Johanna E. Smith is an associate in Gibson Dunn’s Houston office.

Johanna practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, where she represents and counsels clients through the entire lifecycle of complex litigation.

Johanna has represented clients in state and federal court across the country in a wide range of subject matters—from technology and real estate to energy, entertainment, and financial services.

Recent Representative Matters:

  • Gray Development and Gray Services v. ZOM Holdings Inc. Trial counsel in a twelve-day jury trial in Phoenix, winning a $296 million verdict for Arizona developers Gray Development and Gray Services. The case involved ZOM’s misuse of Gray’s proprietary development plans and breach of non-circumvention and non-disclosure agreements. The American Lawyer recognized the team as “Litigators of the Week.”
  • Energy Transfer LP & Dakota Access LLC v. Greenpeace – Trial counsel in a landmark defamation and trespass case resulting in a $667 million jury verdict, the largest in North Dakota history. The American Lawyer recognized the team with its “Litigator of the Week” honors.
  • Won judgment on the pleadings and dismissal for a social media company based on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
  • Defended commodities trading house in electricity market-related FERC civil enforcement action.
  • Represented enterprise software company in breach-of-contract dispute.
  • Defended social media company in case of first impression interpreting Texas’s biometrics law.
  • Represented energy company in breach-of-contract dispute relating to petrochemical terminal ownership.

Before joining the firm, Johanna served as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger L. Wollman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Johanna earned her law degree magna cum laude from Washington University School of Law, where she served as Executive Notes Editor for the Journal of Law & Policy and worked as a research assistant to Professor John D. Inazu. She graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif. Johanna received her Bachelor of Arts in Government from Patrick Henry College, graduating summa cum laude with highest honors.

Johanna is a member of the Texas bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Texas.

Jonathan Abrams-Soni is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, where he is a member of the firm’s Transactional Department. His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors, their portfolio companies, and public companies on a wide range of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and corporate governance matters.

Jonathan graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School, where he served as an online editor of the George Washington Law Review. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, where he completed a double major in Economics and Strategy and Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management, with a minor in Political Science.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, he was an associate in the New York office of another major international law firm.

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

Wyatt Hayden is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn, where he currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Wyatt earned his J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School in 2025. There, he served as a Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and a resident advisor to Harvard College undergraduates. Prior to law school, Wyatt spent several years working at a management consultancy in D.C. Wyatt graduated from Harvard College with a degree in History & Literature in 2019.

Wyatt is a member of the Texas bar.

Tehute Habte is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Practice Group.

Tehute earned her Juris Doctor in 2025 from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where she served as an Associate Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law. While in law school, she also served as a member of the Black Law Students Association Executive Board, student attorney for the Transnational Legal Clinic, and extern for Esperanza Immigration Legal Services. Tehute earned the Certificate in Management from the Wharton School.

Tehute graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

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

Steven A. H. Green is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Transportation and Space and Finance Practice Groups.

Steven has a broad range of asset finance experience, predominantly in the aviation sector, advising major financial institutions, equity investors, leasing companies and operators on the sale and purchase, leasing and financing of moveable assets, including commercial aircraft, business and corporate jets and helicopters.

He was recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2025 guide for Transport: Finance and Leasing.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Steven worked in the London office of another international law firm, specialising in global transportation finance.

Findlay Thompson is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and is a member of the firm’s Projects Practice Group.

Findlay has a broad practice, acting for major sponsors and lenders on a range of transactions and projects, including downstream project development and project finance. He also has experience advising on projects-focused M&A transactions.

Findlay read History at the University of Oxford before studying at BPP University, where he obtained a Graduate Diploma in Law and also completed the Legal Practice Course.

Zoe B. Hutchinson is an associate in the Washington, DC office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she currently practices in the firms’ Antitrust Practice Group. Ms. Hutchinson’s practice focuses on counseling clients on antitrust risk in proposed mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other business transactions. Her work includes managing responses to inquiries and investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, and state attorneys general related to antitrust concerns including Merger Second Request, FTC 6(b) industry study, Robinson-Patman Act, and Clayton Act Section 8 interlocking directorate investigations. She has counseled clients across multiple industries including healthcare and life sciences, oil & energy, waste, technology and social media, and consumer goods. She is currently on secondment.

Ms. Hutchinson received her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where she graduated cum laude and served as Notes Editor on the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics and Logistics Director for Georgetown’s Appellate Advocacy program. Prior to receiving her Juris Doctor, Ms. Hutchinson worked with FTI Consulting as a Senior Consultant in Electronic Discovery, developing solutions for a broad range of complex discovery matters across litigation and investigation fields.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Ms. Hutchinson practiced with another major law firm as a member of the Global Antitrust and Competition Practice from 2016 to 2023. Ms. Hutchinson is admitted to practice in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Gerry Spedale is a partner in the Houston office of Gibson Dunn where he practices in the firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group. He has a broad corporate practice, advising on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, capital markets transactions and corporate governance. He has extensive experience advising public companies, private companies, investment banks and private equity groups. With over 30 years of experience covering a broad range of industries, Gerry focuses on the energy industry, including upstream, midstream, downstream, oilfield services and utilities.

Awards and Accolades:

  • Chambers USA, “Capital Markets: Debt & Equity” (2019 – 2025)
  • The Best Lawyers in America, “Securities/Capital Markets Law” (2012 – 2026)
  • Lawdragon, “500 Leading Energy Lawyers” (2023 – 2025)
  • Texas Super Lawyers, “Securities & Corporate Finance”, “Mergers & Acquisitions” (2019 – 2020, 2023 – 2025)

Representative Clients and Transactions:

  • Advised CenterPoint Energy, Inc. on its pending $2.62 billion sale of its Ohio Natural Gas business to National Fuel Gas
  • Advised Dynamix Corporation on its pending business combination with The Ether Reserve, LLC
  • Advised Juniper Capital on the combination of its Upstream Rocky Mountain portfolio companies and PEDEVCO Corp.
  • The Conflicts Committee of Delek Logistics on the purchase of a joint venture interest in the Wink to Webster Pipeline
  • Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. in connection with its conversion from a master limited partnership to a C-Corporation
  • Dril-Quip, Inc., a developer, manufacturer, and provider of highly engineered equipment, service and innovative technologies for use in the energy industry, on its merger with Innovex Downhole Solutions, Inc.
  • Oaktree Capital Management L.P. in connection with its joint $460 million ESG-aligned asset backed securitization transaction with Diversified Energy Company
  • SilverBow Resources, Inc. in its acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Sundance Energy, an operator of onshore oil and gas exploration properties, for a purchase price of $354 million paid through a mix of cash and SilverBow stock
  • Oxy Low Carbon Ventures on (i) its purchase of Series G-1 preferred stock in Newlight Technologies, a leader in decarbonization technology, and (ii) its equity investment in Cemvita Factory, a company focused on transforming CO2 into value-added products
  • TLG Acquisition One Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, in its merger with Electriq Power, a provider of intelligent energy storage and management for homes and small businesses
  • Chief E&D Holdings, LP and Tug Hill, Inc. in the $2.65 billion acquisition by Chesapeake Energy Corporation of Chief E&D Holdings and associated interests held by affiliates of Tug Hill
  • USD Partners LP in the sale of its Casper rail terminal to South 49 Holdings Ltd., a member of the Midstream Energy Partners group of companies

Gerry earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude in 1993 from Tulane University Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He graduated cum laude in 1990 from Louisiana State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Brian W. Anderson is a litigation associate in the Orange County office of Gibson Dunn where he is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department, the Antitrust and Competition Practice Group, and the Class Action Practice Group. His practice focuses on antitrust litigation as well as civil litigation in various substantive areas of law.

Representative antitrust experience:

  • Represented through trial a top electronics company facing antitrust complaints attacking the core of its business mode
  • Represented a software platform operator in two parallel antitrust class actions brought on behalf of third party software developers and consumers in which one class was denied class certification and the other class entered a settlement favorable to the client
  • Helped navigate a large technology company through a successful summary judgment motion resulting in the complete dismissal of all antitrust claims
  • Represented a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in antitrust class action litigation arising out of ANDA patent litigation
  • Represented a prominent health insurance company in antitrust class action litigation brought against it by independent pharmacies

Representative litigation experience:

  • Asserted nearly two dozen patents on behalf of a preeminent biopharmaceutical company in two different parallel suits, successfully opposing a critical preliminary injunction and helped navigate both cases to favorable settlement
  • Represented one of California’s largest farms in a labor dispute against an absent union
  • Represented a technology company in seeking reconsideration of a decision from the United States Supreme Court on constitutional grounds
  • Provided legal advice to a Southern California municipality regarding a dispute with a mobile electric scooter rental service
  • Provided key damages analysis for one of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies in a patent dispute which resulted in a favorable settlement
  • Represented the manufacturer of highway safety devices in a string of half-a-dozen products liability suits, simultaneously
  • Conducted an investigation into an incident regarding a possible oil spill on behalf of large energy company
  • Helped navigate a large university to settle complaints from dozens of individual plaintiffs regarding alleged unlawful actions by one of its employees

* Includes experience from prior to joining Gibson Dunn

He earned his law degree in 2017 from the UCLA School of Law where he was the Deputy Chief Managing Editor of the Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs. During law school, Brian also served as International Chair of Student Chapters, overseeing all student chapters of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, worldwide. He graduated in 2014 from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree where he was a dual major in International Relations and Russian. Having lived in Ukraine for two years, Brian maintains conversational Russian language skills. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate with Irell & Manella LLP.

Brian is a member of the California Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as well as the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Stella Simpson is a New Zealand qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

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

Lori Zyskowski is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s New York office and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. Lori advises public companies, their boards of directors, and committees on corporate governance matters, securities disclosure and compliance issues, shareholder engagement and activism matters, shareholder proposals, environmental, social and governance matters, and executive compensation practices.

Lori’s practice focuses on fiduciary duties, oversight of enterprise risks, director independence, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements, proxy statements, annual shareholders meetings, proxy advisory services, and executive compensation disclosure best practices. Lori also advises on board succession planning, board evaluations, and has considerable experience advising nonprofit organizations on governance matters.

Awards and Accolades:

  • Chambers USA, “Securities: Regulation: Advisory” (2024 – 2025)
  • Lawdragon, “500 Leading Dealmakers” (2024 – 2026)
  • Expert Guides, “World’s Leading Women in Business Law” (2021 – 2022)

Lori is a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel, an organization of leading corporate governance lawyers from the U.S. and Canada. She is a frequent speaker on governance, proxy and securities disclosure panels and is very active in the corporate governance community. She is a former member of the board of directors of the Society for Corporate Governance and previously served as the President of its New York Chapter.

She graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1996 and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Lori received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Lori served as internal securities and corporate counsel at several large publicly traded companies, providing a unique insight and perspective on the issues that her clients face.

Jared S. Greenberg is an associate in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, white collar defense, investigations, and aerospace. Jared is recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Health Care Law, Government Relations and Commercial Litigation, and has been listed in the publication since 2021. He also received the 2017 Attorney of the Year award from the Public Law Center for his involvement in a successful federal jury trial.

Jared has experience with litigation matters related to technology, aerospace, entertainment, gaming, pharmaceuticals, meat packing, securities law, torts, contracts and civil rights. He also has experience representing technology, healthcare, education, oil and gas, and financial clients during investigations by the U.S. government, including the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Jared has a strong pro bono practice and is committed to community involvement. He secured restraining orders on behalf of victims of domestic violence, and helped an individual obtain a half-million-dollar jury verdict for First and Eighth Amendment violations. Jared also co-founded a nonprofit organization to combat human trafficking, which helped hundreds of trafficking survivors and raised over $10 million. He has been featured on the Tyra Banks Show, Marie Claire magazine, and other notable publications for his pro bono activities.

Jared earned his law degree from Stanford Law, where he was named a Pro Bono Distinction Graduate. He was elected as a Student Law Association representative, served at the Stanford Community Law Clinic, received a Stanford Law fellowship, and received the Giles Rich Award from the Federal Circuit Bar Association.

Jared received his bachelor’s degree in Management from the United States Air Force Academy. The U.S. Air Force Academy awarded him with the Distinguished Management Major Award, and the Civil Air Patrol Award recognizing his academic achievements.

Prior to law school, Jared was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and a management consultant.

Jared currently lives in Monument, Colorado, with his wife and two young children. During his free time, he can be found at the Colorado Springs Zoo, feeding giraffes, with his family.

Jared is a member of the State Bar of Colorado and The State Bar of California.

Recent Publications

Ming Lee Newcomb is an associate in the Denver office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department. Prior to joining the firm, she clerked for the Honorable William W. Hood, III, of the Colorado Supreme Court.

Ming Lee earned her law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 2022, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. During law school, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Colorado Law Review. She also received the Chief Justice Luis D. Rovira Scholarship, which is awarded by the constitutional law faculty to the year’s most outstanding constitutional law scholar. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English, with honors, from Colorado College.

Prior to law school, Ming Lee worked as a professional writer and editor and has co-authored multiple research-based books on best practices for K-12 teachers.

Ming Lee is admitted to the state bar of Colorado and to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

Rosemary “Ro” Spaziani is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Ro is recognized a leading practitioner in the financial institution space with experience advising U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions on the full spectrum of transactional, governance, regulatory and supervisory matters, including complex mergers and acquisitions and enforcement actions.

Prior to joining the firm, Ro was a managing director at Goldman Sachs, where she served as the global head of the bank regulatory, deposits and transaction banking legal practice groups. In such capacity, she was responsible for a number of strategic acquisitions and builds, including the acquisition of the retail deposit platform and the development and launch of the global transaction banking business.

She routinely represents clients before the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and state regulators. She  regularly advises clients in the establishment of commercial relationships to between banks and financial companies, as well as the creation and development of new deposit, digital asset and payments platforms.

Recent notable experience includes:*

  • Representation of Wise plc in its application to establish a de novo national trust bank;
  • Representation of Capital One Financial Corporation in its acquisition of Discover Financial Services;
  • Representation of Bank of Montreal in its acquisition of Bank of the West;
  • Representation of a group of private investors in the investment of EverBank, N.A. (formerly TIAA Bank);
  • Representation of a fiat-backed stablecoin issuer on regulatory matters; and
  • Representation of global payments companies in developing their U.S. strategy.

Most recently, Ro was at a major U.S. law firm, where she focused on bank mergers and acquisitions. Ro serves on the board of The Acting Company and is admitted to practice in New York.

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

Amanda L. LeSavage is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. Amanda is a member of the firm’s Litigation; Appellate and Constitutional Law; Labor and Employment; Media, Entertainment, and Technology; and White Collar Defense and Investigations practice groups. Her practice focuses on high-stakes trial and appellate litigation and arbitration. She represents clients in a broad range of industries, including entertainment, healthcare, life sciences, and technology.

Amanda maintains an active pro bono practice focused on civil rights and constitutional claims, gun safety litigation, and immigration matters. She represents peaceful protesters seeking redress for a government-led attack during the June 2020 Lafayette Park demonstration. Amanda also successfully represented Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in an administrative law challenge, compelling the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to properly regulate AR-style “ghost guns.” Additionally, she played a key role in securing a significant settlement under the Federal Tort Claims Act for a former ICE detainee who was assaulted by an ICE officer.

Amanda served as a law clerk to the Honorable Julio M. Fuentes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable Naomi Reice Buchwald of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In 2019, she received her Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. During law school, Amanda served as a law clerk to United States Senator Amy Klobuchar on the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. She also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law & Public Affairs and on the Moot Court Board. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Amanda is a member of the board of directors of Unique People Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing transitional and supportive housing for individuals with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and HIV/AIDS. She is also an active member of the Federal Bar Council.

Amanda is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the District of Columbia.

Jackson A. Akselrad is a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Jackson earned his law degree from Yale Law School, where he participated in the criminal defense and veterans legal services clinics. He was also a student extern in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and State’s Attorney’s Office in New Haven. Jackson earned his undergraduate degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Chicago in 2015. Prior to attending law school, Jackson worked at the Central Intelligence Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency.

Jackson is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.

Mark K. Schonfeld is a litigation partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn and co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s Securities Enforcement Practice Group. He is also a member of the firm’s Crisis Management, Accounting Firm Advisory and Defense and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups.

Mr. Schonfeld’s practice focuses on the representation of financial institutions, public companies, hedge funds, accounting firms and private equity firms in investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ), States Attorneys General, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and other regulatory organizations. Mr. Schonfeld also conducts internal investigations and counsels clients on compliance and corporate governance matters.

Benchmark Litigation recognizes Mr. Schonfeld as a Securities “Litigation Star.” For ten years in a row, he has been ranked as a leading lawyer in Securities Regulation and Enforcement by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Chambers highlights client praise for Mr. Schonfeld’s “invaluable current knowledge of agency practice, procedure and personalities active at the SEC” and notes he is “such a calm influence with clients, but a forceful and persuasive advocate with the commission.” He is “one of the best lawyers in this space” and “a very strategic, seasoned professional. He’s measured, thoughtful and incredibly proactive in terms of keeping clients updated. He’s detail-oriented and produces extremely high quality work.” Mr. Schonfeld has been recognized by Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) for Business Crime Defence in 2023 and 2024, and as a leading lawyer in Investigations in its Thought Leaders: USA 2024 and 2025 guides. Additionally, he has been named by Benchmark Litigation as a New York “Litigation Star” (2026), and named as a Who’s Who Legal Thought Leader in Investigations by Global Investigations Review (GIR) in its 2024 Investigations Guide. Mr. Schonfeld is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Securities Law360.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Schonfeld concluded a 12-year career with the SEC, the last four years as the Director of the New York Regional Office, the largest of the SEC’s regional offices. Mr. Schonfeld oversaw professional staff of nearly 400 enforcement attorneys, accountants, investigators and compliance examiners engaged in the investigation and prosecution of enforcement actions and the performance of compliance inspections of more than 4,000 SEC registered financial institutions in the region. Mr. Schonfeld led the New York Office through one of the most vibrant and rapidly evolving periods in the history of the SEC and securities law enforcement and brought many of SEC’s major landmark cases dealing with complex accounting fraud, mutual fund trading, hedge fund abuses, foreign bribery, insider trading and market manipulation.

Mr. Schonfeld received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1988 and his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, and with Highest Distinction from the University of Rochester in 1984. Following law school, Mr. Schonfeld was a law clerk for the Honorable Ellsworth A. Van Graafeiland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following his clerkship and before joining the SEC, Mr. Schonfeld was a litigator in private practice.

Mr. Schonfeld is a frequent public speaker to legal and industry practitioners and commentator on television and radio, and has participated in international training programs for foreign financial regulators and law enforcement agencies. He is a past recipient of the SEC Chairman’s Award for Excellence and the Capital Markets Award. He is a member of the New York and Massachusetts State Bars, the New York State Bar Association and the Committee on White Collar Criminal Litigation, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Federal Bar Council.

Representative Matters

  • Successfully represented a hedge fund adviser in an SEC investigation of the valuation of illiquid investments. Following multiple presentation to the staff, the SEC closed the investigation
  • Successfully represented a hedge fund adviser in an SEC investigation of order marking compliance. Following multiple presentation to the staff, the SEC closed the investigation.
  • Successfully represented one of the nation’s largest energy companies in an investigation of accounting and financial reporting issues. Following multiple presentations to the staff, the SEC closed the investigation.
  • Successfully represented a private equity fund management company and its principal in an investigation of allocation of expenses between the management company and client funds. Following extensive investigation, persuaded the SEC to close the investigation with no action.
  • Successfully represented the head of investor relations of a Fortune 100 company in an investigation of potential violations of Regulation FD. Following multiple presentations and submissions, persuaded the SEC not to take any action against our client.
  • Successfully represented one of the nation’s largest public companies in an investigation by SEC of company disclosures. Following multiple presentations to the staff, the SEC closed the investigation.
  • Successfully represented a Fortune 500 company in an SEC investigation of its financial reporting of non-GAAP measures. Following a presentation to the staff, the SEC closed the investigation.
  • Successfully represented a real estate fund management company in an SEC investigation of compliance with securities offering registration exemptions. Following extensive investigation and negotiation, achieved a favorable resolution with no adverse impact on the business
  • Representing a Fortune 500 company in an SEC investigation of ESG disclosures.
  • Representing a Fortune 100 company in an SEC investigation of cybersecurity disclosures.
  • Representing a publicly-held financial services company in an investigation of accounting, financial reporting and disclosure issues.
  • Representing a hedge fund manager in government investigations concerning portfolio valuation.
  • Represented a hedge fund and its principal in an investigation of the valuation of mortgage-backed securities.
  • Represented Och-Ziff Capital Management Group in a five-year FCPA investigation by DOJ and SEC. Successfully negotiated deferred prosecution agreement for parent corporation.
  • Represented Hewlett-Packard Company in FCPA investigation by DOJ and SEC.
  • Represented CEO of public company in an SEC investigation of the company’s financial disclosures.
  • Represented several of the nation’s largest hedge fund advisers in investigations of insider trading in equities and derivatives and information disclosure practices among financial institutions.
  • Successfully represented several private equity fund managers in SEC examinations of disclosures and fee and expense practices. Following presentations to SEC staff, the examinations were concluded without referral to Enforcement.
  • Successfully represented managing director of major investment bank in investigations by SEC, DOJ and New York Attorney General of structuring and sale of mortgage-backed securities. Following Wells submission and presentations to government, no enforcements actions were filed.
  • Successfully represented major investment bank in investigation of arrangement and syndication of commercial real estate loans to lenders. Following presentation of findings to the staff, regulator closed the investigation.
  • Successfully represented former managing director of major investment bank in investigation of proprietary trading of credit derivatives. After receiving a Wells notice, persuaded staff not to pursue enforcement action.
  • Successfully represented Fortune 100 corporation in investigation of timing of corporate disclosures relating to product defect. Following presentation to staff, SEC closed the investigation.
  • Successfully represented client in investigation of valuation of collateralized debt obligations by hedge fund adviser.
  • Represented major investment bank in regulatory review of “flash crash.”
  • Represented several hedge fund advisers in SEC investigations of trading in advance of public offerings and compliance with Rule 105.
  • Represented hedge fund adviser in investigation of potential market manipulation.

Speaking Engagements and Publications

  • Chair, “Hedge Fund and Private Equity Enforcement & Regulatory Developments 2023,” Practising Law Institute (September 2023).
  • Co-Chair, “Hedge Fund and Private Equity Enforcement & Regulatory Developments 2022,” Practising Law Institute (September 2022)
  • “Conflicts From Managing Multiple Funds and Other Current Challenges to Effective Compliance at Hedge Funds (Part Two of Two)” (February 2022).
  • “Implications of Recent Insider Trading and MNPI Cases for Hedge Fund Managers (Part One of Two)” (January 2022).
  • Moderator, “SEC Hot Topics – SEC and PCAOB Updates,” Center for Corporate Reporting and Governance (September 2021)
  • Panelist, “SEC Up Close,” Webcast (June 2021).
  • Panelist, “SPACS: What You need to Know to Prepare for the Wave of Litigation and Investigations,” Webcast (May 2021)
  • Co-Author, “How Biz Development Cos. Can Mitigate Regulatory Risks,” Law360 (May 11, 2020).
  • Moderator and Presenter, “Hedge Fund and Private Equity Enforcement and Regulatory Developments,” Practising Law Institute (2017-2021).
  • Moderator, “Directors Institute on Corporate Governance – What Boards and Their Counsel Need to Know About Enforcement and Compliance Under the New Administration,” Practising Law Institute (November 2017).
  • Moderator, “Perspectives on SEC enforcement Past, Present and Future,” Gibson Dunn (October 2017).
  • Presenter, “Regulatory Enforcement of the Securities Laws: Ethical Issues Associated with Internal and Governmental Investigations,” American Law Institute Securities and Shareholder Litigation Developments (October 2017).
  • Presenter, “Storming the Gatekeepers: When Compliance Officers and In-House Lawyers Are at Risk,” Practising Law Institute (September 2017).
  • Author, “The Regulatory Risks of a Deregulatory Environment,” Law360 (September 2017).
  • Presenter, “Examining FCPA Issues for Fund Managers,” Managed Funds Association Legal and Compliance Conference (May 2017).
  • Presenter, “Managing FCPA, Compliance and Enforcement Issues: Directors as Gatekeepers or Overseers,” Practicing Law Institute Directors Institute on Corporate Governance (November 2016).
  • Presenter, “Developments in DOJ and SEC Enforcement,” American Law Institute (March 2016).
  • Presenter, “SEC Enforcement Hot Topics,” IA Watch (November 2015).
  • Presenter, “Hot Topics in SEC Enforcement: Whistleblowing, Insider Trading, FCPA & More,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (March 2013).
  • Presenter, “Hedge Fund Enforcement & Regulatory Developments,” Practising Law Institute (March 2013).
  • Presenter, “SEC Whistleblower Initiative: Update and Perspective,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (January 2013).
  • Presenter, “SEC Enforcement Update,” Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, Fall Conference (October 2012).
  • Presenter, “Hot Topics in SEC Enforcement,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (March 2012).
  • Presenter, “Hot Topics in SEC Enforcement: Investigations in a Time of Turmoil,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (March 2012).
  • Presenter, “SEC Whistleblower Rules,” IA Week Annual Compliance Summit (March 2012).
  • Co-Author, “Is This an Inspection or an Investigation? The Blurring Line Between Examinations of and Enforcement Actions Against Private Fund Managers,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Volume 5, Number 13 (March 2012).
  • Presenter, “Hedge Fund Registration and Compliance,” Practising Law Institute (January 2012).
  • Presenter, “SEC Enforcement Update,” NYSBA Securities Regulation Committee (February 2011).
  • Presenter, “SEC Hot Topics 2011 Luncheon,” Sandpiper Partners LLP (January 2011).
  • Presenter, “SEC Enforcement Update for Directors,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum (January 2011).
  • Presenter, “SEC Enforcement Update: Navigating the Seas of Heightened Enforcement,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum (November 2010).
  • Presenter, “SEC Enforcement Actions: Understanding the Legal & Equitable Remedies That the SEC Can Use Against Your Clients,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (October 2010).
  • Program Chair, “Impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on the Securities Industry — What Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers Need to Know,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (October 2010).
  • Presenter, “SEC Update: Navigating the Seas of Heightened Enforcement,” Center for Corporate Reporting & Governance, Ninth Annual SEC Financial Reporting Conference (September 2010).
  • Presenter, “The Impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on the SEC’s Enforcement Program,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (September 2010).
  • Speaker, “Riding Herd on Complex Products: Learn About the SEC Enforcement Division’s Newly Created Structured & New Products Unit,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (April 2010).
  • Co-Author, “Recent Developments in SEC Insider Trading Cases,” Securities Litigation Report, Vol. 7, Issue 4 (April 2010).
  • Panelist, “Getting Governance Right: Listening for the Early Warning Signals,” Operational Risk Committee and International Association of Financial Engineers Spring 2010 Panel at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York (March 2010).
  • Presenter, “The SEC’s New Cooperation Policy—What You Need to Know to Navigate the New Guidelines,” Association of the Bar of the City of New York (February 2010).
  • Presenter, “Insider Trading: Looking for the Bright Line,” Institutional Investor Legal Forum Winter Roundtable (February 2010).
  • Presenter, “Insider Trading: Navigating Murky Waters,” Institutional Investor Trader Forum Winter Workshop and Equity Summit (January 2010).

Barry H. Berke is renowned nationwide as a leading trial lawyer and white-collar criminal defense attorney. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Trials and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. Barry represents individuals and corporations in high-stakes trials, investigations, and complex litigation. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Barry is widely acclaimed for his success and creativity as a trial lawyer and strategist, his ability to connect with and persuade juries, and his skills in protecting his clients’ interests. Chambers USA has recognized Barry as a “Star Individual” in Trial Lawyers Nationwide (one of only 11 nationwide) and as a “Star Individual” in New York for White-collar Crime & Government Investigations (one of only five lawyers). He has been praised in Chambers USA as “one of the foremost litigators in the U.S.” and “the go-to criminal defense lawyer in the country.” His peers and clients describe him as “the best lawyer of our generation,” “America’s greatest trial lawyer,” and “a legend of the profession.” Known for his “strategic ingeniousness,” “incredibly sharp legal mind,” and “great connection with juries,” Barry is celebrated for his ability to protect his clients and navigate them through crises. Others note that Barry is “endlessly creative, brilliant and super effective as an advocate,” and that “[t]here’s no problem he can’t solve.” The Legal 500 US 2025 has named Barry a “Leading Trial Lawyer” and has recommended him in the area of corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense. Barry has also been named by Benchmark Litigation as a New York “Litigation Star” (2026) and recognized as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2025-2026), a guide to the nation’s top attorneys.

Barry served as chief impeachment counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives during the Senate impeachment trial of the former President of the United States. As lead counsel, Barry was instrumental in preparing and presenting a case that garnered widespread recognition for its precise choreography and compelling presentation of factual evidence and constitutional arguments.

Previously, Barry served as special counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives during its first investigation and impeachment of the former President. His opening statement and cross-examination of key witnesses received widespread acclaim, with The Washington Post naming him “Distinguished Person of the Week” and Slate describing his cross-examination of the president’s former campaign manager as “a cross-examination that should be mandatory viewing for every law student in the history of time.”

Recent Representations*

  • Secured dismissal of all charges against New York’s former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, as federal prosecutors dismissed the bribery indictment against him after a nearly three-year-long battle.
  • Secured complete vindication for a hedge fund manager in an insider trading and fraud case, culminating in the dismissal of all remaining charges following acquittal of the insider trading charges at trial and the remaining counts being overturned on appeal.
  • Successfully resolved an arbitration dispute for an American multinational media company against its former CEO resulting in the dismissal of the proceeding and the reversion of a $120 million grantor trust to the company.
  • Represented former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in federal and local criminal investigations, which concluded with no charges or actions taken.
  • Represented a former investment bank broker accused of participating in one of the largest tax fraud cases in history and secured acquittal of all nine criminal charges against him after a ten-week trial in the Southern District of New York.
  • Successfully represented a former hedge fund manager in a prominent insider-trading case where it was shown U.S. prosecutors overstepped the bounds of insider-trading law.
  • Succeeded in clearing the head of a multibillion-dollar investment fund of all charges in an indictment alleging an FCPA bribery conspiracy in connection with the privatization of a state-owned oil company.
  • Won dismissal of all claims brought against a major bank in the first bank-against-bank lawsuit arising out of the financial crisis seeking to recover $3 billion in losses. 
  • Conducted internal investigations for boards and audit committees of major companies.
  • Represented a company’s general counsel charged with violating federal immigration and labor laws and achieved dismissal of all charges against him on the eve of trial following successful motions to sever and limit the charges.
  • Secured an acquittal of all 23 counts for a lawyer client charged with participating in a multimillion-dollar securities arbitrage fraud following a two-month jury trial.
  • Successfully defended the president of an investment company accused of a $60 million bond fraud. Achieved a complete dismissal of all charges following the government’s case at trial.
  • Represented an accountant and officer of a Fortune 20 company in an SEC accounting fraud investigation. Following two Wells submissions, Barry successfully persuaded the SEC not to file any charges.
  • Represented the owner of a 1933 Double Eagle gold coin, considered the rarest and most valuable coin in the world, in a case where the U.S. government claimed it was stolen property. Barry successfully persuaded the government to dismiss criminal charges and negotiated a landmark civil forfeiture settlement on the eve of trial, resulting in a record $7.6 million auction, with proceeds divided between his client and the government.
  • Represented a prominent law firm in an arbitration brought by a former partner, achieving a significant decision that upheld the enforceability of the firm’s partnership agreement and noncompete provisions.
  • Represented a businessman involved in a high-profile state corruption scandal, successfully persuading the government to end its investigation and criminal prosecution.
  • Represented world-champion boxers and others in the boxing profession in high-profile arbitrations and court proceedings, all of which Barry won on behalf of his clients.

Barry co-authored The Practice of Federal Criminal Law: Prosecution and Defense and has taught courses on criminal law and professional ethics at New York University School of Law. He is also chairman of the board of directors of the Coalition for the Homeless and former chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Defenders of New York.

Barry received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Duke University. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Mary Johnson Lowe of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Barry was a Partner in the New York office of a major law firm and served as Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department. Earlier in his career, Barry was a trial lawyer with the federal defenders office for the Southern District of New York where he defended individuals accused of a wide range of federal offenses, serving as lead counsel in numerous jury trials and achieving favorable verdicts in a large majority of those cases.

*Matters handled prior to joining Gibson

Marquan Robertson is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. He currently practices with the firm’s Litigation Department.

Marquan clerked for the Honorable Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Prior to clerking, he graduated cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Legislation and received the Captain William O. McLean and Patricia O’Hara Scholarship and Leadership awards.

Marquan earned his undergraduate degree in Economics with a certificate in Political Economy from Temple University.

Marquan is a member of the State Bar of Pennsylvania and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Michael M. Farhang is a former federal prosecutor and a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations and Securities Litigation Practice Groups. Michael is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who has earned recoveries totaling nearly $70 million for private equity and corporate clients pursuing fraud, contract, and M&A-related claims. He specializes in private M&A litigation matters, including rep and warranty, earnout, and working capital disputes, as well as the defense of companies, directors, and executives in DOJ and SEC investigations and in shareholder class actions, derivative suits and other commercial litigation. Michael has tried more than 25 cases in government and private practice.

Michael has been recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers, which described him as “fantastic and very strong” in his representation of clients. Chambers Latin America has described him as “a go-to figure for international operations compliance,” having ranked him in Latin America-wide: Fraud (2016) and Latin America-wide: Corporate Crime & Investigations (2019-2022). The Legal 500 – Latin America has ranked Michael as a leading lawyer in the Compliance and Investigations category (2021-2024). He was also profiled in an edition of Latin Lawyer‘s Anti-Corruption Survey for his experience handling FCPA matters in Latin America. In 2015, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Michael to their “Most Influential Lawyers: White Collar and Cyber Crime” list, which recognizes 27 “stellar attorneys in Los Angeles,” and he is frequently named a Southern California Super Lawyer in the field of white collar criminal defense (2005-2006, 2012-2024). Michael has also been recognized as a leading litigator by The Best Lawyers in America® since 2010 and received recognition for his “high caliber work in Criminal Defense: White Collar,” and has been named as a California “Litigation Star (2026)” by Benchmark Litigation.

Michael’s civil litigation practice includes commercial, securities and M&A-related litigation, and he has specific subspecialties in post‐M&A fraud claims and shareholder derivative and class action litigation. His civil litigation experience also includes commercial disputes involving claims of common law and federal and state securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, trade secrets, unfair trade practices, and breach of contract. In the white collar area, Michael regularly represents corporate and individual clients and has specific subspecialties in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) matters and Latin American corporate investigations. Michael has conducted investigations and compliance work relating to FCPA, AML, and OFAC issues in ten countries and regularly leads investigations for clients conducted in Spanish.

Michael’s representative civil and white collar criminal engagements include the following:

  • Lead litigation counsel in Swipe v. Krauss, et al., in Delaware Chancery Court, an action pursuing representation and warranty, fraud, and indemnification claims on behalf of a private equity client against a group of sellers arising from a private M&A transaction.
  • Secured a $21 million damages award in an M&A-related fraud case on behalf of a private equity client that purchased a California-based manufacturing company. Michael led the investigation that uncovered fraud by the seller of the acquired company and co-tried the successful arbitration that resulted in the award for Gibson Dunn’s private equity client.
  • Represented Vivendi S.A., a French multinational media company, and several affiliated directors in civil shareholder class action and derivative litigation in Delaware’s Court of Chancery relating to a more than $8 billion stock repurchase transaction with Activision Blizzard, Inc., a California-based software and gaming company.
  • Represented Jacobs Engineering, a leading international engineering and construction company, in civil securities litigation involving one of the early shareholder derivative suits based on the Say-On-Pay provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. The shareholder action was dismissed with prejudice at the pleading stage.
  • Served as one of the lead lawyers on the Gibson Dunn defense team that obtained the complete dismissal with prejudice of the federal and state securities litigation involving allegations of stock option backdating in In re Computer Sciences Corporation Shareholder Derivative Litigation, CV 06-5288-MRP (C.D. Cal.), and In re Computer Sciences Corporation Options Litigation, Case No. 353316 (L.A. Super. Ct.), litigation in which Gibson Dunn represented Computer Sciences Corporation, its senior management, and its Board of Directors.
  • Secured a $21 million damages award in an M&A-related fraud case on behalf of a private equity client that purchased a California-based manufacturing company. Michael led the investigation that uncovered fraud by the seller of the acquired company and co-tried the successful arbitration that resulted in the award for Gibson Dunn’s private equity client.
  • Represented a number of corporate directors of Moneygram International, Inc., a publicly held money transfer company, in subprime-related shareholder derivative litigation in California state court.
  • Led defense of DOJ and SEC investigations for Fortune 500 multinational company regarding whistleblower claims of alleged bribery and FCPA violations relating to Latin America operations. DOJ and SEC declined any enforcement action with respect to Gibson Dunn’s client.
  • Led defense of SEC investigation for publicly traded semiconductor company regarding whistleblower allegations of securities fraud. SEC declined enforcement with respect to Gibson Dunn’s client.
  • Represented Brazilian energy company PetrÓleo Brasileiro S.A. (“Petrobras”) with respect to U.S. government investigations and coordinated DOJ and SEC resolutions relating to internal controls, books and records, and financial statements issues arising out of Operation Car Wash (“Lava Jato”).
  • Advised Walmart regarding its 2018 acquisition of a $16 billion majority stake in India’s Flipkart Private Ltd., as profiled in Law360 and other publications. The Flipkart transaction has been described as the largest e-commerce acquisition in history .
  • Led the investigation and successful pursuit of fraud and RICO claims by a corporate buyer against the seller of a California-based health products company in an M&A transaction. The claims were settled shortly after the complaint was filed, resulting in a settlement worth in excess of $20 million for Gibson Dunn’s client.
  • Served as one of the lead lawyers on a Gibson Dunn team assisting the FCPA counsel to the first non-U.S. compliance monitor in connection with the largest-ever FCPA settlement, an engagement that includes work in numerous countries (including in Latin America and Europe) and involved substantial Spanish-language witness interviews.
  • Conducted a significant internal inquiry for a corporate client relating to OFAC sanctions enforcement issues, an inquiry that involved work in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Between 1996 and 2003, Michael served with the United States Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor. Michael was hired by the Department through the Attorney General’s Honor Program. Between 1996 and 1999, he served with the Criminal and Tax Divisions at the Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. and handled counterterrorism, death penalty, criminal tax, and money laundering matters.

From 1999 to 2003, Michael served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he specialized in white collar fraud prosecutions (including securities, mail, wire, and tax fraud) in the Major Fraud section, and handled numerous investigations, trials, evidentiary hearings, and Ninth Circuit appellate matters. Michael was a recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Special Achievement Award and served in Iraq on behalf of the Department in 2003 as part of a 13-member legal team (consisting of federal judges, prosecutors, and public defenders) working with the Coalition Provisional Authority on reconstruction of the Iraqi judicial system.

Publications Include:

  • “Cybersecurity and the Future of SEC Enforcement,” Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals (June 5, 2019)
  • “Why Law Firms Must Have a Compliance Plan for PE Clients” Law360 (featured) (May 17, 2019)
  • “Looking Back and Ahead at the False Claims Act,” (with D. Wong Yang, J. Zelenay, and S. Twomey), Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals (February 14, 2019)

Michael graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College, receiving an A.B. magna cum laude in Government and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 1992. He received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was a Developments/Comments Editor on the Harvard International Law Journal. Michael served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable William J. Rea, U.S. District Judge, Central District of California, in 1995-1996. Michael is a member of the California Bar and is admitted to practice in the Central District of California and the Ninth Circuit.

Michael is a frequent speaker and published author on a variety of M&A-related, white collar and securities litigation issues and regularly presents on these topics at national conferences and through webcasts. He has served as a Lecturer in Law at USC Gould School of Law, where he has co-taught a course on federal criminal law issues. He also is a past member of the California State Bar’s Federal Courts Committee and the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Litigation Section. Michael has previously served as a member of the boards of directors of both the Children’s Law Center, a nonprofit child advocacy organization that represents all of the nearly 33,000 children in Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties who come under the jurisdiction of the juvenile dependency courts, and the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice, a legal aid organization serving communities in East Los Angeles and elsewhere.