Michele L. Maryott is an accomplished litigator and partner in charge of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Orange County office. She is a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment, Class Actions, and Litigation Practice Groups.

Michele’s practice focuses on complex business, employment and class action litigation. She has represented clients in a wide variety of cases, including consumer class actions, environmental and toxic tort litigation, unfair business practices and other business torts. Michele has represented employers against wage and hour class action claims, as well as discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and whistleblower claims in federal and state courts, as well as in administrative proceedings and arbitrations. As lead and co-lead trial counsel, Michele has obtained numerous defense verdicts as well as multimillion dollar awards on behalf of clients in multiple industries.

Michele is ranked in California Labor & Employment by Chambers USA, which noted that clients praise her as the “go-to lawyer for all of our most important employment litigation,” and the “first person I call.” She has been recognized by Lawdragon in its “500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers” and “500 Leading Litigators in America” guides. Michele was named a “Labor and Employment Star” by Benchmark Litigation and has repeatedly secured a spot on the Daily Journal’s “Top Labor and Employment Lawyers in California” and “Leading Commercial Litigators” lists.” Michele was also named “Litigator of the Week” by AmLaw Litigation Daily for her role in Lawson v. Grubhub, the first trial involving alleged misclassification of independent contractors in the gig economy. In 2024, Law360 bestowed upon Michele the recognition of “Trials MVP.” In 2025, she was named an Unrivaled Honoree by Bloomberg Law in its inaugural list recognizing elite trial lawyers who are the go-to for high-stakes, bet-the-company matters. The honor followed her lead trial work in Campbell v. Uber Technologies, which concluded with a favorable settlement following a three-week bench trial. Michele has also been recognized by Best Lawyers for her work in Litigation – Labor and Employment and Employment Law – Management.

Representative Matters Include:

  • Represented Uber Technologies in lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General for injunctive and declaratory relief related to alleged misclassification of drivers. Served as lead counsel in three-week bench trial which culminated in favorable settlement.
  • Represented Uber Technologies in lawsuit filed by three independent transportation providers alleging misclassification. Served as co-lead counsel in two jury trials, both of which concluded with hung juries.
  • Represented New Prime in class action lawsuit alleging misclassification. Served as lead counsel in bench trial which culminated in a defense ruling.
  • Represented Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. in class action lawsuit regarding claims for race discrimination in connection with employee terminations. Served as co-lead counsel in eight-day jury trial which concluded with a hung jury.
  • Represented technology company in confidential arbitration filed by former employee claiming retaliation, constructive discharge and breach of contract. Served as lead counsel and secured complete defense ruling.
  • Represented global law firm in confidential arbitration by former partner alleging breach of contract. Served as lead counsel and secured complete defense ruling.
  • Represented the City of Santa Monica in a lawsuit claiming violations of the California Voting Rights Act. Member of the trial team responsible for cross-examination of named Plaintiff Maria Loya and several expert witnesses.
  • Represented Grubhub in a wage and hour class action alleging misclassification of independent contractors, failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, and failure to reimburse business expenses. Served as lead counsel in bench trial of the named plaintiff’s individual claims and secured defense ruling.
  • Represented Chevron Corporation in a wage and hour class action alleging misclassification of independent contractors under federal and state law. Served as lead trial counsel in arbitration of individual plaintiff’s claims.
  • Represented Hewlett-Packard in lawsuit against Oracle for breach of contract. Member of trial team for first phase bench trial to determine interpretation of contract.
  • Represented Welltower in litigation against former senior officer in action alleging violation of non- competition agreement. Case settled on eve of trial.
  • Represented Burkert Contromatic Corporation as lead counsel in two arbitrations involving claims for wrongful termination, sexual harassment and retaliation.
  • Represented Cedar Fair in its claim for wrongful termination from its business position at the Mall of America. Obtained multi-million dollar award on its behalf.
  • Represented Tenet Healthcare Corporation in wage and hour class actions alleging failure to provide meal periods and rest breaks. Defeated plaintiffs’ attempt to certify class of more than 70,000 employees. Also won a unanimous affirmance in full from the California Court of Appeal in October 2012.
  • Represented Sunrise Senior Living in two wage and hour class actions alleging failure to provide meal period and rest breaks. Twice defeated multiple plaintiffs’ attempts to certify meal and rest period classes consisting of more than 10,000 employees.
  • Represented Wal-Mart as lead trial counsel in multiple class action lawsuits alleging gender discrimination on behalf of thousands of female employees as well as individual claims for race discrimination and retaliation.
  • Represented Ports America Management in a lawsuit alleging race discrimination and retaliation against a former longshore employee working at the Port of Long Beach/Los Angeles. Defeated claims on summary judgment; judgment affirmed on appeal.
  • Represented defendant engineering and testing company in toxic tort lawsuits brought by over 100 plaintiffs and putative class of property owners in which plaintiffs accused defendant of contaminating the groundwater with TCE and creating exposure to plaintiffs through vapor intrusion. Represented client in related litigation to enforce an indemnity provision entitling the client to defense costs and indemnity in the toxic tort lawsuit, which resulted in summary judgment in the client’s favor and an award of more than $2 million in attorneys’ fees and costs.

Michele joined the firm after earning her law degree summa cum laude from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she served as Editor in Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review. She graduated summa cum laude from Westfield State College in 1994, with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and mass communication. Michele is currently a member of the Board of Advisors of Pepperdine University School of Law, and previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County and the Board of Governors for the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.

In addition, as a volunteer deputy district attorney for the County of Orange, Michele represented the People in multiple trials, all of which resulted in guilty verdicts.

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

Sean P. Griffiths is a partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. Sean is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, and previously served as Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Private Equity Practice.

Sean has extensive experience representing private equity firms and their portfolio companies in mergers and acquisitions, and companies in complex carve out and spin-off transactions and acquisitions. Sean also has extensive experience in corporate finance in both public and private capital markets, troubled company representation (crisis management), and general corporate and securities compliance matters.

Sean is ranked by Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides Guide to the World’s Leading Banking, Finance and Transactional Lawyers as a leading private equity lawyer. Chambers USA describes Sean as a “pragmatic and effective problem solver in complex and tense transaction negotiations” and notes that “it’s rare to come upon a situation he hasn’t come across before,” and that he “brings a lot of tactical insight” to deals, as well as being “responsive and very client-friendly.” In addition, Sean is recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law by The Best Lawyers in America®, as “Highly Regarded” by IFLR1000 and was named one of “Hollywood’s Top 20 Dealmakers of 2018” by The Hollywood Reporter. Sean is also recognized by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Dealmakers in America for 2025.

Sean’s private equity investor representations include CVC Capital Partners, Investcorp, J.H. Whitney Capital Partners, and Littlejohn & Co., among others. Transactions for private equity clients include leveraged acquisitions, going private transactions, club deals, and recapitalizations.

Sean joined Gibson Dunn in 1986 after earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Science degree with highest distinction from Purdue University in 1983, majoring in finance.

Sean has been admitted to practice in the States of New York and California.

Federico Fruhbeck is a partner in the London office of Gibson Dunn. Federico is Co-Chair of the Projects and Infrastructure Practice Group, Co-Head of Private Equity in Europe, and a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions and Capital Markets Practice Groups.

Federico’s practice focuses on cross-border M&A transactions across Europe and Latin America for private equity clients and large family-owned conglomerates, with a particular focus in the infrastructure, ESG and real assets sector. He also advises both issuers and underwriters on capital markets transactions, particularly in high-yield issuances (including green bond issuances) and initial public offerings. He has extensive experience across multiple jurisdictions, with a particular focus on Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and the Nordic region.

Federico is recognised in the Chambers UK 2026 guide for Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above and Infrastructure. He is additionally recommended by The Legal 500 UK 2026 as leading individual for Infrastructure: M&A and acquisition financing. He was also recognised by Law.com LegalWeek as one of the Rising Stars in private equity in 2021 and 2022 and also nominated for the British Legal Awards in 2021 as a Rising Star – Private Practice. Federico is a frequent speaker and contributor on private equity and infrastructure, as well as on climate change and ESG matters. Federico is named in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2022 list, which recognises the most daring, innovative and creative lawyers.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Federico was a partner at a prominent international law firm in London, and also practiced with another international law firm in New York and London.

Federico received his licentiate degree (Juris Doctor equivalent), summa cum laude, from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in 2007 and a Master of Laws with honors in 2010 from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He is admitted to practice in New York and Spain, and is a registered foreign lawyer with the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England and Wales. Federico is a native Spanish speaker and also fluent in English, German, and French.

Recent Transactions:*

  • KKR on its acquisition of a minority stake in ADNOC Gas Pipeline Assets, which operates 38 gas pipelines and two export terminals in the United Arab Emirates.
  • Asterion Industrial Partners in their investment in a stake in Dunkerque LNG from AXA-IM, France’s largest LNG receiving and regasification terminal facility and one of the largest in continental Europe.
  • Blue Earth Capital on their investment, together with MKB and the Canada Growth Fund, in Cascadia Windows & Doors.
  • Blue Earth Capital on their investment in GeologicAI.
  • HBX Group (and its shareholders CCPIB, Cinven and EQT) on the establishment and launch of The Luxurist, the world’s first fully integrated luxury travel ecosystem.
  • Blackstone Infrastructure Partners in their $5.65 billion acquisition of Safe Harbor Marinas from Sun Communities Inc., one of the world’s largest marina businesses.
  • KKR in their investment in Gulf Data Hub, one of the largest independent data center companies in the Middle East, creating a landmark strategic partnership to invest $5 billion in the region.
  • EQT in their acquisition of ju:niz energy, a battery storage company in Germany and the first investment of EQT out of their Transition Energy strategy.
  • Advised KKR on the agreement to launch a new power-to-X platform with IGNIS, a leading integrated global renewable group based in Spain, to develop green hydrogen and ammonia projects.
  • KKR in their investment into Dukes Education, a UK-based premium school operator.
  • Blue Earth AG in their investment in Quatt, a scale-up specialised in small heat-pumps.
  • Blue Earth AG in their investment in reev, a leading software provider for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
  • Representing Blue Earth in their investment in SWTCH.
  • Cinven on its disposal of its stake in the Planasa group, a global leader in the agri-food sector, specializing in breeding the next generations of berry varieties: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, to EW Group.
  • KKR and John Laing on John Laing’s agreement to acquire HICL Infrastructure PLC’s interest in four UK public-private partnership projects (the Oxford John Radcliffe Hospital PFI Project, the Queen’s Hospital PFI Project, the South Ayrshire Schools PFI Project and the Priority Schools Building Programme North East Batch.
  • Asterion Industrial Partner’s funders (led by Goldman Sachs, Banco Santander and Kommunal Kredit) in the funding of Asterion’s €2.3 billion offer to acquire Steag, one of Germany’s leading utility company.
  • Blue Earth Capital AG in their investment in AMP Robotics, a leader in advanced robotics recycling systems.
  • Asterion Industrial Partners on their sale of Proxiserve, a leading French company in the energy sector, which operates 4.5 million water and heat meters, to Vauban Infrastructure, which is the first exit of Asterion Industrial Partners Fund I portfolio.
  • The Carlyle Group in its acquisition of a majority stake in Spain-based plywood manufacturer Garnica from Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) and certain shareholders.
  • KKR and Oslo Pensjonsforsikring in their investment in 30% of Telenor Fibre ASA, Telenor’s fibre optic business, for $1 billion.
  • H.R.L Morrison on its acquisition of 33.3% in Lyntia Networks, one of the leading dark fibre providers in Spain.
  • the consortium formed by AXA IM and Swiss Life in their acquisition of Lyntia Networks, a leading wholesale operator in the Spanish telecommunications market and the only neutral provider operating both lit and dark fibre.
  • Técnicas Reunidas, one of Europe’s leading clean energy engineering company, in their €150 million capital increase.
  • Blue Earth Capital AG in their participation in Sense Labs, one of the leading companies in real-time home energy intelligence.
  • Intrum AB in their acquisition of Haya Real Estate from Cerberus.
  • Asterion Industrial Partners in its partnership with MS3, a provider of full fibre services to homes and businesses, to expand the company’s fiber network and create an emerging fiber platform in the North of England.
  • KKR on its investment in Northumbrian Water, a UK water and waste-water services company controlled by CK Group.
  • KKR on its investment in 49% of Reintel, the leading dark fibre infrastructure operator in Spain, creating a strategic partnership with Red Eléctrica de España, the partly state-owned and listed Spanish corporation which operates the national electricity grid in Spain.
  • KKR in connection with the investment, alongside OTPP, in Caruna Oy, Finland’s largest electricity distribution company. The transaction, which represented the second deal undertaken under KKR’s core infrastructure strategy, involved the acquisition of First Sentier Investors’ 40% stake in Caruna Oy as well as the separate acquisition of OMERS’ 40% stake.*
  • KKR in the sale of European Locomotive Leasing, a leading pan-European provider of electric locomotive leasing solutions, to AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets and Crédit Agricole Assurances.*
  • KKR in multiple acquisitions, divestments and joint ventures, including the acquisition of Välinge, the tender offer, acquisition and joint venture arrangements in connection with GfK SE, the acquisition and subsequent additional investment in Saba Aparcamientos, the sale of KION AG, the acquisition of PortAventura and Telxius, in the acquisition and subsequent merger of Mehilainen and Mediverkko, as well as representing KKR portfolio companies on multiple investments.*
  • Private infrastructure fund in their bid to acquire Adven, a district heating company in the Nordics, from Infracapital and AMP Capital.*
  • Private infrastructure fund in their bid to acquire Miya Water, a water concession company, from Bridgepoint (ultimately acquired by Antin).*
  • Private infrastructure fund in their bid to acquire Urbaser S.A., a waste management / waste collection, from CNTY.*
  • Spartan Acquisition Corp. III, a SPAC, in its $3.14 billion business combination with Allego Holding B.V., a leading pan-European electric vehicle charging network.*
  • Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, the Belgium-based investment holding company, in its acquisition of a majority stake in Webhelp, one of the world’s leading call centre operators headquartered in Paris; Deal values Webhelp at €2.4 billion (enterprise value), making the acquisition both the largest LBO transaction in France in 2019 and the first for Groupe Bruxelles Lambert.*
  • Asterion Industrial Partners in several transactions, including: (i) their inaugural acquisition of Proxiserve, a French services business; and (ii) the acquisition of Energy Assets Group plc, a UK energy metering business, from Alinda and Hermes Infrastructure.*
  • An international investment fund in the acquisition of €3 billion in NPLs, REOs and other assets from a Spanish bank.*
  • An international investment fund in an acquisition and joint venture to acquire one of the largest fleets of feeder vessels in Europe, based in Greece.*
  • An institutional investment management firm on a line of equity investment into a UK telecom infrastructure provider and commercial contracts relating to the construction, management and marketing of 5G telecom infrastructure.*
  • The Blackstone Group in several acquisitions, including its acquisition of Alliance Automotive Group.*
  • First Reserve in the acquisition of a €300 million stake in Abengoa, a Spanish infrastructure and energy conglomerate.*
  • Vía Célere, the largest homebuilder in Spain and Värde Partners portfolio company, on its offering of €300 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Notes due 2026 and €30 million super senior revolving credit facility. The offering represented the first green bond by a residential real estate developer in the Euro market.*
  • El Corte Inglés, the leading department store in Spain and one of the world’s largest retailers, on its offering of €600 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2024.*
  • Sponsors and issuers in multiple high yield issuances, including KKR (Bond Aviation and KION AG), Blackstone (Alliance Automotive Group), Apax (Travelex and Rhiag), TDR Capital (IMO Carwash) and HG Capital (TeamSystem), as well as several Spanish issuers, including Gestamp Automocion, Grupo Antolin-Irausa and PortAventura.*
  • The initial purchasers in multiple high yield issuances, including Neptune, Tullow Oil, Aker BP, Kabel Deutschland, TVN/PTH, as well as in respect of Spanish issuers such as Cirsa, NH Hoteles, Empark and ENCE.*
  • OHL Concesiones, the seventh largest infrastructure concessions group in the world, in its tender offer to acquire, together with IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, 100% of the outstanding public share capital OHL México for approximately $1 billion.*
  • Gestamp in its sale of its wind portfolio business in Brazil to Actis for €700 million.*
  • An international investment fund in the attempted bid to acquire the largest amusement park company in Spain.*
  • Representing issuers in multiple initial public offerings including Vitol Group and Helios Investment Partners in Vivo Energy’s £2 billion IPO in the London Stock Exchange, Gestamp Automocion in its €1 billion initial public offering on the Madrid Stock Exchange and representing KKR in the initial public offering of KION AG.*
  • Representing public entities, including KfW, in over 40 transactions for an aggregate value of over €150 billion.*

*Some of these representations occurred prior to Federico’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Alex Gesch is of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. He currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Before joining the firm, Alex served as a law clerk to Judge Diane S. Sykes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He received his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was an executive editor of the Journal on Regulation. Alex graduated with highest honors from Trinity Christian College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Wisconsin.

Sally Gamboa is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Sally earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She was an editor for the Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy and Programmatic Events Chair for the Federalist Society.

Sally graduated summa cum laude with Highest Honors in English from Grove City College. She was president of the Lambda Iota Tau Literary Honorary, and her poetry was frequently published in The Quad literary magazine. She also completed a course of focused study on John Donne’s Holy Sonnets during a semester at the University of Oxford.

Sally is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and children.

Matthew B. Dubeck is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn, where he practices in the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Groups. He advises companies, private equity firms, and investment banks across a wide range of industries, focusing on public and private merger transactions, stock and asset sales and joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Matthew also advises public companies with respect to certain corporate governance matters.

Representative Transactions:

  • Represented Moelis & Company, as financial advisor to Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. in its $458 million sale of outdoor advertising assets to Lamar Advertising Co.
  • Represented Lexington Precision Corp., a supplier of highly engineered molded rubber components to the medical, automotive and industrial industries, in its sale to Industrial Growth Partners.
  • Represented Aurora Capital Group, in its acquisition and subsequent merger of RecoverCare, LLC and MedaSTAT, LLC, each leading national distributors of medical equipment under Medicare/Medicaid.
  • Represented RecoverCare, a leading national distributor of medical equipment under Medicare/Medicaid, in its merger of equals with Joerns Healthcare.
  • Represented Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., a Japanese developer and manufacturer of performance materials, petro and basic chemicals and functional polymeric materials, in its acquisition of Silvue Technologies Group, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of proprietary, high-performance coating systems.
  • Represented Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, a Japanese provider of scientific and industrial instruments, in its proposed restructuring and divestiture of certain business divisions.
  • Represented the California Science Center Foundation in its acquisition, transportation and display of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
  • Represented STR Holdings, a worldwide leader in solar panel encapsulation, in its sale of its quality assurance business to Underwriters Laboratories.
  • Represented Pan American Financial, in its take-private acquisition of United PanAm Financial Corp., a subprime auto financing company.
  • Represented Vivendi, in the sale and redemption of its majority stake in Activision Blizzard.
  • Represented Atmos Energy Corp. in the sale of its natural gas distribution operations in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri to Liberty Utilities.
  • Represented A. H. Belo Corporation in its sale of substantially all of the assets of the Press-Enterprise newspaper to Freedom Communications Holdings, Inc.
  • Represented A. H. Belo Corporation in its sale of substantially all of the assets of The Providence Journal newspaper to an affiliate of New Media Investment Group, Inc.
  • Represented ADCO Global, Inc., a leading global provider of specialty sealants, tapes and adhesives, in its sale to an affiliate of Arsenal Capital Partners.
  • Represented Aurora Capital Group, in its acquisition of DuBois Chemicals, a leading provider of customized chemical solutions and services.
  • Represented Aurora Capital Group in its acquisition and management of TOPS Parking, a leading owner of off-site airport parking facilities.
  • Represented Platinum Equity and The Gores Group, in their acquisition and subsequent disposition of Alliance Entertainment, a retail entertainment distribution company.
  • Represented Alliance Entertainment, a retail entertainment distribution company, in its acquisition of EDGE Entertainment Distribution.
  • Represented J. H. Whitney & Co. and Irving Place Capital, in their acquisition of CAbi, a designer of ready-to-wear women’s apparel sold through a network of consultants and in-home parties.
  • Represented Mitchell International, a provider of management solutions to the property and casualty claims and collision repair industries, in its acquisition of the workers compensation medical cost containment business of Fair Isaac Corporation.
  • Represented Mitchell International, a provider of management solutions to the property and casualty claims and collision repair industries, in its acquisition of Scene Genesis.
  • Represented Actimize, a provider of financial crime prevention, compliance and risk management products, in its acquisition of ATM and debit card fraud protection technology from BasePoint.
  • Represented Evercore Capital Partners, in its sale of Alliantgroup, a provider of tax consulting services.
  • Represented OnX Enterprise Solutions, in its acquisition of the Technology Solutions Group of Agilysys, a leading provider of data center focused IT solutions to enterprise customers.
  • Represented Prudential Real Estate Financial Services, in its sale of Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors to an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway.
  • Represented Klingbeil Capital Management, in its contribution of multiple self-storage facilities to a publicly-traded REIT in exchange for operating partnership units.
  • Represented FelCor Lodging Trust, in a complex restructuring of its corporate organization in connection with a hotel joint venture.
  • Represented a joint venture of Urban Partners and AREA Property Partners in its acquisitions of Harbor Properties, Inc. and related assets and entities.
  • Represented Air Lease Corporation in its initial capital infusion of over $1 billion via a 144A offering.
  • Represented the following clients with respect to corporate governance matters: Alcoa, Allstate, Amazon.com, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capital One Financial, Chevron, Citigroup, Dow Chemical, EMC, Exelon, ExxonMobil, Fluor, General Electric, H.J. Heinz, Intel, International Paper, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, Kraft Foods, Marriott International, McGraw Hill, MeadWestvaco, Pfizer, Pitney Bowes, Qwest Communications International, Time Warner, Union Pacific, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

In 2017, Matthew was recognized by Law360 as a Rising Star in the area of Private Equity. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Matthew was an associate at another international law firm in Washington, D.C. He was a judicial clerk for Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and a judicial intern for Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Matthew received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center in 2005, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as Managing Editor of the Tax Lawyer. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, cum laude with distinction, from Yale University in 2001. Prior to attending law school, Matthew was a Program Manager with Microsoft Corporation, where he designed search engines and natural user interfaces.

Tyler R. Cox is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Houston office and a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Energy Practice Groups. Tyler focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, and equity offerings, including control, minority and preferred investments. He regularly represents and advises private and public companies, private equity sponsors, management teams, and portfolio companies in connection with a variety of transactions, including mergers, equity and asset acquisitions, recapitalizations, dispositions, joint ventures, and other strategic business combinations.

Tyler has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2023-2024).

Tyler received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2014 and is admitted to practice in Texas. He graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting. Tyler also holds a Master of Science degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Tyler practiced at an international law firm as a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice.

Tyler’s experience includes:*

Selected Representative Experience

  • Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTEN) in connection with its announced acquisition of Ulterra Drilling Technologies, L.P., a global provider of specialized drill bit solutions, from affiliates of Blackstone Energy Partners
  • BlackRock Alternatives in connection with its acquisition of Jupiter Power, a U.S.-based energy storage developer, from EnCap Investments
  • KKR in connection with its $3.37 billion acquisition of a 20% interest in Sempra Energy’s (NYSE: SRE) infrastructure business platform, Sempra Infrastructure Partners
  • Riverstone Credit Partners and Summit Partners Credit Advisors in connection with the formation of R3 Renewables LLC, a renewable energy development company and joint venture with Peabody (NYSE:BTU)
  • Blackstone Infrastructure Partners in connection with the acquisition of an approximately 42% stake in Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CQP) by Brookfield Infrastructure and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners from Blackstone Energy Partners for an implied transaction value of $7 billion
  • BlackRock’s Global Energy and Power Infrastructure Fund in a number of energy infrastructure-focused transactions, including its acquisition of Glass Mountain Pipeline and its convertible equity investment in NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP)
  • Transaction Data Systems, a portfolio company of BlackRock Long Term Private Capital, in connection with its acquisition of PrescribeWellness, a business unit of Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRHC)
  • Goldman Sachs Asset Management in connection with its acquisition of ImOn Communications, LLC, a regional fiber-to-the-premise broadband provider
  • First Reserve in a number of energy-focused transactions, including its acquisition of AFGlobal and the creation of its retail fuel distribution investment platform, Refuel
  • KKR in connection with its commitment to acquire commercial aircraft in partnership with Altavair AirFinance
  • Dell Inc. in its acquisition of EMC Corporation
  • Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. in its announced acquisition of Rite Aid Corporation

*Includes representations prior to Tyler ’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Quinn Ferrar is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and maintains an active pro bono practice.

Quinn received a J.D. in 2025 from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and received a Certificate in Consumer Law. While at Berkeley Law, Quinn served as Managing Editor of Ecology Law Quarterly and was a Quarterfinalist and Round Best Oralist in the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.

Quinn graduated magna cum laude from Seattle University in 2018. Prior to law school, she worked at the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in the Bankruptcy and Consumer Protection divisions.

Quinn is a member of the State Bar of California.

Stephen Weissman, former Deputy Director for the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, is a Washington, D.C.-based partner and one of the cornerstones of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice Group. He is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. A former top antitrust enforcer and accomplished defense lawyer, Steve brings exceptional experience and a practical approach to representing companies in antitrust investigations by the FTC and U.S. Department of Justice and high-stakes antitrust litigations. Chambers USA describes him as “a fantastic lawyer” and a “tour de force.” Who’s Who Legal – Competition (2022) identifies him as a “super star in the market who works on some of the most challenging” matters. In 2024, MergerLinks named Steve one of the “Top 10 Antitrust Lawyers in North America.”

While serving as FTC Deputy Director from 2013-2015, Steve was involved in and supervised all of the agency’s merger and non-merger investigations and litigations, spanning a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals and other healthcare segments, digital and high-tech markets, consumer products, energy, and chemicals. Steve served as lead trial counsel in the FTC’s successful challenge to the $3.5 Billion acquisition by Sysco Corp. of U.S. Foods, Inc.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Steve co-chaired the Antitrust and Competition practice at another global law firm, where he served as one of the lead lawyers in a number of headline and high-stakes antitrust cases. In 2016, National Law Journal named Steve an “Antitrust Trailblazer” and Global Competition Review named him as a finalist for both its “Lawyer of the Year” and “Litigator of the Year” awards.

He has tried a number of cases including both bench and jury trials, argued appeals in multiple U.S. Courts of Appeal, and litigated claims under the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and Robinson-Patman Act, as well as breach of contract and business tort claims.

Steve is a nationally acclaimed top-tier antitrust practitioner, consistently ranked by top legal publications. His recognitions include Chambers USA (2016-2025), Legal 500 (2013, 2015-2024), and Best Lawyers in America for Litigation–Antitrust since 2020. He has also earned recognition from Who’s Who Legal in Competition (2022-2024), Litigation (2017-2024), and Commercial Litigation (2023), as well as Super Lawyers (2018-2024). Steve has been featured in the Guide to the World’s Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers (2012, 2013, 2018-2023), and named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” (2023-2026) and “500 Leading Antitrust and Competition Lawyers” for 2025.

Representative matters include*

  • Represented Broadcom in the FTC’s investigation of the company’s business practices, which resulted in closing of several investigations and settlement of a narrow set of allegations.
  • Represented Pioneer Natural Resources in the FTC’s conditional approval of its $63 Billion merger with Exxon Mobil Corp.
  • Represented Celgene in the FTC’s conditional approval of its $74 billion acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
  • Represent RealPage, Inc. in multi-district class actions and government litigations alleging “algorithmic pricing” and represented RealPage in the DoJ’s unconditional approval of its 2017 acquisition of Lease Rental Options (LRO).
  • Represented Boehringer Ingelheim in the FTC’s in-depth review of its $12.5 billion global asset swap with Sanofi and in antitrust class actions involving alleged monopolization of certain markets based on FDA Orange-Book listings.
  • Represented Whirlpool in the Department of Justice’s in-depth review of its acquisition of Maytag Corp.
  • Represented PepsiCo in the FTC’s decision to abandon its lawsuit against the company for alleged violations of the Robinson-Patman Act. Also represented PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay business in the FTC’s review and clearance of its acquisitions of Siete Foods (2024) and of the Popcorners business from BFY Brands (2020).
  • Lead counsel for Novartis’ Sandoz division in the In re Humira Antitrust Litigation putative class action, including before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed dismissal of the complaint.
  • Represented Arch Resources in its multi-billion dollar merger with Consol Energy to form Core Natural Resources.
  • Lead counsel for Merck & Co., Inc. in various acquisitions, including of Acceleron, Prometheus Bio, Cidara, Verona, Arqule, Imago BioSciences, Virbac’s Sentinel business, and Elanco’s aquaculture business.
  • Represented DaVita, Inc. in the FTC’s review of its joint venture with Medtronic, Inc. and of DaVita’s acquisition of University of Utah’s dialysis business.
  • Lead counsel for Hartford HealthCare and its affiliates in private antitrust litigation brought by a competitor and in a separate antitrust action brought by a putative class of consumers.
  • Lead trial counsel for the FTC in the agency’s successful challenge to Sysco’s proposed $3.5 billion acquisition of US Foods.
  • Represented General Electric in its acquisition of BK Medical, Inc.
  • Successfully defended Arch Coal in a challenge by the Federal Trade Commission to the company’s acquisition of Triton (D.D.C.), and then in defending Arch’s proposed joint venture with Peabody Energy (E.D. Mo.).
  • Successfully defended Anheuser-Busch, Inc. in its merger with InBev, including defeating a private lawsuit to enjoin the merger (E.D. Mo.).
  • Represented QVC Corp. in its acquisition of Home Shopping Network (HSN).
  • Represented Indorama Ventures Ltd. in a number of transactions, including FTC approval of its joint venture with other PET resin manufacturers and its acquisition of Huntsman’s specialty chemical business.
  • Represented Schering Plough in its merger with Merck & Co., Inc.
  • Retained by Halliburton Co. to defend in litigation the company’s proposed acquisition of Baker Hughes, Inc.

*****Includes matters handled prior to joining Gibson Dunn

Steve received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a BA in Economics from Tufts University. He is admitted to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the District of Maryland, District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia.

Patrick J. Fuster is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law and Class Actions Practice Groups. He has worked on many cert- and merits-stage cases at the Supreme Court, as well as dozens of appeals in the federal courts of appeals, California Supreme Court, and California Court of Appeal. Patrick has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Appellate Practice.

Highlights include:

  • Persuaded the Supreme Court to grant review and then to hold that the enforcement of laws regulating camping on public property is not “cruel and unusual punishment” under the Eighth Amendment.  Grants Pass v. Johnson, 603 U.S. 520 (2024).
  • Convinced the Supreme Court to grant review of a critical question concerning the available remedies for trademark infringement and to rule unanimously that the lower courts had improperly disregarded the fundamental principle of corporate separateness in ordering a defendant to disgorge its nonparty affiliates’ profits under the Lanham Act.  Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc., 604 U.S. 321 (2025).
  • Persuaded the Supreme Court to adopt position on key question regarding the timing of judicial review following certain expedited removal orders.  Riley v. Bondi, 606 U.S. 259 (2025).
  • Secured wins for clients in appeals on a wide range of issues, including federal civil procedure, Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., 145 F.4th 1279 (10th Cir. 2025), online contract formation for arbitration agreements, Keebaugh v. Warners Bros. Entertainment Inc., 100 F.4th 1005 (9th Cir. 2024), and Medicare Part C preemption, Quishenberry v. UnitedHealthcare, Inc., 14 Cal. 5th 1057 (2023).
  • Persuaded the Los Angeles Superior Court to order an 87% reduction of a nine-figure verdict for wrongful termination, cutting punitive damages by over $130 million.

Patrick also maintains an active pro bono practice.  Highlights include:

  • Twice argued in the Ninth Circuit on behalf of a civil-rights plaintiffs whose constitutional claim was wrongly short-circuited, securing vacatur of dismissal both times.  Love v. Villacana, 73 F.4th 751 (9th Cir. 2023); Love v. Villacana, 2025 WL 1392134 (9th Cir. May 14, 2025).
  • Represented a variety of amici in briefing before the Supreme Court in cases involving constitutional criminal procedure, Parada v. United States, No. 25-166 (U.S.); Lesh v. United States, No. 24-654 (U.S.); Anibowei v. Mayorkas, No. 23-199 (U.S.), justiciability, FBI v. Fikre, 601 U.S. 234 (2024), and the First Amendment, TikTok Inc. v. Garland, 145 S. Ct. 57 (2025).
  • Represented firearms historian as amicus in the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit on the constitutionality of state laws forbidding gun possession in “sensitive places.”  Wolford v. Lopez, No. 24-1046 (U.S.); 116 F.4th 959 (9th Cir. 2024).

Before joining the firm, Patrick served as a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Vince Girdhari Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and Judge Paul J. Watford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

He graduated with Highest Honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 2018, where he was selected as a Kirkland & Ellis Scholar and as a member of the Order of the Coif.  Patrick also served as managing editor of the University of Chicago Law Review and as a student member of the Jenner & Block Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2014, where he received a degree in economics with high distinction.

Patrick is admitted to practice law in the State of California as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California.

Jake Stuebner is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.

Jake earned his J.D. with High Honors from Columbia Law School, where he served as a Notes Editor on the Columbia Law Review and Staff Editor on the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review. During law school, he interned with the Bronx Defenders, the Exoneration Project, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Jake holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Stanford University, where he played for the varsity men’s volleyball team. Prior to law school, Jake worked in financial and growth strategy.

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

 

Publications:

Author, Consular Nonreviewability After Muñoz, 124 Colum. L. Rev. 2413 (2024).

Blaine H. Evanson is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s litigation department, practicing primarily in the Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group. He has represented clients in matters before the Supreme Court of the United States, in every federal circuit court of appeals, and in several state appellate courts. He has experience across a broad array of industries and subject matter areas, at all stages of litigation. He regularly joins trial teams in the lead up to trial to assist with complex briefing, strategy, and preservation of issues for appellate review.

The Best Lawyers in America named Blaine Orange County’s “2026 Lawyer of the Year” in appellate practice. Benchmark Litigation named him a 2025 “Future Star,” and previously included him in its 2019 “40 & under Hot List.” The Daily Journal recognized Blaine among its 2024 “Top Trade Secrets Lawyers.” Law360 named Blaine one of five national appellate “Rising Stars” under 40 in 2018, and Euromoney named him the “Best in Litigation: Appellate” under 40 that same year. Blaine has been consistently listed in the appellate practice section of The Best Lawyers in America and as a Southern California Super Lawyer. And he is a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, an election-only organization devoted to excellence in appellate practice.

Recent representative matters include:

  • Persuading the Supreme Court to grant certiorari and then reverse an award of non-taxable expenses on behalf of a software support provider in a complex copyright infringement action.
  • Prevailing before the First, Third, and Ninth Circuits, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, on the scope of the Section 1 exemption to the Federal Arbitration Act, on behalf of multiple gig economy platform companies.
  • Securing post-trial vacatur of a $238 million compensatory and punitive damages award and a new trial on liability, in a retaliation case brought against a shipping and logistics company.
  • Prevailing before the Sixth Circuit in a sex and race discrimination case brought against an automobile manufacturer.
  • Obtaining a new trial on damages and reversal from the Federal Circuit on the eligibility of patent claims under Section 101 in a case where a jury had awarded $533 million for patent infringement.
  • Securing mandamus relief from the Fifth Circuit directing the district court to transfer venue in a complex trade secret and copyright infringement case.
  • Convincing the Eleventh Circuit to affirm summary judgment in a challenge to a gig economy platform’s insurance coverage.
  • Convincing the Ninth Circuit to affirm dismissal of a complaint against a technology company asserting claims under the Alien Tort Statute and Torture Victim Protection Act.
  • Convincing the California Court of Appeal to reverse summary judgment in a complex contractor dispute brought against the City of Monterey.
  • Obtaining reversal from the Third Circuit of a $36 million judgment against an insurer based on the district court’s erroneous interpretation of an asbestos exclusion.
  • Obtaining reversal from the Federal Circuit of a multi-million-dollar contempt sanction against a software company alleged to have infringed a competitor’s patents.
  • Obtaining reversal from the Federal Circuit on the ineligibility of patents directed to a secure transaction system for untrusted computer networks.

Before joining the firm, Blaine served as a law clerk for Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He graduated from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and a Senior Editor on the Columbia Law Review. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from Brigham Young University.

Blaine is a member of the California bar and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, all thirteen Circuits of the United States Courts of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, and Eastern Districts of California and the Eastern District of Michigan.

Sam Falter is a litigation associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn.

He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2025. While in law school, Sam worked as a Student Attorney with Michigan’s Child Welfare Appellant Clinic, served as an Associate Editor of the Michigan Technology Law Review, and was a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan, where he was part of the university’s Honors Program.

Sam is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Pia (Pooja) Rai Singh is an associate in the Litigation practice and is based in the firm’s New York office. Her practice focuses on complex litigation in the fields of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Pia’s experience includes patent infringement litigations concerning both small molecules and biologics, complex commercial litigation and arbitration across a wide range of industries, and trade secret litigation. Her experience includes drafting pre-trial pleadings, managing large-scale document discovery, working with experts to develop case strategy, drafting expert reports, developing deposition strategy for and second-chairing numerous expert and fact witness depositions, and drafting briefs in support of and in opposition to dispositive discovery and evidentiary motions. She has represented life sciences companies in litigations involving pharmaceutical formulations, therapeutic antibodies, biotechnology, and medical devices. She has also represented clients in the insurance, advertising, solar, and financial industries.

Pia leverages her prior work experience at multiple big pharmaceutical companies as a mergers and acquisitions analyst in her practice. 

Pia also maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on wrongful convictions, immigration, and reproductive rights.

Pia’s experience includes: 

  • Represents Novartis subsidiary Advanced Accelerator Applications in a Hatch-Waxman & trade secrets litigation regarding its gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) treatment drug LUTATHERA®
  • Represents American Regent, Inc. and CSL Vifor in a Hatch-Waxman litigation regarding its intravenous iron treatment drug Injectafer®
  • Represented BioNTech SE’s regarding its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine Comirnaty® in two patent infringement actions
  • Represented Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Actelion in Hatch-Waxman litigations regarding its blockbuster UPTRAVI® and OPSUMIT® pulmonary arterial hypertension drugs
  • Represented an advertisement technology company in a defamation action against a competitor 
  • Represented a solar panel sales company in a breach of contract claim against a solar panel installation company 
  • Represented the former CEO of an insurance company in a breach of contract action 

Pia received her law degree from Boston College Law School in 2023, where she served as a writer and editor for the Intellectual Property Technology Forum Journal. She earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in business from Villanova University in 2018. Pia is admitted to the New York State Bar.

Russell Shapiro is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.

Russell earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School.  During law school, he worked as a judicial intern for the Honorable Leo T. Sorokin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and as a legal intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.  He also served as an editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology.  He received his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University.

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

Mark Sperotto is a partner in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Transactional Department.

Mark has broad experience in both the UK and Italian markets, covering all aspects of corporate, private equity and investment banking with a focus on cross-border M&A, leveraged buy-outs, fund establishment and international corporate finance and equity capital markets transactions.

Mark’s experience extends to advising private equity and investment funds, major domestic and international corporates and investment banks on a wide range of company law and transactional matters. He has particular expertise in the retail, leisure, healthcare, gaming, e-commerce, real estate and energy/infrastructure sectors, having advised clients on numerous high profile and complex transactions in those areas.

He is recommended by The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Private Equity: Transactions and M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals (£750m+) and Private Equity: Transactions – High-Value Deals (£250m+). He is also recognised by the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom as a leading lawyer for Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Law.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mark practiced at a global law firm and served as managing partner of its Italian practice from 2009 to 2011 while based in Milan. He was admitted to the Italian Bar as ‘Avvocato Stabilito‘ in 2007 and speaks fluent Italian.

Selected Experience*

  • Advised Kimberly-Clark Corp. in relation to the proposed disposal of a Pan-European business division and accompanying Intellectual Property portfolio
  • Acted for a US private equity fund in the proposed divesture of speciality chemicals business
  • Advised Apollo Global Management in relation to its acquisition and subsequent sales of a portfolio of Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn branded hotels in the UK
  • Advised The Halifax Group on the sale of Envision Pharma Group to Ardian and GHO Capital Partners
  • Acted for a US private equity fund in the disposal of the European operations of The Money Shop and Pawn Broking businesses to HPS Partners
  • Advised Qorvo Inc. in relation to its $310 million acquisition of Cavendish Kinetics Limited by way of private tender offer
  • Acted for Apollo Global Management on the sale of the Kensington Forum Hotel to Queensgate Investments
  • Advised Hong Kong Telecom/PCCW in relation to the disposal of its U.K. fixed and wireless broadband businesses and 4G spectrum to Three
  • Acted for StepStone Group LP in connection with its acquisition of Swiss Capital Alternative Investments AG
  • Advised Liberty Hall Capital Partners in connection with its acquisition of precision parts manufacturer for the aerospace industry, Accrofab Limited
  • Acted for Virgin Active in relation to the acquisition of a controlling interest by Brait
  • Advised Apollo Global Management in relation to its €420 million acquisition of the Westbridge portfolio of hotels across six European jurisdictions
  • Advised Merlin Entertainments plc on its £3.6 billion IPO and premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange
  • Advised Repsol S.A. in connection with the divestment of its participating interest in the Tangguh LNG Project to BP plc
  • Acted for Borealis Infrastructure and First State Investments in the Euro 2.55 billion acquisition of Fortum’s electricity distribution business in Finland
  • Acted for Tesco plc on its £50 million acquisition of Giraffe restaurant chain
  • Advised Apollo Global Management portfolio company, CEVA Logistics, on its €135 million sale of shipping container arm Pallecon
  • Acted for Apollo Global Management LLC in its US$2.5 billion acquisition of McGraw Hill’s educational division
  • Advised Tesco plc in relation to its joint venture arrangements in respect of the Euphorium artisan bakeries chain
  • Advised Apax in relation to the its Euro 3.2 billion disposal of Molnlycke Health Care Group to Investor AB

Sruti Sivasubramanian is an associate in Gibson Dunn’s London office and a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition practice group.

Sruti has experience advising and assisting private equity clients in navigating multi-jurisdictional merger and national security filings, including in the UK, European Union, India, Australia, and China. She has also advised clients on abuse of dominance and cartel investigations in India.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Sruti was a Stagiaire with the Antitrust & Foreign Investment practice at another international law firm. Before relocating to London, she practiced as an Associate with the Antitrust and Competition practice at a law firm in Mumbai, where she advised global clients on merger control filings and investigations in India. 
 

Afia Bondero is an associate in Gibson Dunn’s Los Angeles office and a member of its Litigation, Trial, and Media, Entertainment, and Technology practice groups. She is a former federal prosecutor with first-chair trial experience and has argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to rejoining the firm, Afia 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 financial crimes, including government fraud, wire fraud, and tax crimes, as well as violent crimes. For her work, Afia received the United States Postal Service Inspection Service’s inaugural Eagle Award.

Representative matters include:

  • Ning Xianhua v. Oath Holdings, Inc. et al. (N.D. Cal.): Successfully secured dismissal with prejudice of alien tort statute, TVPRA, and California UCL claims for alleged acts in the People’s Republic of China.
  • Coubaly v. Cargill, Inc. et al. (D.D.C.): Successfully secured dismissal of TVPRA claims brought against cocoa manufacturer for alleged activity in the Ivory Coast.
  • Evox v. AOL and Evox v. Oath Holdings, Inc. (C.D. Cal.): Successfully obtained dismissal with prejudice of trademark infringement claims against media companies relating to alleged use of images on online properties.
  • SA Music LLC et al. v. Apple, Inc. et al. (N.D. Cal.): Successfully secured summary judgment on willfulness damages in three copyright infringement lawsuits concerning alleged infringement on the iTunes store.

Before joining the firm, Afia served as a law clerk to Judge Milan D. Smith, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Judge Jesus G. Bernal of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Afia received her law degree from the Stanford School of Law, where she was a member of the International Human Rights clinic. She earned her Master of Public Policy and Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, graduating with interdisciplinary honors in International Security Studies. Prior to attending law school, Afia worked in the federal government on national security issues.

David Offit is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, where he practices in the Firm’s Litigation Department.

He received his law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2023, where he was Managing Editor of The Georgetown Law Journal and was elected to the Order of the Coif. During law school, David served as a Student Attorney in Georgetown’s Domestic Violence Clinic. From 2024 to 2025, David served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert Kirsch in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Prior to his legal career, David worked on the Public Policy team at Facebook (now Meta), a political campaign, and two Jewish non-profits. In 2014, he earned Bachelor of Arts degrees from Columbia University, magna cum laude, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, magna cum laude.

David is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.

Sarah-Jane Lorenzo is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. Sarah-Jane focuses her practice on regulatory compliance matters, government contracts, and related litigation. Sarah-Jane regularly assists government contractors and subcontractors with matters including Government Accountability Office and Court of Federal Claims bid protests, government and internal investigations, contractor disclosures, questions of statutory and regulatory interpretation, and contract disputes. Sarah-Jane represents clients before a broad range of federal regulators, including the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC), and helps clients make whistleblower reports to state and federal government agencies. She also advises clients on state and federal Freedom of Information Act requests and reverse-FOIA petitions.

Sarah-Jane earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was an editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law. She is admitted to practice law in Ohio and the District of Colombia.