Amber D. McKonly is an associate in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment, Class Actions, and Litigation Practice Groups.
She has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Labor & Employment.
Amber’s practice focuses primarily on employment and class action litigation. She has represented employers in class actions, collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, representative actions under the California Private Attorneys General Act, and individual actions in both state and federal courts. Amber represents employers in connection with a variety of California and federal law claims, including wage and hour, employment misclassification, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims.
- Her recent successes include a complete trial victory in an exemption misclassification action, full defense victories in multiple discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination actions at summary judgment or following trial, defeating class certification of claims alleging wage and hour violations, and compelling arbitration of claims in PAGA representative actions.
- Her recent trial experience includes a federal bench trial in a copyright and unfair competition matter, multiple arbitrations in actions for alleged discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination, and a multi-week federal jury trial in an employment discrimination class action.
Amber also has extensive experience advising employers on a broad range of issues, including personnel policies, employee handbooks, employee discipline and termination issues, and other employment-related matters, and represents clients in a wide variety of industries, including technology, finance, legal, real estate, retail, and aerospace.
Amber earned her law degree magna cum laude in 2017 from the University of San Diego School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor for the San Diego Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. While in law school, she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Honorable Erithe A. Smith of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, and the Honorable Cynthia A. Bashant of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Prior to attending law school, Amber received her master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Colorado in 2010, and completed her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 2008 at the University of Washington.
Amber is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- University of San Diego - 2017 Juris Doctor
- University of Colorado, Boulder - 2010 Master of Arts
- University of Washington - 2008 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar