Christine Demana

Christine Demana is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Dallas office. Her practice focuses on high-profile and high-stakes trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and executive employment disputes, as well as complex commercial litigation. She leads all aspects of litigation strategy for tech, gaming, life sciences, and professional services clients in these areas—from counseling on trade secrets and employee mobility policies, agreements, and best practices through trial—and she regularly prosecutes and defends fast-paced cases for expedited relief around the country. 

Chambers USA ranks Christine as among the top Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets practitioners in Texas, with clients praising her ability to “handle[] complex matters with ease” and her “top-notch” “understanding of business needs.” The Legal 500 USA has twice named Christine a “Key Lawyer” for Trade Secrets nationwide. The Best Lawyers in America© repeatedly recognizes Christine in Commercial Litigation, Super Lawyers notes her as a “Rising Star,” and The American Lawyer | Litigation Daily has included her as a “Litigator of the Week” Runner Up multiple times—including after she “secure[d] a sweeping injunction” in a trade secrets and restrictive covenant lawsuit on behalf of DraftKings and successfully defended an injunction blocking Michigan’s efforts to shut down interstate wagering on behalf of Churchill Downs. 

Some of Christine’s recent and notable litigation accomplishments include:

• Winning novel jurisdictional ruling keeping UPS’s claims for trade secret misappropriation and tortious interference with restrictive covenants against a former executive in the Texas Business Court and setting precedent around that Court’s “qualified transaction” jurisdiction.
• Winning preliminary injunction in restrictive covenants matter for AMN Healthcare, Inc., preventing former divisional vice president from soliciting clients and working for competitor in similar role after expedited discovery and full evidentiary hearing, and securing a consent injunction after seeking temporary restraining order against another executive in subsequent noncompete litigation.
• Winning “sweeping” preliminary injunction in trade secrets and restrictive covenant matter for DraftKings, preventing former executive from working for rival in a similar role after expedited discovery and full evidentiary hearing.
• Obtaining decisive, first-of-its-kind victory in the Sixth Circuit for Churchill Downs, finding the Interstate Horseracing Act preempts Michigan’s licensing requirements and upholding a previously secured preliminary injunction blocking Michigan from regulating TwinSpires’ online interstate wagering platform.
• Successfully defeating preliminary injunction after full evidentiary hearing—and thereafter securing full summary judgment and dismissal for Churchill Downs—in suit to overturn suspension of horse trainer following 2021 Kentucky Derby; subsequently defeating second temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction brought by horse owner less than one year later.
• Winning motion to compel arbitration on novel equitable estoppel theory in biotech (device) trade secrets dispute.
• Achieving voluntary dismissal of plaintiff’s class allegations after winning two motions to dismiss on behalf of One Call Management Incorporated in misclassification and wage-and-hour litigation, and subsequently securing favorable settlement of individual claims.
• Securing favorable settlement for industry leading tech payment company and its two cofounders in bet-the-company founders’ and trade secrets dispute after winning partial motion to exclude opposing party’s key expert witness.
• Filing suit on behalf of group of Tinder cofounders, early executives, and employees in multibillion-dollar litigation against Tinder’s parent companies, after which Gibson Dunn secured $441 million settlement following a nearly four-week jury trial.

Christine also frequently serves as a thought leader on trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and litigation strategy, most recently speaking at the American Conference Institute’s 13th Annual Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law conference, The American Lawyer | Texas Lawyer’s General Counsel Conference Southwest, and CenterForce’s IP Strategy Summit and Employment & HR Summit.  She co-hosts an annual, invitation-only trade secrets and restrictive covenants conference and CLE event in Dallas.

Alongside her commercial docket, Christine proudly maintains an active pro bono practice. She leads the Firm’s partnership with the Texas Parole Project, including leading a cross-office team that received the Firm’s Frank Wheat Pro Bono Award for their efforts in securing the release of, and parole for, a woman who had been incarcerated as the result of a nonviolent crime.  She has represented individual clients charged with federal crimes as lead counsel both in trial and on appeal in federal district and circuit courts around the country.  And the New York Legal Aid Society twice awarded Christine its outstanding service award for her work on behalf of New Yorkers with disabilities in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. 

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Christine served as a law clerk to the Honorable David C. Godbey in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She received her Juris Doctor in 2011 from Harvard Law School, where she was both a student attorney and on the Board of Directors as the Vice President for Practice Standards for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.