Darko Adamovic is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Paris office where he heads the Energy & Infrastructure practice.

Based in Paris, the Energy & Infrastructure team, led by Darko, comprises three partners and seven associates and advises on French and English law. Darko and his team specialise in assets in the energy and infrastructure sectors. They advise investment and infrastructure funds, industrialists, developers, junior and senior lenders and multilateral institutions on greenfield and brownfield projects in France, Europe and Africa. They advise on development, corporate, finance and M&A aspects, combining their legal, financial, contractual and asset knowledge. Darko and his team have advised on the full range of assets, including telecoms (concessions, private networks, IRUs, data centres, towers), transport (railways, airports, roads, ports), energy and energy transition (renewables, conventional, LNG, nuclear, hydrogen, biomass, geothermal, hydro, district heating, battery storage), electric mobility (electric vehicle charging networks, batteries), defence and social (hospitals, stadiums, military infrastructure, schools) and assets (trains, buses, aircraft, ships).

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Darko was a partner in the energy & infrastructure group of a Magic Circle law firm in Paris.

Admitted to the Paris Bar, Darko holds a master’s degree in banking, finance and business law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas. Darko was one of the authors of the French chapter of the international edition of The Projects and Construction Review.

He is fluent in French, English and Serbo-Croatian.

Representative Experience*

• Advised a group of lenders in relation to the financing aspects of the €2.6 billion EV acquisition of German energy utility company STEAG by Spanish investment management firm Asterion Industrial Partners.
• Advised InfraVia in the context of its JV with Play (subsidiary of Iliad) for the development and operation of an FTTH network in Poland.
• Advised the members of a consortium led by Elyse Energy in the context of a development of a SAF project in France.
• Advised the lenders to the consortium led by NGE in the context of the financing of the concession of the development, maintenance, operation and financing of the A69 toll road in France.
• Advised the arrangers to InfraVia and EIR in the context of their JV for the development and operation of an FTTH network in Ireland.
• Advised Meridiam, a leading infrastructure investment fund, and Allego, one of the leading developers of European high power EV charging stations, in the context of the structuring and implementation of a pan-European project to build, maintain, operate and finance several EV charging points across Europe.
• Advised the lenders to Rubis terminals in the context of the refinancing of their portfolio of pan-European port terminals.
• Advised the lenders on the financing, construction and operation of a wind farm under a corporate PPA by InfraVia Capital Partners located in Sweden.
• Advised Electra, a leading French developer of EV charging points, in the context of its initial fund raising and the development and financing of its projects in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain.
• Advised Vauban on the financing of the acquisition of a stake in the Indigo Group.
• Advised the lenders of a consortium led by Meridiam on their bid submission for the award of a concession for the construction, maintenance, operation and financing of Belgrade airport in Serbia.
• Advised InfraVia and Alkion in the context of the financing and the refinancing of a portfolio or port terminals.
• Advised the lenders to Antin in the context of its acquisition of the Idex group.
• Advised Vinci Airports and ADP in the context of the financing of the concession for the development, operation and financing of the Santiago de Chile airport.

*Includes matters prior to joining Gibson Dunn

Andrew Gorin is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department.

Andrew’s practice includes representation of real estate funds, lenders, and institutional and non-institutional investors in connection with complex real estate transactions across all real estate asset classes, including acquisitions and dispositions; construction, mortgage (fee and leasehold) and mezzanine financing; and forming and representing limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships and joint ventures.

Andrew received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2021, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as a Senior Editor of the Berkeley Business Law Journal. Before joining Gibson Dunn, Andrew served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen V. Wilson of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2017.

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

Anna-Louise is a Senior Associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Labour and Employment and Dispute Resolution Practice Groups.

Anna-Louise advises employers on a broad range of employment law matters, encompassing both high-stakes disputes and day-to-day advisory issues, with a particular focus on complex employment litigation and strategic workforce issues. She has significant experience in acting for employers in high-profile and business-critical disputes, including large-scale group litigation before the employment tribunal and civil courts, and has advised clients on some of the most significant employment group claims and class actions in the UK market.  Anna-Louise also frequently advises on large-scale business transformations. Her work includes supporting clients on cross-border reorganisations, workforce restructurings, and post-transaction integration, including collective consultation processes, changes to employment terms, and senior leadership transitions.

Anna-Louise is recognised by the Legal 500 as a key lawyer within a leading employment practice. Clients have described her as “a standout practitioner and a partner in the making” who is “leading on significant group claims already,” noting that she demonstrates “experience and knowledge well beyond her years”.

Anna-Louise holds an LL.B. (First Class Honours) from the University of Durham. She is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and the Employment Lawyers’ Association.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Anna-Louise was a senior associate at another international law firm.

David Irvine is a partner in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. David is the head of European Leveraged and Acquisition Finance and serves as Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Finance Practice.

David is a leading adviser to high-profile private equity sponsors on their most significant cross-border leveraged financing transactions and to private credit funds on their most complex financing arrangements. David also advises on recaps, minority back-leverage, special situations financings, margin loans, fund level financings and restructurings. He brings an excellent understanding of the Asian markets, having practised in Hong Kong.

David is currently ranked for Banking and Finance by Chambers UK and as a “Market Leader” in Banking and Finance, UK by IFLR1000. In 2020, David was named a “Band 1” lawyer in Banking & Finance: Leveraged & Acquisition Finance by Chambers Asia-Pacific and a “Market Leader” in Banking & Finance, Asia-Pacific by IFLR1000. He was also named a “Leading Individual” in Banking & Finance by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2019 & 2020 and one of the “Asia Best Lawyers 2020” by IFLR.

Prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, David was co-head of the leveraged finance group at a magic circle law firm and practiced in the Hong Kong office of a major international law firm. David is admitted to practice in England and Wales and South Africa.

David’s experience includes advising:*

• Carlyle Technology Partners on the unitranche financing for Intelliflo
• RedBird Capital Partners and All3Media on the financing arrangements for the business combination between All3Media and Banijay Entertainment
• RedBird Capital Partners, Oaktree Capital Management, AC Milan and Inter Milan on the bridge financing for acquisition of the San Siro Stadium
• Partners Group on the private credit financing for Afileon Group
• Partners Group on the financing for The Key Group
• Eurazeo on the financing aspects of its acquisition of Mapal
• TGS ASA on the US$550m senior secured notes offering and US$215m super senior credit facilities to refinance its existing indebtedness.
• Brookfield Capital Partners on the financing for their recommended offer for the £2.2bn take-private of Network International PLC.
• RedBird IMI on the financing for its £1.15bn acquisition of All3Media, a leading global independent TV and film production, digital, and distribution group headquartered in the UK.
• Rhone Capital on the amendment and extension and recapitalisation of the senior and PIK facilities for Ask Chemicals.
• SoftBank Vision Fund: advising SVF on multiple financings including the flagship NAV facility for SoftBank Vision Fund II.
• IK Partners on multiple financings including:
  • the take-private of The Medica Group Plc; and
  • the acquisition of Ipsum Group Limited.
• Hillhouse Investment Management on numerous transactions, including:
  • the EUR TLB and SSN leveraged financing for the US$3.7bn acquisition of the Philips Domestic Appliances business; and
  • the US$11.6bn acquisition of GLP (SGX: MC0).
• Carlyle on multiple transactions, including:
  • the leveraged financing for its acquisition of VXI Global Solutions; and
  • the US$2.08bn acquisition of the McDonald’s operations in China and Hong Kong.
• The PIK investors on the take-private leveraged financing for Carlyle’s acquisition of Hexaware.
• KKR on multiple transactions including:
  • the leveraged financing for the acquisition of the NVC Lighting business;
  • the leveraged financing for the investment by KKR and GIC in Metro Pacific Hospitals;
  • the leveraged financing of its acquisition of EuroKids pre-school chain; and
  • the financing for its investment in Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.
• Blackstone Capital Partners on multiple transactions including:
  • the leveraged financing for the acquisition of a controlling stake in Essel Propak;
  • the leveraged financing for its buy-out of Shya Hsin;
  • the leveraged financing for its acquisition of at least 84% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s stake in Mphasis, in a deal valued at up to US$1.1bn; and
  • the opco/propco leveraged financing the acquisition of Global Sources.
• Advent on multiple transactions including:
  • the leveraged financing for the acquisition of Manjushree Technopack;
  • the leveraged financing for the acquisition of Bharat Serums & Vaccines LTD.
• Apax on multiple transactions including:
  • The leveraged financing for the acquisition of Healthium Medtech.

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

Publications

David co-authored the “United Kingdom: Private Equity” chapter for Legal500’s Q&A series, providing a 21-question overview of private equity laws and regulations in the UK (2026).

Andrew Mitchell is a litigation associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn.

Andrew’s practice focuses on representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation and high-stakes business disputes in federal and state courts. He has significant experience preparing complex cases for trial and handling disputes across all phases of litigation. He has also litigated appeals and critical motions in federal and state courts across the country.

Recent Representative Matters:

• Secured a $46 million jury verdict and defeated all counterclaims as a core member of the trial team representing the minority owner and former CEO of a well-known pizza brand in a dispute with the majority owner over self-dealing and withheld distributions. Texas Lawbook profiled the victory, and The American Lawyer selected it as Runner-Up for Litigators of the Week. GCP Cici’s v. Dharod, No. DC-24-01196 (Dallas Cty. Dist. Ct.).
• Represented GE Vernova in litigation involving approximately $400 million in claimed damages arising from failed plans to construct power plants using adapted jet engines. Secured summary judgment in favor of GE Vernova.
• Represented Howmet Aerospace in Pennsylvania state court in a dispute involving claims for breach of contract and fraud. Played a key role in developing the litigation strategy that led to a favorable settlement.
• Represented a Texas game ranch in a dispute involving genetic testing of animals. Led the negotiations that resulted in a favorable settlement.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Andrew served as a law clerk to the Honorable Raymond M. Kethledge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Honorable Mark T. Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Andrew earned his J.D., with Honors, from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as Chief Notes Editor of the Texas Law Review. He received his Bachelor of Science from Texas Christian University, where he was a member of the varsity baseball team and was selected to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Prior to law school, Andrew played professional baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization.

Andrew is a member of the State Bar of Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Rachel S. Brass is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn and Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice Group. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department where her practice focuses on litigation and investigations in the antitrust, class actions, and employment areas. Rachel has extensive experience representing international and domestic clients in high-stakes appellate litigation in the Supreme Court, as well as federal and state appellate courts throughout the United States.

Rachel’s antitrust and competition experience includes litigation and trial of indirect and direct purchaser class actions, trial of price fixing, collusion and monopolization claims, international and domestic cartel investigations, mergers and acquisitions, and other antitrust investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, United States Department of Justice, the States Attorney Generals, European Commission, Canadian Competition Bureau, Korean Fair Trade Commission, Japan Fair Trade Commission, Administrative Council for Economic Defense – CADE, and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Rachel has represented clients in a number of industries, including semiconductors, health care, insurance, hardware, software, telecommunications, and other high technology, auto parts, package delivery, transportation, logistics, agriculture, and retail, among others. She has significant experience in international matters and for seven years taught an upper-level course in International Antitrust Law at Berkeley Law School.

In addition to her international competition practice, Rachel has successfully represented companies in single plaintiff and class action Title VII, ADA, FEHA, and Unruh Act discrimination claims, as well as wage and hour class actions. Representative matters include persuading the United States Supreme Court to reverse the certification of the largest class action brought under Title VII; litigating the scope of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower protections; persuading the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to vacate the certification of the largest class action brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act on interlocutory review; obtaining clarification of the standards for the business necessity defense and vacatur of a district court’s adverse post-trial rulings under the Americans with Disabilities Act from the en banc Ninth Circuit; and obtaining and sustaining a favorable district court ruling rejecting plaintiffs’ counsel’s claim for attorney’s fees in a California Fair Employment & Housing Act case.

Rachel is consistently recognized for her outstanding antitrust work by leading professional publications. In 2022, Law360 named her a Competition MVP, highlighting her successful defense at the class certification stage in major “no poach” litigation involving fast-food franchises, as well as her victory for Apple in the Epic Games litigation. Legal 500 U.S. recognized Rachel as a “Leading Lawyer” for Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Action Defense. Additionally, she was named to Who’s Who Legal Competition in 2023 and 2024. Expert Guides included her in its 2022 Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law. Global Competition Review listed Rachel among its “Top 100 Women in Antitrust” in 2021, while the Daily Journal has recognized her on its “Top Antitrust Lawyers” list every year since 2020. She was also featured in Lawdragon‘s “500 Leading Litigators in America” (2023-2026) and “500 Leading Antitrust and Competition Lawyers” for 2025 and 2026. In 2019, Women Competition Professionals in the Americas honored Rachel as one of their “40 in Their 40s.” In its annual Top Verdicts of California 2018 feature, the Daily Journal recognized Rachel for her complete defense jury verdict, a first of its kind class action trial of direct and indirect purchaser antitrust claims. In 2018, she was selected by The American Lawyer as a “Litigator of the Week” in connection with that same win. Rachel has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in Litigation-Antitrust since 2013, identified in the Antitrust category by Super Lawyers, and ranked in Band 1 in the California Antitrust category by Chambers USA. Concurrences Review recognized Rachel at its 2017 Antitrust Writing Awards for her article “Practical Advice for Avoiding Hub-and-Spoke Liability,” which was selected as the winner in the Business category, Concerted Practices section. The article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of The Antitrust Source.

Rachel speaks regularly on antitrust and complex class action issues, including programs for the United States Department of Justice, The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Arizona, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and the Bar Association of San Francisco. She is the past-President of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and serves on the Board of Directors of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), an organization that protects unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. immigration system alone to ensure that no child appears in court without an attorney. She is on the Advisory Board of the University of Minnesota Law School. She served as Editor-in-Chief of the Antitrust Report from 2008 to 2016.

Rachel received her law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 2001. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Minnesota Journal of Global Trade, a member of the Order of the Coif, and recipient of the Ralph M. McCareins Antitrust Prize. Prior to joining the firm, Rachel served as a law clerk for the Honorable James M. Rosenbaum, United States District Court, District of Minnesota. Rachel graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Rachel is admitted to practice in the State of California. She is a member of the firm’s Hiring, Professional Development, and Bay Area Diversity Committees, and maintains an active pro bono practice representing clients in cases involving civil rights, immigration, and other matters.

Andrew Cheng is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group.

Andrew’s practice focuses on representing ad hoc lender groups in a broad range of financing matters, including liability management transactions, debt restructurings, and special situations.

He also has extensive experience advising borrowers, private equity sponsors, and lenders in acquisition financings and other leveraged finance transactions as well as pharmaceutical companies in senior secured credit facilities and royalty financings.

Widely recognized for his debt financing expertise, Andrew is ranked by Chambers USA for his work in Banking and Finance in California. He is also featured in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for his work in Banking and Finance Law.  This year, Andrew was named as a member of the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers.

Representative Clients and Transactions:

• Liability Management Transactions: L Serta, Diamond Sports Group, Upstream, and Vibrantz
• Term Lender Groups: Claros, Upstream, and Venator

Andrew received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2000 and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Amherst College in 1997.

Bertrand Delaunay is a partner in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups.

Bertrand specializes in private equity and mergers and acquisitions, including joint-ventures. He acts on behalf of industrial companies, investment funds, and banks.

The Legal 500 EMEA recommends Bertrand as a Key Lawyer, with sources highlighting he is a “key practitioner”, a “corporate expert”, “available and knowledgeable” ; “very technical and a great professional” ; a “key point of contact”.

Best Lawyers in France also consistently recommends him for Private Equity law, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in 2017, Bertrand practiced with a leading British law firm since 1998, where he served as managing partner of the Paris office from 2010 to 2012.

A member of the Paris Bar, Bertrand graduated in 1993 from University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) with a DEA (postgraduate degree) in business law, in 1992 from Queen Mary and Westfield College – University of London with a LL.M, and in 1991 from University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) with a Maîtrise in business law.

He speaks French and English fluently.

Martie Kutscher Clark is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Palo Alto office. She represents leading technology companies in complex, high-stakes litigation and regulatory enforcement matters, with a focus on consumer protection, data privacy, advertising technology, and algorithmic bias. She has also litigated a number of “bet-the-company” founders’ disputes, securities actions, and wiretap disputes.

Martie is known for her ability to handle novel legal questions arising from emerging technologies, providing strategic counsel that anticipates future risks. Her skill in distilling complex technological concepts into clear, persuasive arguments has made her a sought-after litigator in cases requiring nuanced explanations of intricate technologies to courts and factfinders, and her results-driven focus and strategic approach have made her a trusted advocate and advisor for many of Silicon Valley’s most innovative companies.

In 2025 and 2024 Martie was named to Lawdragon’s “500 X—The Next Generation” list, which recognizes “those who will define where the legal profession of our country goes”. She was named in 2024 as one of the top 40 lawyers under 40 in California by The Daily Journal, and The Best Lawyers in America® recognized her as “One to Watch” in 2022 and 2023.

Select Representative Matters:

• Representing Meta and its officers in a series of putative class actions, government enforcement actions, and shareholder derivative litigation relating to data privacy issues arising out of the Cambridge Analytica events.
• Representing global technology company in non-public advertising technology investigations by federal regulators.
• Secured dismissal of California UCL claims against leading technology company alleging undisclosed data-sharing, in an opinion holding the data-sharing claims did not establish standing under the UCL or Article III.
• Secured dismissal of data-sharing claims against leading technology company in opinion holding the company is not responsible for third-parties’ violations of its policies.
• Represented gig-economy company in non-public investigations by state attorney generals regarding consumer disclosures.
• Secured dismissal on the pleadings of putative securities fraud class action regarding electric vehicles on behalf of leading venture capital firm and its Board in a published Seventh Circuit opinion expanding the scope of available defenses at the pleading stage.
• Successfully defended global technology company in litigation regarding the scope of the Wiretap Act and Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act and continued representation in related appeal to the Ninth Circuit.
• Successfully defended leading social media company against claims arising from a high-profile founders’ dispute and obtained affirmance on appeal.
• Obtained favorable settlement for transportation start-up and its Board in a founders’ dispute concerning trade secrets, employee solicitation, and equity distribution.
• Successfully defended a blockchain-based predictions platform in a founders’ dispute regarding equity and token distribution.
• Obtained favorable settlement for global technology company and its co-founders in connection with patent infringement, trade secret, fraud, and joint venture claims in a high-profile founders dispute.
• Obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of a leading mobile gaming company in an action concerning high speed, cloud-based technology and equity distribution.
• Strategized a pre-enactment challenge to a proposed ordinance targeting a peer-to-peer ridesharing company.

Pro Bono and Community: Martie has an active pro bono practice that includes developing impact litigation regarding anti-WOKE legislation, developing impact litigation regarding police brutality, bringing constitutional claims on behalf of prison inmates, and representing immigration clients in removal proceedings.

Clerkships: Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Martie served as a law clerk to the Honorable Milan D. Smith, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and as a law clerk to the Honorable Legrome D. Davis of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Education: Martie graduated as a James Kent Scholar from the Columbia University School of Law in 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Dartmouth College, where she graduated magna cum laude and was admitted as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Admissions: Martie is admitted to practice law in the states of California, New Jersey, and New York. She is a member of the bars of the United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits and the United States District Courts for the Central, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Abtin Jalali is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Private Equity Practice Group.

Abtin specializes in representing private equity firms and their portfolio companies on acquisitions, divestitures, growth equity investments, and general corporate matters. Abtin advises on transactions in various industries, including enterprise software, data and technology, healthcare, business services, consumer products, retail, and industrials.

Abtin has been recognized by MergerLinks as a top M&A lawyer in North America. His broad experiences in business and law provide a unique perspective to transactions. His clients value that his legal judgment is complemented by a deep understanding of the commercial implications of issues for investors, management teams and companies.

Abtin’s representative private equity clients include BVP Forge, Five Arrows Capital, FTV Capital, Gryphon Investors, KKR, Serent Capital, Tower Arch Capital, and True Wind Capital.

Abtin received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He received his M.B.A. and his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. Prior to his legal career, Abtin held various roles in finance and real estate.

Michael J. Cohen is a partner in Gibson Dunn ‘s New York office and a member of the Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group. Michael represents a diverse array of parties in bankruptcy and insolvency matters, distressed investments, acquisitions and financings, debt exchanges, and in-court and out-of-court restructurings.

Awards and Accolades:

• The Best Lawyers in America®, “Bankruptcy & Creditor Debtor Rights, Insolvency & Reorganization Law” (2024 – 2026)
• Lawdragon, “Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers” (2024 – 2025)
• The Legal 500 – United States, “Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy” (2024 – 2025)

Representative Clients and Transactions:

• Altice France: Represented an ad hoc group of secured lenders in its global restructuring, addressing approximately €24 billion of secured debt and representing the first large-scale liability management exercise in Europe.
• Endo International plc: Represented an ad hoc secured creditor group in the complex restructuring of this pharmaceutical company, negotiating several transformative settlements, including with numerous tort claimants and the U.S. Department of Justice, that anchored the debtors’ chapter 11 plan and accompanied the reduction of $8 billion of funded debt and $3 billion of newly raised debt and equity capital at exit.
• Serta Simmons: Represented secured lenders in restructurings and related transactions with this leading mattress manufacturer.
• Mallinckrodt plc: Represented secured lenders in the two in-court restructurings of this pharmaceutical manufacturer.
• Klöckner Pentaplast: Represented an ad hoc group of secured lenders in its prepackaged chapter 11 cases, which eliminated approximately €1.3 billion of funded debt and transitioned ownership to the lenders.
• Cumulus Media: Represented an ad hoc group of first lien lenders in its prepackaged chapter 11 restructuring, eliminating approximately $600 million of debt.
• Del Monte Foods: Represented an ad hoc group of first lien lenders.
• Cano Health: Represented secured lenders in its prearranged chapter 11 restructuring and multiple post-emergence financings.
• LaserShip: Represented an ad hoc group of secured lenders in connecting with a financing for this package delivery company, addressing $1.5 billion in maturing debt.
• Lumileds: Served as creditors’ counsel in its cross-border prepackaged chapter 11.

Michael earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of Fordham Law Review and was awarded the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence and the Benjamin Finkel Prize for his academic work on bankruptcy law. He graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University, where he was a Henry Rutgers Scholar. Michael served as a law clerk for Judge Stephen D. Gerling of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York.

Brian J. Forsatz, Ph.D. is a litigation attorney in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. 

Dr. Forsatz advises clients on complex life sciences patent litigations as well as related regulatory, antitrust, and trade secret issues. He has extensive experience in Hatch-Waxman litigation having counseled numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in developing effective patent litigation strategies for a wide array of products. Specifically, Dr. Forsatz has lead patent litigations involving small molecule drugs, biological products, medical devices, and laboratory analytical instruments.

In 2026, Dr. Forsatz was recognized as “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers.  He has been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (2021-2023).  Patexia has listed Dr. Forsatz as among the best performing and most active practitioners in the Hatch-Waxman litigation space since 2021.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Dr. Forsatz was a litigation attorney at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan since 2013. For over a decade before that, Dr. Forsatz worked as a pharmaceutical research and development scientist. During his pharmaceutical career, he conducted original research and was responsible for several research groups that focused on products for a variety of medical conditions, including asthma, allergies, cardiovascular, anti-inflammation, hematology, and oncology. His practical industry experience is indispensable to clients who seek Dr. Forsatz’s assessment as part of their intellectual property strategy.

Representative Experience*:

• Representing a global pharmaceutical company in multiple Hatch-Waxman actions and a trade secret matter concerning radiopharmaceutical products.

• American Regent, Inc. and Vifor (International) AG: Multiple Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Injectafer® (ferric carboxymaltose) drug product.

• Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.: Multiple Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Sunosi® (solriamfetol) drug product.

• Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Multiple Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Envarsus XR® (tacrolimus) drug products.

• Medytox, Inc.: ITC investigation related to botulinum toxin products.

• Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Brand versus brand patent infringement and trade secret matters.

• Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Multiple Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Iclusig® (ponatinib) drug product.

• Celgene Corporation: More than a dozen Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Revlimid® (lenalidomide) drug products.

• Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma: More than a dozen Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Invokana® (canagliflozin)/Invokamet®/Invokamet XR® drug products.

• Celgene Corporation: Multiple Hatch-Waxman actions related to Pomalyst® (pomalidomide) drug products.

• Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Multiple Hatch-Waxman actions relating to Xyrem® (sodium oxybate) drug product.

*Includes recent experience prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Dr. Forsatz received his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law. Before practicing law, Dr. Forsatz received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Seton Hall University and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Rutgers University.

Keith R. Martorana is a partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group.

Keith’s practice focuses on representing debtors, financial institutions, creditor groups and hedge funds inside and outside of Chapter 11 in numerous industries, including retail, healthcare, communications, theater, oil & gas, energy, homebuilding, automotive, emergency services, commercial real estate, and manufacturing sectors.

Keith was named in Lawdragon’s 2024 and 2025 “500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers” guide, 2023 “500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers” guide, and Expert Guide’s “Banking, Finance and Transactional Guide” in 2021 and 2022.

Representative Clients and Transactions:

• Lycra: Representation of an ad hoc group of secured lenders in the billion-dollar Chapter 11 reorganization of Lycra.
• WorldStrides: Representation of an ad hoc group of HoldCo Lenders in connection with the successful out-of-court restructuring of WorldStrides.
• City Brewing: Representation of an ad hoc group of First Lien Lenders in connection with the successful out-of-court restructuring of City Brewing.
• DRF Logistics: Representation of Pitney Bowes, Inc. in connection with the successful Chapter 11 divestiture of their subsidiary, DRF Logistics.
• ConvergeOne: Representation of an ad hoc group of secured lenders in the billion dollar Chapter 11 reorganization of ConvergeOne.
• Petmate: Representation of an ad hoc group of secured lenders in connection with the successful out-of-court restructuring of Petmate.
• Cornerstone Chemical Company: Representation of Cornerstone Chemical Company in its successful out-of-court restructuring and deleveraging transaction.
• William Vale Hotel: Representation of EOS Investors in their successful purchase of the William Vale Hotel out of bankruptcy.
• Envision Healthcare: Representation of secured lenders holding over $3 billion in debt issued by physician staffing firm Envision Healthcare in connection with its Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding.
• National Cinemedia: Representation of secured lenders holding over $1 billion in debt issued by cinema advertiser National Cinemedia in connection with its Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding.
• Lumileds, LLC: Representation of secured lenders holding over $1.7 billion in debt issued by LED manufacturer Lumileds, LLC in connection with their successful prepackaged Chapter 11 reorganization.
• The Boy Scouts of America: Representation of the AIG Companies in connection with their challenge, including a 22-day trial, to the confirmation of the proposed Plan of Reorganization of The Boy Scouts of America.
• Tailored Brands, Inc.: Representation of secured lenders holding over $800 million in term loans issued by the parent company of The Mens’ Wearhouse and JoS. A. Bank Clothiers in its successful chapter 11 restructuring.

Publications:

• Co-Author, “The Pervasive Problem of Numerosity,” Law360, (June 2, 2010).
• Author, Tracinda Corp. v. DaimlerChrysler AG, 51 New York Law School Law Review 419 (2006-2007).
• Co-Author, chapter in the book, Restructuring and Workouts – Strategies for Maximizing Value.

Keith received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from New York Law School, where he also served as an Executive Articles Editor of the New York Law School Law Review. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Fordham University.

Philip Lee is an associate in the Orange County office of Gibson Dunn. Where he is a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring & Reorganization Practice Group and Liability Management & Special Situations Practice Group. Representative Clients: Ardagh Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Tropicana Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Del Monte Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders Confluence Technologies, Inc. Ad Hoc Group of Lenders Altice France Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Verifone, Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders CommScope Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Lasership Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Ascend Ad Hoc Group of Term Loan Lenders FinThrive Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Netceed Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Sitel Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders Innovate, Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders DexKo Global Inc. Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders ScionHealth Ad Hoc Group of Secured Lenders EagleView Technologies, Inc., Ad Hoc Group of Lenders He earned his law degree from Columbia Law School, where he was named a James Kent Scholar and Harland Fiske Stone Scholar. Philip earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors and was named on the Director’s List. He completed his undergraduate degree in finance and accounting from the University of New South Wales, where he graduated with merit and was awarded the Australasian Institute of Banking & Finance Prize. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Philip worked as a management consultant at an international consulting group in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications practice. He also headed the U.S. operations of an international edtech company. Philip is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Kevin Liang is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization Practice Group.

His practice focuses on restructuring, bankruptcy, and insolvency matters, including debt exchanges, distressed investments, acquisitions and financings, and other in‐court and out‐of-court transactions.

Representative Clients:

• RealTruck Group (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders and Senior Unsecured Noteholders)
• DexKo Global (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders and Senior Unsecured Noteholders)
• AT&T (Company)
• Fortra / HelpSystems (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders)
• Del Monte Foods (Ad Hoc Group of Super-Senior Term Lenders)
• Wonder Group (Company)
• Grubhub (Company)
• WeightWatchers (Ad Hoc Group of Lenders and Noteholders)
• Aimbridge Hospitality (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders)
• Vyaire Medical (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders)
• Beasley Broadcast Group (Majority Noteholder)
• JOANN (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders)
• Aventiv Technologies (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien and Second Lien Lenders)
• Instant Brands (Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Lenders)*
• Elevate Textiles (Ad Hoc Group of Second Lien Lenders) *
• Forma Brands (Company) *
• Output Services Group (Company) *
• PlayMonster (Company) *
• Basic Energy Services (Independent Director) *
• Just Energy Group (Company) *
• Mood Media Corporation (Company) *
• Chesapeake Energy Corporation (Company) *
• Extraction Oil & Gas (Company) *
• McDermott International (Company) *

* Includes matters handled prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Kevin served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Kevin Gross for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. He also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Martin R. Barash for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

He received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 2018 and his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine in 2015.

Kevin is admitted to practice in the States of New York and California and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York.

Marcellus Antonio McRae is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn . He serves as co-chair of the firm’s Trials Practice Group. Marcellus has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading commercial litigation lawyer in California, and California Lawyer featured him as one of its honorees in its 2015 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Awards. He is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations, Government Contracts, Media, Entertainment and Technology, and International Trade and Regulation Compliance Practice Groups. Marcellus’s litigation and white-collar criminal defense practices focus on a wide variety of business disputes, internal investigations, and criminal prosecutions including defense of individuals and corporations in cases involving allegations of: financial fraud, False Claims Act violations, public corruption, violations of federal and state environmental laws, health care fraud, wrongful death, criminal antitrust violations, and other matters. He also represents and advises employers in wrongful termination, retaliation, and whistleblower claims.

Marcellus has first chaired numerous jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations in both federal and state courts. He also writes and speaks on trial and litigation skills, white-collar criminal defense, labor and employment law, and other topics. From 1995 until joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in February 1998, Marcellus served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the Criminal Division, Major Frauds Section, of the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. While he was an Assistant United States Attorney, Marcellus investigated and prosecuted complex white-collar crimes (tax, securities, bankruptcy, and other business frauds) and traditional crimes that involved both jury and non-jury trial experience with a 100 percent conviction rate at trial. He has also drafted and argued numerous appeals before federal and state courts of appeal. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Marcellus was an associate with Debevoise & Plimpton.

Some of Marcellus’s achievements include:

Trials and Litigation

• Successfully defended a major legal news and research company in a multi week jury trial against claims of gender and pregnancy discrimination and constructive discharge.
• Defended large aerospace and defense company in an environmental class action at trial.
• Successfully defended major telecommunications carrier in arbitration regarding breach of contract claims.
• Successfully defended major insurance company in a class action asserting breach of contract claims by obtaining summary judgement.
• Defended large manufacturer in antitrust jury trial.
• Successful defense of major health care company in federal jury trial against claims of age discrimination.
• Defended investment management company in federal court trial involving breach of contract and employment claims.
• Defended media executive in federal criminal securities trial.
• Successfully defended company against suit seeking damages for losses attributed to alleged cryptocurrency thefts.
• Defended a telecommunications company against alleged contract discrimination claims.
• Secured reversal from the California Court of Appeal of a judgment against the City of Santa Monica under the California Voting Rights Act and the California Constitution.
• Successfully defended an international construction company and other entities against both state and federal False Claims Act allegations by obtaining summary judgment.
• Represented as co-lead trial counsel California schoolchildren in Vergara v. State of California in asserting a state constitutional challenge to laws that prevent school administrators from hiring and retaining the most effective teachers (studentsmatter.org).
• Defended a telecommunications company in a putative class action alleging false advertising.
• Successful defense at trial of Vestin Realty Mortgage I and II in a nationwide class action alleging that the merger of funds into the trusts constituted a “roll up.”
• Successful defense of Nutro Products, Inc. in an eight-week jury trial in a mass action in which homeowners claimed that the company’s production facility emitted a nuisance odor.
• Defended major energy company in a seven week jury trial regarding in an environmental dispute.
• Defended medical school in claims alleging employment discrimination and harassment.
• Successfully defended major university by obtaining grant of summary judgment in an arbitration involving defamation and related claims.
• Defending major corporations in qui tam litigations and parallel proceedings involving False Claims Act violation allegations.
• Representation of an I.R.A. administrator in a class action against claims that it aided and abetted a fraud against investors.
• Representation of Pacific Maritime Association and members in an action involving claims of gender and race discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
• Successful defense of Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. in a jury trial against allegations that it defrauded California Union Insurance Company into issuing performance and property coverage on several wind turbine farms.
• Successful defense at trial of a film and television celebrity in a palimony action.
• Representation of Deloitte & Touche LLP in a state court action involving allegations of age and race discrimination.
• Successful defense of ITT Educational Services in a False Claims Act retaliatory discharge action both at the trial level by obtaining summary judgment and at the appellate level by securing affirmance of the summary judgment ruling.
• Representation of PricewaterhouseCoopers in a state court action involving allegations of gender discrimination and failure to promote.
• Representation of United Parcel Service in a state court action involving allegations of sexual harassment.
• Successful defense of one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in a three-week arbitration involving claims for profit participation in a syndicated series.
• Represented clients in an appeal of an Unruh Act judgment in which the appellate court reversed the award of punitive damages and the attorneys’ fees award.
• Defending major telecommunications company on appeal against breach of contract and privacy violation allegations.
• Successful defense of ConAgra Foods, Inc. in a four-week jury trial involving breach of contract and fraud claims arising from the termination of a beef distribution relationship.
• Represented one of the leading watch manufacturers and one of the world’s largest retailers in a federal trademark infringement litigation.

White Collar Defense and Investigations

• Represented a multinational energy company in an environmental litigation and investigations.
• Counseled multinational corporations in various aspects of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
• Represented domestic and international clients in export control enforcement matters and investigations.
• Represented major corporations in federal grand jury investigations involving contract and payment disputes with various regulatory agencies.
• Defended a municipality in a federal criminal investigation alleging Clean Water Act violations. No charges were filed.
• Defended retailers in civil class action and criminal proceedings involving pricing accuracy claims.
• Defended an elected official in a public corruption investigation. No charges were filed.
• Defended food and beverage manufacturers in federal criminal investigations alleging Clean Water Act violations.
• Defended a maritime company in a federal criminal investigation alleging violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. No charges were filed.
• Defended food manufacturer in federal criminal investigation alleging violation of USDA regulations.
• Conducted a wide range of internal investigations concerning financial controls and procedures, executive misconduct, government contracting improprieties, and alleged violations of federal election campaign laws, federal communications commission rules and regulations, kickbacks, fraud, and other federal and state laws.

Professional and Community Associations and Activities

Marcellus is currently a member of the Public Counsel Board of Directors, the Board of Advocates of Human Rights First and the board of directors of Mental Health Advocacy Services. He is also a member of the steering committee of Just The Beginning (JTB), an organization dedicated to developing and nurturing interest in the legal profession among young students and increasing diversity in the legal profession and the judiciary. Marcellus also serves on the Advisory Board of the NYU School of Law Policing Project and is a member of the Pro Bono Civil Rights Panel of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He is also a former Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group and a former member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Los Angeles. He has served as an adjunct professor of Advanced Trial Advocacy at Loyola Law School, teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School, and was an instructor at the national level for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Marcellus has conducted mock jury trial demonstrations at numerous national American Law Institute-American Bar Association conferences and has been a featured panelist at many professional seminars regarding a wide range of topics including trial advocacy, individual and corporate criminal defense, education reform, federal sentencing guidelines, police reform, and employment litigation. He also frequently appears on television and radio and in print media as a legal commentator. He has also been a Co-Chair from 2003-04 of the Lawyer Delegates to the Ninth Circuit – Central District of California; chair of the Environmental Crimes Committee for the West Coast Chapter of the American Bar Association; a member of the Judicial Appointments Committee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association; the Los Angeles County Bar Complex Court Committee; the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Executive Committee of the Criminal Justice Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association; the Attorney Discipline Committee for the Central District of California; the Attorney Admissions Fund Board for the Central District of California; the Advisory Board of the Practical Law Company, and the Steering Committee of the California Minority Counsel Program. Marcellus was also a Deputy General Counsel to the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence for the County of Los Angeles, a member of the LAPD Police Commission Rampart Review Panel, and was on the List of Counsel for the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Speaking Engagements and Media Interviews

• “Witness Interviews,” course on internal corporate investigations at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, February 24, 2023
• “Contextualizing the Law of Police,” American Bar Association, January 24, 2022
• “A New Era in Jury Selection in California: Preparing for and Complying with AB3070,” Association of Business Trial Lawyers, January 26, 2021
• “Opening Statement Demonstration: Civil Litigation Walk-Through Program,” Los Angeles Superior Court, March 18, 2017
• “CJA/TRG 2017 Civil Litigation Challenges: Excelling in the “Big League” Program,” California Judges Association and The Rutter Group, February 25, 2017
• “Teaching Trial Advocacy,” Harvard Law School, January 17-20, 2017
• “Police Reform: Insights, Approaches and Next Steps,” Gibson Dunn, Public Counsel, and Bet Tzedek, November 15, 2016
• “2016 Complex Court Symposium,” Los Angeles County Bar Association, November 9, 2016
• “3 Skills No Partner Can Do Without,” Law360, May 18, 2016
• “Annual Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition,” Judge, Hispanic National Bar Association, March 17-18, 2016
• “Trial Pros: Gibson Dunn’s Marcellus McRae,” Law360, March 4, 2016
• “Civil Litigation Walk Through Program,” Los Angeles Superior Court, March 5, 2016
• “Celebrating Business and Community Partnerships,” Keynote Speaker, Southern CA Edison’s (SCE) 2016 Black History Month Celebration, February 5, 2016
• “Black and Blue: Policing the Color Line,” panel, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, August 19, 2015
• “Former Employees and Executives as Non-Party Witnesses in Employment Litigation,” Strafford Webinars, August 13, 2015
• “Can Vergara Fix Our Schools?” California Lawyer, August 2015
• “California’s Teacher Tenure Battle Continues in the Court of Appeals,” Interview with Legal Broadcast Network, July 3, 2015
• Presentation to California School Boards Association, discussing the Vergara Case, San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2014
• Presentation to California Association of Suburban School Districts, discussing the Vergara Case, San Francisco, CA, December 14, 2014
• Presentation to the National Association of Black Educators, discussing the Vergara Case, Kansas City, MO, November 20, 2014
• “Plaintiff attorney in the landmark Vergara case in Twin Cities to talk about teacher tenure,” Star Tribune, November 14, 2014
• Phi Delta Kappa – USC Chapter Dinner, discussing the Vergara Case, Los Angeles, October 10, 2014
• “Affirming the Fundamental, Constitutional Right of Every Student to Learn from Effective Teachers and Have an Equal Opportunity to Succeed in School,” Glendale Bar Association Dinner Meeting, October 1, 2014
• “Getting the Best Education for All Our Kids: The Lawsuits That Could Transform American Public Schools,” panel, The Aspen Institute, Justice & Society Program, Washington, D.C., September 30, 2014
• “Central African Republic and the Responsibility to Protect” panel, Pacific Council on International Policy, September 23, 2014
• “Learning About Vergara, Part 1: The Plaintiff’s Perspective,” The Education & Law Society, University of California Los Angeles, September 22, 2014
• The New Teacher Project Conference Panel, Atlanta, GA, September 18, 2014
• “Tenure on Trial,” Pomona Student Union, Pomona College, September 8, 2014
• Marcellus McRae, Interview with LaDona Harvey, KOGO Radio, discussing the Vergara case, September 4, 2014
• “Deposition Strategies in Employment Litigation: Taking and Defending Depositions of Plaintiffs and Fact Witnesses,” Strafford Webinars, August 13, 2014
• “Cross-Examination of Experts,” Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners, Emperor’s Palace, Centurion, South Africa, July 22, 2014
• “Taking on Teachers by Targeting Tenure,” Interview with Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC, June 15, 2014
• NBC News Conference, KNBC, discussing Students Matter case, June 15, 2014
• “Best Practices in the Use of Witness Statements” panel, ABA International Bar Association-Africa Committee, Washington, D.C., June 3, 2014
• Marcellus McRae, Interview with LaDona Harvey, KOGO Radio, discussing Students Matter case, April 30, 2014
• “Success Stories and Progress in Africa’s Anti-Corruption Efforts: Taking Stock and Moving Forward,” American Bar Association Section of International Law 2014 Spring Meeting, New York, NY, April 4, 2014
• Students Matter Ruling with Marcellus McRae, The Roger Hedgecock Show, U-T-TV, December 18, 2013
• “Differing Perspectives on Education Reform,” Youth and Education Advocates at Stanford, Shaking the Foundations 2013, November 1, 2013
• “Deposition Strategies in Employment Litigation,” Strafford Webinars, October 29, 2013
• UCLA Education Litigation Panel, September 18, 2013
• “U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement and the Guidelines Recently Issued Jointly by the SEC and DOJ,” Thirty-First International Symposium on Economic Crime, September 4, 2013
• “Case Assessment and Evaluation – Developing Informed Estimates,” Defense Research Institute, Let’s Talk Series, August 15, 2013
• Teaching Lawyers Without Borders – Anti-Corruption and Trial Advocacy Training in Kenya, August 5-9, 2013
• “Setting the benchmark: LIBOR and the Upswing in International Financial Services and Securities Fraud Investigations and Prosecutions,” 16^th Annual Transnational Crime Conference, International Bar Association, May 16, 2013
• “Developing Informed Litigation Budgets,” Practical Law Company Webinar, May 8, 2013
• “FCPA Concepts and Considerations,” Los Angeles County Bar Association Corporate Roundtable Dinner, March 13, 2013
• “Deposition Strategies in Employment Litigation,” Strafford Publications Webinar, November 13, 2012
• “In-house Counsel’s Guide to Trial Prep,” Practical Law Company Webinar, November 6, 2012
• “Dialogues on Detention: Applying Lessons from Criminal Justice Reform to the Immigration Detention System,” Human Rights First, Public Dialogues Series, September 24, 2012
• “Former Employees and Executives as Non-Party Witnesses,” Strafford Publications Webinar, September 5, 2012
• “2012 Mid-Year OFAC Update,” Gibson Dunn Webcast, July 10, 2012
• “One Nation Under Arrest? The Growth of Federal Criminal Law,” The Federalist Society, Los Angeles Chapter, April 24, 2012
• “Ethics Surrounding Attorneys’ Fees: How to Agree to Them, Collect Them, Keep Them, and Persuasively Seek Them as Sanctions,” ABA Section of Litigation Annual Conference, April 20, 2012
• “Learn What Matters in Federal Court: Hear from the Decisionmakers,” Public Counsel/Los Angeles County Bar Association Barristers’ CLE program, panel entitled “How to Win Summary Judgment,” February 24, 2012
• “To Arbitrate or Not?” Bridgeport Continuing Education Seminar, January 13, 2012
• “2011 Year-End OFAC Update,” Gibson Dunn Webcast, January 12, 2012
• “Deposition Strategies in Employment Litigation,” Strafford Publications Webinar, November 22, 2011
• “Former Employees and Executives as Non-Party Witnesses: Navigating the Complexities of Privilege, Compensation, Cooperation with Counsel and Protection of Business Information,” Strafford Publications Webinar, October 11, 2011
• “Elements of An Effective Compliance Program,” Annual Conference of the African Legal Network, November 22, 2005

Publications and Acknowledgments

Marcellus has been recognized in such publications as The Best Lawyers in America®. He was named a California “Litigation Star” in the 2018, 2019, and 2025 editions of Benchmark Litigation. BTI Consulting named Marcellus to its 2019 BTI Client Service All-Stars List, which recognizes attorneys “who deliver incomparable levels of client service excellence.” California Lawyer featured him as one of its honorees in its 2015 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Awards. The Los Angeles Business Journal named Marcellus among its 2022-2024 Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys, a list “of the very best litigators and trial attorneys in the region.” In addition, this publication named him to its 2016, 2019, 2024, and 2025 “Most Influential Minority Attorneys in Los Angeles” list. Who’s Who Legal: Investigations 2016, along with its sister publication, Global Investigations Review, recognized Marcellus as a leading individual for his expertise in internal and regulatory investigations. He was named to the Daily Journal‘s list of “Top 100 Lawyers in California” for 2014, 2015 and in 2020. In 2015, the Daily Journal recognized Vergara v. State of California as one of its Top Plaintiff’s Verdicts By Impact in 2014. In Vergara v. State of California, Marcellus helped secure a landmark civil rights decision that struck down California’s teacher tenure and dismissal statutes as unconstitutional. Marcellus’s victory for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority et al. v. Parsons-Dillingham Metro Rail Construction Manager Joint Venture et al. was also recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the Top Defense Results in 2015. Marcellus served as the lead defense attorney and helped Parsons-Dillingham obtain the defense win in that matter. Marcellus’s latest victory for the City of Santa Monica, in Pico Neighborhood Association V. City of Santa Monica, landed him another Daily Journal Top Verdict for 2020 honor when a state appellate panel reversed a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. The victory helped set standards for future claims involving lawsuits targeting California cities for alleged violations of the California Voting Rights Act. He was also named as one of the Daily Journal‘s “Top 20 California Attorneys Under 40” in 2003. In January 2004, Marcellus was selected by Law & Politics magazine as one of California’s “Superlawyers” in the area of Business Litigation, based on a survey of more than 65,000 California lawyers. Lawdragon magazine, which spotlights “attorneys who excel representing principally corporations and other organizations in litigating claims,” named him in its 500 Leading Litigators in America guide for 2023-2026. This publication also named Marcellus in 2006 among the “New Stars, New Worlds,” which features up-and-coming talent and lawyers with fascinating new practices. In 2015, Marcellus, along with partner Theodore Boutrous, was recognized by The Recorder magazine in their annual “Litigation Department of the Year” competition in the “Ground Breakers” category. In 2016, the Recorder magazine also recognized Marcellus in their annual “Litigation Department of the Year” competition in the “Game Changers” category.

Marcellus has also authored and co-authored several articles including “Evidence,” California Litigation Review (2016); “Challenging Inequality,” Los Angeles Lawyer (July/August 2015); “Evidence,” California Litigation Review (2015); “Africa – 2013 Legal Developments,” Africa Law Today, Issue 1 (2014), a publication of the ABA Section of International Law; “State and Commerce Departments publish significant rule changes to export controls regulations,” Lexology (2013); “Scope of Employment,” Los Angeles Lawyer (2013); “Initial Stages of Federal Litigation: Overview,” Practical Law Company (June 2016); “Case Assessment and Evaluation,” Practical Law Company (April 1, 2013); “Proof Matrix” (a tool to help assess whether a case is ready for trial), Practical Law Company (December 2012); “Your Witness: The Issue of Paying Fact Witnesses Most Commonly Concerns Former or Current Employees of a Party in Litigation,” Los Angeles Lawyer (2012); “Handling Federal Litigation,” Practical Law Company (2011); “Is Government Knowledge a Defense to False Claims Liability: A Discussion of the Role of Government Knowledge Under the California and Federal False Claims Acts,” BNA, Inc., Federal Contracts Report, Volume 84, No. 11, (September 27, 2005); “Gauging Organizational Exposure to Environmental Criminal Liability: A Comparison of the Proposed Environmental Sentencing Guidelines to the Organizational Guidelines and the Department of Justice’s Revised Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations,” American Bar Association for the National Institute on White Collar Crime (March 2004); “Proof and Pretext: Reeves Provides Some Clarification of the Burden-Shifting Formula in Employment Discrimination Lawsuits,” Los AngelesLawyer (March 2004); “Seeking and Defeating Summary Judgment in Light of Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products And Its Progeny” ALI-ABA Course of Study-Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights Actions in Federal and State Courts, Volume 1 (May 2003); and “Grace Under Pressure: Fifteen Steps You Should Take to Manage a Search of Your Client’s Office Pursuant to a Federal Warrant“ Corporate Counsel’s Quarterly and The Lawyer’s Brief, Volume 18, No. 3 (July 2002). He is also the co-author of “Closing Arguments,” Chapter 37, Business and Commercial Litigation Treatise, West Publishing, (1998).

Education

Marcellus received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. He earned a B.A. degree summa cum laude in 1985 from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Daniel F. Varon is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn where he currently practices in the firm’s Transactional Department.

Daniel earned his J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from SMU Cox School of Business.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Daniel practiced with another major firm as a member of the Corporate practice.

Daniel is admitted to practice law in the State of Texas.

Chris Slack is a partner in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Real Estate Practice Group, working closely with the firm’s Investment Funds Practice Group.

Chris has extensive experience advising global clients on complex cross‑border real estate private equity real asset transactions. His practice focuses on capital raising across real estate and the wider real asset class, including the formation, and operation of global and pan-regional funds, co-investment structures, programmatic and strategic joint ventures, separately managed accounts, and a wide range of primary and secondary transactions (including GP-led secondaries transactions) and liquidity solutions involving real assets.

He also regularly advises on asset management M&A, including GP (general partner) stake and other platform transactions.

Chris is recognised as a “Next Generation Partner” for Real Estate Funds in The Legal 500 2024, with clients describing him as “a highly knowledgeable and creative solicitor who is quick to identify solutions to complex commercial issues.”

Chris received an LL.B. with First Class Honours from the University of Warwick in 2011. He completed the Legal Practice Course with Distinction at BPP Law School, London, in 2012. He is admitted to practice in England and Wales.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Chris was a partner at an international law firm in London and spent five years practising in its Singapore office where he was recognised as a “Rising Star” for Corporate and M&A: Foreign Firms in The Legal 500 APAC 2022, where clients noted his “outstanding, solution‑driven and efficient work.”

 

Representative Experience*:

• Advised CBRE Investment Management on the final close of CBRE Real Estate Partners 2, a global real estate secondaries fund raising $1.62 billion in capital commitments, together with a related subscription credit facility
• Advised CBRE Investment Management on the launch, alongside NW1 Partners and URBZ Capital, of a new European industrial outdoor storage management platform backed by €300 million of capital commitments
• Advised Logistics Capital Partners on the formation of a joint venture with Invesco Real Estate to acquire and develop Veridion Park in Thamesmead, London, delivering approximately 800,000 sq ft of urban logistics space
• Advised CBRE Investment Management on behalf of discretionary fund vehicles and client mandates on a £200 million investment in the Tritax London Logistics Fund, a Greater London‑focused logistics platform
• Advised CBRE Investment Management on the recapitalisation of Värde Partners’ ownership stake in Vía Célere, valuing the Spanish residential developer at nearly €1 billion
• Advised Madison International Realty on the acquisition of a 24.5% stake in Puma Property Finance, alongside a significant cornerstone commitment to support the launch of Puma’s institutional credit fund series
• Advised Redevco on the establishment of its pan‑European real estate debt platform, including its first loan investment relating to an office‑led development in the City of London
• Advised CBRE Investment Management in connection with an investment into NW1 Partners and URBZ Capital’s Dutch Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS) vehicle
• Advised CBRE Investment Management in the €150 million cornerstone investment in Verdion European Logistics Fund 2, a closed-end value-add real estate venture which targets repositioning assets in established Northern European logistics locations
• Advised Henley Investment Management on the formation of a joint venture to acquire and develop a £300 million mixed‑use residential and logistics scheme in Fulham, London
• Advised a CBRE Investment Management–managed real estate investment fund on its cornerstone investment in a €150 million vehicle formed by Westwind Capital to acquire a portfolio of modern private rented sector multifamily assets across London and its commuter suburbs
• Advised Cushman & Wakefield on the formation of a 50:50 joint venture with Nuvama Asset Management to establish a new real estate investment management platform in India
• Advised Lazard Asset Management on the acquisition by Lazard Global Sustainable Private Infrastructure Fund of a 50% stake in Shawton Energy Limited, a solar PV developer, installer and operator supplying renewable energy to commercial and industrial customers
• Advised Henderson Park Real Estate Fund I on the disposal of its stake in the iconic Westin Paris‑Vendôme hotel to its joint venture partner, Dubai Holding, having previously advised on the acquisition of the hotel and the formation of the joint venture
• Advised Henley Investment Management Limited on the formation of a joint venture with Invesco Real Estate to acquire Vector House, a prime office building in central Amsterdam, for €30 million
• Advised Lazard Asset Management on the Lazard Global Sustainable Private Infrastructure team’s inaugural investment in DBE Energy, the owner and operator of an anaerobic digestion plant in Surrey producing renewable gas for supply to the National Grid
• Advised MARK Capital on the €1.585 billion sale of its pan‑European last‑mile logistics platform, Crossbay, to Prologis
• Advised investment funds managed by an affiliate of MSREF Real Estate Advisor on the formation of a joint venture with Flint Housing to scale a social housing investment platform delivering affordable homes across England
• Advised PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited on its subsidiary’s acquisition of a 20% participating interest in Oman’s Block 61 gas project from BP, one of the largest gas developments in the Middle East
• Advised PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited on its subsidiary’s $2.127 billion acquisition of Murphy Oil Corporation’s Malaysian upstream oil and gas business, the largest upstream transaction in Southeast Asia in five years
• Advised The Procter & Gamble Company on its investment as a limited partner in The Ocean Fund, a Singapore‑based fund focused on scaling waste reduction and recycling initiatives across South and Southeast Asia
• Advised Greystar Real Estate Partners on the formation of Greystar Asia Pacific, a Singapore‑based joint venture with MIRA Real Estate and APG to establish and manage Asia‑Pacific rental housing investment vehicles
• Advised Greystar Asia Pacific on the formation of Greystar China Multifamily Venture I LP, a Singapore‑based fund with initial capital commitments of $450 million
• Advised Ancora Capital Management on the formation and closing of Ancora Residential Fund LP, a Singapore‑based fund investing in apartment development projects in Indonesia
• Advised LaSalle Investment Management on the acquisition of Aviva Investors’ $7 billion real estate multi‑manager business and full ownership of the management of the €1.7 billion Encore+ pan‑European fund
• Advised Hansteen Holdings on the €1.28 billion disposal of its German and Dutch property portfolios and real estate management business to entities advised by affiliates of Blackstone and M7 Real Estate
• Advised ESR on the sale of its majority interest in Venn Partners, a specialist investment manager of private credit strategies within the UK residential sector, to Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited (USS)

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

Amy Cooke is an English qualified barrister and associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn.

She practices in the firm’s Dispute Resolution Group and advises on white collar investigations, commercial litigation and regulatory risk. Her practice spans complex investigations, often involving allegations of fraud, bribery, and other forms of corporate misconduct, as well as contentious matters before the English courts. 

Her recent work includes advising on sensitive white collar and regulatory investigations; acting on High Court commercial disputes; supporting the corporate team with legal and compliance due diligence on transactions; and work relating to digital regulatory issues. 

Amy is recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Amy was a lawyer at the Serious Fraud Office, where she gained extensive experience in complex fraud and bribery investigations and prosecutions involving both corporate entities and high net worth individuals. In that role, she worked on some of the SFO’s most significant and high-profile matters, with a particular focus on large-scale investigations involving complex factual and legal issues. Her experience included advising on investigative strategy, analysing large volumes of evidence, preparing cases for charge and trial, and working closely with counsel, investigators and other agencies in the context of serious economic crime matters.

She also advised on ancillary proceedings arising from those investigations, including confiscation and restraint, and developed substantial experience of the procedural, evidential and strategic issues that arise in high-value financial crime cases. This experience continues to inform her work on internal investigations, regulatory matters and complex disputes for corporate clients.

Amy also has a wide range of advocacy experience from her time at the independent bar, during which she handled a variety of criminal and civil cases.

Sanford W. Stark is a partner in the Washington D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and the global Chair of the firm’s Tax Controversy and Litigation Practice Group.

Sanford counsels on a wide range of complex domestic and international tax issues, including a significant emphasis on transfer pricing. He has served as counsel in a number of the largest tax controversy and litigation matters in recent years. He advises clients in various industries and on all aspects of the tax controversy process, including pre-audit, audit, administrative appeals, Advance Pricing Agreements, and Competent Authority proceedings. Sanford litigates tax disputes in federal trial and appellate courts and State courts, and his transfer pricing experience includes planning and internal restructurings in addition to controversy and litigation.

Sanford is consistently named one of the nation’s leading Tax Controversy lawyers as recognized in Chambers USA (both Nationwide Tax Controversy and District of Columbia Tax), The Legal 500 US, The Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Tax Lawyers, the World Tax Experts Guide, the Tax Controversy Leaders Guide, ITR World Tax (Highly Regarded in both Tax Controversy and World Transfer Pricing), Who’s Who Legal (recognized as a Thought Leader), and the Guide to World’s Leading Transfer Pricing Advisers, among other publications. Clients describe him as “a brilliant tax attorney,” “exceptionally skilled,” “amazing to work with,” “extremely knowledgeable, responsive and engaging,” “solution-oriented and creative,” and a “great practitioner whom peers and clients all trust and respect.” He “receives resounding acclaim for his work on large tax controversy matters,” is a “great team leader with a great courtroom presence,” and clients find that he possesses “strong business and legal insights,” is “always on top of client service,” and “takes the time to understand us and you really feel he is part of your team. He always does what is right for the client.”

Most of Sanford’s representations, including some of his largest, involve matters that are not publicly disclosed. Representative disclosed matters include:*

• Rover Pipeline LLC v. Commissioner, Ohio Supreme Court, Docket No. 2024-0484 (property tax on pipeline)
• In re Grand Jury, U.S. Supreme Court, Docket No. 21-1397 (amicus curiae for Silicon Valley Tax Directors Group)
• Western Digital Corporation & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket Nos. 18984-18 and 4818-19 (transfer pricing and section 956) (settled shortly before trial)
• Amazon.com, Inc. & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, 148 T.C. 108 (2017) (transfer pricing (cost-sharing) issues; >5-week trial), aff’d 934 F.3d 976 (9th Cir. 2019)
• The Coca-Cola Company & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket No. 31183-15 (transfer pricing and foreign tax credits; 10-week trial) (multiple opinions; appeal pending)
• Thomas & Betts Corporation & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket No. 4120-17 (transfer pricing; settled in 2019)
• GlaxoSmithKline Holdings (Americas) Inc. v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket Nos. 18940-08 and 18941-08 (debt/equity and OID; full concession by IRS)
• GlaxoSmithKline Holdings (Americas) Inc. v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket Nos. 5750-04 and 6959-05 (transfer pricing: US drug sales (then-largest tax case in US history); settled in 2006)
• GlaxoSmithKline Holdings (Americas) Inc. v. Commissioner, 117 T.C. 1 (2001) (transfer pricing: preservation of testimony)
• kgb and Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, T.C. Docket No. 4667-13 (transfer pricing; settled in 2017)
• US Freightways Corp. v. Commissioner, 270 F.3d 1137 (7th Cir. 2001), rev’g 113 T.C. 329 (1999) (INDOPCO, judicial deference)

*Includes matters handled prior to joining Gibson Dunn

Sanford previously served as a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice where he received the Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award.

Sanford is a Fellow in the American College of Tax Counsel. He is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Tax Program of Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches “Survey of Transfer Pricing.” He is a co-author of “Transfer Pricing: Litigation Strategy and Tactics,” Bloomberg Tax, Transfer Pricing Portfolio 6932.

Sanford received his law degree in 1991 with high honors from Duke University Law School, where he was a member of the Alaska Law Review. He served as a law clerk for Judge Peter Hill Beer of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Yale University.

Sanford is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the United States Tax Court.