “yield burning” cases. He recently briefed and argued in opposition to the SEC’s closely watched appeal of a dismissed mutual fund “market timing” enforcement action currently under consideration for en banc review by the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
Joralemon graduated magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law, where he served as Editor of the Boston University Law Review.