Stella Cernak is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. Stella is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and White Collar Defense and Investigations and Trials Practice Groups.
Stella is a commercial litigator who represents companies and individuals in complex business disputes, regulatory enforcement matters, and government investigations. Her practice focuses on matters involving significant legal, financial, and reputational risk, often involving the intersection of civil litigation and regulatory enforcement. Stella has represented clients across a range of industries, primarily in the technology, financial services, and banking sectors, in federal and state courts, administrative proceedings, and investigations conducted by the Department of Justice, the SEC, and other federal and state regulators.
Stella has substantial experience leading trial teams and regulatory investigations, managing complex discovery, and advising clients throughout every stage of litigation.
Representative Engagements Include:
- Represented S&P Global in purported federal class action alleging unfair competition and violation of federal antitrust laws pertaining to the use of CUSIP identifiers.
- Represented Amazon.com in multi-site ergonomic safety investigation brought by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Justice.
- Represented venture capital fund and fund manager in connection with an SEC investigation relating to alleged violations of the SEC’s antifraud provisions.
- Represented major Fortune 500 technology company in a putative federal class action lawsuit and related regulatory investigations alleging violations of federal and state laws in connection with the use of data analytics technologies.
- Secured jury verdict for Fortune 250 company in connection with federal trial related to an alleged “Ponzi” scheme.
- Successfully represented Lynn Tilton and her company Patriarch Partners at trial in the largest individual administrative enforcement action ever brought by the SEC.
Stella maintains an active pro bono practice. Stella was a member of the Gibson Dunn team that drafted an amicus brief for constitutional law scholars in the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, addressing the constitutionality of the State of Mississippi’s enactment of the Gestational Age Act. She successfully drafted a habeas petition that resulted in the release of a client from detention on bond and has helped clients obtain asylum. Stella has served as a firm liaison to Crisis Text Line.
Stella serves on the Board of Trustees of Of Home, Family and Future. Stella served on the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music from July 2018 through July 2021. She holds a leadership role for the 2025-2026 bar year with the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division’s First Generation Initiative, through which she was recognized as one of the “Stars of the Quarter” for the third quarter of 2025-2026.
Stella has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America as “One to Watch.”
Stella served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jennifer H. Rearden in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Stella earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, in December 2014 from the University of Michigan Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Journalism, magna cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2009. While in law school, Stella served on the selections committee for the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, where she published a Note that applied international law as a method of handling intra-military gender-based crimes.
Stella is admitted to practice in the State of New York and before the Southern District of New York.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- University of Michigan - 2014 Juris Doctor
- University of Massachusetts - 2009 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- New York Bar
Clerkships:
- USDC, Southern District of New York, Hon. Jennifer H. Rearden, 2022 - 2023