Vanessa Ajagu is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

Vanessa represents clients in high-stakes disputes in federal and state courts, with a focus on appellate and constitutional litigation, cross-border disputes, judgment and arbitral award enforcement, and labor and employment matters. Her practice emphasizes written advocacy at critical stages of litigation, including appeals, dispositive motions, trials, and emergency injunctive proceedings. Vanessa regularly handles matters involving foreign law and parties, as well as disputes involving government action and regulatory enforcement.

Vanessa maintains an active pro bono practice, including appellate advocacy and domestic violence survivors’ rights.   She has argued multiple appeals, contributed to several amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court, and successfully challenged a decision that reduced attorneys’ fees awarded to The Legal Aid Society based solely on its nonprofit status. She is a member of the Third Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel, serves on the African Affairs Committee of the New York City Bar Association, and is a Board Member of Empowered Network, a nonprofit that supports human trafficking survivors.

Before joining the firm, Vanessa served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gerard E. Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Margo K. Brodie of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Vanessa received her Juris Doctor in 2020 from Columbia Law School, where she was named a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and served as a Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review. At Columbia Law, she was awarded a Parker School Recognition of Achievement in International and Comparative Law and selected as a fellow for the Salzburg Lloyd N. Cutler Fellows Program in International Law. She received a Master’s in International Criminal Law from the University of Amsterdam in 2020 and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with high distinction from Queen’s University, Ontario Canada in 2017.

Vanessa is admitted to practice before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits; the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; and New York state courts.

Publications

• Co-Author, A Second Look, With Limits: Court of Appeals Defines Scope of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, New York Law Journal (Oct. 20, 2025).

• Author, Bypassing #MeToo: A Blueprint for Sexual Harassment Protections in Nigeria, 4 UNILAG L. Rev. 1, 26–71 (2020).

Poonam Kumar is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s State Attorneys General Practice and is a member of its White Collar Defense & Investigations, Litigation, and Trial practice groups. She is a former federal prosecutor with significant trial experience and an extensive background in handling high-stakes criminal and civil matters across a broad range of practice areas. 

Poonam’s practice focuses on internal investigations, regulatory and criminal investigations, complex commercial litigation, and trials across a range of industries, including financial services, technology, media and entertainment, sports, telecommunications, energy, automotive, and healthcare. Most recently, Poonam was selected by her peers for inclusion in the 32nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America® (2026) for her expertise in Criminal Defense: White-Collar. She was also named by AmLaw Litigation Daily as one of their “Litigators of the Week” in a jury verdict win for Nike in its endorsement contract dispute with NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. In addition, she was recognized by The Daily Journal in its annual feature for “Top Verdicts in California” for 2023, with the publication naming Stitch Editing Ltd. v. TikTok Inc. et al. among its Top Defense Results.

Representative Matters Include:

• Representing Binance in U.S. agency matters, including investigations by and resolutions with DOJ, the CFTC, FinCEN, and OFAC.
• Representing multinational companies, including in the technology, entertainment, and energy sectors, in AG investigations and litigation.
• Representing a global telecommunications company in connection with FCPA investigation conducted by DOJ.
• Securing an across-the-board defense verdict for TikTok in $350 million trademark infringement trial.
• Securing an across-the-board defense verdict at trial for Nike in sponsorship dispute.
• Representing a healthcare company in civil litigation and arbitration proceedings involving breach of contract and fraud claims.
• Representing a biopharmaceutical company in DOJ investigation under the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act regarding speaker programs conducted nationwide.
• Representing Western Digital in cross-border transfer pricing matter brought by the IRS.

From 2014 to 2022, Poonam served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California where she investigated and prosecuted complex financial crimes, including corporate and securities fraud, embezzlement, healthcare fraud, bank fraud, import/export crimes, tax crimes, and money laundering. Poonam was a Deputy Chief of the Major Frauds section where she supervised a large team of federal fraud prosecutors. Representative matters from her time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office include the investigation and prosecution of a multinational scheme to inflate revenue of a company publicly traded on a foreign exchange and to evade nearly $2 billion in import duties as well as the conviction at trial of a South Korean official for laundering bribes he received in connection with his government position. For her work with the Department of Justice, Poonam received the United States Attorney General’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Homeland Security Investigations’ highest investigative award.

Prior to joining DOJ, Poonam practiced for six years at Gibson Dunn in Los Angeles and at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York and clerked for the Honorable John Gleeson, United States District Judge, Eastern District of New York.

Poonam is an active member of the legal community and committed to pro bono work. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Survivor Justice Center and is Chairperson Emeritus of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee for Southern California. She previously served as counsel to the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence that investigated the inappropriate use of force in Los Angeles County jails. Poonam received the ACLU Community Service Pro Bono Award for her work with the Commission.

Poonam received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and History from Brown University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where she graduated cum laude and where she served as a member of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform. She is admitted to practice in the State of California, the State of New York, and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Dilani Logan is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.

Dilani earned her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), where she was a Center for Business Law Scholar. During law school, she served on the editorial board of the UC Law Journal as Executive Communications Editor, worked as a Research Fellow at The Source on Healthcare Price & Competition, and was a student associate in the Startup Legal Garage clinic.

Dilani received a Bachelor of Science with Honors from Western University, where she double majored in Medical Science and Spanish. She also earned a Master of Science in Global Health from Duke University. Prior to law school, she worked as a healthcare researcher for nonprofit, governmental, and intergovernmental organizations.

Dilani is admitted to practice in the State of New York. 

Shaquille Grant is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn, where he is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group. His practice focuses on high-stakes complex commercial litigation on behalf of corporate clients, with experience spanning contract disputes, product liability, putative class actions, fiduciary duty claims, and labor and employment matters. Shaquille also maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular emphasis on post-conviction representation, including wrongful conviction cases.

Shaquille received his J.D. magna cum laude from SMU Dedman School of Law in 2020. During law school, he served as Associate Managing Editor of the Journal of Air Law and Commerce; Chief Counsel of the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic; and Treasurer of the Black Law Students Association. He received his B.A. in Economics magna cum laude from Hendrix College in 2017.

Shaquille is admitted to practice in Texas.

Angelique Kaounis is a partner in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, with a focus on intellectual property and technology-related issues. Angelique is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property; Trials; Media and Entertainment; Antitrust and Trade Regulation; and Privacy, Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection Practice Groups.

Angelique has successfully represented clients in a broad range of litigation matters, including trade secret misappropriation cases, antitrust and unfair competition matters, business tort cases, contract disputes, and class actions in a number of areas, including the high-tech, entertainment, financial services, and healthcare industries. Angelique represents clients in all aspects of litigation, including jury trials, arbitrations, and mediations, and advises in connection with protecting trade secrets, proposed business practices/collaborations, and existing contractual obligations.

Chambers USA has recognized Angelique as one of the country’s leading attorneys for Intellectual Property: Trade Secrets, with clients describing her as “an excellent trial lawyer”—noting her “mastery of trade secret law” and “ability to navigate complex litigation with precision and tenacity.” The Legal 500 USA lists Angelique as a “Key Lawyer” in Trade Secrets, and she has been honored three times by Law & Politics and Los Angeles magazines as one of Southern California’s “Rising Stars.”

Some of Angelique’s representative achievements include:

• Co-lead counsel in arbitration prevailing on breach of non-compete claims in pharmaceutical industry and obtaining $20+ million award.   
• Co-lead counsel in arbitration defeating software-related trade secrets claims in which Plaintiff sought approximately $500M in monetary relief.   
• Securing dismissal with prejudice of alleged marketing trade secrets on behalf of one of the world’s leading technology and product companies in an ongoing trade secret misappropriation case.
• Securing an order striking alleged system-wide trade secrets for leading mortgage servicing company.
• Successfully resolving trade secret claims brought by an online healthcare services startup.
• Securing dismissal of trade secret claims against one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders.
• Securing a voluntary dismissal of a trade secret misappropriation claim against an online gaming company.
• Defeating class certification in a multi-state price fixing class action on behalf of a major music label.
• Securing entry of judgment and a permanent injunction against a former employee accused of leaking company confidential information for unauthorized publication.
• Securing entry of judgment and a permanent injunction against a former employee accused of misappropriating trade secrets from a Fortune 500 company for use in a foreign country.
• Obtaining a favorable settlement of breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation claims brought by a television network against former producers.
• Achieving a favorable resolution of trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition and related state law tort claims against a leading packaging manufacturer and its employee.
• Securing dismissal of all claims after summary judgment in favor of an international law firm in a professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract action.
• Advising in a successful regulatory review of a merger between a leading ticketing service company and a leading music promotion company (the matter was short-listed for Global Competition Review Matter of the Year).
• Defeating a motion for class certification in a proposed nationwide class action alleging state tort and unfair competition claims in connection with ink gauge technology in inkjet printers and cartridges.
• Securing an Arbitration Award, including nearly $3 million in attorneys’ fees and costs, in favor of co-CEOs of an algorithmic trading firm in a complex tax arbitration involving claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.

Angelique currently serves as a member of the Sedona Conference WG12 (Trade Secrets) Steering Committee, and as co-lead of the Commentary: Trade Secret Incident Response Plan drafting team.  She also was a Contributing Editor to WG12 Commentary: “The Use of Clean Rooms to Minimize Risk and Protect Innovations.” She has served as a trial advocacy instructor at Stanford Law School, and as the Vice Chair of the Trade Secrets Interest Group of the California Lawyers Association’s Intellectual Property (IP) Section, having previously served as Chair, and co-Vice Chair, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the IP Section. She presently serves on the Board of Trustees for the California Science Center and the planning committee for the University of Southern California IP Institute, and previously was a member of the Executive Leadership Team or Heart of LA Board for the American Heart Association’s Heart & Stroke Ball – Los Angeles (2013-2019, 2022-2024). Additionally, Angelique has served on the firm’s Associates’ Committee and Diversity Committee. Angelique has been an active member of the University of Pennsylvania Alumni community, having served for three years as the President of the Penn Law Alumni Club of Southern California, of which she is also a Founding Board Member.

Angelique earned her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 2000, where she was Internet and Production Editor of The University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law and Co-Chair of the Moot Court Board. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish magna cum laude, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers College in 1997. Angelique is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of California, the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and all California state courts.

Select Publications and Speaking Engagements:

• Co-authored with Joe Gorman, L.A. Lawyer: High-Tech Stakes (2010), Revisited (2026).
• Panelist, Risk scenarios: Secrets under siege: mastering crisis management, IAM Live: Trade Secret Strategy USA (2025).
• Co-author, Ninth Circuit Issues Important Decision Concerning Identification of Trade Secrets in Connection with a Defend Trade Secrets Act Claim (2025).
• Panelist, Keeping Your Secrets Secret, IAM Live: Trade Secrets Strategy USA (2024).
• Panelist, Navigating the FTC’s Rule Banning Non-Competes and How Companies Can Still Protect Valuable Trade Secrets, California Lawyers Association (2024).
• Moderator, Focus Session: Controlling Internal Misappropriation, IAM Live: Trade Secrets Strategy USA (2023).
• Contributing Editor, Trade Secret Litigation & Protection Practice Guide, California Lawyers Association (2022).
• Panelist, Trade Secrets Protection, Enforcement & Litigation, Hosted by SandPiper Partners LLC (2020).
• A Practical Approach for In-House Counsel to Protect Your Trade Secrets, Clear Law Institute (2017).
• Ethics of Handling Trade Secrets, California State Bar 89th Annual Meeting (Oct. 1, 2016).
• Daily Journal: Are Your Client Lists Trade Secrets? (2016).
• Developments in Data Protection, California State Bar 88th Annual Meeting (Oct. 10, 2015).
• Presidential Summit Reveals Cybersecurity Concerns, Trends, Law360 (Feb. 17, 2015).
• Co-author, SEC Cybersecurity Findings May Establish De Facto Standard, Law360 (Feb. 6, 2015).
• Contributing Editor, Trade Secret Litigation and Protection in California (3d ed., 2014).
• Recent Developments in California Trade Secret Law, California State Bar 87th Annual Meeting (Sept. 12, 2014).
• Best Practices In Trade Secret Due Diligence, Webinar, The State Bar of California Intellectual Property Law Section Trade Secrets Interest Group (July 2, 2013).
• L.A. Lawyer: High-Tech Stakes – Trade Secret Due Diligence Considerations for Technology Acquisitions (2010).
• California Court of Appeal Issues Decision Upholding Preemption of Claims for Breach of Confidence, Interference with Contract, and Statutory Unfair Competition under the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (2009).

Andrew Abell is an associate in the Denver office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Groups. 

Andrew represents private and public companies and private equity funds in connection with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, minority investments, recapitalizations and other complex corporate transactions. Andrew has experience advising private equity funds and other financial sponsors in asset management M&A, “GP stakes” transactions, and seeding arrangements.

Andrew’s experience includes:

M&A and Joint Venture Investments

• S + S Industries in the strategic investment in S + S by Cerberus Capital Management
• Veritas Capital in its acquisition of the Wood Mackenzie business from Verisk
• Cotiviti, a portfolio company of Veritas Capital and KKR, in its acquisition of Edifecs from Franciso Partners and TA Associates
• KKR in its acquisition of Agiloft and its investment in Restaurant365
• GI Partners and its portfolio companies in various transactions including the acquisitions of software platforms EqualLevel Inc., Ion Wave, Inc., DemandStar Corporation, and MassageBook and corporate transactions related to Aras Corporation
• Multiple leading private equity energy sponsors in a variety of transactions, including a structured midstream joint venture and control investments into energy-focused portfolio companies
• Sumeru Equity Partners in its take-private acquisition of Q4 Inc.
• True Wind Capital in its sale of AIA Contract Documents to Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
• Liberty Hall Capital Partners in the combination of Comply365 with Vistair and related investment by Insight Partners
• FTV Capital in its sale of Docupace to Genstar and its acquisition of SingleOps
• BVP Forge in its acquisition of Medisolv, Inc. and investment in Givebutter, Inc.
• Archer Aviation in its acquisition of Hawthorne Airport
• In-court and out-of-court restructuring transactions including GTT Communications, Inc. (ad hoc group of lenders), J. Crew Group, Inc. (ad hoc group of term lenders and IPCo noteholders), PG&E Corp. (official committee of unsecured creditors), and RentPath Holdings, Inc. (ad hoc group of crossholders)*

Asset Management M&A

• Constellation Wealth Capital in its minority investments in wealth management firms Merit Financial Group, Procyon Partners, Bogart Wealth, and Requisite Capital Management
• Wafra, Inc. in its strategic investment in private equity firm Citation Capital
• Emerging real estate sponsor on a complex GP seeding arrangement with a large financial institution
• DivcoWest in a GP stakes transaction for its affiliate DivCore with Dyal Capital
• Swander Pace Capital in a continuation fund transaction with Captek Softgel International, Morgan Stanley, and Rabobank

Andrew received his Juris Doctor cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy with honors from Vanderbilt University in 2016.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Andrew was an associate in the New York office of another major international law firm.

Andrew is admitted to practice law in Colorado and New York.

*Indicates representations by Andrew prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Michael Svedman is a corporate associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where he practices in the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group.

Michael earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. While in law school, he served as Executive Articles Editor for the Harvard Law & Policy Review. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master of Arts degree in English and from Loyola University Chicago, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Art History.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Michael practiced with another New York law firm as a member of the corporate department.

Justin DiGennaro is Of Counsel in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.  Trusted by C-suite executives, boards of directors, and private investors, Justin serves as a thought partner to help them navigate their most complex employment challenges.  He seamlessly integrates legal, HR, and PR considerations to achieve creative and commercially sound solutions.

Justin focuses on high-stakes employee mobility disputes, including matters related to non-competes, non-solicitation agreements, and confidentiality restrictions.  His experience encompasses executive onboarding and departures, mass exoduses, workforce raids, client poaching, and trade secret misappropriation.  He frequently represents employers in single-plaintiff and class action litigation relating to discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, breach of contract, wage and hour disputes, and the WARN Act.

In addition to his litigation practice, Justin leads internal investigations into sensitive employment issues.  He regularly advises clients on high-risk executive terminations, large scale reductions-in-force, workforce restructurings, and the drafting of employment, consulting, retention, secondment, and separation agreements.

Superlawyers has recognized Justin as a “Rising Star” each year from 2017-2025.

Representative Experience:

• Enjoined former Palantir employees from continuing their plan to “pillage” Palantir’s best engineers to build a copycat business and requiring forensic remediation to address theft of confidential information (Palantir v. Jain, et al. (S.D.N.Y. 2026));
• Secured a sweeping injunction on behalf of DraftKings against the former head of its VIP business prohibiting him from working in a competitive capacity, soliciting his former colleagues, or using or disclosing DraftKings’ trade secrets and confidential information (DraftKings Inc. v. Michael Hermalyn (D. Mass. 2024));
• Successfully settled claims on behalf of global investment manager against four former executives for breach of non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality obligations, resulting in former executives’ forfeiture of tens of millions of dollars of equity interests and implementation of robust protections against future unfair competition;
• Obtained a comprehensive status quo order requiring the return of AlixPartners’ trade secrets from a former managing director and subsequently won a bench trial for trade secret misappropriation (AlixPartners, LLP et al. v. Mori (Del. Ch. 2021));
• Successfully defended JLT and several recently-hired senior executives against allegations by their former employer that the senior executives breached their customer and employee non solicitation restrictions.  (Aon plc et al. v. JLT Specialty Ins. Servs., Inc. et al. (Ill. Ch. 2016));
• Settled allegations of gender discrimination and hostile work environment made by a partner and vice president against a global bank on favorable terms;
• Negotiated claims with a trio of former executives of a major manufacturing company concerning substantial severance benefits under their change-in-control agreements;
• Successfully defended technology company GiveSmart, owned by Community Brands, in a wage and hour class action alleging numerous violations of the California Labor Code;
• Narrowed the size of the putative class of employees in an action against the estate of the former nuclear power services company, Westinghouse, in connection with WARN Act litigation arising out of the company’s shutdown of a power plant construction project.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Justin was Counsel in the Employment Litigation Practice Group of another highly-ranked international law firm.

Justin received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2015, where he was a two-time James Kent Scholar, and winner of the Lawrence S. Greenbaum Prize for the Best Oral Presentation in the Final Arguments of the Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition.  Justin also prosecuted domestic violence offenders for the Queens District Attorney, worked as a summer intern to the Honorable Joseph F. Bianco in the Eastern District of New York (who has since risen to the Second Circuit), served as the Notes and Case Notes Editor for the Columbia Journal of European Law, and volunteered as a Moot Court Judge.  Justin graduated from Cornell University in 2012, where he earned placement on the Dean’s list.

Justin is dedicated to his robust pro bono practice, representing numerous non-profits that provide support and services to domestic violence survivors and underprivileged students.

Jason R. Meltzer is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Washington, D.C. office. He practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, co-chairs the firm’s Consumer Products and Retail Practice Group, and serves on the firm’s Class Actions Practice Group steering committee. Jason has experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on consumer products class action defense. Jason also has extensive experience representing clients in securities, mass tort, breach of contract, commercial fraud, antitrust, insurance and merger-related litigation.

Jason was recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation for 2024, 2025, and 2026. The National Law Journal also named Jason as a DC Rising Star for Civil Litigation – Class Action Defense. Super Lawyers and The Washington Post Magazine have also recognized Jason on multiple occasions as a class actions and civil litigation “Rising Star.”

Jason has successfully defended corporations in trial and appellate courts across the country. He routinely counsels Fortune 100 companies in class actions involving hundreds of millions or billions of dollars’ worth of claims. His clients have included the largest food and beverage manufacturers, consumer products retailers, investment and retail banks, private equity firms, international airlines, radio and communications providers, energy companies and government contractors in the world.

Jason’s recent significant client engagements include, among others:

• Representing major food and beverage companies in more than seventy-five class actions in courts across the country challenging product labeling and marketing as false or misleading under state and federal consumer protection laws.
• Representing issuer and underwriter defendants in more than a dozen securities class and individual actions in courts across the country involving more than $30 billion in securities.
• Representing leading consumer products retailers, manufacturers and other companies in class actions challenging corporate social responsibility and sustainability statements as false or misleading.
• Consulting for numerous public companies regarding litigation risks pertaining to corporate social responsibility statements, including regularly conducting reviews of proposed ESG and Sustainability reports.
• Representing a leading consumer products retailer as co-lead counsel in a multidistrict litigation involving fourteen class actions challenging an alleged failure to disclose potential risks in connection with products.
• Representing a leading consumer products manufacturer in litigation challenging the marketing and production of so-called “ultra-processed foods.”

A sample of Jason’s recent successes include:

• Winning an arbitration trial as lead trial counsel, following Jason’s successful examination of six key witnesses, including cross-examining the claimant for four hours.  
• Winning a unanimous jury verdict in a mass tort class action trial in federal court, following Jason’s successful cross examination of plaintiffs’ expert on issues relating to their negligence claims.
• Winning summary judgment in a consumer products class action asserting more than $500 million in claimed damages, based on deposition testimony Jason elicited from one of the named plaintiffs.
• Securing dismissal with prejudice of five consolidated class actions challenging “natural” labeling on consumer products as false or misleading.
• Securing dismissal with prejudice of six consolidated class actions challenging flavor labeling on consumer products as false or misleading.
• Securing dismissal of a mass tort class action against some of the nation’s largest retailers.
• Securing dismissal of a securities class action involving more than $5 billion in mortgage-backed securities.
• Securing dismissal of shareholder derivative litigation against a leading defense contractor and its corporate officers and successfully defending the decision on appeal.
• Securing dismissal of securities fraud claims against a leading defense contractor.
• Successfully opposing class certification in a securities class action involving more than $20 billion in securities and successfully defending the decision on appeal.
• Convincing plaintiffs’ counsel to refrain from filing numerous consumer products class actions pertaining to hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of products.

Recent examples of Jason’s speaking engagements include:

• “Trends and Developments in Consumer Litigation” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Various Clients (May 2026)
• “Combatting New And Creative Plaintiffs’ Bar Tactics In Consumer Products Class Actions” – CLE Presentation – ACI Advanced Forum On Defending FDA-Regulated Consumer Products Class Actions (October 2023)
• “Litigation Risks Relating To ‘Green’ Claims” – Board.Org ESG and CSR Board (September 2023)
• “Corporate Citizenship Statements – Understanding and Minimizing Risks” – The Conference Board ESG Center (February 2023)
• “Navigating the MDL (Multidistrict Litigation) Process” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (October 2022)
• “ESG Statements – Maximizing Opportunities While Understanding And Minimizing Risks” – CLE Presentation, Client In-House Legal and Marketing Departments (February 2021)
• “Trying A Mass Tort Class Action To Verdict” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (March 2018)
• “Hot Topics In Securities And Governance” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (June 2016)
• “Corporate Social Responsibility Statements: Litigation Developments And Minimizing Risks” – CLE Presentation, Association of Corporate Counsel (April 2016)
• “Effectively Responding To Discovery Requests” – Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (July 2014)
• “Securities Litigation Developments” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (February 2014)
• “Significant Developments in Class Actions – 2012-2013” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (April 2013)

Jason received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2005. He is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.

Katie Marquart is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Los Angeles office and is the Firm’s Pro Bono Chair.  In this role, Ms. Marquart manages and coordinates the Firm’s pro bono efforts globally, which have totaled more than 1.5 million hours valued at more than $1 billion under her leadership.  She also maintains an active practice in areas including criminal justice, civil rights, constitutional law, and immigration.  Ms. Marquart began her career as a litigation associate at the Firm, where her practice focused on complex business litigation, transnational litigation, and internal investigations and regulatory inquiries.

Since taking the helm of Gibson Dunn’s pro bono practice in 2013, Ms. Marquart has played an integral role in many of the Firm’s most significant pro bono engagements.  In addition to personally representing clients in a variety of litigation matters—including lawsuits focused on civil rights, immigration, and the First Amendment—Ms. Marquart has spearheaded the Firm’s efforts to respond to some of the most pressing issues of the day.  In this role, she liaises with corporate clients and nonprofit community partners to collaborate on pro bono matters, including facilitating and overseeing numerous partnerships in the areas of criminal justice, racial justice, and immigration, among other sectors of public interest law.

Recent representative matters include:

• Abuse of Material Witness Statutes:  Representing a young woman who was wrongfully incarcerated under Louisiana’s material witness statute—despite being accused of no wrongdoing and agreeing to testify voluntarily regarding the crime she witnessed—in lawsuit arguing prosecutors violated her Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

• Justice for Women and Girls:  Launched a new initiative bringing together attorneys from across the Firm to advance justice and equity for women and girls through (1) educational equity; (2) access to healthcare; (3) legal and social equity; (4) economic empowerment; and (5) prevention of violence against women.

• Jones v. City of Los Angeles:  Co-lead counsel in Deon Jones v. City of Los Angeles (C.D. Cal.), a historic civil rights victory over an LAPD officer who shot Mr. Jones in the face while he was peacefully protesting in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder.  After a 7-day trial, a federal jury determined that the officer had violated Mr. Jones’ Fourth Amendment rights and awarded Mr. Jones $375,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.  The City of Los Angeles ultimately settled Mr. Jones’ civil rights claims for $860,000.

In 2024, Ms. Marquart received Human Rights First’s Marvin E. Frankel Award for Pro Bono Service, in recognition of her leadership in advocating for Afghan refugees in the United States.  Under Ms. Marquart’s leadership, Gibson Dunn is consistently recognized for its outstanding commitment to pro bono and significant pro bono victories.  Among other accolades, the Firm is a repeat recipient of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association Beacon of Justice Award and has received the 2023 Kids in Need of Defense Pro Bono Attorneys of the Year Award, the 2023 Sanctuary for Families Above & Beyond Pro Bono Achievement Award, the 2022 TrustLaw Powered by Pro Bono Award, the 2021 Giffords Law Center Pro Bono Partner Award, the 2021 Neighborhood Defender Service Corporate Social Responsibility Award, the 2020 Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs Outstanding Achievement Award, the 2019 Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Publico Award, the 2018 Who’s Who Legal Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award, the 2018 Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition Impacting Justice Award, the 2017 Public Counsel Law Firm Pro Bono Award, and the 2017 Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network Pro Bono Service Award.

In 2010, Ms. Marquart was honored with Gibson Dunn’s Frank Wheat Award for her pro bono work on behalf of children with autism living in the East Los Angeles area.  In that matter, she spearheaded a class action lawsuit that resulted in over 2,000 children diagnosed with autism getting their state-funded treatment programs reinstated on a permanent and ongoing basis, after those services had been wrongfully terminated.  Ms. Marquart also received Public Counsel Law Center’s Volunteer of the Year Award in connection with the same case.

Ms. Marquart is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the States of California and New York.

Jonathan Griggs is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn. He is currently practising with the firm’s Finance and Business Reorganization and Restructuring practice groups.

Jonathan has extensive experience in international financing and restructuring transactions. His expertise includes advising corporates, financial institutions, private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, and sovereigns on a broad range of financial products, including investment grade and leveraged loans, private credit, bonds and derivatives, as well as acting for both borrowers and lenders in distressed and non-distressed situations.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Jonathan trained and practised in the London office of a major international law firm. He received his Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and completed his Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at the University of Law, Moorgate.

Jonathan is admitted to practice in England and Wales.

Elise Widerlite is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. She currently practices in the firm’s Transactional Department. She is currently on secondment.

Elise earned her law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and received the Georgetown University Alumni Club of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Award. At Georgetown Law, she served as the Senior Communications & Technology Editor for the Georgetown Law Journal. Elise earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, Journalism, and Psychology, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University, where she graduated as co-valedictorian of the Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences Class of 2015 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Before law school, Elise graduated from NBCUniversal’s Page Program and worked in late night television.

She is admitted to practice law in the State of California.

Jina Choi is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Securities Enforcement and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. Jina represents and counsels major public and private companies and financial institutions, as well as their executives and boards of directors, on government and internal investigations, enforcement-related litigation, whistleblower complaints and compliance programs.

With a unique and rare skill set that allows her to offer clients exceptional and comprehensive legal support, Jina has served in high level roles as a federal prosecutor, SEC enforcement lawyer and defense counsel. Prior to joining the firm, Jina served as the Chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, where she oversaw some of the most complex criminal investigations and prosecutions in the Bay Area, including those involving technology, AI, health care and life sciences companies. Before that, she was a Chambers-ranked defense counsel at a major international law firm and prior to that, she worked for many years in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she ultimately served as Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office (SFRO). As Regional Director, Jina led a staff of over 130 attorneys, accountants, and other professionals responsible for the SEC’s enforcement and compliance programs in the SFRO, which is responsible for the SEC’s enforcement and examination programs in Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Alaska. She supervised and managed teams of attorneys and professionals who investigated and litigated cases involving violations of federal securities laws, including accounting fraud, disclosure fraud, investment fraud, FCPA violations, insider trading, market manipulation and investment adviser/broker dealer fraud. While at the SEC, Jina worked closely with senior staff in Washington, DC and around the country to bring some of the agency’s most complex and groundbreaking enforcement actions.

Jina’s distinguished government experience also includes serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Texas, serving as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr., in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.

Jina received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Prize Semifinalist and the Executive Editor for the Yale Law and Policy Review, and her B.A. from Oberlin College. With her in-depth knowledge and experience, Jina has been recognized by Lawdragon as a Global Leader in Crisis Management; she was the only attorney chosen in both Securities Enforcement and White Collar in Northern California. She has served as a guest lecturer at Stanford Law School, NYU School of Law, University of California Law San Francisco and University of Virginia School of Law and is a frequent speaker on SEC Enforcement developments, government investigations, regulatory developments, corporate resolutions and compliance.

Justin du Rivage is an associate in the Palo Alto office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. His practice focuses on international trade and national security matters, including U.S. economic sanctions, the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Justin advises companies in the technology, financial services, and defense sectors on U.S. sanctions and export controls, including matters involving artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. His experience includes counseling clients on regulatory compliance and risk assessment, the design and enhancement of compliance programs, and licensing strategy. He also represents clients in connection with voluntary and directed disclosures as well as government investigations and enforcement matters.  

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Justin worked on behalf of corporate compliance monitors and advised financial institutions in EMEA and Asia on international sanctions compliance.

Justin received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2023, where he served as Senior Executive Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal. He holds a Ph.D. in American history from Yale University. Justin is admitted to practice law in the State of California.

Coauthored Publications:

• “U.S. Export Enforcement and Compliance in an Age of Geopolitical Competition,” Dow Jones Risk Journal (Sept. 11, 2025).
• “U.S. Sanctions,” International Comparative Legal Guides, Sanctions 2026 (2025).
• “Action Steps to Prepare for Ramped-Up Export Enforcement,” Law360 (May 14, 2024).

Bradley J. Hamburger is a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His practice focuses on class actions and complex litigation in both trial courts and on appeal. He is a member of the firm’s Class Actions, Appellate and Constitutional Law, and Labor and Employment practice groups.

Brad has represented clients in class actions and appeals across many areas of law, including employment, insurance, antitrust, consumer fraud, products liability, legal malpractice, and administrative law. He has briefed dozens of appeals, including cases in the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, and the California Supreme Court, and has argued before the Ninth Circuit and the California Court of Appeal.

Brad has significant expertise in seeking interlocutory appellate review of class certification orders under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f), obtaining enforcement of arbitration agreements, and defending clients against representative actions under California’s Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”). Brad also regularly represents technology companies, and he has substantial experience litigating the application of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Brad has been ranked in the California Appellate Litigation category of the Chambers USA guide in 2023 and 2024, recognized as a 2023 Client Service All-Star MVP by BTI Consulting Group, included in Lawdragon’s 2025-2026 “500 Leading Litigators in America” guide, and named a past Future Star and current Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation. In 2022, Law360 recognized Brad as a Rising Star in the Class Action category, and the Los Angeles Business Journal named him to its “Thriving In Their 40’s: LA’s Leaders of Influence” list. The Daily Journal named Brad as one of the top 40 lawyers in California under 40 in 2021. Brad also was part of the team that obtained one of the Daily Journal’s Top Verdicts in California 2022, Ortiz v. Amazon.com LLC et al., Case No. 4:17-cv-03820-JSW (N.D. Cal.), and Top Appellate Reversals of 2021, Magadia v. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc., 999 F.3d 668 (9th Cir. 2021).

Brad graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2009. While at Harvard he served as co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology and was a member of the Board of Student Advisers. He graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004.

Prior to joining the firm, Brad served as a law clerk to the Honorable James V. Selna in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. 

Recent Representative Matters Include:

• Won reversal from the en banc Sixth Circuit of an order certifying an insurance class action. Clippinger v. State Farm Auto. Ins. Co., 173 F.4th 817 (6th Cir. 2026).
• Obtained Rule 23(f) review from the Eighth Circuit and then secured reversal of an order certifying a consumer class action. In re Folgers Coffee Mktg., 159 F.4th 1151 (8th Cir. 2025).
• Secured an important decision from the United States Supreme Court in a high-profile case involving a constitutional challenge to ordinances prohibiting camping on public property. City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, 144 S. Ct. 2202 (2024). 
• Obtained affirmance from the Ninth Circuit of a summary judgment ruling in a high-stakes insurance coverage dispute relating to opioid distribution. AIU Ins. Co. v. McKesson Corp., 2024 WL 302182 (9th Cir. 2024).
• Convinced the Ninth Circuit to vacate critical-habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act. Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish & Wildlife Serv., 67 F.4th 1027 (9th Cir. 2023).
• Secured affirmance from the Ninth Circuit of the denial of class certification in an insurance class action. Lara v. First Nat’l Ins. Co. of Am., 25 F.4th 1134 (9th Cir. 2022).
• Defeated a motion for class certification and then secured a complete victory at trial in an employment misclassification action. Ortiz v. Amazon.com LLC, 2022 WL 1598968 (N.D. Cal. 2022).
• Successfully argued in opposition to a class certification motion in an employment class action. Mabanta v. Prime Now LLC, 2022 WL 1601415 (N.D. Cal. 2022).
• Obtained a significant ruling from the Ninth Circuit regarding the scope of the exception to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for certain sex-trafficking claims. Does 1-6 v. Reddit, Inc., 51 F.4th 1137 (9th Cir. 2022).
• Obtained Rule 23(f) review from the Fourth Circuit of an order granting class certification in an antitrust class action, and then secured vacatur of the order. In re Zetia (Ezetimibe) Antitrust Litig., 7 F.4th 227 (4th Cir. 2021).
• Secured a new trial in a dispute with a former motor vehicle franchisee after a jury had awarded $256 million in damages, and affirmance of that ruling from the California Court of Appeal. Nissan Motor Acceptance Cases, 63 Cal. App. 5th 793 (2021).
• Obtained a significant victory from the United States Supreme Court in an action seeking over $20 billion in damages. Comcast Corp. v. Nat’l Ass’n of Afr. Am.-Owned Media, 589 U.S. 327 (2020).

Brad was a key member of both the trial and appeal teams in Chevron’s successful RICO action against a U.S. lawyer who was found to have fraudulently procured a multi-billion-dollar judgment against Chevron from an Ecuadorian court. After a seven-week bench trial in the Southern District of New York, the trial judge issued a 485-page decision in Chevron’s favor, the Second Circuit affirmed in full, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari. Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, 974 F. Supp. 2d 362 (S.D.N.Y. 2014), aff’d, 833 F.3d 74 (2d Cir. 2016), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 2268 (2017).

Brad co-authored two chapters in the Third Edition of the American Bar Association’s A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions (2021), including the chapter on interlocutory appeals. His other publications include Article III Standing and Absent Class Members, 64 Emory L.J. 383 (2015) (with Theane Evangelis), and Three Myths About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 82 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. Arguendo 45 (2014) (with Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr.).

Before entering law school, Brad taught middle school mathematics in New York City as a Teach for America corps member.

Brad is a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library and also serves on the Teach for America Los Angeles Advisory Board.

Jennifer Grecco is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence practice groups. She has experience advising companies on data privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence issues, focusing on compliance counseling and complex corporate transactions. She is currently on secondment.

Jennifer represents companies in a range of industries subject to requirements under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and equivalent U.S. privacy laws in Virginia, Colorado, and other states; the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act);  marketing laws, including the CAN-SPAM Act and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA); the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); and other current and emerging international, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidance, including those related to artificial intelligence.

Jennifer regularly advises public and private companies and financial sponsors on matters including venture and private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, and carveouts. She conducts due diligence, drafts and negotiates privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence-related representations and warranties in transaction agreements, and provides counseling on risks and mitigation strategies. Jennifer also has experience counseling companies on data breach response management and notification concerns.

Jennifer received her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as an editor on the Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review and participated in the Entrepreneurship Clinic. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology, magna cum laude, from Barnard College, where she was an Athena Scholar.

Jennifer is admitted to practice in the State of New York and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional – United States (CIPP/US) and a Certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP).

Immanuel is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.  He is a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization, Liability Management, and Special Situations Practice Groups.  His practice focuses on corporate restructurings, distressed financings, liability management transactions, and other special situation transactions in acquisitions, out-of-court restructurings, and Chapter 11 as well as Chapter 15 cases.

Immanuel has played a role on a number of teams advising: *

• Fossil Group, a global, iconic maker of watches and other accessories, in their restructuring of $150 million of senior unsecured debt through a novel, complex stapled exchange transaction implemented through a U.K. restructuring proceeding and U.S. Chapter 15 proceeding.
• Avon Products, Inc., holding company of the Avon International beauty brand, and its affiliated debtors, in connection with its Chapter 11 cases, with approximately $1.3 billion in funded debt and significant potential mass tort liabilities.
• AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., the largest movie exhibition company in the United States and globally, in its successful out-of-court restructuring which included various capital raising efforts that yielded over $1.5 billion of cash and other liquidity improvements and the reduction of AMC’s debt load by more than $550 million.

*Representations also include those that occurred prior to Immanuel’s association with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Immanuel received his LL.M. from NYU School of Law.  While at NYU, Immanuel served as an intern in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and was a board member of NYU’s Law Students Against Antisemitism.  He received his LL.B. from Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, during which he spent a semester at Fordham University School of Law.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Immanuel was an associate in the Restructuring Department of another international Law firm in New York, and a trainee at a Band 1 Restructuring & Insolvency Group in Germany.

Immanuel is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Immanuel speaks English and German.

Matthew M. Roose is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s New York office. He is a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. Matt has extensive experience representing ad hoc groups of creditors and investors of publicly- and privately-held debtors in special situations and liability management transactions, out-of-court restructurings and distressed acquisitions, and in-court chapter 11 processes through prepackaged, prearranged, and traditional restructurings.  Matt also represents publicly- and privately-held debtors in special situations and liability management transactions, out-of-court restructurings and distressed acquisitions, and in-court chapter 11 processes through prepackaged, prearranged, and traditional restructurings. His practice also includes a broad range of transactional and litigation matters across a number of industries and restructuring processes.

Representative Clients and Transactions*:

• Represented an ad hoc group of first lien noteholders and second lien convertible noteholders in connection with Luminar Technologies, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries’ Chapter 11 cases. Luminar filed the Chapter 11 cases with the support of approximately 91.3% of the holders of 1L Notes and approximately 85.9% of the holders of 2L Notes.
• Represented HG Vora Capital Management and Nantahala Capital as Fossil Group’s noteholders in the negotiation and implementation of an innovative exchange offer for new first-out and second-out senior secured notes due 2029 and associated incremental funding, warrants, and equity consideration, implemented by means of a single class English Part 26A restructuring plan.
• Represented holders of $2.4 billion of convertible notes issued by Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE: WOLF), a global leader in silicon carbide technology, in connection with its prepackaged chapter 11 plan of reorganization. This transaction involves approximately $6.7 billion of debt and includes a restructuring support agreement entered into with the company’s key stakeholders. Convertible noteholders represented by Ropes & Gray will take majority ownership of the equity and have backstopped new capital in the form of $275 million of new second lien convertible notes.
• Represented an ad hoc group of bondholders of Exela Technologies, a global business process automation company, in connection with its chapter 11 cases, captioned In re DocuData Solutions, Inc. in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. These proceedings involved the restructuring of $1.3 billion of funded debt and the ad hoc group provided a new money DIP facility of up to $80 million.
• Represented an ad hoc group of first lien lenders to Golden West Packaging in an amend and extend transaction.
• Represented an ad hoc group of lien lenders to Rather Outdoors in an amendment transaction.
• Represented Aimbridge Hospitality in connection with a comprehensive out-of-court restructuring supported by 100% of the company’s lenders that successfully converted more than $1 billion of senior and junior debt into equity and infused the company with $100 million in new capital.
• Represented Hearthside Foods and its affiliated debtors in their prearranged chapter 11 cases involving approximately $3.0 billion of funded debt. Hearthside’s prearranged chapter 11 plan eliminated approximately $2 billion of funded debt and provided $200 million of new money through an Equity Rights Offering and approximately $190 million of additional capital from a new asset backed loan facility. Hearthside emerged from chapter 11 with approximately $600 million of liquidity and rebranded as Maker’s Pride.
• Represented an ad hoc group of first lien lenders of American Rock Salt, the largest operating salt mine in the United States, in connection with a $110 million super-priority first out term loan facility.
• Represented an ad hoc group of second lien lenders of Petmate, a supplier and manufacturer of pet products, in connection with its out-of-court restructuring of approximately $600 million of funded debt.
• Represented an ad hoc group of second lien term loan lenders to Elevate Textiles in connection with the company’s restructuring of over $850 million in funded indebtedness. As part of the restructuring, second lien term loan lenders received a significant primary equity stake, warrants and the opportunity to participate in funding the exit term loan.
• Represented an ad hoc group of second lien lenders of Yak Access, LLC, a provider of temporary roadways to remote construction sites, in connection with its out-of-court recapitalization and exchange transaction, which eliminated over $500 million of debt. As part of the recapitalization, holders of second lien term loans received a significant primary equity stake as well as various series of preferred stock in the recapitalized Yak.
• Representing an ad hoc group of senior secured noteholders and convertible noteholders of Quotient Limited, a publicly-listed European-based diagnostics company, with respect to, among other things, its pending chapter 11 case and recapitalization involving more than $250 million of secured and unsecured debt.
• Representing an ad hoc group of first lien lenders of K&N Engineering, Inc., a leading consumer-branded designer, manufacturer and marketer of high performance automotive and power sports aftermarket parts, in a $60 million new money financing in connection with its out of court restructuring of approximately $415 million of funded indebtedness.

Awards and Accolades:

• Legal 500: “Recommended Lawyer” (2019, 2022 – 2023, 2025)
• IFLR1000: “Rising Star Partner” (2024 – 2025)
• Law360: “Rising Stars Award” (2017)

Publications

• Quoted, “Distressed companies brace for tougher talks as investors harden bargaining posture – US restructuring outlook,” Debtwire (January 29, 2026)
• Quoted, Fewer portfolio company bankruptcies; private equity deal value surges in 2025”,  S&P Global  (January 9, 2026)
• Quoted, “2026 Distressed Outlook: Heated Debtor-Creditor Rivalry, More Change-of-Control Restructuring Due to Failed LMEs, Private Credit Workouts,” Octus (January 6, 2026)
• Profile, “Meet the Attorneys Helping Hearthside Through Ch. 11,” Law360 (December 18, 2024)
• Quoted, “Double Dip Shakes Faux Pas,” The Deal (May 10, 2024)
• Quoted, “Bankruptcy Group of the Year: Ropes & Gray,” Law360 (March 5, 2024)
• Co-author, “CDS ‘Net Short’ Holder Market Developments,” The New York Law Journal (September 20, 2019)

Matthew received his law degree, cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and graduated from Colgate University. Matthew is admitted to practice in New York and before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

*Includes transactions prior to Matthew’s association with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Joseph Spence is an associate in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Land Use and Development practice group.

His practice encompasses a variety of land use and development matters as well as real estate transactions, including experience in successfully obtaining land use entitlements, compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), subdivisions, public-private partnerships, public trust requirements, historic preservation, and easement agreements. His clients include developers, investors, sports and entertainment companies and institutional lenders, among others, and his projects involve a variety of asset classes including offices, hotels, historic properties, residential and mixed-use projects, sports venues, and other commercial and industrial developments.

Joe’s recent representations include the Golden State Warriors in the successful entitlement of a hotel and residential building on the San Francisco waterfront; Build Inc. in the successful implementation of a 1,575-unit mixed-use development project with over 15 acres of public space on the San Francisco waterfront; Treasure Island Community Developers in the ongoing implementation of the redevelopment of Treasure Island, a former U.S. Navy base, as a large new master-planned community; Deca Companies in a public trust exchange for property on the San Francisco waterfront; and the Athletics Major League Baseball team in the development of a new ballpark in Las Vegas, among others.

He received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2017. While in law school, Joe served as Senior Articles Editor of the Berkeley Business Law Journal. He received his B.S. from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis in 2007.

Prior to law school, Joe served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy. He deployed overseas twice, and was awarded a Navy Commendation Medal for his service, among other individual and unit awards.

He is admitted to practice law in the State of California.