Abbey Hudson is an attorney in Gibson Dunn’s Los Angeles office.  Her practice focuses on complex trial litigation, with an emphasis on transnational, technological and environmental litigation.  She also devotes a significant portion of her time to helping clients navigate environmental and emerging regulations and related governmental investigations.

Litigation.  Over the past decade, Ms. Hudson has litigated several of the firm’s most high-profile complex cases.  She specializes in crafting big picture strategies that create a path for victory through every stage of litigation.  Representative matters include:

• Manspeaker v. Intel, Meyers v. Intel, Rodriguez v. Intel:  multi-jurisdictional transgenerational tort disputes.
• Hollingsworth v. Perry:  the federal constitutional challenge to California’s ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8.
• You v. Japan:  defended vehicle manufacturers against alien tort and RICO claims brought on behalf of a purported class of Korean citizens.
• Tellez v. Dole Food Co.:  securing dismissal with prejudice of U.S.-filed toxic tort claims alleging that DBCP caused reproductive harm.
• Representation of oil companies in connection with civil litigation, environmental enforcement actions, and community complaints.
• Representation of a major television studio in litigation involving an artist’s “first opportunity” in spin-offs, resulting in settlement of all claims.

Compliance and Governmental Investigations.  A substantial portion of Ms. Hudson’s practice is devoted to helping her clients navigate emerging environmental regulations and related governmental investigations, including work with local, state, and federal environmental compliance organizations.  Among other things, she is a leader in the field of transnational supply chain liability and compliance.  She regularly counsels clients on emerging supply chain regulations and limiting supply chain litigation risk.   Additionally, Ms. Hudson counsels and represents financial institutions in connection with criminal, civil, and regulatory enforcement actions.  She also helps clients respond to regulatory examinations involving compliance with anti-money laundering (“AML”) laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act (“BSA”).

Ms. Hudson has also been involved in successfully defending numerous actions brought pursuant to the False Claims Act by qui tam relators against an array of recipients of government funding, including government contractors, and educational institutions.

Community and Firm Involvement.  Ms. Hudson served on the firm’s associates committee, and currently services on the firm’s community affairs and diversity committees.  Additionally, Ms. Hudson helped launch and helps run the firm’s LGBT Women’s initiative.  Ms. Hudson also has an active pro bono practice.  She was recently certified as a trainer for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and traveled to Kenya with Lawyers Without Borders to facilitate the training of 120 Kenyan advocates and judges on the best ways to successfully bring to trial claims under Kenya’s Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.

Education and Background.  Ms. Hudson earned her law degree from Columbia University, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and president of OutLaws, Columbia’s LGBT law student organization.  Ms. Hudson received her Bachelor’s degree with distinction in Political Science from Yale University in 2003.