Lillian Mao is an associate in the Palo Alto office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Lillian’s practice focuses on patent and trade secret litigation and other high-tech disputes, taking cases from pre-suit investigation through trial. She has litigated numerous cases in state and federal courts around the country, before the International Trade Commission (ITC), and before the Patent and Trademark Appeal Board (PTAB). Lillian brings a balanced perspective to litigation strategy based on her mix of plaintiff and defense side representations. She has experience with various software and hardware technologies, including flash memory, mobile device management, video and image compression, and consumer electronics.
Lillian clerked for the Honorable Ronald M. Whyte in United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Lillian earned her law degree from Stanford Law School, graduating with distinction and being elected to the Order of the Coif. As a law student, she served as an Editor and Director of Design for the Stanford Technology Law Review, and as an Editor for the Stanford Environmental Law Journal. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Lillian is a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice in the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California as well as the Eastern District of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Representative Experience
- Representation of a consumer audio devices company regarding a patent infringement suit against a competitor, successfully defending the patents’ validity and obtaining a finding of infringement
- Representation of a mobile device management company regarding a competitor suit asserting patent infringement and false advertising claims, culminating in clean sweep jury verdict
- Representation of an industrial software company regarding an anti-piracy program, including a heavily litigated copyright case that ended in a favorable settlement
- Representation of a consumer electronics insurance company regarding a patent infringement suit that ended in a favorable early settlement after skillful presentation of damages issues in negotiations with opposing counsel
Anna D. Ziv is a litigation associate in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Ms. Ziv received her Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law in 2020, where she graduated in the Order of the Coif and served as a Senior Editor of the Journal of Law and Technology. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economic History, cum laude, from Princeton University.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Ms. Ziv practiced litigation at another major law firm in New York. She is admitted to practice in New York and Colorado.
Brianna Rauenzahn is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation; Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation; Appellate and Constitutional Law; and White Collar Defense and Investigations practice groups.
Brianna maintains an active pro bono practice. She is currently representing a wrongfully convicted individual on death row in his habeas petition and regularly represents asylum applicants fleeing persecution.
Brianna received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2022, where she served as an executive board member on The Regulatory Review and an associate editor on the Journal of International Law. She also served as an Arthur Littleton Legal Writing Instructor for first-year law students. In addition, Brianna worked with the Defender Association of Philadelphia representing low-income clients as part of the Criminal Defense Clinic.
Brianna received her Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Secondary Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2015.
Priya Datta is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department. Priya maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on immigration issues.
Priya earned her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as an Editor for the American Criminal Law Review. Priya also served as a Student Attorney in Georgetown’s Appellate Litigation Clinic, through which she argued on behalf of an incarcerated client in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, securing a favorable outcome. During law school, she completed internships with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Priya graduated from Emory University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Economics.
Priya is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Gabriella Johnston is an Associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the Firm’s Litigation Department.
Gabriella earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law in 2022 where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. While in law school, she served as a Quorum Editor for the New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy. Gabriella is the author of Failing Farmworkers: An Administrative Process Critique of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Visa, 24 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 759 (2022).
Prior to law school, she worked as a consultant at Mercer. She received her B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in 2016.
Carson Whitehurst is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
He earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 2022 from New York University School of Law, where he was a Robert McKay Scholar and a Development Editor of the Annual Survey of American Law. While in law school, Carson served as a civil litigation intern with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Carson received his Bachelor of Arts in Government and History, summa cum laude, from the College of William & Mary in 2019.
Sonari Chidi is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where he practices in the Corporate Department.
He earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he was a Dean’s Fellow, an Owen J. Roberts Scholar, a Microsoft LMJ Scholar, and a Google LSI Scholar. Sonari holds the Certificate in Management from the Wharton School.
While in law school, he was Executive Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law. Sonari also served as Co-Vice President of the Penn Law Intellectual Property Group, Vice President: Alumni & Industry Affairs of the Penn Entertainment & Sports Law Society, Client Director of the Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project, and Community Service Chair of the Black Law Students Association. He was named to the Pro Bono Honor Roll of the Dauphin County Bar Association.
During law school, Sonari worked at a major technology company as a legal intern. He also worked in M&A, Fund Formation, and Privacy and Data Security as a summer associate at major international law firms.
Sonari graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with his Bachelor of Arts and was awarded the Raymond Pace Alexander Prize, the Arthur Fauset Award, and the Sol Feinstone Award. He was also named a United Nations & MCN Millennium Fellow, a CAMRA Fellow, a Fox Leadership Institute PEACE Fellow, a Moral Voices Fellow, and a Fox Research & Service Fellow. Prior to law school, Mr. Chidi was an award-winning filmmaker and producer.
Sonari is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Abby Dugan is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department, and her practice focuses on white collar defense and investigations.
Her experience includes representing clients in internal and government investigations involving the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and other enforcement agencies. Before joining Gibson Dunn, Abby was an associate at an international law firm, where she represented clients in government investigations, securities litigation, and a range of complex commercial litigation matters.
She clerked for the Honorable Pierre N. Leval of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Ronnie Abrams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She received her law degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and was awarded the Robert Noxon Toppan Prize.
Abby is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.
Meredith Spoto is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department. She received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2018. Meredith holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Letters, and Society with a minor in Biological Sciences from The University of Chicago, where she graduated with honors. Prior to attending law school, Meredith was a Teach for America Corps Member in San Francisco.
Meredith is admitted to practice in the State of California.
Michael Savage is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he serves as a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department.
His practice is primarily focused on commercial real estate matters. He represents institutional and non-institutional real estate investors, developers and operators, lenders and borrowers, REITs, and opportunity and private equity funds in a broad range of transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financings and development of, and joint ventures in connection with, commercial, hospitality and residential properties.
Michael received his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Africana Studies from the University of Notre Dame.
Prior to Gibson Dunn, he was in-house counsel for the Golden State Warriors and an associate in the real estate department of a major law firm in Chicago.
Michael is admitted to practice law in California and Illinois.
Rachel Katzin is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Rachel received her Juris Doctor in 2022 from The University of Chicago Law School, where she served as Comments Editor on the Chicago Journal of International Law and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge John F. Kness of the Northern District of Illinois. Rachel graduated with College Honors from Washington University in St. Louis in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
Rachel is admitted to practice in both the State of Florida and New York.
Todd Truesdale is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an Editor on the Journal of Law & Politics and a three-year member of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court team. Todd graduated summa cum laude from The Citadel with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. During law school, he interned for the Honorable George C. James, Jr. of the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Todd clerked for the Honorable Tilman E. Self, III of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia and for the Honorable Sherri A. Lydon of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.
Britt Jordan is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
He earned a J.D. in 2021 from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and a member of the Mediation Clinic. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Northwestern University in 2017.
Prior to law school, Britt was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Berlin, Germany.
He is admitted to practice in the state of New York.
Jacob Wasser is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where he is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.
He received his Juris Doctor in 2022 from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. Jacob received his Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Economics and Political Science from University of Miami in 2018.
He is admitted to practice in the State of New York.
Zheng (Jen) Pan is an associate in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, focusing primarily on white collar criminal defense.
Jen has represented clients in government and internal investigations involving alleged U.S. FCPA offenses, corporate misconduct, and other white collar defense matters. Her previous experience includes advising tech companies and pharmaceutical companies on various internal investigations in their China, Japan, Korea, Australia, and Singapore operations.
She earned her law degree in 2019 from New York University School of Law, where she served as an Executive Editor for the Journal of Law & Business. She also holds a B.A. in Economics degree from Peking University and a MPA-Finance degree from New York University. Jen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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.