Matt Aidan Getz is a litigation associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law group. His practice focuses on appellate matters, typically involving complex commercial or constitutional litigation. He has argued multiple appeals and drafted briefs in over fifty appeals and in other cases in federal and state courts across the country. Matt has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Appellate Practice and as an appellate “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.
Highlights include:
- Persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to hold unanimously that plaintiffs suing under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 must plead and prove that they bought shares registered under the allegedly misleading registration statement. Slack Technologies, LLC v. Pirani (U.S. No. 22-200). On remand, secured a unanimous, published decision from the Ninth Circuit holding that the same requirement applies to claims under Section 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Pirani v. Slack Technologies, Inc. (9th Cir. No. 20-16419).
- Argued before and persuaded the California Court of Appeal to reverse, by published opinion, an order denying a motion to compel arbitration in a case involving California Health & Safety Code disclosure requirements. Dougherty v. U.S. Behavioral Health Plan (Cal. Ct. App. No. E079741).
- Secured unanimous Supreme Court decision vacating an adverse profits-disgorgement award in a landmark case involving the presumption of corporate separateness and available remedies for trademark infringement under the Lanham Act. Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc. (U.S. No. 23-900).
- Convinced the Ninth Circuit to affirm denial of class certification in a case of first impression involving claims challenging Liberty Mutual’s methods of settling insurance claims for totaled vehicles. Lara v. First National Insurance Co. of America (9th Cir. No. 21-35126).
- Secured reversal of class certification for State Farm in a published Fifth Circuit opinion similarly involving claims challenging the insurer’s method of estimating the actual cash value of totaled vehicles. Bourque v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. (5th Cir. No. 22-30126).
- Won a landmark victory for Reddit in the first case of any federal court of appeals to address the scope of FOSTA’s exception to immunity under section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for certain civil sex-trafficking claims. Does 1-6 v. Reddit, Inc. (9th Cir. No. 21-56293).
- Secured reversal of a judgment against a major construction company in a case presenting important questions involving the claim-presentation requirement of California’s Government Claims Act. Stronghold Engineering Inc. v. City of Monterey (Cal. Ct. App. No. H050157).
- Persuaded the Ninth Circuit to affirm summary judgment in favor of AIG and other insurers in a first-of-its-kind decision among federal courts of appeals finding no duty to defend with respect to opioid lawsuits brought by local and state governments. AIU Insurance Co. v. McKesson Corp. (9th Cir. No. 22-16158).
- Persuaded the Ninth Circuit to vacate summary judgment against a Corebridge Financial subsidiary in a closely watched appeal involving California Insurance Code provisions governing the termination of life insurance policies for nonpayment of premiums. Moriarty v. American General Life Insurance Co. (9th Cir. No. 23-3650).
Matt also maintains an active pro bono practice. Highlights include:
- Represented a variety of amici in briefing before the U.S. Supreme Court, for instance in cases involving constitutional criminal procedure, Lesh v. United States (U.S. No. 24-654); Anibowei v. Mayorkas (U.S. No. 23-199), justiciability, FBI v. Fikre (U.S. No. 22-1178), law enforcement encounters with people with disabilities, Winder v. Gallardo (U.S. No. 24-975), and the takings power, Brinkmann v. Town of Southold (U.S. No. 23-1301).
- Represented a Louisiana man sentenced to 125 years’ imprisonment for a single count of armed robbery after being convicted by a nonunanimous jury vote throughout his state postconviction and federal habeas proceedings, eventually resulting in a favorable resentencing.
- Represented a coalition of former prosecutors and public defenders as amici curiae in a case before the California Supreme Court, which later endorsed amici’s views and issued an important opinion reinforcing the rights of noncitizens who seek relief under California Penal Code section 1473.7 on the ground that they were not properly advised of the immigration consequences of guilty pleas. People v. Espinoza (Cal. No. S269647).
- Represented a coalition of current and former prosecutors in original proceedings before the California Supreme Court involving the constitutionality of the state’s death-penalty system.
- Served as appointed counsel of record in a Sixth Circuit habeas appeal involving a man convicted in violation of Ohio’s castle doctrine governing self-defense in the home.
Matt joined Gibson Dunn after serving as a law clerk to Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and Judge Cheryl Ann Krause of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Matt earned his Juris Doctor, with pro bono distinction, from Stanford Law School in 2018. At Stanford, he served as managing editor of the Stanford Law Review, was a semifinalist and awarded Best Respondent’s Brief in the Marion Rice Kirkwood Moot Court Competition, and worked on cert.-stage and merits briefing with the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. He also interned for Judge L. Felipe Restrepo of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Before attending law school, Matt graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and spent several years as a paralegal at a large law firm in New York.
Matt is a member of the California and Virginia bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits, and the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California and the Eastern District of Virginia.
Robert B. Little is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Dallas office. He is a Global Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Rob is consistently recognized for his leadership and strategic work with clients, having been named among the nation’s top M&A lawyers by Chambers USA every year for more than a decade. Described as “an impressive lawyer who is super responsive, super business savvy and great to work with” (Chambers USA 2024), he is admired by clients for his “naturally calm demeanor and a way of making problems seem smaller and more manageable. He is practical and laser-focused on business goals” (Chambers USA 2023) and for being “an exceptional practitioner and trusted adviser” (Chambers USA 2022). Rob is also ranked as a Private Equity leader by Chambers USA, and his clients have noted, “Rob is a smart, hard-working, high-character, results-oriented lawyer who focuses on timely, efficient and cost-effective solutions – he’s an outstanding lawyer” (Chambers 2023).
Rob’s practice focuses on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, joint ventures, investments in public and private entities, and commercial transactions. He also advises business organizations regarding matters such as securities law disclosure, corporate governance, and fiduciary obligations. In addition, he represents investment funds and their sponsors along with investors in such funds. Rob has represented clients in a variety of industries, including energy, retail, technology, infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing, and financial services.
In 2023, Rob was recognized by his peers as the Dallas/Fort Worth “Lawyer of the Year” in both Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law in The Best Lawyers in America®. He is also consistently recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America® for corporate and M&A law (2013-2023), and has been recognized as one of the “500 Leading Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon. In 2024, D CEO magazine named Rob the Dallas Attorney of the Year for the second time. Most recently, Rob was recognized by Texas Super Lawyers Magazine as a 2024 M&A Super Lawyer.
Rob received his law degree in 1998 with highest honors from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was named a Chancellor and a member of Order of the Coif and served as Articles Editor of the Texas Law Review. He holds a B.A. from Baylor University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1995. He previously served as a law clerk to The Honorable Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Representative Matters
- Counsel to AT&T in the acquisition of Lumen’s consumer fiber business for $5.75 billion, in the sale of its interest in DIRECTV for $7.6 billion, and in its joint venture with BlackRock to form a wholesale fiber provider
- Counsel to CenterOak Partners LLC in its acquisitions and divestitures of numerous businesses, including Cascade Windows, Wetzels Pretzels, Aakash Chemicals, Full-Speed Automotive, TruRoad, Turf Masters, Entomo Brands, SurfacePrep, HK Solutions Group, Guardian Access, Hometown Services, CollisionRight, Service Champions and Shamrock Environmental
- Counsel to Murata Electronics North America, Inc. in its acquisition of Resonant, Inc. in an all-cash tender offer to create a leading global provider of RF system solutions and filter products
- Counsel to Trive Capital in acquisitions for OWL Services, a provider of integrated solutions for petroleum convenience and electric vehicle markets
- Counsel to Arcosa, Inc. in its acquisition of Cherry Industries, a provider of infrastructure-related products and solutions, and in the dispositions of its international storage tanks business and its steel components business
- Counsel to York Space Systems, an independent provider of small satellites, satellite components and mission operations, in its sale to AE Industrial Partners
- Counsel to Talen Energy in its joint venture with Pattern Energy for the $2 billion development, financing and construction of solar and wind energy projects
- Counsel to creditor groups in the bankruptcies of Envision Healthcare, West Marine, and Robertshaw in corporate and M&A matters
- Counsel to Keystone Group, a privately held investment firm, in multiple investments
- Counsel to Sunrise Oil & Gas on the sale of substantially all of its oil and gas assets to affiliates of Contango Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of Crescent Energy Company
- Counsel to Summit Midstream Partners in its Double E Pipeline Project joint venture to provide natural gas transportation service from the Delaware Basin to the Waha Hub in Texas
- Counsel to Satori Capital in multiple transactions
- Counsel to Callaway Golf Company in its strategic investment in Five Iron Golf
- Counsel to Sony Pictures Television Networks in its acquisition of a substantial majority stake in Japanese anime distributor Funimation Productions, Ltd.
- Counsel to Pizza Hut in its acquisition of ordering provider QuikOrder
- Counsel to Atmos Energy in its acquisition of a natural gas pipeline and related assets from EnLink Midstream and its disposition of its energy marketing subsidiary to CenterPoint Energy
- Counsel to Luminant Holdings in its acquisition of natural gas generation facilities from NextEra Energy for approximately $1.3 billion
- Counsel to Topgolf International, Inc. in its acquisitions of World Golf Tour, Inc. and Protracer AB, its investment in Full Swing Golf Holdings, Inc., and its sales of preferred stock to Providence Equity Partners and institutional investors
Catherine (“Cate”) McCaffrey is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment, Class Actions, and Litigation Practice Groups.
Cate has represented clients in a wide range of employment litigation matters, including cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage-and-hour violations. Cate has significant experience in defending against employment-related class and collective actions. She has represented employers in federal district and appellate courts across the country, in mediation, and before federal agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Her practice also includes sensitive, internal workplace investigations into matters including sexual harassment, discrimination, and whistleblower retaliation.
Cate also has extensive experience helping employers to navigate the changing legal landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) following the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA v. Harvard. She has helped numerous clients conduct privileged audits of their DEI programs, assess litigation and reputational risks, and forge creative paths to accomplish their DEI objectives in a lawful manner. Cate also serves as the primary editor of Gibson Dunn’s bi-weekly DEI Task Force newsletter, available here.
Recent representative litigation matters include:
- Complete trial victory for major pharmaceutical company in an age discrimination jury trial;
- Won appeal of closely-watched COVID-safety and whistleblower retaliation action brought by New York Attorney General;
- Obtained partial dismissal of Occupational Safety and Health Administration citation before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission on behalf of a major shipping and logistics company;
- Won summary judgment on behalf of a major food-delivery provider in a suit challenging the constitutionality of a New York City data collection law.
Before joining the firm, Cate served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Ronnie Abrams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Cate received her law degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2019, where she was an oralist for the winning team in the 2018 Ames Moot Court competition. She also served as a technical editor on the Harvard Journal on Legislation and worked as a student attorney as part of Harvard’s Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic.
Prior to practicing law, Cate served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia. She graduated from Duke University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies and in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies.
She is a member of the New York and the District of Columbia bars. She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Xuan Hong Tran is a Specially Registered Attorney in the Palo Alto office of Gibson Dunn. Hong is a member of the Life Sciences Group.
Hong advises companies on a broad range of capital markets transactions, securities law compliance and corporate governance issues with a focus on Life Sciences public companies. Hong also maintains an active pro bono practice.
Hong received their Juris Doctor degree in 2020 from Yale Law School, where they were an editor on the Yale Law Journal. Hong received their Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College in 2014 where they were elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Hong was a 2017 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow.
Representative Transactions:
- Catalyst Biosciences in its business combination transaction with Beijing Continent
- TuHURA Biosciences in its acquisition of Kineta
- Biodexa Pharmaceuticals PLC in its registered direct offering of American Depositary Shares
- GKCC in its purchase of senior secured convertible promissory note from Elicio Therapeutics
- CBI in its investment in Exicure’s PIPE offering
Publications:
- Comment Letter Trends: Contested Election Disclosures for the 2024 Proxy Season, Deal Lawyers, November-December 2024 Issue
- Comment Letter Trends: Contested Election Disclosures, Deal Lawyers, January-February 2024 Issue
Hong is admitted to practice law in Texas and permitted to practice law in California as a Registered Military Spouse Attorney.
Marie Gosset is an associate in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups.
She specializes in corporate and commercial law, handling public and private mergers and acquisitions, along with private equity matters. Marie provides counsel to a diverse range of companies, both private and public, spanning various sectors and advises funds involved in French or international strategic investments, joint ventures and divestments. Her experience includes addressing diverse corporate matters, such as stocks and assets transactions and shareholders agreements.
Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2025, she graduated with an LL.M. in Law & Tax Management in 2022 from EDHEC Business School, as well as a Master’s degree in Business Law from the Catholic University of Lille in 2022.
Marie speaks French and English fluently.
Andrea E. Smith is a partner in the Houston office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Ms. Smith Co-Chairs Gibson Dunn’s Transnational Litigation Practice Group and is a member of the firm’s International Arbitration, Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort, Class Action and Appellate Practice Groups.
Ms. Smith is a high-stakes trial lawyer whose victories include billion dollar matters in both international and domestic forums. Her international work spans Central, South and North America at both the trial and appellate levels. Domestically, she represents clients in an array of industries nationwide, including oil and gas, food and agriculture, aerospace, technology, accounting, real estate and financial services. She has also served as trial counsel for state and local governments.
Her work is featured in The American Lawyer coverage of Gibson Dunn as “The 2016 Litigation Department of the Year,” “The 2012 Litigation Department of the Year,” and “The 2010 Litigation Department of the Year.” As one American Lawyer article noted when discussing her courtroom accomplishments: “[Smith] coaxed one plaintiff to admit that he had been trained to testify ‘like a parrot,’ and she found others so frightened of retribution for testifying that they nearly collapsed during depositions.” As a lead counsel in Chevron’s “case of the century” against plaintiffs’ lawyer Steven Donziger and related foreign litigation, she has led multiple Chevron victories, some of which are detailed in The American Lawyer’s “Inside Gibson Dunn’s Winning Chevron Strategy.” Her victories for Dole Food were likewise featured as cover stories in the California Lawyer and Corporate Counsel, and a front-page feature story in The Wall Street Journal.
Throughout her career, Ms. Smith has received numerous accolades for her strategic and courtroom accomplishments. She was named by Benchmark Litigation as the 2024 “US Environmental Litigator of the Year,” a “Litigation Star” in New York, one of the nation’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers,” and one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation . ” She has been repeatedly named one of California’s “Top 100 Lawyers” by the Daily Journal. She was also named as one of Latin America’s “Top 100 Lawyers” and as one of Latin America’s “Top 50 Female Lawyers” by Latinvex, received the “California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year” (CLAY) Award from California Lawyer magazine, “Attorney of the Year” from The Recorder and has been repeatedly recognized as a “Top Female Litigator” in the State of California. Ms. Smith has also been recognized by The National Law Journal as an “Energy & Environmental Trailblazer” and by The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Commercial Litigation. Additionally, Ms. Smith was named by Lawdragon as one of the 2023 “500 Leading Global Litigators” and one of the 2021 “Global Litigation 500” for International Litigation & Arbitration.
Ms. Smith received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia, and dual degrees from the University’s McIntire School of Commerce with high distinction.
Ms. Smith has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center and on the Board of United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County. She has been a member of the United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society and the Women’s Philanthropic Fund. Ms. Smith has also served as Co-Chair of BUZZ: An Executive Women’s Think Tank.
Representative matters
- Chevron Corporation, Climate Change Litigation: Represent Chevron Corporation in climate change actions filed across the country, including in New York and California. To date, Chevron has prevailed on multiple motions to dismiss these actions, which attempt to shift liability for national and international energy policy choices on to energy producers. City of New York v. BP, P.L.C. et al., No. 18-cv-00182-JFK (S.D.N.Y.); City of Oakland v. BP, P.L.C., et al., No, 17-cv-06011 (N.D. Cal.); City and County of San Francisco v. BP, P.L.C., et al., No. 17-cv-06012 (N.D. Cal.).
- Eli Lilly & Co.: Represent Eli Lilly in Brazilian litigation brought against its subsidiary, Eli Lilly do Brasil Ltda., arising from allegations that former workers were exposed to environmental contamination at an industrial facility. Prior to Gibson Dunn’s involvement, a billion reais judgment was entered against Lilly Brazil in an action brought by a Brazilian public prosecutor, along with multiple judgments in favor of individuals also brought in the Brazilian labor courts. Since Gibson Dunn’s involvement, hundreds of claims brought against Lilly Brazil have been dismissed, and no new judgments have been issued against Lilly Brazil at the trial-court level. Multiple matters remain pending in the Brazilian Labor Courts at both the trial and appellate level.
- Hilton International, Foreign Litigation and Related U.S. Proceedings: Represent Hilton in multiple foreign disputes and in related U.S. actions. Successfully resolved multiple foreign disputes on Hilton’s behalf and defeated multiple attempts to obtain U.S. discovery from Hilton in support of foreign actions.
- Dole Food Company, Inc., Environmental DBCP Litigation: Lead trial, appellate and nationwide coordinating counsel for Dole Food Company in environmental litigation brought by tens of thousands of plaintiffs nationally and internationally. Alleging exposure to DBCP, Plaintiffs from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama and the Ivory Coast have brought claims both across the United States and in the plaintiffs’ countries of origin. Tens of thousands of claims have been successfully defeated and no claims have survived to judgment since Ms. Smith became lead Dole counsel. In one of the lead DBCP cases, strategic foreign and domestic investigations lead by Ms. Smith ultimately resulted in a fraud trial and the dismissal with prejudice of all claims by Nicaraguan plaintiffs pending in U.S. trial courts, as a sanction for the plaintiffs’ and their counsel’s fraud on the court.
- Chevron v. Donziger, et al., S.D.N.Y.; Aguinda v. Chevron, Lago Agrio, Ecuador; Chevron v. Republic of Ecuador, Hague: Represent Chevron internationally in litigation arising out of an environmental case brought in Ecuador in 2003. Lead counsel in Chevron’s successful RICO and fraud suit against the U.S. lawyer and associates who masterminded an extortion scheme that included fraudulently procuring a $9.2 billion Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron. In its 485-page opinion, the court described the case as “extraordinary” and “includ[ing] things that normally come only out of Hollywood,” including “coded emails,” “payments out of a secret account,” videotaped evidence of crimes in progress, and blockbuster evidence that the defendants “wrote the [Ecuadorian] court’s Judgment themselves and promised $500,000 to the Ecuadorian judge to rule in their favor and sign their judgment.” The New York Times described the result as a “major victory,” and the Washington Post called it “resounding.” Ms. Smith continues to advise Chevron on a range of issues flowing from this high-stakes, complex matter and in the related foreign enforcement and International Arbitration matters.
- Perez v. Dole Food Company, Inc.: Lead trial counsel in successful defeat of hundreds of false claims that Dole Food Company funded and directed the activities of AUC paramilitaries in the banana-growing regions of Colombia and was responsible for hundreds of deaths in connection with Colombia’s internal conflict between warring paramilitaries and guerrillas in that region.
- Sanchez Osorio v. Dole Food Company, Inc., et al.: Represented Dole in a recognition and enforcement trial in the Southern District of Florida where plaintiffs sought to enforce a bellwether $100 million Nicaraguan judgment. Dole defeated enforcement of the Nicaraguan judgment following trial before the District Court and its victory was affirmed by the 11th Circuit.
- In re Burbank Environmental Litigation: Successfully represented aerospace company in federal toxic tort case involving three putative class actions as well as individual plaintiffs alleging claims for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, CERCLA response costs, medical monitoring and punitive damages in connection with alleged air and groundwater contamination with TCE, PCE and Cr6. By the time of trial in Los Angeles federal district court, all class allegations had been defeated and only nine plaintiffs remained. The case was settled during trial for an amount below plaintiffs’ hard costs.
- In re Redlands Tort Litigation: Successfully represented Lockheed Martin Corporation in state court toxic tort litigation brought by over 800 individual plaintiffs and two putative classes alleging personal injuries and medical monitoring damages for alleged groundwater contamination with TCE and ammonium perchlorate. Seven successful writs of mandate resulted in the reversal of the trial court on key issues such as punitive damages, burden of proof and statute of limitations. Judgment was entered in client’s favor as to 100% of the first group of test plaintiffs.
- In re Norco Tort Litigation: Successfully represented defendant engineering and testing company in toxic tort lawsuits brought by over 100 plaintiffs and a putative class of property owners in which defendant was accused of contaminating the groundwater flowing from a site located in Norco, California. The lawsuit was resolved to client’s advantage with a successful strategy that resulted in the recovery of the client’s fees and costs.
- Elsie A. Abel v. Lockheed Martin Corporation: Successfully represented Lockheed Martin Corporation in high-profile toxic tort case involving aircraft and rocket manufacturing facilities. Suits were brought by thousands of residents alleging personal injuries and/or wrongful death stemming from multi-decades of alleged groundwater contamination. The exclusion of both plaintiffs’ Fate and Transport and causation experts and resulted in a defense judgment.
- Lee Anderson Minnelli v. Liza Minnelli Gest, etc.: Successfully defended Liza Minnelli in a high-profile suit brought by her stepmother, Lee Minnelli, alleging elder abuse and breach of fiduciary duty.
- City of Long Beach v. Exxon Corporation: Trial counsel for state and local government entities in an oil royalty matter, which included a four-month jury trial in California.
- Lead trial counsel in numerous successful trust litigation matters, including representations of both major trust companies and the heirs of United Parcel Services, Freedom Communications, Newhall Land and Farming and Farmers Insurance.
Yama Keshawerz is an associate attorney in the Denver office of Gibson Dunn. He currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, and has represented clients in matters related to corporate governance and mergers & acquisitions litigation.
Yama earned his Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degrees from Duke Law School. He also has a Master of Laws from Wake Forest University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Political Science from Alberoni University. At Duke Law School, Yama served as a staff editor of the Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law and attended the Duke–Leiden Institute on Global and Transnational Law in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Yama helped clients with business immigration matters, worked as a Consular Affairs Officer at an embassy in Washington, DC, and served as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford Law School.
Yama is admitted to practice law in Colorado, New York, and Washington, DC.
Allyson N. Ho is co-chair of the Firm’s nationwide Appellate and Constitutional Law practice group and partner in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
She has presented over 100 oral arguments in federal and state courts nationwide, including six high-stakes business cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Chambers has called her “undoubtedly one of the premier appellate lawyers in the United States”—“a magician” who “creates paths to victory that others do not see”—and ranked her among leading appellate advocates every year for the past 15 years. Benchmark Litigation has named her one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” a “Litigation Star,” and shortlisted her for “Appellate Litigator of the Year.” She is one of the few appellate lawyers nationwide named to the BTI Client Service All-Stars List, recognized by corporate counsel for “delivering the absolute best in client service.” Since 2015, Allyson is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America guide for Appellate Practice. Most recently, Lawdragon named her to its 2025 500 Leading Litigators in America guide, which highlights “the best litigators the U.S. has to offer.”
The American Lawyer has recognized her in its “Litigators of the Week” column every year for the past four years. The National Law Journal has repeatedly featured her on its “Appellate Hot List.” Law360 has honored her as an “Appellate MVP,” “Litigation Powerhouse,” and leading member of the “Employment Group of the Year.” Texas Lawyer has recognized her as a “Distinguished Leader,” “Attorney of the Year Finalist,” leading member of a “Litigation Department of the Year,” and one of the state’s most “Winning Women.”
Federal and State Appellate Practice
Allyson has argued significant business cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in the areas of bankruptcy, patents, ERISA, employment, and administrative law. She has appeared before every federal court of appeals in the country, including en banc arguments before the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Circuits, and successfully represented businesses in every federal circuit. She also regularly represents businesses in state appellate courts across the country, including the Texas Supreme Court, Texas appellate courts in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Eastland, and state appellate courts in Arizona, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
Her most significant wins include multiple U.S. Supreme Court decisions overturning decades-old precedent opposed by the business community, several multi-billion dollar and nine-figure reversals in both federal and state appellate courts across the country, and critical class certification reversals and significant constitutional rulings.
National Law Journal called her a “Veteran SCOTUS Advocate” in the “upper echelons of Supreme Court practice.” Law360 named her a “Supreme Court Star” and “one of the nation’s preeminent appellate lawyers.” And EmpiricalSCOTUS.com ranked her among “the most successful attorneys that currently practice before the Court.”
She once argued two significant business cases before the Court within the span of 21 days—including a “significant ruling for employers” that “paved a new path for companies paying millions of dollars in retiree health care benefits” (Law360), and a landmark administrative law dispute in which “several justices agreed with Ho’s contention that SCOTUS should revisit and overrule its own precedent” (Law360). She prevailed against the EEOC in a case that the employment defense bar called “good news for employers across the country.” And in “the most important patent case in modern history” according to patent law experts, her argument before the Court was credited for “pick[ing] up two votes that pundits thought unreachable.”
Government and Public Service Experience
Allyson has a distinguished record of experience at the highest levels of the federal government. She served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, Counselor to Attorney General John Ashcroft, and law clerk to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Jacques L. Wiener Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Her record of public service also includes appointments to various boards and commissions, including the Administrative Conference of the United States, the United States Supreme Court Historical Society, the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, the Federalist Society Board of Visitors, and the Washington Legal Foundation Legal Policy Advisory Board. She is vice chair of the Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee, appointed by U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to evaluate potential appointments of all federal judges and U.S. Attorneys in Texas. She has also served on the U.S. Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the Northern District of Texas. She has testified before Congress on issues of importance to the business community.
Other Background Information
An active pro bono litigator, Allyson works most frequently with First Liberty Institute, the National Organization for Victim Assistance, and the National Crime Victim Law Institute. Her amicus briefs have been repeatedly cited in multiple Supreme Court opinions and during oral argument.
She graduated from Duke University magna cum laude with a B.A. in English, Rice University with an M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature, and the University of Chicago Law School with high honors. She was a member of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. She and her husband Jim, a federal judge, have a twin daughter and son.
Abby Walters is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Abby clerked for the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and for the Honorable John B. Nalbandian on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to clerking, Abby graduated cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as a Notes Editor on the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics and as a Co-Director for the Appellate Advocacy Division of Barristers’ Council. While in law school, Abby represented clients as a student attorney in the Appellate Litigation Clinic, arguing before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Abby graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2018, where she majored in Foreign Languages and Literature with an emphasis in Latin and minored in Spanish.
Abby is admitted to practice in New York, the District of Columbia, and the Sixth Circuit.
Connie Lee is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the Litigation group with a focus on antitrust and competition, where she represents clients in high-stakes litigation matters, including at the trial stage.
Representative matters include:
- Member of the trial team representing Community Health Systems in FTC v. Novant Health (W.D.N.C.), which defeated the FTC’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
- Represented the claimant, a financial services company, in an antitrust arbitration alleging conduct claims.
- Representing a medical equipment manufacturer in a competitor lawsuit alleging monopolization claims.
- Representing a pharmacy benefit manager in a proceeding before the FTC.
Connie also maintains an active pro bono practice and served as the lead attorney in winning a grant of asylum for a client in an immigration court hearing in 2022.
She received her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served as a Note Editor on the Columbia Human Rights Law Review. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in Government and Philosophy. During law school, Connie served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Raymond J. Lohier of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Connie is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.
Manahil Zafar is an associate attorney in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Manahil received her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as a student attorney with the Human Trafficking Clinic, research assistant to Professor Patrick Barry, and President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. She graduated, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Psychology from New York University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Manahil is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Shri Dayanandan is an associate in the Palo Alto office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Shri received her Juris Doctor from University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the Articles Review Board for the Virginia Journal of Law & Technology, and as President of the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Society. Shri also served as a research assistant to Professor Richard J. Bonnie assisting with revisions to the Restatement of Children and the Law, and as a research assistant to Professor Richard M. Re, researching the implications of the use of generative AI in judicial opinions. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University in Biology and Political Science.
She is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Jillian N. Katterhagen is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department with a particular focus on white collar defense investigations, complex commercial litigation, global anti-corruption matters, and congressional investigations.
Jillian has experience representing financial institutions and multinational companies in investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and the United States Congress. She has conducted internal investigations involving alleged securities and accounting fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, violations of anti-money laundering laws, and violations of the False Claims Act. Additionally, Jillian has significant litigation experience and has represented clients in proceedings before administrative agencies.
She received her law degree from Stanford Law School in 2018. She served as an Editor for the Stanford Law and Policy Review, and as a student attorney in Stanford’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, where she advocated on behalf of clients seeking legal advice in connection with asylum applications and other immigration matters. Jillian graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, earned a B.A. in history and politics, and served as the captain of the women’s track and field team.
Jillian is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Spencer Becerra is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.
He graduated a James Kent Scholar from Columbia University School of Law in 2024, where he served as a member of the Mediation Clinic and The Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts. Spencer received his Bachelor of Arts in English from The George Washington University in 2020.
He is admitted to practice in the state of New York.
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Melanie Neary is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn where she practices in the firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group, focusing on representing leading life sciences companies and investors. Melanie advises clients on a wide range of complex financing transactions and matters, including initial public offerings, secondary equity offerings, and venture and growth equity financings, as well as mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, and PIPEs. Melanie regularly serves as principal outside counsel for numerous publicly-traded companies and advises management and boards of directors on corporate law matters, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements and ownership filings, and corporate governance. Representative Clients and Transactions:
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Melanie received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2016, where she was the Managing Editor of the Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review. She earned her B.A., magna cum laude, in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government, with a minor in French, from American University in 2013.
Trey Shomin is an associate attorney in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.
Trey earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2024. Prior to law school, he graduated magna cum laude from Grand Valley State University where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the Seidman College of Business.
Trey is admitted to practice law in Colorado.
Ariel Fishman is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices with the firm’s Litigation Department and specializes in intellectual property.
Ariel’s practice includes litigating complex trademark and copyright matters. Representative matters include:
- Key member of the trial team defending a beverage company’s use of its trademark, pursuing extensive fact and expert discovery before the case was successfully resolved;
- Briefed novel copyright and fair use issues in a bench trial representing a leading enterprise resource planning software support company;
- Key member of the trial team in a private arbitral trial, including taking direct examination of two fact witnesses;
- Advised media client on potential First Amendment exposure and defenses;
- Secured asylum award for individual who fled El Salvador while a minor to escape persecution.
Ariel clerked for Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Editor for the Harvard Law Review. Ariel received her undergraduate degree with general honors in art history and English literature from the University of Chicago.
She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Publications
- Note, Textualism’s Mistake, 135 Harv. L. Rev. 890 (2022)
- Recent Case, Save America’s Clocks v. City of New York, 133 Harv. L. Rev. 1790 (2020)
- Free Speech and Advertising Regulation (Missouri Broadcasters Association v. Schmidt), 2019 Jus Vini: J. Wine & Spirits L. 47 (coauthored)
Owen Alderson is a corporate associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where his practice focuses on Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions. He is currently on secondment.
He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2020, where he served as the Online Managing Editor for the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law and was awarded the law school’s Distinguished Pro Bono Award. Owen received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, magna cum laude, in Drama from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2017.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Owen was an associate in the Corporate Department of another international law firm in New York.
He is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Simone Benton is a senior counsel in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is a member of the Business Restructuring and Reorganization and Finance Practice Groups.
Simone has broad experience advising across a range of multi-jurisdictional restructuring matters and financings. She is responsible for developing and implementing the internal and external knowledge and training strategy for the London Business Restructuring and Reorganization team.
Simone’s experience includes advising:
- Fidera, as the largest creditor in the Part 26A restructuring plan of the Project Fürst development in Berlin
- The junior creditors in the contested proceedings to restructure Virgin Active using a Part 26A Plan
- Certain Senior Lenders to Danaos in connection with its debt restructuring and NatWest Group on the disposal of its shareholding in Danaos in an off-market privately negotiated share sale to Danaos
- Rhône Capital on English law financing aspects of its acquisition of Zodiac Pool Holding SA from a fund affiliated with the Carlyle Group for approximately $1.2 billion
- Altran Technologies on its definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Altran agreed to acquire Aricent from a group of investors led by KKR for a total enterprise value of $2.0 billion, in an all-cash transaction.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Simone worked at another major international law firm in London. Simone is admitted to practice in England and Wales and Alberta, Canada (inactive).
Simone received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies and Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Simone’s recent publications include:
- Killer NDAs: NDAs that kill a creditor’s restructuring options, Global Turnaround May 2023
- Sequana: Have directors been given a chance to score an own goal? Global Turnaround December 2022
- “Restructuring Law and Practice: Third Edition,” LexisNexis, 2022
Stephanie Collins is a Senior Associate and English law qualified solicitor advocate in Gibson Dunn’s London office. She is a member of the firm’s Geopolitical Strategy and International Law, International Arbitration, ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting, and Judgment and Award Enforcement Practice Groups. She has particular experience guiding clients in the energy, infrastructure, mining, financial services and tech sectors.
Stephanie specialises in public international law, and advises clients on a broad range of matters, including international human rights law and climate change law. She has recently advised a State on the establishment of a new international organization.
Stephanie also regularly offers strategic guidance to clients on geopolitical risk management. This includes advising on developing jurisprudence, regulation and policy which may impact clients’ operations. She represents corporate actors in human rights-related disputes, including before the European Court of Human Rights and UN Treaty Bodies.
In the international arbitration space, Stephanie has extensive experience of acting in investor-State proceedings under the ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules, as well as experience of commercial arbitration disputes under the ICC, LCIA, Ciarb and SIAC Rules. She has acted in over ten Energy Charter Treaty arbitrations and numerous BIT proceedings, where she has gained advocacy experience. Stephanie is the co-founder and Chair of Young EFILA (European Federation of International Investment Law and Arbitration) and a member of the International Law Association, British Branch. She has previously served as member of CPR’s Young Leaders in ADR Steering Committee (2021-2024), as well as the Global Steering Committee for the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations (2022-2024).
An experienced business and human rights lawyer, she has experience representing clients in civil litigation proceedings with a human rights and environmental nexus; advising clients on climate change and greenwashing risks as well as supply chain risks; and acting in proceedings brought under the OECD Guidelines before National Contact Points. She also advises on a host of ESG-related regulations and delivers strategic advice such as designing human rights policies, due diligence processes and grievance mechanisms, as well as heat-mapping sustainability regulatory developments. She has been an active member of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association—of which Gibson Dunn is a founding member—since its inception.
Stephanie is recognised by Legal 500 as a “key lawyer” for Public International Law, International Arbitration and ESG Risk Advisory.
She regularly publishes and speaks on topics relating to public international law, international arbitration and business and human rights issues, and has guest lectured at Queen Mary University of London, as part of the Energy and Resources LLM.
Stephanie maintains an active pro bono practice and is a member of the London office’s pro bono committee. Her practice centres on human rights and public international law issues, and clients she has acted for include the Public International Law and Policy Group. She was trustee for a London-based women’s empowerment charity for over six years until 2024.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Stephanie trained and practised in the London office of a magic circle law firm. During this time, she spent time in the firm’s Madrid and Singapore offices. She was also seconded to the litigation / arbitration team of a multinational energy company for nine months in 2017 / 2018.
Stephanie holds a First-Class Honours degree in Law from University College London (2011). She spent one year studying at the National University of Singapore.