December 11, 2023
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Spano, partner with the firm’s Paris and London offices, as Co-Chair of its Artificial Intelligence Practice Group. Spano will serve as Co-Chair of the group alongside fellow Co-Chairs Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter and Vivek Mohan in the Palo Alto office, and Eric Vandevelde in the Los Angeles office.
“Robert has unique experience in cutting-edge regulatory and litigation matters in the field of EU law and digital rights, and we are thrilled to have him help us co-lead Gibson Dunn’s thriving Artificial Intelligence practice,” said Vivek Mohan, Co-Chair of the Gibson Dunn’s Artificial Intelligence Practice. “As the field of artificial intelligence continues to develop at a blistering pace, we are committed to providing the best level of service possible for our clients who do business across borders, and Robert’s appointment is testament to that.”
“Given the international reach of AI-related legal issues and importance of global regulation, having a practice leader in the European market has been a top priority for us.” said Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Artificial Intelligence Practice. “Robert has deep experience on the fast-evolving intersection between the EU’s fundamental rights laws and AI regulation to best serve our international client base with proactive, practical strategies to navigate these complex issues.”
“The European Union has been at the forefront of AI regulation and has just adopted a provisional agreement on a new AI Act. It is now clear that the AI Act will require businesses to perform a fundamental rights impact assessment before a high risk AI system is placed on the market. This is a paradigm shift in the law at European level, and we are very well placed to offer our clients cutting-edge solutions in this space,” said Spano. “I am excited to become one of the leaders of Gibson Dunn’s AI practice group and use my background in European Union law, fundamental rights and tech policy to advise our clients in this fast-changing and global environment of AI regulations.”
Robert joined Gibson Dunn in January 2023 and is partner in the London and Paris offices, where he practices in the field of international dispute resolution and advises on regulatory matters. He is a member of the firm’s Transnational Litigation, International Arbitration, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation, Technology Regulatory and Litigation, Artificial Intelligence, and Public Policy Practice Groups.
An expert in public international law and EU law, Robert is the former president of the European Court of Human Rights and he sits on the Panel of Arbitrators and Conciliators of the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
About the Artificial Intelligence Practice Group
Gibson Dunn’s Artificial Intelligence Practice is made up of attorneys from across the firm, including in the Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation, Labor & Employment, and Technology Regulatory practices to engage with companies across sectors in counseling, regulatory response, litigation, and transactional matters. The AI Practice counsels companies at the cutting edge of developing AI technologies, as well as with companies looking to understand and respond to dynamic legal framework as they deploy these tools.
Our AI Practice works with our clients in all industries, including high tech, healthcare, finance, consumer goods, and industrial. Whether the concern is forward looking legal exposure, response to regulatory inquiries, acquisition or transfer of data and intellectual property rights, data privacy and security, AI policy and ethics, or litigation, our Gibson Dunn attorneys are at the forefront of handling these issues.