Naima Farrell is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and Labor & Employment Practice Group.

Ms. Farrell has represented clients in a wide range of employment litigation matters, including cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, breach of contract, and wage-and-hour violations.  Ms. Farrell has significant experience in defending against employment-related putative class and collective actions.  She has represented employers in federal district and appellate courts across the country, as well as in arbitration and mediation, and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state employment agencies.  Most recently, Best Lawyers in America© has recognized Ms. Farrell as “One to Watch” in Appellate Practice (2023).

Recent representative litigation matters include:

• Obtained dismissal of putative wage-and-hour class and collective action for major retailer; then secured affirmance in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
• Persuaded the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to reverse and decertify one of the largest disability discrimination class actions ever certified in the United States.
• Defeated two attempts at class certification in a 31-plaintiff sexual harassment lawsuit.
• Won motion to compel individual arbitration in putative wage-and-hour class and collective action on behalf of large technology company.
• Won partial motion to dismiss putative disability discrimination class action brought by prospective job applicants against major automotive company.
• Represented employer in high-stakes breach of contract and trade secrets dispute with former executive, which settled favorably after three-week arbitration.

In addition to her litigation experience, Ms. Farrell often assists clients in drafting employment agreements, conducting pre-litigation investigations of employment-related claims, and advising clients on a variety of employment-related issues ranging from sensitive personnel decisions to classifications under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Ms. Farrell also has a vibrant pro bono practice, with a particular focus on immigration issues and constitutional challenges.  Ms. Farrell serves on the Legal Advisory Committee for the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, and was named to their Pro Bono Honor Roll in 2016 in recognition of her work on behalf a young victim of human trafficking.

Recent representative pro bono matters include:

• Successfully briefed and argued motion for preliminary injunction in lawsuit asserting constitutional claims on behalf of immigrants detained at Farmville Detention Center during massive and lethal COVID-19 outbreak.
• Represents protesters challenging the violent clearing of Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. on June 1, 2020, in violation of protesters’ constitutional rights.
• Submitted amicus brief on behalf of immigrant advocacy organization in an appeal challenging the government’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program.
• Represents a young man from El Salvador seeking immigration relief before the Board of Immigration Appeals; obtained a visa for victims of human trafficking for a young woman from Honduras.
• Represented local non-profit organization in response to confidential inquiry by D.C. Office of the Attorney General.

Before joining the firm, Ms. Farrell served as a law clerk to the Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  She received her law degree magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2013, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as an articles editor of the Georgetown Journal of International Law.  She also worked as a student attorney in Georgetown’s Center for Applied Legal Studies, where she successfully represented a client seeking asylum, and interned for the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia.

Prior to practicing law, Ms. Farrell served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bénin.  She graduated from Yale University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Ethics, Politics, and Economics.

Ms. Farrell is a member of the Massachusetts and the District of Columbia bars.  She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia and the District of Colorado.  She is a member of the firm’s Diversity and Pro Bono Committees.