Michael Dore is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he is a member of the Media, Entertainment and Technology practice group, as well as the Law Firm Defense and White Collar Defense and Investigations practice groups. Michael is a former federal prosecutor with extensive experience in high-stakes criminal and civil matters across a broad range of practice areas.
Michael has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for both 2024 and 2025 in the category of White-Collar Criminal Defense.
Michael has first-chaired trials and argued appeals on a wide array of issues. He also regularly represents entities and individuals in connection with federal and state grand jury investigations and prosecutions. Michael’s significant investigations experience includes internal investigations and externally focused investigations in litigation matters. He has uncovered fraudulent conduct by opposing parties in several recent matters that helped end the civil matters and became the subject of federal criminal investigations. Michael’s substantive areas of expertise also include defamation, anti-SLAPP laws, securities and accounting fraud, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and issues related to NFTs and cryptocurrency. His recent and ongoing representations include:
Government and Internal Investigations
- Social Networking Company: Represent a large social networking company in a government investigation related to its collection of user data.
- University of Southern California: Represented USC in matters related to the federal government’s Operation Varsity Blues prosecutions charging dozens of individuals with crimes connected to college admissions.
- Biotechnology Company: Represented a company’s Board of Directors in its investigation of a whistleblower complaint alleging misappropriation of trade secrets by the CEO.
- U.S. Elected Official: Represented an elected official in a federal grand jury investigation related to campaign contributions.
Defamation
- Archer Aviation: Represented Archer, a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, in its defense of trade secret claims brought by Wisk Aero. Michael oversaw the prosecution of Archer’s counterclaims for defamation and related torts seeking more than one billion dollars in damages, obtaining a complete denial of Wisk’s motion for summary judgment. The case settled shortly before trial.
- Ashley Judd: Represents Ashley Judd in her lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein for the harm he did to Ms. Judd’s career by defaming her to filmmakers in retaliation for Ms. Judd having rejected his advances. Ms. Judd secured a published Ninth Circuit reversal of the district court on a sexual harassment issue of first impression under California law.
- Tinder Founder: Successfully defended a founder of Tinder against a defamation claim brought by the company’s former CEO, with the federal district court and Ninth Circuit dismissing all claims against him.
Cryptocurrency
- Naomi Osaka: Represent Naomi Osaka in her defense with other professional athletes and entertainers in ongoing putative class actions arising out of the bankruptcy of cryptocurrency company FTX.
- International Law Firm: Represented a law firm in matters related to potential malpractice claims arising from its past representation of a bankrupt cryptocurrency lender, resulting in no complaint being filed.
- NFT Creator: Represented a successful NFT company related to “rug pull” allegations and resulting violent threats from investors.
Media and Entertainment Litigation
- Worldwide Pants, Inc.: Obtained summary judgment, affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, on behalf of David Letterman’s production company in its defense of a federal suit over international royalties.
- Television Studio: Defended a major television studio against profit participation claims in an arbitration related to streaming revenues. Michael uncovered deceptive conduct by the claimant and the case settled on favorable terms for the client.
Law Firm Defense
- International Law Firm: Represented a law firm accused of facilitating a criminal scheme to defraud a municipality in a real estate venture.
- International Law Firm: Represented a law firm accused of failing to uncover a real estate investment fund’s loan fraud that caused investors hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
From 2010 to 2015, Michael served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. A member of the Violent and Organized Crime section, Michael investigated and prosecuted a wide range of federal crimes, including RICO, money laundering, extortion, wire fraud, mail fraud, tax fraud, and crimes against children. He successfully tried several complex multi-defendant cases against the leader of a foreign organized crime syndicate, members of the Mexican Mafia, and other organized crime figures responsible for murders, attempts to kill law enforcement, and money laundering across five continents.
Michael has a robust pro bono practice that includes numerous matters on behalf of journalists. He has successfully opposed subpoenas for journalists’ newsgathering materials in several high-profile criminal matters and partnered with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to obtain a judicial finding of factual innocence and a record settlement for a journalist who was violently and wrongfully arrested while reporting on a public protest. He has been published in multiple journals, including the Virginia Law Review, the Marquette Law Review, and the Columbia Science & Technology Law Review, with both trial and appellate courts citing his works.
Michael received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Amherst College, where he graduated magna cum laude. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review. He is a member of the Privacy Law Legislative Committee of the California Lawyers Association.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Anti-Corruption & FCPA
- Appellate and Constitutional Law
- Consumer Protection
- Crisis Management
- Law Firm Defense
- Media, Entertainment, and Technology
- Securities Enforcement
- Trials
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- University of Virginia - 2003 Juris Doctor
- Amherst College - 1998 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar
- District of Columbia Bar