Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia Returns to Gibson Dunn

Firm News  |  March 30, 2021


Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Eugene Scalia will return as a partner to the firm’s Washington, D.C. office after serving as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Labor. Scalia will again co-chair Gibson Dunn’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group and will also serve as a Senior Member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group and Financial Institutions Practice Group. He will continue representing clients in a broad range of regulatory, appellate, and labor and employment matters.

A Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States, Scalia will remain involved with select issues he addressed as Labor Secretary, including the promotion of apprenticeships, and serving as a supervising partner in Gibson Dunn’s pro bono representation of veterans.

“We are delighted that Gene has returned to Gibson Dunn,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Gene is one of our nation’s leading administrative law litigators and employment lawyers. He is the only person who has served both as the Secretary of Labor and as Solicitor, the Department’s chief legal officer. This experience affords him unmatched and invaluable insights.”

“Gene is one of the few lawyers in the country who can claim success in challenging important federal regulations in private practice and crafting them from the ground up in government,” said Helgi Walker, Co-Chair of the firm’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group. “Gene is a brilliant litigator and a wonderful colleague and friend. We could not be more excited to welcome him back to the firm.”

“I’m very pleased to be returning to Gibson Dunn, where I began my law practice more than 30 years ago,” said Scalia. “Due in part to Ken Doran’s exceptional leadership of the firm, there is no better platform for representing clients in high-stakes regulatory litigation and in the most challenging employment matters. I look forward to supporting Managing Partner Elect Barbara Becker as the firm enters an important new chapter in its history.”

About Eugene Scalia

Scalia will focus on advising clients across the country on a broad range of regulatory, appellate, and labor and employment matters. He served as U.S. Secretary of Labor from September 2019 to January 2021. As Labor Secretary, he engaged at the highest level with national employment policy and matters affecting the financial services industry and international trade. Among other responsibilities, he oversaw important rulemakings regarding pension regulation, independent contractors, and “joint employment,” and played a key role in implementation of the new U.S. Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). He oversaw the Labor Department’s coronavirus response with respect to occupational safety and health, new federal paid leave requirements, and unemployment insurance. He also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. A member of the Cabinet, he interacted regularly with senior Administration officials, governors, members of Congress, and senior business and union leaders.

Scalia previously served from 2002 to 2003 as Solicitor of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Department’s principal legal officer with responsibility for all Labor Department litigation and legal advice on rulemakings and administrative law. He is the only person to have held both positions as the U.S. Secretary of Labor and as the U.S. Solicitor of Labor. From 1992 to 1993, he served as a Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States. He practiced at Gibson Dunn for 27 years, starting at the firm’s Los Angeles office in 1990 and joining the Washington, D.C. office in 1993.

Scalia is a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States, a federal agency that makes recommendations to Congress and the Executive Branch on ways to improve the administrative process. He is a thought leader frequently recognized for his contributions on federal regulatory policy, labor and employment law, and other subjects. Of the numerous accolades Scalia has received, Law360 has recognized him as an “Employment MVP,” “Appellate MVP” and “Securities MVP,” and The National Law Journal recognized him as a “Visionary” for his litigation against financial regulatory agencies.

Scalia graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School in 1990, where he was editor-in-chief of The University of Chicago Law Review. He graduated “with distinction” from the University of Virginia in 1985. He and his wife Trish have seven children.