Lawyers Archive

Benzion S. Edelman (Benzi) is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the Tax Practice Group.

Benzi regularly advises private equity and other clients on transactional tax matters and represents private fund managers and investors on the formation and operation of private equity funds.

Benzi received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2021. At Harvard Law School, Benzi was an editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation and the Harvard Business Law Review. He also served as the treasurer for the Jewish Law Student Association and worked with the Harvard Tax Help Clinic and the Harvard Federal Tax Clinic assisting low-income taxpayers with tax return preparation and related tax controversies. Benzi earned his Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in Accounting from Touro College in 2016 and worked as an accountant prior to attending law school.

Benzi is a member of the New York State Bar and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Benzi was an associate in the Tax Department of an international law firm in New York.

Experience:

Represented TPG in the sale of majority stake in Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to Artémis, a French holding company.
Represented New Mountain Capital in the sale of Signify Health, a public company, to CVS.
Represented Harvest Partners and its portfolio companies in a variety of matters, including VetCor, a portfolio company of Harvest Partners and Cressey & Company, in its acquisition of People, Pets & Vets, a veterinary services company.
Represented TriArtisan Capital Advisors with respect to its acquisition of a majority stake in EnergySolutions from Energy Capital Partners.

All matters completed prior to joining Gibson Dunn

Sean Pan is a Registered Foreign Lawyer (New York) and an associate in Hong Kong. He is a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups.

He advises multinational corporate clients, global asset managers and private equity funds on a broad range of corporate and commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and growth equity investments.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Sean was an associate with a leading U.S. law firm in Hong Kong. He also completed a five-month secondment at a global asset management firm.

Sean received his Master of Laws from Columbia Law School in 2019 and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the National Taiwan University in 2015. He is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

He speaks English, Mandarin and conversational German.

Genta Stafaj is of counsel in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices in the Real Estate Department. She represents clients in a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, joint ventures, development and leasing of commercial real property assets.

Genta has played a key role in complex leasing matters involving major institutional players expanding their physical footprints, including representation in large-scale, long-term office leases in New York City and other core markets.

Genta earned her J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law and her B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from Barnard College.

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

Samuel G. Liversidge is a partner in Gibson Dunn. He is a Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice Group and Co-Chair of the Litigation Department in the Los Angeles office.

Sam is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer whose practice focuses on antitrust, unfair competition and other complex litigation. Sam has represented some of the world’s leading companies in connection with some of their most significant matters. He has successfully litigated and tried claims ranging from breach of contract and fraud to alleged monopolization, conspiracy, exclusive dealing, predatory pricing and tying. Sam has been described by clients in Chambers USA as “an exceptionally strong litigator and trial lawyer,” a “super antitrust lawyer” and “the type of person you have tremendous confidence in.” Chambers USA further reports that Sam is “a superb cross-examiner” and “a very experienced trial lawyer” who “brings an ability to break down complicated issues.”

Sam has been recognized across multiple prestigious platforms for his excellence in antitrust litigation. He is ranked by Chambers USA in the California Antitrust category and was recently named one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers by the Daily Journal. Benchmark Litigation recognized him as a “Litigation Star”, and he has been featured in the 2023 and 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Antitrust Law. In addition, he was included in Lawdragon‘s “500 Leading Litigators in America” list from 2023 to 2026, as well as its “500 Leading Antitrust and Competition Lawyers” list for 2025-2026. BTI Consulting named him to its 2022 BTI Client Service All-Stars List, which celebrates attorneys who deliver “incomparable levels of client service excellence.” He has also earned a place on BTI’s Client Service Elite MVP list, reserved for lawyers recognized as All-Stars for at least two consecutive years.

Sam is also a leading expert in consumer class actions, having successfully defended numerous high-profile class action cases, at both the trial and appellate level. He has handled antitrust and product-defect class actions, as well as scores of cases filed under various consumer protection and false advertising statutes.

Sam’s representative matters include:

Representation of Hewlett-Packard Company in Hewlett-Packard Co. v. Oracle Corporation (Santa Clara Superior Court, California), where HP brought suit against Oracle for breach of contract and unfair competition following Oracle’s decision in March 2011 to cease offering new versions of its software products to customers running HP’s mission-critical Itanium servers. Following a five-week jury trial in 2016, the jury found in favor of HP on all claims tried and awarded HP over $3 billion in damages, the largest jury verdict reported in 2016. In 2021, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment, which, with interest, totaled $4,656,085,679—one of the largest judgments in U.S. history. The judgment has been paid in full.
Representation of Merck & Co., Inc. at trial in In re Zetia (Ezetimibe) Antitrust Litigation (E.D. Va.), where plaintiffs allege an unlawful agreement and conspiracy to delay generic competition (settlement achieved during trial).
Representation of Chevron U.S.A. in antitrust class actions filed in the Southern District of California alleging a conspiracy among eight oil companies to reduce supply and inflate gasoline prices in California. On September 30, 2022, the Court granted summary judgment on all claims and entered final judgment for all defendants.
Representation of Hewlett Packard Enterprise at trial in Oracle Corporation v. HPE (N.D. of Cal.), where Oracle alleged copyright infringement and other tort claims (settlement reached after trial).
Representation of Rimini Street, a leading software support services provider, at trial in Oracle Corporation v. Rimini Street (D. Nevada), where Oracle brought copyright infringement and other claims (ongoing).
Representation of HP Inc. in Cepelak v. HP, a consumer class action brought in the Northern District of California, asserting claims of unfair competition and fraud on behalf of a sweeping class of HP inkjet printer owners. On October 20, 2022, the Court issued a decisive order denying class certification across the board. Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case as a result of this decision.
Representation of General Electric in tortious interference action filed in the Southern District of New York, arising from prior proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782. The District Court dismissed the complaint in full on grounds of forum non conveniens. The Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal on appeal and the Supreme Court denied certiorari.
Representation of Intel Corporation in a monopolization suit filed by Advanced Micro Devices (“AMD”) in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. AMD alleged that Intel monopolized a worldwide market for microprocessors through purportedly unfair discounting and rebating practices. Characterized as one of the largest, if not the largest, Sherman Act Section 2 cases ever filed, the parties reached a global settlement in November 2009 to end all outstanding litigation, including AMD’s antitrust suit, two claims pending in Japan, and cross-license disputes.
Representation of Aetna in Bay Area Surgical Management et al. v. Aetna Life Insurance Company et al. (Norther District of California), where plaintiffs brought antitrust claims alleging an unlawful conspiracy to retrain trade in the healthcare market. The case was successfully settled following the court’s grant of defendants’ motion to dismiss.
Representation of Dole Food Co. in In re: Fresh and Process Potatoes Antitrust Litigation (District of Idaho), where several class action complaints were filed on behalf of direct and indirect purchasers against Dole and 19 other defendants alleging a conspiracy to restrict the supply and raise the price of fresh and process potatoes, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act and various state laws. On December 2, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho granted Dole’s motion to dismiss in full and with prejudice, dismissing Dole from the case.
Representation of Hewlett-Packard Company in Wilson v. Hewlett-Packard Co. (Northern District of California), where plaintiffs asserted a nationwide class action under California’s Unfair Competition Law (17200) and Consumers Legal Remedies Act arising out of HP’s alleged failure to disclose a defective connection between the power jack and motherboard in over 12 million notebook computers, which allegedly caused a safety risk. A complete dismissal of the case was achieved at the pleading stage. In a published decision issued on February 16, 2012, a unanimous panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal. The Ninth Circuit held that plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the safety concerns and HP’s knowledge were not sufficient to plausibly demonstrate that HP intentionally concealed an unreasonable product hazard.
Representation of VFM Leonardo, Inc. in Pro Search Plus v. VFM Leonardo (Central District of California), where plaintiff has asserted that VFM Leonardo violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act by entering into a series of allegedly “exclusive” contracts with hotels, online travel sites and other intermediaries, and by allegedly threatening potential and actual customers. The matter was successfully settled.
Representation of Hewlett-Packard Company in Zwart v. Hewlett-Packard Co. (Northern District of California), where plaintiffs asserted a nationwide consumer class action under California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act and Unfair Competition Law based on HP’s alleged fraud and deception in connection with the sale of its notebook computers. The lawsuit, filed by two individuals who had purchased HP computers at retail, alleged that the Hewlett-Packard’s website contained false representations about the capabilities of wireless cards installed in HP laptops. The plaintiffs also alleged that HP breached a warranty by description created by the website statements the plaintiffs identified. On August 23, 2011, the district court granted HP’s motion to dismiss the case in full and with prejudice. The court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the asserted claims and were unable to establish either reliance or the existence of a warranty by description.
Representation of Hewlett-Packard Company in Kowalsky v. Hewlett-Packard Co. (Northern District of California), where plaintiffs brought a nationwide consumer class action asserting violations of California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law, and False Advertising Law based on HP’s alleged false and deceptive statements in connection with the sale of its 8500 series inkjet printers. On March 15, 2012, following extensive briefing, the district court denied plaintiffs’ motion for certification of a nationwide class of consumers, and the case subsequently settled.
Representation of Hewlett-Packard Company in Baba v. Hewlett-Packard Co. (Northern District of California), where plaintiffs have asserted a nationwide consumer class action under California’s Unfair Competition Law, Consumers Legal Remedies Act, and various state warranty laws, arising out of HP’s alleged failure to disclose a defect in certain tablet notebooks. On October 12, 2012, the District Court for the Northern District of California granted HP’s motion for summary judgment as to all claims and dismissed the case.
Representation of Hewlett-Packard Company in Hughes v. Hewlett-Packard Co. (Superior Court of North Carolina, Orange County), where HP obtained a complete defense verdict in one of the first consumer class actions tried under North Carolina’s consumer protection statutes.
Representation of American Airlines in United States v. AMR Corp., 140 F. Supp. 2d 1141 (D. Kan. 2001), aff’d, 335 F.3d 1109 (10th Cir. 2003), where American obtained summary judgment in a major predatory pricing and monopolization case brought by the United States Department of Justice.
Representation of MiniMed Inc. in Infusion Resources, Inc. v. MiniMed Inc., No. 99-CV-771-C (E.D. La. 2002), aff’d, 351 F.3d 688 (5th Cir. 2003), where MiniMed obtained summary judgment in a Robinson-Patman Act and unfair competition case.
Representation of Tenet Healthcare Company in a series of class actions filed across the country alleging that the pricing practices employed at Tenet’s subsidiary hospitals violated various consumer protection statutes. A favorable settlement was achieved.

Sam received his law degree magna cum laude in 1995 from Pepperdine University, where he was a member of the Pepperdine University Law Review. Sam earned his bachelor of arts degree summa cum laude in 1992 from Andrews University.

Ruoqi Wei is an associate in the Houston office of Gibson Dunn.

She received her Juris Doctor with Honors from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2024. While at Texas Law, she participated in the Children’s Rights Clinic and worked as a research assistant. She received her Bachelor of Law, with minor in Management, from Zhejiang University of Technology in 2016 and received her Juris Master from East China University of Political Science and Law in 2018. Before she went to Texas Law, she practiced at a global law firm in China, where she focused on M&A and cross-border transactions.

Ruoqi is admitted to practice in the State of Texas.

Luke Smith is an associate in the Houston office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Private Equity, Oil and Gas, and Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Groups.

Luke advises and represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies and management teams with respect to mergers, equity and asset acquisitions, joint venture arrangements and other general corporate matters, with a particular emphasis on the energy sector.

He earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he graduated Order of the Coif and served as Notes Editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law and President of Lone Star Lawyers.

Prior to law school, Luke received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and was a Process Engineer for Valero Energy Corporation.

Lucy Carr is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Private Equity Practice Group.

Lucy brings extensive experience in a broad range of corporate transactions, with a focus on advising private equity sponsors and other financial investors.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Lucy was an associate with a major international law firm.

Lucy’s experience includes advising: *

The Carlyle Group on its acquisition of Intelliflo
The Carlyle Group on its acquisition of Meopta
The Carlyle Group on its acquisition of Tescan
Anchorage Capital Group on its €600m disposal of Ideal Standard
European Dental Group on its disposal of its European laboratory business
Clearlake Capital Group on its acquisition of Chelsea Football Club
Fortress Investment Group on its acquisition of Punch Pubs & Co.

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

Elana Jemison is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Elana advises clients on a broad range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, developments, joint ventures and financings.

Elana received her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School, with highest honors, where she was a member of The George Washington Law Review, and elected to the Order of the Coif. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics, cum laude, from Barnard College.

Elana’s experience includes representing:*

MSD Partners in connection with a $619 million construction loan for The Knox development project in Dallas
PRADA USA Corp. in its $425 million acquisition of 724 Fifth Avenue in New York City
Las Vegas Sands in its $6 billion sale of the Venetian and Palazzo integrated resorts in Las Vegas
A sovereign wealth fund in its $220 million sale of Ridge Hill, a 1.2 million square foot mixed-use lifestyle retail complex located in Yonkers, New York

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

*Includes representations prior to Elana’s association with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Eugene Wei-En Woo is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn and is a member of the firm’s Tax Practice Group.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Eugene was a tax associate at a top AmLaw firm in New York. Eugene’s practice focuses on the federal tax aspects of transactional tax matters.

Eugene earned his Juris Doctor in 2020 from New York University School of Law, where he was a staff editor in the Tax Law Review. Eugene received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a B.A. in History in 2015 from the University of California Berkeley.

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

Zachary Freund is a litigation associate in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation in both trial and appellate courts. Zach frequently represents clients from the sports, media, and entertainment sectors and has significant experience advocating for clients’ First Amendment rights, including through the defense of defamation claims and the litigation of anti-SLAPP motions. He also represents clients in a variety of business disputes and high-stakes civil litigation, in areas as varied as constitutional law, administrative law, insurance law, environmental law, and data privacy law. As an experienced trial court litigator who also regularly handles appeals, Zach has repeatedly delivered victories for his clients in the trial court and then defended those same victories on appeal.

Representative First Amendment, sports, media, and entertainment matters include:

Securing a jury verdict win for Nike in an endorsement contract dispute with NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Zach played a key role throughout the case, including by drafting Nike’s winning motions for partial summary judgment and conducting the trial examination of an important defense witness. Following the jury’s complete defense verdict in favor of Nike, AmLaw Litigation Daily recognized the Gibson Dunn team as “Litigators of the Week.”
Obtaining a complete defense victory for OpenAI on summary judgment against the first-ever defamation claim arising from generative artificial intelligence output. The Gibson Dunn team, including Zach, was named a runner-up for AmLaw Litigation Daily’s “Litigators of the Week” and received The Financial Times 2025 Award for Innovative Lawyers in Disputes & Litigation.
Successfully overturning an arbitration award on behalf of U.S. Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles in her quest to reclaim the bronze medal that was rescinded following the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, through an appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Representing The New York Times in a lawsuit against the Defense Department, challenging a Department policy that restricts reporters’ access to the Pentagon on the basis of information they seek out and publish.
Representing Warner Brothers in a high-profile contract dispute with the estate of writer Michael Crichton related to the HBO drama The Pitt.
Representing Warner Brothers and Sony in a defamation action brought by a subject of the documentary TV series Quiet on Set.
Representing NBC in a defamation action brought by Sean Combs, in connection with the Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.
Defending Nike against tort and contract claims brought by a former elite professional athlete.
Defending a leading academic publisher in a class action lawsuit concerning royalty payments for electronic textbooks.
Defending one of the world’s largest card payment organizations against defamation and business tort claims.
Representing the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a coalition of leading news outlets in amicus briefing before the Ninth Circuit regarding the availability of anti-SLAPP motions in federal diversity actions.

Other representative matters include:

Securing dismissals of multiple lawsuits challenging San Diego Gas & Electric Co.’s franchise agreements with the City of San Diego, including a summary judgment victory that The Daily Journal named as one of the Top Defense Verdicts of 2022. Zach was also the lead associate on the team that successfully defended that victory in the California Court of Appeal. See Burton v. Campbell, 106 Cal.App.5th 953 (2024).
Persuading the Ninth Circuit to reverse a district court ruling and overturn agency action by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the grounds that it was “arbitrary and capricious” and in violation of the Endangered Species Act, in a major precedential administrative law decision. See Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 67 F.4th 1027 (9th Cir. 2023).
Persuading the Ninth Circuit to affirm an eight-figure arbitration award on behalf of an international real-estate developer, in a long-running venture capital dispute. See Global Industrial Investment Ltd. v. 1955 Capital Fund I GP LLC, 2024 WL 3250369 (9th Cir. July 1, 2024).
Persuading the California Court of Appeal to vacate an eight-figure jury verdict in a personal injury case, based on prejudicial evidentiary errors. See McDonald v. Zargaryan, 117 Cal.App.5th 344 (2025).

Zach’s active pro bono practice has included impact litigation stemming from the separation of families along the U.S. southern border and representation of domestic violence victims in family court. In 2025, Zach led a trial team that helped their client obtain a domestic violence restraining order and full custody of her young children.

Zach joined Gibson Dunn after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Gerard E. Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Nicholas G. Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He previously worked as a litigation associate in the New York office of another large international law firm.

Zach graduated from Columbia Law School in 2018. At Columbia, Zach was awarded the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Prize for achieving highest academic honors in all three years, the Robert Noxan Toppan Prize for Constitutional Law, and the Hamilton Fellowship, a full-tuition merit scholarship. Zach also served as senior editor and ombudsperson of the Columbia Law Review. Zach graduated from Stanford University in 2009, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction, with majors in English and Drama, and spent most of his time putting on productions of Shakespeare plays. Before law school, he worked in the theater field for several years as a director, dramaturg, and non-profit administrator.

Zach is admitted to practice in the States of California and New York, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Ninth Circuits, and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Nick Pai is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate & Tax Practice Groups.

Nick received his Juris Doctor with High Honors from Emory University School of Law where he served as the Executive Symposium Editor of the Emory Law Journal and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Nick received a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB) degree from the National University of Singapore.

Nick is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and Singapore.

Sarah Johnson is a New Zealand qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Tax Practice Group.

She advises on a broad range of domestic and international tax matters with a particular focus on M&A and financing transactions.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Sarah worked in the London office of another major global law firm.

Emily Risher Brooks is an associate in the Tax Practice Group in Gibson Dunn’s Dallas office. Her practice focuses on federal income taxation issues related to corporations, partnerships, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and nonprofit entities.

In addition, Emily has experience with a broad range of tax matters, including mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, restructurings, and financing transactions. She also has experience with advising clients on state and local taxation (SALT) issues, as well as representing clients in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) appeals and federal income tax litigation.

Emily earned her Juris Doctor from The University of Virginia School of Law in 2021, where she served as a member of the Virginia Tax Review. She graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Prior to finishing her undergraduate degree, Emily worked for a large financial planning company, where she gained experience in individual wealth planning services and investment strategies.

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

Publications

Article – Taxing the Rich: A Discussion of Qualified Small Business Stock and the Future of Code Sec. 1202, Taxes – The Tax Magazine (June 2022)

Sherri J. Starr is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. She is currently on secondment.

Sherri advises public companies and their boards of directors on a wide range of corporate law matters, including corporate governance and other ESG matters, compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and requirements of the major U.S. stock exchanges, company policies, and shareholder proposals. She also has experience advising nonprofit organizations on issues related to corporate governance.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Sherri was an associate in the Corporate Department of another international law firm, where she advised publicly and privately held companies in a variety of corporate and securities law matters, including initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, and various corporate transactions.

She received her Juris Doctor cum laude in 2017 from Georgetown University Law Center. While in law school, Sherri was the Senior Notes Editor of the Georgetown Journal of International Law and a student attorney in the Community Justice Project Clinic. She also served as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Charles F. Lettow of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Sherri graduated summa cum laude in 2014 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Sherri is admitted to practice in the State of New York and the District of Columbia.

Theo Tyrrell is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he practises in the firm’s International Arbitration, Award Enforcement and Litigation groups.

Theo represents clients in complex international disputes involving public international law and commercial matters. His practice encompasses investment treaty and commercial arbitrations pursuant to the UNCITRAL, ICSID, ICC and LCIA Rules. He also advises clients on related proceedings before the English courts concerning the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards, as well as set-aside proceedings.

His experience spans a broad range of industries, including energy, oil and gas, mining, construction, technology and financial services.

Theo trained at Gibson Dunn, including a six‑month secondment to the EMEA litigation and regulatory investigations team of a leading global investment bank.

He holds a First Class Honours degree from the University of Bristol and completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law and the Legal Practice Course at BPP.

Representative experience:

Representing a personal care products manufacturer in an investment treaty arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules against the Republic of Venezuela, arising from currency control and price control regulations affecting the claimant’s investment.
Representing an insurance company in an investment treaty arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules against the Republic of Venezuela, arising from currency control and other regulations affecting the claimant’s investment.
Representing a major international engineering company in multi-billion-dollar ICC proceedings against a Middle Eastern state, arising from an infrastructure project.
Representing former subsidiaries of Yukos Oil in multi-billion-dollar UNCITRAL proceedings against the Russian Federation under the Energy Charter Treaty, arising from the expropriation of Yukos Oil.
Representing a gold mining company in an LCIA arbitration, arising from a failure to supply power to a mine located in an African state.
Representing four sets of different investors in renewable energy projects in four separate ICSID arbitration proceedings against the Kingdom of Spain under the Energy Charter Treaty, arising from changes to the Spanish renewable energy incentive framework.

Jack Crichton is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn, practising in the firm’s Dispute Resolution Group.

Jack has broad practice of commercial litigation and international arbitration. He has represented clients in the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, as well as in ICC and LCIA proceedings.

Jack is recognised in Legal 500 UK 2025: “This is an all-star team. Standouts include: […] Jack Crichton”.

He trained at Gibson Dunn, during which time he spent six months seconded to the firm’s Hong Kong office and six months seconded to the litigation and regulatory investigations team of a leading investment bank, and has Higher Rights of Audience.

Representative experience:

Defending a major bank in relation to both High Court litigation and proposed collective proceedings brought in the Competition Appeal Tribunal arising out of the FX investigations (including appeals to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in respect of the collective proceedings).
Defending a leading global corporation in the technology sector in collective proceedings in the Competition Appeal Tribunal alleging abuses of dominance.
Representing a global conglomerate in ICC and LCIA arbitrations (worth in excess of USD 1 billion) arising out of the supply of power generating equipment in Angola.
Acting for several defendants to claims in the High Court for over USD 280 million for fraudulent misrepresentation and unlawful means conspiracy, arising out of the alleged forgery of warehouse receipts relating to nickel traded in a series of transactions between entities in Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK and Australia.
Acting for a private equity firm’s portfolio company in the healthcare sector on judicial review proceedings arising out of decisions taken by the NHS.
Advising a private equity firm on a shareholder dispute in the Cayman Islands arising out of a deSPAC transaction.
Acting for a multinational steel manufacturer in LCIA proceedings (worth in excess of EUR 240 million) arising out of a share purchase agreement.
Advising a multinational steel manufacturer as creditor in liquidation proceedings.

Karen Spindler is a corporate partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn where her practice focuses on advising life sciences companies and investors on a variety of intellectual property transactions. Karen represents the full spectrum of companies in the life sciences sector, including companies operating in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biologics, diagnostics, and medical devices.

Karen has considerable experience structuring complex strategic collaboration and partnering transactions, including co-development, co-commercialization and joint venture arrangements, and advising on manufacturing and supply agreements, services arrangements, and academic licenses.

In addition, Karen regularly counsels investors and operating companies on complex IP issues arising in the context of corporate transactions (including mergers, product acquisitions, product spin-outs and other structured M&A transactions), and financial investors and company sellers in royalty monetizations.

Select Representative Matters – Strategic Collaborations and Royalty Monetizations

Merck & Co., Inc. in various collaboration and alliance transactions across therapeutic areas
Sage Therapeutics in its (i) collaboration with Biogen for zuranolone (SAGE-217) and SAGE-324 in psychiatric and neurological disorders, valued in excess of $1.525 billion (the fourth largest biopharma transaction of 2020), and (ii) collaboration with Shionogi to accelerate development of SAGE-217 in key Asian markets for major depressive disorder and other indications, valued at in excess of $575 million
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in its (i) exclusive license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline to develop and commercialize ARO-HSD, Arrowhead’s Phase 1/2 RNA interference therapeutic for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in all territories except Greater China, with a $120 million upfront and potential milestone and royalty payments in excess of $910 million, (ii) formation of joint venture, Visirna Therapeutics, with Vivo Capital and exclusive license to Visirna to develop and commercialize certain of Arrowhead’s RNA interference therapeutics for cardiometabolic diseases in Greater China, and (iii) global collaboration with Takeda to develop ARO-AAT investigational RNA interference therapy to treat alpha-1 antitrypsin-associated liver disease, with a $300 million upfront and potential milestone and royalty payments in excess of $740 million
Roivant Sciences in its (i) license agreement with Eisai for exclusive worldwide rights to Eisai’s anticancer splicing modulator small molecule H3B-8800, and (ii) strategic collaboration with Affimed to in-license AFM32 and access Affimed’s Redirected Optimized Cell Killing (ROCK®) platform to develop and commercialize novel ICE® molecules for oncology uses, with Affimed receiving $60 million upfront and potential milestone and royalty payments in excess of $2 billion
InnoCare Pharma in its (i) collaboration with Biogen for orelabrutinib (a BTK inhibitor), with a $125 million upfront and potential milestone and royalty payments in excess of $812.5 million, and (ii) in-license with Incyte for rights to tafasitamab (a CD19 targeting monoclonal antibody) in Greater China, with Incyte receiving $35 million upfront and potential milestone and royalty payments in excess of $82.5 million
Selecta Biosciences in its (i) strategic license agreement with Takeda for applications of Selecta’s ImmTOR™ platform to develop gene therapies for lysosomal storage disorders, with Selecta eligible to receive up to $1.12 billion, (ii) global agreement with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB for SEL-212 for the treatment of chronic refractory gout, with a $100 million upfront and potential milestone and royalty payments in excess of $630 million, and (iii) option & license agreement with Sarepta Therapeutics to develop and commercialize Selecta’s ImmTOR™ platform with gene therapy candidates for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and certain limb-girdle muscular dystrophies
Ginkgo Bioworks in (i) the formation of all new companies by its $350 million Ferment Consortium, including: Joyn Bio (plant microbiome), Motif FoodWorks (food ingredients), Allonnia (waste remediation), Arcaea (beauty), Ayana Bio (bioactives), and Verb Biotics (probiotics), (ii) its collaboration with Synlogic to accelerate its pipeline of Synthetic Biotic medicines using Ginkgo’s cell programming platform providing an $80 million equity investment in Synlogic and a $30 million payment to Ginkgo for research and development, and (iii) its alliance with Genomatica for bio-based production of intermediate chemicals
Berkeley Lights in its strategic collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific to accelerate and improve the development and manufacturing of stable AAV (Adeno-Associated Viral) and LV (Lentiviral) vector producer cell lines
Arvelle Therapeutics in its licensing agreement with SK Biopharmaceuticals obtaining exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Cenobamate® in Europe valued up to $530 million
Arvinas in agreements with Bayer to jointly launch a company to leverage Arvinas’ PROTAC® technology for agricultural applications and to leverage Arvinas’ novel PROTAC® protein degrader technology to develop human therapeutics in certain indications, for a value of over $110 million in cash and committed funding for the human disease collaboration, the agricultural JV, and an equity investment in Arvinas
Corbus Pharmaceuticals in its strategic collaboration with Kaken Pharmaceutical granting exclusive rights to commercialize Lenabasum® in Japan for systemic sclerosis and dermatomyositis valued up to $200 million
Ambys Medicines in its global strategic partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical under which Takeda commits $100 million to pioneer development of first in class liver therapies, including participation in Ambys’ Series A financing
Royalty Pharma in its purchases of royalties in transactions, including (i) Blueprint Medicines’ $1.25 billion strategic financing collaborations with Sixth Street and Royalty Pharma, (ii) its $240 million acquisition of the worldwide royalties for Oxlumo® from Dicerna, (iii) its up to $270 million upfront, equity and loan arrangement with Epizyme and $330 million agreement with Eisai, for the worldwide royalties to tazemetostat, (iv) its $320 million acquisition of the EU, U.K. and Swiss royalties for Crysvita® from Ultragenyx, (v) its $827 million acquisition of the worldwide royalties to Promacta® (eltrombopag) from Ligand Pharmaceuticals, (vi) synthetic royalty financings totaling more than $2 billion with BioHaven, Immunomedics, Sanofi and other confidential counterparties, and (vii) its $3.3 billion purchase of Ivacaftor® royalty rights from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Ultragenyx in its $500 million sale of part of U.S. royalties for Crysvita® to Omers Capital Markets
Other biotech clients on licensing foundational IP assets from universities and other academic entities

Select Representative Matters – M&A and Financings

Ginkgo Bioworks in its acquisition of the assets of Project Beacon COVID-19 LLC, integrating Project Beacon’s capabilities with Ginkgo’s Concentric offering to support widespread COVID-19 monitoring through biosecurity and public health
Atara Biotherapeutics in the sale to Fujifilm Holdings Corp. of Atara’s T-cell operations and manufacturing facility for a $100 million upfront and the execution of a long-term supply agreement with Fujifilm for T-cell immunotherapy development
OtiTopic, a drug development company with a late-stage inhalable, in its sale to Philip Morris International
Assertio Therapeutics in a stock-for-stock merger to acquire Zyla Life Sciences
SentreHeart in its sale to AtriCure for up to $300 million in upfront and earnout payments
Ocera Therapeutics in its sale to Mallinckrodt in a cash tender offer, plus contingent value right
TPG’s The Rise Fund in connection with (i) the $145 million Series B financing of Rallybio, and (ii) the $35 million Series A of Sling Therapeutics, Inc.
KKR Healthcare Growth Fund in its investment in Biosynth Carbosynth and Biosynth Carbosynth’s acquisition of Vivitide
BVF Partners in connection with (i) the $102 million Series B financing of Plexium, and (ii) the $40 million Series B financing of Elektrofi

*Includes matters prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Recognition

Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® 2022-2025 as Lawyer of the Year in Biotechnology and Life Sciences (San Francisco)
Nominated by LMG Life Sciences as “Licensing & Collaboration Attorney of the Year” 2021, 2022 and 2025
“Life Sciences Star” by Euromoney Legal Media Group for licensing and collaboration expertise in the life sciences industry (every year since 2012)
One of the world’s leading 1000 patent practitioners by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) (every year since 2012)

Before joining the firm, Karen was a partner at another international law firm for several years in its San Francisco office. Prior, she was a partner at an Am Law 100 law firm in its San Francisco and Palo Alto offices. Karen received her law degree, magna cum laude, from Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and Senior Production editor of the Computer & High Technology Law Journal. She received her B.S. in biology with honors from Stanford University.

Michelle Zhu is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where she primarily practices in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group with a focus on patent litigation.

Michelle previously served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Leonard P. Stark of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She earned her Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School, where she was an Honors Fellow and an Articles Editor for the Cornell Law Review. While in law school, she also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Denny Chin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Duke University.

Michelle is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, Washington, D.C., and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. She is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mike Buchwald is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. Mike focuses on complex antitrust matters, including merger reviews, investigations, and civil litigation involving the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Mike’s notable representations from his time at a prior firm include:

Amedisys, in antitrust merger litigation brought by the Department of Justice challenging $3.3 billion sale to Optum.
Spirit Airlines, in a variety of matters, including its proposed sales to both Frontier and JetBlue.
Mastercard, in a variety of matters, including its acquisitions of Ekata, CipherTrace, and Dynamic Yield.
KPS Capital Partners, in its divestiture purchase of the porcelain enamel, glass coatings, forehearth colorants and frit-based metallurgical products businesses of Prince International Corporation.
Shopify, in its $2.1 billion acquisition of Deliverr.
Subscriber Plaintiffs, in $2.67 billion settlement of In re Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation.

Mike received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif and served as a senior editor of the Pennsylvania Law Review and co-editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law & Innovation. Mike earned a Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude from Cornell University.

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

Rob Walters is a nationally recognized trial and antitrust lawyer. He has served as lead trial counsel in some of the country’s highest-profile disputes, including the DOJ’s challenge to AT&T’s $114 billion acquisition of Time Warner, LIV Golf’s antitrust action against the PGA Tour, and many others. Rob also engages in crisis management in high-stakes matters, including coordinating with boards of directors and interacting with the media; conducts corporate investigations; and (3) advises on the antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions. He previously served as managing partner of Gibson Dunn’s Texas offices and as a member of the firm’s worldwide Executive Committee. Rob also served from 2008-2012 as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Energy Future Holdings, then the nation’s largest electric generation, transmission, and retail company. Rob serves on the board of directors of Vistra Corp., the Communities Foundation of Texas, the University of Texas Law School Foundation, the University of Texas Plan II Board of Visitors, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund, and the Dallas Citizens Council (and formerly chaired). Rob is retired from the firm’s equity partnership.

Representative Matters*

Served as trial counsel to AT&T in the Department of Justice’s antitrust challenge to AT&T’s $114 billion acquisition of Time Warner, Inc.
Served as trial counsel to LIV Golf in its antitrust action against the PGA Tour.
Served as trial counsel in the successful defense of a multi-billion dollar fraud and fiduciary duty claim stemming from the construction of a $10 billion refinery project.
Served as trial counsel in Aetna’s successful prosecution of federal antitrust claims against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan stemming from its use of “MFN-Plus” contracting arrangements.
Served as trial counsel to Tenet Healthcare in its 2011 successful takeover defense litigation under federal securities laws against Community Health Systems in an approximately $7 billion hostile tender offer for Tenet Healthcare.
Served as trial counsel to J.C. Penney in federal securities and derivative litigation stemming from public disclosure issues related to corporate reorganization and operations.
Served as trial counsel in successfully defending Blockbuster in antitrust litigation brought by thousands of independent video retailers claiming revenue-sharing agreements negotiated between Blockbuster and the Hollywood studios violated federal and state antitrust laws and seeking billions of dollars in damages.
Served as trial counsel to Intel Corporation in class securities litigation stemming from its $8 billion acquisition of McAfee Inc. Secured summary judgment on all counts in October 2012 and on the eve of trial.
Served as trial counsel for the City of Dallas in antitrust litigation stemming from the 2006 Wright Amendment Reform Act, which modified the restrictions on flights from Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Rob represented both the City of Dallas before Congress in securing the Wright Amendment Reform Act and as lead counsel in defeating private antitrust litigation stemming from the Act.
Served as trial counsel to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in the Workers’ Compensation Antitrust Litigation, which was comprised of over forty class actions against dozens of insurers claiming industry conspiracies to pass on billions of dollars in “residual market loads.” The insurer defendants chose Rob to act as lead trial counsel in multiple class certification hearings in federal and state courts throughout the country. Defendants successfully defeated class certification in each venue.
Served as trial counsel to CBS Outdoor in RICO and fraud litigation brought by independent billboard companies seeking hundreds of millions in damages. After a three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict of less than $2 million, which the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals further reduced on appeal.
Served as trial counsel in defending a real estate partnership in a fraud and contract dispute over a portfolio of investment properties. The jury returned a verdict for defendants on all claims and awarded defendants attorneys’ fees.
Served as trial counsel to Life Insurance Company of Georgia in a fraud action against Electronic Data Systems in which Life of Georgia secured a multi-million dollar trial verdict, which it sustained on appeal to the Fifth Circuit.
Served as trial counsel to Blockbuster in approximately twenty-five class actions across the nation challenging Blockbuster’s “extended viewing fees” as impermissible penalties. The matters resolved favorably.
Served as trial counsel to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in the Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation. Then Attorney General Elliot Spitzer of New York charged major insurance companies with bid rigging and illegal contingent commissions on commercial insurance sales. Various regulatory actions led to companies paying hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds and fines and also to numerous class actions. At the behest of defendants, Rob served in court as lead counsel for the insurer defendants. The insurer defendants favorably resolved the matter.
Served as trial counsel for Blockbuster in a contract and business tort action stemming from production of the film “Monster.”
Served as trial counsel to Energy Transportation Systems, Inc. in antitrust litigation against major western railroads for conspiring to monopolize the transportation of coal from the Powder River Basin to utilities in the Southwest. A two-month trial resulted in a verdict of $1.1 billion for plaintiffs.

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

Rob received his Bachelor of Arts degree (Plan II Interdisciplinary Honors) summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983, graduating magna cum laude and serving on the Texas Law Review.

Professional Recognition

Lawdragon 2024 Hall of Fame Honoree
Lawdragon 500 “Leading Lawyers in America” and “Leading Trial Lawyers in America”
The American Lawyer’s “Forty-Five Lawyers Under 45: Rising Stars in the Law”
The National Law Journal’s “Top Forty Lawyers in America Under Forty”
Texas Monthly’s “Top 100 Lawyers in Texas”
Recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as a leading lawyer in antitrust and competition law and in general commercial litigation (Band 1)
The Best Lawyers in America (antitrust, bet-the-company, and commercial litigation)
Texas Lawyer’s Professional Excellence Awards “Distinguished Leader” for “lawyers who have made their mark on the legal profession in the Lone Star State”
Best Lawyers Dallas “Lawyer of the Year” for Antitrust Law (2014)
Dallas Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Energy”
Dallas Business Journal’s “Leading Energy Lawyer”
Recognized by Global Counsel Competition Law Handbook as among “America’s Best Antitrust Lawyers”
Recognized by Global Counsel Dispute Resolution Handbook as among “America’s Best Trial Lawyers”
Recognized by Super Lawyer rankings as among the nation’s “Top Ten Antitrust Lawyers”
Recognized by Global Competition Review as being among the world’s leading competition lawyers
Featured in The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers
Recognized as “Texas’s Best Antitrust Lawyer” by Texas Lawyer
D Magazine “Best Lawyers in Dallas” (business litigation and antitrust) and 2010 General Counsel of the Year
University of Texas Law Alumni Association Meritorious Service Award (2014)
ADL Jurisprudence Award (2009)

Professional Activities

American Law Institute
Dallas Bar Foundation
Texas Bar Foundation
The Center for American and International Law, Member
Higginbotham Inn of Court, Barrister
ABA Antitrust Section, Trial Practice Committee Chair
Council of the ABA Antitrust Section, Member
Dallas Bar Association, Antitrust Section Council Chair
ABA Antitrust Section (Strategic Task Force, Fuels and Energy Industry Committee Chair, Publications Committee Co-Chair, Regulated Industries Committee Vice-Chair, Assistant to Chair)
Texas Jury Project, Chair

Rob lectures on the antitrust laws and trial of complex litigation. He served as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University School of Law on trial advocacy and at the University of Texas School of Law on energy policy and law.

Civic Activities

Dallas Citizens Council, Chair
Klyde Warren Park Foundation Board, Vice Chairman
Dallas Police and Fire Pension Board
University of Texas School of Law Board of Trustees
University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council, Executive Committee
Dallas Council on World Affairs, Board of Directors
UT Austin, College of Liberal Arts Foundation Board
UT Law School Alumni Association Board
UT Plan II Alumni Board, Founding Member

Representative Publications

“Trial of a Securities Class Action” (Chapter 12), PLI Securities Litigation Handbook, 2013
“The Trial of Securities Actions” (Chapter 11), PLI Securities Litigation Handbook, 2013
“Advantages and Pitfalls in Corporate Representative Depositions,” Corporate Counsel Review, South Texas College of Law, Spring 2008
“Corporate Representative Depositions in Intellectual Property Disputes,” IP Litigator, Aspen Publishers and Wolters Kluwer, December 2007
2005 Burton Award for Legal Writing (with Mark Curriden). The Burton Award is jointly given by The American Lawyer, Library of Congress, and the Burton Foundation in recognition of exemplary legal writing.
“Jury of Our Peers: An Unfulfilled Constitutional Promise,” (with Mark Curriden), SMU Law Review, Volume 58, No. 2, Spring 2005
“A Jury of One’s Peers? Investigating Underrepresentation in Jury Venires,” American Bar Association Judge’s Journal, Vol. 43, No. 4, Fall 2004
“A Guide to the Electric and Gas Industries,” Energy Antitrust Handbook, ABA Press, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, 2002

Representative Instruction

ABA Antitrust Section “Chair’s Showcase”: Trial of an Antitrust Case (at George Mason University Law School Law and Economics Institute Seminar for Federal Judiciary)
Gibson Dunn Forum, “Game Changers: Successful Strategies in High Stakes Litigation and Appeals”
University of Texas School of Law, Adjunct Professor, “Powering America: Transactions and Regulation in the U.S. Power Sector”
Dallas City Attorney’s Office Legal Seminars, “Production of Electronic Documents Under the New Federal Rules”
Texas Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Course, “Corporate Representative Depositions under Texas and Federal Rules”
ABA Section of Antitrust Law Fall Forum, “Class Certification in Antitrust Actions,” National Press Center, Washington, D.C.
American Law Institute Program of Instruction in Beijing and Shanghai, China: “Introduction of United States Antitrust and Competition Laws” (for Chinese government and private lawyers