Amir Heidari is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
He received his Juris Doctor in 2022 from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served as a Teaching Assistant for Property and Corporations. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Amir is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Natalie Cernius is an associate in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Real Estate Department.
She is a 2022 graduate of Stanford Law School, where she was an Editor for the Stanford Law Review, received the Judge Thelton E. Henderson Prize for Outstanding Performance in Stanford’s Organizations and Transactions Clinic, and volunteered with the Tax Pro Bono Project, earning Pro Bono Distinction at graduation. She was also an active peer mentor in Women of Stanford Law, and a member of Stanford’s club tennis team.
Natalie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Harvard College in 2018.
She is admitted to practice law in California.
Ariel Jacoby is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the Real Estate Practice Group.
Ariel earned her Juris Doctor in 2022 from the University of California Gould School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as a Senior Citations Editor of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal. Ariel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy from Tulane University, where she graduated cum laude.
She is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Mitchell Wellman is an associate in the Los Angeles Office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Mitchell earned his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was an Executive Editor for both the Harvard International Law Journal and the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.
Prior to law school, he was a Fulbright Scholar in Madrid, Spain, where he taught English and debate to high school students. Mitchell received his Bachelor of Arts degree with highest distinction from the University of Virginia, where he served as Chair of the University Judiciary Committee.
He is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Kate Goldberg is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
She received her Juris Doctor in 2022 from Duke Law School, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Alaska Law Review. Kate received her undergraduate degree in 2017 from Cornell University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development, with a minor in Crime, Prisons, Education, and Justice.
Kate is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Pablo Garrido is an international dispute resolution associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member the firm’s International Arbitration and Investigations practices.
Pablo focuses his practice on commercial and investor-state arbitrations, representing corporate entities as well as governments and state-owned entities in relation with business disputes, investment protection and international trade. He has represented clients in arbitration proceedings conducted under the major arbitration rules, both in commercial and investor-state arbitrations. Pablo also has experience in counseling clients in complex contractual disputes and also has previously assisted clients on a number of complex due diligence and compliance issues.
Prior joining Gibson Dunn, he regularly provided compliance-related work on anti-corruption issues (including advising on FCPA and local anti-corruption laws across Latin America), anti-money laundering laws and a wide variety of regulatory issues involved in multi-jurisdictional reviews. He has provided training to corporate personnel across different jurisdictions and has conducted confidential internal investigations on behalf of corporate clients.
Pablo is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Nancy Ding is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Nancy earned her law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 2022. During law school, she served as the Subscriptions Coordinator for the UCLA Law Review and was a writing advisor in the legal research and writing program. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing from New York University.
She is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Anthony Cruz is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He currently practices with the firm’s Litigation Department.
Mr. Cruz received his Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 2022, where he was a Competitions Advocacy Editor on the Moot Court Board. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 2018.
Mr. Cruz is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Geronimo Morales is an associate in the Los Angeles Office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Geronimo earned his law degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, where he served as a Senior Submissions Editor of the Southern California Law Review and was a Teaching Fellow in the Legal Writing and Advocacy Program.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Forensics and Criminality from the University of Southern California, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Geronimo is fluent in Spanish.
He is admitted to practice law in the State of California and before the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Olivia Field is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she currently practices in the firm’s Corporate Department.
She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2022. While in law school, Olivia worked in the Community Enterprise Clinic and the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic, and also served as a Research Assistant to Professor Patrick Barry. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Dartmouth College in 2015. Prior to law school, she worked as a legal assistant for a small law firm focused on employment litigation.
Olivia is admitted to practice in the State of California.
José E. Madrid is an associate attorney in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.
Mr. Madrid earned his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as an Articles Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. Prior to law school, he served as a litigation manager for a university’s office of general counsel. Mr. Madrid graduated cum laude and class marshal from Georgetown University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Georgetown College and a minor in Latin American Studies from the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Madrid served as a law clerk for the Honorable Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court and the Honorable Laura A. Cordero of the District of Columbia Superior Court.
Mr. Madrid is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of Colorado.
Drew Nichols is an associate attorney in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Drew is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.
He represents private equity funds, institutional and non-institutional real estate investors, developers, operators, lenders and borrowers in negotiating and structuring real estate joint ventures, acquisitions, sales, developments and financings.
Drew earned his Juris Doctor from Fordham University Law School and his LL.M. in European Union Law and International Comparative Law from LUISS Guido Carli. He received his Bachelor of Arts in both Philosophy and Economics from the University of Missouri.
Prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Drew practiced as a real estate associate at the law firm of Duval & Stachenfeld LLP in New York City.
He is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the State of New York.
Maggie Valachovic is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Corporate Department.
She earned her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 2022. Maggie received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 2017, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Human and Organizational Development.
Maggie is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Ryan Hyunjong Jin is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He currently practices with the firm’s Litigation Department.
Prior to law school, he worked as a Senior Engineer at Samsung Electronics after graduating from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Dr. Jin has experience in a wide variety of IP litigation matters, including patent and trade secret cases. He has extensive experience litigating in the U.S. Federal District court, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has worked on cases covering a wide range of technologies including network communication, computer architecture, radio devices, semiconductor devices, software, and medical devices. In addition, Dr. Jin has frequently advised clients on strategic issues related to intellectual property rights.
Dr. Jin earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2018, where he authored articles in the intersection of law, business, and technology. He is a winner of the 2018 Honorable William Conner Writing Competition, New York Intellectual Property Law Association. Dr. Jin is also a frequent guest lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, teaching essentials of patent law to the MIT students, researchers, and faculty.
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Dr. Jin was an IP litigation associate in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
Dr. Jin is a member of the State Bar of New York and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Jonathan (Jonny) McKoy is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Jonny earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as a Senior Editor of the Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law. While in law school, he was co-President of the Black Law Student Association, a graduate instructor for the Philosophy department, and a supervisor of the Environmental Crimes Project.
Prior to law school, Jonny earned his Master of Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Science in both Biology and Psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. While attending undergrad, he also played varsity football.
Jonny is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Erika Suh Holmberg is a Litigation associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Erika earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2022, where she was an Articles Editor for the Harvard International Law Journal and served on the executive boards of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and HLS Advocates for Human Rights. She also published a student note that explored how Twitter could improve its approach to moderating world leaders’ potentially violence-inspiring online speech, which earned first prize in the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology student note competition (35 Harv. J.L. & Tech. 309 (2021)). Prior to law school, she worked as a paralegal at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for three years.
Erika graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science and East Asian Studies from Columbia University in 2016, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society and received departmental honors and recognition for her senior thesis, The UNHCR in China: Exploring Why North Korean Defectors are Denied Their Right to International Protection.
Erika is proficient in Mandarin Chinese and French and speaks Japanese and Korean at an elementary level.
Erika is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Rachel Keirstead Nardone is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. Her practice focuses on labor and employment.
In 2022, Rachel received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from the Georgetown University Law Center. While at Georgetown, she was a member of Georgetown’s Civil Rights Clinic and the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law and earned the John F. Kennedy Labor Law Award.
In 2019, she earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Colgate University, where she received degrees in political science and English literature with honors.
Rachel is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Michael Brandon is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with extensive experience representing major technology companies, both in litigation and as a product counsel.
Mike’s litigation practice focuses on legal strategy and appellate advocacy. He has briefed dozens of critical motions and appeals in state and federal courts across the country, primarily in the areas of data privacy, products liability, and contract law. Mike’s briefs have resulted in numerous significant victories for his clients, including summary judgment in a biometric privacy class action seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in statutory damages and vacatur of $157 million judgment on appeal from a jury verdict in an individual action. Mike has also served as the lead associate responsible for legal strategy and appellate preservation during several high-stakes jury trials. In one such trial—a $2 billion contract dispute challenging a company’s ownership of a breakthrough virtual reality technology—Mike authored the directed verdict motion that secured judgment for the company and briefed the jury instructions that led to a complete verdict for the individual defendant associated with the company.
In addition to litigating, Mike regularly counsels social media, internet, and other technology companies on compliance with various privacy and consumer-protection frameworks, particularly laws governing the treatment of biometric and human-characteristic data. Mike is frequently brought in on the ground floor of product launches—often those involving cutting-edge technologies in extended reality and artificial intelligence—to conduct risk assessments and devise risk-mitigation strategies. He has drafted numerous public-facing privacy policies, in-product notices, and consent flows, and he has assisted clients with drafting the contents of, and securing user assent to, policy updates. Mike also has substantial experience preparing contractual releases and “dogfooding” agreements for participants in research, model training, and product testing, as well as licensing agreements with vendors and other partners. Additionally, he has advised on acquisitions that involve the transfer of sensitive personal data and assisted with communications strategies around his clients’ use of such data.
Previously, Mike spent a year seconded to Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.).
Mike received his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Following graduation, he served as a law clerk to Judge Sandra Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Mike is admitted to practice in the State of New York and the United States Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, and Ninth Circuits.
Lee Wilson is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Business Restructuring & Reorganization Practice Groups. Mr. Wilson’s practice focuses on bankruptcy-related litigation, M&A-related litigation, shareholder litigation, corporate governance disputes, and contractual litigation. He also frequently advises on securities and regulatory investigations and litigation, arbitrations and other matters. He regularly advises on contractual drafting and interpretation and potential litigation exposure in advance of M&A, private equity, and finance transactions.
Mr. Wilson has deep knowledge of complex commercial transactions and financial instruments, and has handled matters involving contractual disputes, bankruptcies, securities fraud, corporate governance, shareholder activism, disputed mergers, derivative litigation, antitrust issues, executive compensation, and insider trading. He also has successfully advised and defended boards facing shareholder challenges, proxy proposals, and books and records requests. Most recently, Mr. Wilson was featured in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers for 2023. Mr. Wilson was named a “Rising Star” in New York by Super Lawyers.
Mr. Wilson’s experience includes:
- serving as lead litigation counsel in multiple contested bankruptcies, overseeing trials, evidentiary hearings, and expedited discovery efforts;
- serving as lead counsel in multiple disputes and litigations involving M&A related breaches of contract, indemnification claims, and alleged fraud;
- regularly advising on deal structuring issues and litigation risks and interpretations of credit agreements and indentures;
- representing an American holding company in an $8 billion securities class action and related derivative actions over the course of five years;
- representing a large financial institution in a complex bankruptcy adversary proceeding, including a two-week trial;
- overseeing complex investigations in response to government subpoenas and shareholder allegations of corporate wrongdoing;
- representing an American multinational food service corporation in an expedited Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust challenge; and
- representing a large financial institution in multiple shareholder derivative actions, obtaining dismissal of all of the actions over three years of litigation.
Mr. Wilson clerked for Chief Judge Danny Boggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2006 to 2007 before going into private practice. He received a B.S. in Math, B.S.E. in Computer Engineering and a B.A. in Philosophy, all summa cum laude, from Arizona State University. He received a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he served on the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology.
Eleni Ingram is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.
Eleni earned her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Upon graduating, Eleni was awarded the International Academy of Trial Lawyer Student Advocacy Award for her public-interest appellate work in the Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic. While in law school, she was a member of the Georgetown Barristers Council – Trial Advocacy Team, as well as the Georgetown Law Journal, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Annual Review of Criminal Procedure. Eleni served as an extern to Judge Rudolph Contreras of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, as well as a legal extern at National Public Radio.
Prior to law school, Eleni received her Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She is admitted to practice in the state of California.