Eli Lazarus is of counsel in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He practices in the firm’s Litigation Department with particular focus on antitrust law and clients based or operating in Japan. Eli has also represented clients at the federal and state appellate and trial court levels in a variety of business-related disputes involving class action, professional malpractice, and breach of contract.
He has specialized in leading engagements with Japanese clients who are confronting legal issues in the United States. Eli communicates directly in Japanese with these clients, their employees, vendors, and Japanese counsel. Doing so has enabled Eli to understand each client’s needs and coordinate the most efficient ways for Gibson Dunn to address them—and to explain with clarity the risks, opportunities, and demands of U.S. litigation.
His experience includes international cartel matters, grand jury investigations, merger review work, and defense of civil class action lawsuits in industries including consumer electronics, automobile parts, and financial services. Eli has also managed internal and government investigations for corporate clients to address concerns relating to competition law, corruption, and economic sanctions.
In general commercial litigation, Eli and a Gibson Dunn team successfully represented the University of California in a seven-week bench and jury trial in California state court against an international consulting firm in a case alleging claims for professional malpractice, breach of contract, and violation of the False Claims Act. He and colleagues defended the Golden State Warriors from challenges to the team’s development of a new basketball arena in San Francisco. Eli is recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Antitrust Law, and Litigation - Antitrust, and has been listed in the publication since 2021.
Prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Eli served as a law clerk for the Honorable J. Paul Oetken of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then for the Honorable Barrington D. Parker of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
He received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2011, where he was a Submissions Editor for the Yale Journal on Regulation. While in law school, Eli also served as a member of the Faculty Committee on Nondiscrimination and as co-president of the Outlaws student group. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations in 2006 from Stanford University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Eli is currently admitted to practice law in the State of California. He has served on Gibson Dunn’s firm-wide Associates Committee and, outside the firm, on the board of the New Conservatory Theater Center.
Capabilities
- Antitrust and Competition
- Appellate and Constitutional Law
- Litigation
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- Yale University - 2011 Juris Doctor
- Stanford University - 2006 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, Hon. Barrington D. Parker Jr., 2012 - 2013
- USDC, Southern District of New York, Hon. J. Paul Oetken, 2011 - 2012