Daniel Szabo is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, practising in the firm’s Litigation, International Arbitration, ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting, and Judgment and Award Enforcement Practice Groups. He has particular experience in assisting on a range of complex, cross-border disputes in the energy, infrastructure, and mining sectors.
 
Daniel trained at Gibson Dunn, during which time he spent six months seconded to the firm’s office in Abu Dhabi. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 2020 from the University of Cambridge.
 
Representative matters:

• Represented a local subsidiary of Liberty Mutual in an investment treaty arbitration against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
• Represented a U.S. mining company on potential investment treaty claims against a Latin American State.
• Represented a UAE-based IOC in a PCA arbitration against a Middle Eastern NOC concerning failure to supply under a long-term gas supply agreement.
• Represented an energy company in an ICC arbitration against an African State regarding a wrongfully terminated power project.

Lydia Allaby-Tiller is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation and International Arbitration Groups.

Her practice focuses on high-profile, multijurisdictional litigation in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, with particular expertise in arbitral award challenges involving sovereign states, civil fraud, complex data infringement matters in the technology sector, and banking disputes.

She is recognised as a key lawyer for Premium Commercial Litigation in The Legal 500 UK 2025 and 2026 rankings, described as “incisive and a brilliant litigation mind” with “great drive, determination, and ability to marshal a team to great effect” and “an absolute star partner of the future”.

Lydia has represented sovereign states, high net worth individuals, and clients across a range of industries including technology, professional services, financial services, transport, and real estate. She also advises on crisis management and public law matters.

She maintains a strong interest in strategic human rights litigation, having worked with NGOs such as REDRESS, ILGA-Europe, and the European Council for Refugees and Exiles. Her experience includes bringing cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Lydia was a managing associate at another law firm.

Representative experience*:

• Advised Josef Stava and Diag Human SE in their defence of a $750 million investment treaty award challenge brought by the Czech Republic.
• Advised the Government of Nigeria in its landmark case successfully setting aside an $11 billion arbitral award in favour of a BVI company arising from a failed gas deal, on the basis that the award was procured by fraud and contrary to public policy.
• Advised a leading high street financial institution in High Court proceedings relating to historic FX trading.
• Advised a multi-billion-dollar tech company on complex data infringement issues.
• Advised an international ridesharing company in a licensing appeal resulting from Transport for London’s refusal to renew its Private Hire Vehicle licence.
• Advised a private wealth management firm in financial crime proceedings brought by the Bahamian Director of Public Prosecutions in the Supreme Court of The Bahamas.
• Advised a leading challenger retail bank in regulatory investigations brought by the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority relating to its risk weighted assets and disclosure obligations under the Listing Rules.
• Advised a multinational financial institution facing prosecution in the German courts for historical cum/ex trading.
• Advised a multi-billion-dollar international software company in a High Court dilapidations dispute.

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

Maria Kosmopoulou is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition group.

Maria has broad experience in Competition advising clients in the private equity, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries for merger control, regulatory investigations and compliance issues. 

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Maria was an Antitrust Paralegal at another large international law firm.

Maria graduated with a Master of Laws (LLM) from King’s College London. She is admitted to practice in England and Wales.

Abbey Barrera is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, and is an active member of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation Group, Technology Litigation Group, Class Actions Group, and Artificial Intelligence Group.

Abbey regularly represents multinational companies in a wide variety of complex litigation, including in data privacy, cybersecurity, and class action matters. She has significant experience representing clients in the technology, social media, and internet industries in particular. Abbey has experience with all phases of litigation, including significant trial experience, and is actively involved in the management of high-stakes litigation matters. She also has substantial experience representing clients in government investigations, and spent six months working as a secondee in the regulatory group of a top social networking company.

Abbey regularly consults with clients on privacy and tech-related risks, including in product development. This experience includes counseling on compliance with various privacy laws and regulations, such as the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and other federal, state, and international laws and regulations. Additionally, she regularly advises companies with respect to their privacy policies and terms of service, and supports companies in the aftermath of large-scale data breaches. Abbey is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and sits on the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Law Section.

Abbey was recently named one of the “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by the Daily Journal.

Abbey also maintains an active pro bono practice, with a focus on immigration.

Abbey received her J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2014 where she was a member of the Journal of International Law and Politics. While in law school, she was the Chair of Law Students for Human Rights and participated in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and the Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Society. Abbey earned her B.A. with High Honors in Community and Regional Development in 2008 from the University of California, Davis. Prior to joining the firm, she interned at the European Parliament in Brussels and Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.

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

Rahim Moloo is a Chambers Band 1 ranked partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He is co-chair of the firm’s International Arbitration Group, which won “International Arbitration Group of the Year” from Law360 three times in the last five years, and is ranked by Chambers as among “the Elite” in the USA. Rahim’s practice focuses on assisting clients to resolve their most complex disputes, and he regularly appears as lead counsel before tribunals and courts around the world.

He has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal as “one of the most skilled advocates of his generation” and a “Global Elite Thought Leader”. Earlier this year, he was awarded the Swiss Arbitration Association’s global prize for advocacy, awarded once every two years to one international arbitration globally in recognition of “their exceptional talents in advocacy.” He has twice been named an “MVP” in international arbitration by Law360 (most recently in 2024), is ranked as a “Leading Partner” in International Arbitration by The Legal 500 U.S. and The Legal 500 Latin America, and is ranked as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Rahim has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in International Arbitration. Chambers Global highlights Rahim’s standout qualities in international disputes, praising his “strong advocacy and strategy skills” and describing him as “a natural diplomat” with “the perfect demeanor.” He is recognized for his “excellent judgment,” “being a terrific lawyer who is really polished,” with “great intelligence,” as well as being “attentive to details and nuances.” Chambers USA echoes this acclaim, calling Rahim a “fantastic and great legal mind.” He is described as “accomplished and brilliant,” with the ability to “sift through a myriad of issues to focus on the salient one” and “navigate complex problems with ease.” His interpersonal strengths are also emphasized—his “people skills are exceptional” which allow him to connect effortlessly with both seasoned lawyers and nonlawyers, making him “very approachable” and someone who “brings everything down to my level so I can understand and contribute.”

Rahim’s experience spans a number of industries, including energy, mining, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, maritime, financial services, infrastructure, construction, consumer products and entertainment. Many of the disputes on which Rahim advises involve claims brought in multiple jurisdictions where important strategic choices must be made about which forum will provide the best result with respect to different aspects of the dispute. And legal solutions often need to be considered in light of other avenues available, such as media campaigns and negotiations between business teams, to reach a favorable result. Rahim has experience in navigating these various options. His prior experience as General Counsel of a multinational organization in Central Asia helps him to see things from the perspective of management and in-house lawyers operating in difficult political and legal environments. Indeed, Rahim has advised on many disputes where a favorable result was achieved without having to commence formal dispute resolution, such as arbitration.

Concurrently, Rahim is a member of the adjunct faculty at Columbia Law School, where he teaches a course on International Arbitration. He has lectured at several other leading law schools and conferences around the world, and published several articles on international arbitration and litigation, international investment law, and public international law, many of which have been cited in international arbitration decisions, courts around the world and leading treatises. He recently co-authored a book on Procedural Law in International Investment Arbitration, published by Oxford University Press. The book has been dubbed by the Secretary General of ICSID as being a “go-to guide” for Investor-State Dispute Settlement.

Rahim serves on the Board of the International Center for Transitional Justice. He previously served on the Alumni UBC Board, as Vice-Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee and on the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). He has also co-chaired ASIL’s Annual Conference.

Rahim has degrees from NYU School of Law, Queen’s University, and the University of British Columbia (UBC). In addition, he held fellowships at the Lauterpacht Center for International Law at the University of Cambridge and Columbia University. He was named NYU’s All-University Valedictorian for Professional and Graduate students and has received UBC’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. He is a former World Public Speaking Champion and National Debating Champion.

A representative sample of Rahim’s experience includes:*

Commercial Arbitration

• Successfully representing a multinational mining company in an LCIA arbitration relating to a multi-billion dollar pricing dispute under a supply agreement.
• Successfully defended a large EPC contractor in a multi-billion dollar CPR arbitration relating to the construction of a refinery. All claims brought against our client were rejected.
• Successfully represented a multinational oil and gas company in an ICC arbitration relating to a dispute over the ownership of a refinery.
• Successfully represented a large U.S.-based energy company in an ICC arbitration, including in a Pre-Arbitral Referee proceeding in relation to a multi-hundred million dollar dispute concerning the exercise of a put right.
• Successfully represented a technology company in an HKIAC arbitration relating to the breach of a sale and purchase agreement against a state-owned enterprise resulting in a multi-hundred million dollar award.
• Successfully represented a global drilling company in a $130 million ICDR arbitration relating to a dispute under a license agreement.
• Successfully settled eight arbitrations in multiple jurisdictions on behalf of a multinational telecommunications company.
• Successfully represented a telecommunications joint venture in an arbitration before the Lebanese Arbitration Centre relating to a fraud perpetrated by a Lebanese Bank and an Iraqi Telecom company.
• Successfully defended a mining company in an ICC arbitration relating to alleged breaches of a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement.
• Successfully defended an electronics company in a SIAC arbitration against a multi-hundred million dollar claim brought under a license agreement.
• Represented an East African State in two commercial arbitrations (under the ICC Rules and the UNCITRAL Rules) arising out of a failed infrastructure project and a TV license dispute.
• Representing a pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration relating to a dispute under a collaboration and joint development agreement.
• Representing a gold mining company in an LCIA arbitration concerning the failure of a power supply company to supply power to a mine located in an African state in accordance with the terms of a PPA.
• Representing an aluminum company in an SCC arbitration concerning the price to be paid under power purchase agreements.
• Representing a global technology company in a SIAC arbitration concerning the termination of an agreement to acquire another technology company.
• Representing a power plant operator in a dispute with its partner in an ICC arbitration concerning a wrongly terminated power project to rehabilitate a power plant in the Middle East.
• Representing a multinational consumer goods company in an ICDR arbitration in relation to breaches of a license agreement.
• Sitting as an arbitrator (Chair, Sole Arbitrator, and co-arbitrator) in international arbitrations in various contractual disputes.

Investor-State Arbitration

• ConocoPhillips v. Venezuela: Successfully represented ConocoPhillips in the quantum phase of an ICSID arbitration related to the unlawful expropriation of its multi-billion-dollar investment in Venezuela resulting in an award of over $8.5 billion.
• Corral Morocco Holdings A.B. v. Kingdom of Morocco: Successfully representing Corral Morocco in an ICSID arbitration regarding the unfair treatment suffered by its substantial investment in an oil refinery in Morocco resulting in an award of over $220 million (including interest).
• Antin v. Spain: Successfully represented Antin in annulment proceedings relating to Spain’s application to annul its €101 million arbitration award.
• Trans-Global Petroleum v. Kingdom of Jordan: Successfully defended the Kingdom of Jordan in an ICSID arbitration related to a concession for the exploration and extraction of oil and gas in the Dead Sea. The claimant withdrew all of its claims, as reflected in a consent award, shortly after the Kingdom of Jordan invoked ICSID’s summary dismissal procedure—the first-ever use of that procedure.
• PIATCO v. Philippinesand Fraport v. Philippines: Successfully defended the government of the Philippines in parallel ICC and ICSID arbitrations related to the alleged termination of a concession contract and expropriation of an international airport terminal in Manila.
• Saint-Gobain v. Venezuela: Successfully represented Saint-Gobain, a multinational polymer products producer, in an ICSID arbitration related to the expropriation of a proppants factory.
• Sea Search Armada v. Colombia: Representing Sea Search Armada in a multi-billion dollar UNCITRAL arbitration under the U.S.-Colombia FTA concerning the expropriation of Sea Search Armada’s interest in the treasure it found on the San José Galleon—sunk in 1708—the largest treasure discovery in history.
• CC/Devas et. al. v. India (II): Representing the Mauritian Shareholders in Devas in an investment treaty arbitration relating to India’s unfair treatment of the ICC Award rendered in Devas v. Antrix, currently valued at approximately $1.4 billion.
• Gűriş Inşaat ve Műhendislik Anonim Şirketi v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Defending the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in ICSID arbitration brought under the Saudi Arabia-Turkey Bilateral Investment Treaty.
• Primesouth v. Iraq: Representing Primesouth in investment treaty and contract arbitrations against Iraq in relation to the unlawful termination of Primesouth’s investment relating to the refurbishment and operation of the Al-Doura power plant in Iraq.
• A subsidiary of Liberty Mutual v. Venezuela: Representing a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual in an investment treaty arbitration relating to Venezuela’s unfair treatment of its investment.
• Coeur Mining v. Mexico: Representing Coeur Mining in a NAFTA dispute concerning Mexico’s unfair treatment of its investment in the Palmarejo mine in Mexico.
• A subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark v. Venezuela: Representing Kimberly-Clark subsidiaries in an investment treaty arbitration relating to Venezuela’s unfair treatment of their investment.

Transnational and Arbitration-related Litigation

• Successfully representing Crystallex International in litigation proceedings relating to the enforcement of its ICSID(AF) arbitration award against Venezuela of more than $1.4 billion.
• Successfully represented an oil and gas company in its enforcement of an ICC arbitration award valued at over $600 million against an African State.
• Successfully defended Enel S.P.A. in litigation in New York Supreme Court relating to the enforcement of an approximately $100 million claim under a parent guarantee concerning a renewable energy project in Mexico.
• Representing Sociedad Concesionaria Metropolitana de Salud S.A. in the enforcement of its $139 million arbitration award against WeBuild.
• Representing Perimetral Oriental de Bogota, S.A.S. in the enforcement of a multi-hundred million dollar arbitration award against Colombia and its Infrastructure Agency.
• Representing a European investor in the enforcement of its ICSID award against a E.U. state.
• Represented Plaintiff in claims under the Helms Burton Act in relation to the expropriation of its property in Cuba in the 1960s.
• Multinational oil and gas majors: Advising several oil and gas companies on a variety of transnational disputes, including with respect to gas pricing matters and breaches of concession contracts. In most of these matters, favorable results were achieved prior to the commencement of arbitration or litigation.

Pro Bono and Community Service

• Board of Directors, International Center for Transitional Justice.
• Chair, His Highness the Aga Khan International Conciliation and Arbitration Board.
• Former Executive Council member, American Society of International Law.
• Former member of Board of Directors, University of British Columbia Alumni Board; prior Co-Chair, University of British Columbia Alumni Board of Advisors.
• Advising one of the largest not-for-profit organizations in a potential investment treaty claim concerning the expropriation of its projects in an Asian country.
• In Hugh Smith et al. v. the City of New York et. al., co-lead counsel for Plaintiffs in an action brought in the SDNY with respect to civil rights claims against the New York Department of Corrections.
• Leading a team in advising a UNDP-sponsored project on the governance of transnational water bodies.
• Advising a sub-state entity on the declaration of its maritime boundary.

*Includes matters handled by Rahim prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Aja Sanneh is a senior associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn where she is a member of the firm’s Finance Practice Group.

Aja specializes in syndicated and bilateral financings for private equity, debt, senior credit, real estate, infrastructure, and other investment funds during all parts of the fund life cycle. Clients benefit from Aja’s experience in asset-based facilities, subscription-based facilities, and hybrid facilities, and in other types of investment fund leverage.

Aja was named a 2024 Rising Star by the Fund Finance Association, where she also received an Emerging Leaders Award earlier that year.

Selected Clients Include:

RXR Realty LLC Hamilton Lane Advisors Blue Owl Capital Meridiam Infrastructure North America Leonard Green & Partners Berkshire Residential Investments Corebridge Real Estate Funds EQT Exeter Fairfield Residential Brasa Capital Management Investcorp

Fortress Investment Group Madison International Realty Madison Realty Capital Constellation Wealth Capital Corten Real Estate Partners Dextra Partners The Halifax Group JRK Property Holdings Motive Partners Operating Company Neuberger Berman RDV Corporation

Aja earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2016. While in law school, she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Barry Russell of the Central District of California U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Aja earned her undergraduate degree in Economics, with honors, from Occidental College.

Bryan Parr is of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations, Anti-Corruption & FCPA, and Litigation Practice Groups.

His practice focuses on white-collar defense and regulatory compliance matters around the world. Bryan has extensive expertise in government and corporate investigations, including those involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and anticorruption. He has defended a range of companies and individuals in U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), SEC, and CFTC enforcement actions, as well as in litigation in federal courts and in commercial arbitrations. In his FCPA practice, Bryan regularly guides companies on creating and implementing effective compliance programs, successfully navigating compliance monitorships, and conducting appropriate M&A-related FCPA diligence and integration.

He is recognized as a leading corporate crime and investigations lawyer by Chambers & Partners Latin America, Chambers Global, and Legal 500: Latin America for his significant activity and experience in Latin America. Bryan has also recently been recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in the area of Criminal Defense: White Collar. He is proficient in Portuguese, French, and Spanish, and works professionally in all three languages.

Bryan represents and counsels clients in matters across a number of industries, including technology, life sciences, mining and extractive, petrochemical, and aerospace and defense industries.

Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner at a major international law firm. Bryan graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2007, where he was an editorial board member of the Virginia Journal of International Law. He also graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in French and Comparative Area Studies in 2002.

Bryan is licensed to practice in the State of New York, the State of Massachusetts, and in the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice before various federal district and appellate courts.

Recent Representations:*

Investigations and White Collar Defense:

• Represented the largest integrated power group in Brazil in an independent investigation of potential FCPA violations
• Represented multiple South America-based multinational companies regarding enhancements to their anti-corruption compliance programs, interactions with independent compliance monitors, and related reporting required as part of DOJ and SEC FCPA resolutions
• Conducted investigations of potential kickbacks, management misconduct, and FCPA violations for multiple South American companies
• Led investigations of possible FCPA violations for major pharmaceutical company relating to operations in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Central America
• Represented an international medical device company in FCPA investigations before the DOJ FCPA Unit involving Mexico, Brazil, and various other countries
• Represented a Brazilian company in investigation and defense of potential FCPA violations
• Defended a Brazil-based aerospace and defense executive in DOJ, SEC, and corporate investigations of possible FCPA violations
• Represented a major petroleum services company in investigations regarding potential management conflicts of interest and FCPA violations involving Mexican operations
• Represented a Fortune 500 engineering, construction, and services company in investigations of potential FCPA violations involving operations in Algeria
• Represented a diversified industrial company in various internal and US governmental investigations of possible FCPA violations in Europe and Asia
• Conducted due diligence and internal investigations regarding India- and Latin America-based operations for a major petroleum company
• Represented a major petroleum services company in investigations of management misconduct and potential FCPA violations involving operations in Kazakhstan
• Represented a Fortune 500 retailer in an internal investigation of possible FCPA violations in Mexico
• Defended a Brazil-based money manager in an SEC investigation
• Defended a privately held energy company in a CFTC investigation

FCPA Risk Assessments, Diligence, and Counseling:

• Advised a European transportation conglomerate in connection with post-acquisition compliance integration and due diligence
• Advised U.S. aerospace and defense company regarding potential investments in Brazil, CIS, and Africa
• Represented a leading sustainable infrastructure platform in its equity investment in the Brazil-based owner and operator of concessions in water, wastewater sanitation, highway and public lighting across Brazil
• Represented multiple South America-based companies regarding enhancements to their anti-corruption compliance programs
• Represented multiple multinational pharmaceutical companies in various anti-bribery and anti-corruption due diligence and integration efforts, following multi-billion-dollar JV formations and M&A transactions
• Conducted risk assessment on Argentinian operations of a Fortune 100 food and beverage company
• Conducted a global fraud and anti-corruption risk assessment of a newly acquired subsidiary operating in over 70 countries for a multinational telecommunications and technology company, with particular focus in Latin America
• Conducted risk assessments and acquisition due diligence on possible corporate targets in the Middle East and Latin America for a Fortune 500 company
• Counseled a Fortune 500 company on its regulatory and FCPA compliance program, policies, and procedures

Litigation and Arbitration:

• Represented a Brazilian mining company in resolving U.S. commercial disputes relating to criminal proceedings in Brazil
• Defended a mining company in federal litigation of claims under the Alien Tort Statute and Torture Victims Protection Act arising from operations in Colombia
• Represented a construction firm in an expert determination arising from construction and engineering contracts relating to West African mining concessions
• Represented a media company in federal litigation of securities fraud and breach of contract claims

Accolades and Recognitions:

• Ranked Band 3 for Latin America – Corporate Crime & Investigation – International Counsel, Chambers Latin America (2023-2025) and Chambers Global (2023-2025)
• Recognized by The Legal 500 Latin America: International Law Firms – Compliance and Investigations (2021)
• Recognized as a “Rising Star” by the Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers magazine (2014-2018)

 

*Includes matters handled prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Julia Tabat is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation and Intellectual Property practice groups, and focuses on patent and appellate litigation.

Julia has represented clients in patent litigation matters before U.S. district courts, the International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  She has experience across a variety of industries, including medical devices, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and automotives. Julia has conducted witness examinations, argued jury instructions, and taken and defended depositions. She has also drafted case dispositive motions and appellate briefs, coordinated discovery, and worked with fact and expert witnesses. 

Julia received her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017, and earned her J.D. with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 2020. Following law school, Julia clerked for the Honorable Richard G. Taranto on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and then practiced at a law firm in Chicago.

Julia is admitted to practice law in the State of Texas, the State of Illinois, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Lars Petersen is a partner in the Gibson Dunn Frankfurt office and works closely with the firm’s Riyadh office. Lars advises clients with a focus on German, EU, and international administrative and regulatory law, and represents them before courts and authorities.

Lars is known for being at the forefront of new and often complex regulatory developments. He helped clients navigate emerging regulatory trends in the EU in a variety of areas including media regulation, foreign direct investment, merger control, and environmental and public procurement law. His international, comparative perspective on regulatory trends developed during his legal traineeship at national and international agencies and organizations, including the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. This background, combined with his comprehensive experience in German and EU administrative and regulatory law, makes Lars a trusted counsel for clients on all regulatory matters and related proceedings before the authorities.

In Saudi Arabia, Lars is leveraging his international regulatory expertise to assist clients with new regulatory developments associated with Saudi Vision 2030 and related government initiatives.

Handelsblatt/The Best Lawyers™ 2025/2026 list him among the best lawyers for Public law. The Legal 500 Deutschland 2023 and The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 recommended him for Foreign Trade Law, Commercial Administrative Law and Media – Entertainment.

Lars passed his first state exam with honors at Bucerius Law School in 2007 and his second state exam with honors at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court of Hamburg in 2011. He is an alumnus of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes). He received his Dr. jur. degree, magna cum laude, from Kiel University in 2010 (Walther Schücking Institute for International Law) and an LL.M. (European Law), with distinction, from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2019. He has practiced as an admitted German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) since 2011.

Lars regularly publishes on legal matters. Among his publications, he is co-author of a commentary on the Regulation on the Award of Public Contracts and the Lower Threshold Public Award Regulation (VgV – UVgO) (3rd edition, 2022, published by Beck Verlag). In addition to his native German, Lars is fluent in English.

Saad Khan is an English-qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Financial  Regulatory Practice Group.

Saad has experience advising a broad range of financial institutions in the UK, including investment managers, private fund managers, FinTechs and digital asset service providers on complex regulatory issues.

Saad completed his bachelor’s degree in geography at the University of Oxford in 2020 before completing his Graduate Diploma of Law and Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in London.

Kelly Austin is a partner in the firm’s Denver office and a partner (non-resident) in the Hong Kong office. Kelly served as partner in charge of the Hong Kong office from 2012 to 2022 and has twice served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. She also served as global co-chair of the firm’s Anti-Corruption and FCPA Practice Group. Her practice focuses on investigations, regulatory compliance and international disputes. She has extensive expertise in government and corporate internal investigations, including those involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption laws, and anti-money laundering, securities, and trade control laws. Kelly also regularly guides companies on creating and implementing effective compliance programs.

Kelly is consistently ranked Band 1 for Corporate Investigations/Anti-Corruption in China by Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific and Chambers Greater China Region. A client noted that she, “…provides the highest level of professional advice and guidance needed to effectively and efficiently navigate the legal complexities of the US regulatory environment and local business environment across APAC.” Another praised her “great understanding of the region and ability to enable business opportunities while complying with local and international legislation.” She is also regularly ranked as a leading lawyer for Regulatory: Anti-Corruption and Compliance in Hong Kong by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Among other recognitions, Kelly has been listed as a Leading Litigator for White-collar Crime in China and Hong Kong by Benchmark Asia-Pacific’s Top 100 Women in Litigation; named a Thought Leader for Investigations by Lexology Index, Global Elite Thought Leader and a Leading Individual for Asia-Pacific by Who’s Who Legal: Investigations; recognized as a star in Hong Kong White Collar Crime by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific; named a Thought Leader for Business Crime Defense by Who’s Who Legal: Mainland China & Hong Kong SAR; named by Expert Guides in its World’s Leading Women in Business Law guide and named one of the World’s Leading White Collar Crime Lawyers by the same publication; and awarded The Mentor Award of the Year for Advancement of Women in Compliance by C5.

From 2001 to 2010, Kelly served as the Compliance and Litigation Counsel for General Electric (GE) in Asia. In that role, she coordinated litigation, alternative dispute resolution proceedings, government and internal investigations, and compliance matters for the GE businesses throughout the region.

Before moving to Hong Kong in 2001, Kelly practiced in Washington, D.C., representing individuals and entities in a wide variety of criminal and civil matters in federal and state courts across the United States. Her practice focused on government investigations, including a host of Congressional and Independent Counsel investigations. She also served as general counsel to non-profit organizations, providing guidance on a variety of legal, regulatory, and strategic matters, and regularly counseled individuals on government ethics and regulatory issues. In 2000, Kelly served as Special Counsel to the Executive Office of the President, representing the White House in federal litigation. From 1993 to 1994, Kelly served as a law clerk to The Honorable Boyce F. Martin, Jr., Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Kelly received her Juris Doctor cum laude from Georgetown University and graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the bars of Colorado, Virginia and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice in a variety of district and appellate courts in the United States. She is admitted to practice as a solicitor in Hong Kong.

Ben Betner is a Chambers-ranked trial lawyer with a broad commercial litigation practice, representing clients in high-stakes, complex business disputes. He has appeared in state and federal courts across the country and has handled matters spanning energy, technology, privacy, and financial services for both Plaintiffs and Defendants. Ben also has deep experience in Texas courts and has represented clients before many of the world’s leading international arbitral institutions.

Clients quoted in Chambers USA describe him as a “smart litigator.” He has also been named to the Texas Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers, the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation, and named AmLaw’s “Litigator of the Week” after a twelve-day jury trial in Phoenix that led to a $296 million verdict.

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. Recognized by the American Lawyer as “Litigator 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.
• United States Automobile Association – Representing USAA in a putative class action involving breach of contract and consumer fraud claims concerning insurance practices across multiple states.
• Meta Platforms, Inc. – Represented Meta in several matters related to privacy, biometrics, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Before practicing law, Ben served in the US Army and worked in Military Intelligence. He deployed several times with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command to Afghanistan and Iraq.

He is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the Houston Bar Association. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing veterans before Military Review Boards on discharge upgrades and disability-related claims.

Ben earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a Brumley Fellow in National Security Law and served as Deputy Managing Editor of the Texas Review of Law and Politics. He holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Baylor University.

Ryan Murr is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading corporate lawyers in the life sciences industry. Over his career, he has led more than 300 transactions totaling over $65 billion in aggregate value, spanning mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and royalty-finance transactions, making his practice among the most active in the United States.

Ryan has more than 25 years of experience representing public and private life sciences companies and investors in connection with securities offerings and business combination transactions. Ryan serves as principal outside counsel for publicly traded companies and private venture-backed companies, advising management teams and boards of directors on corporate law matters, SEC reporting, corporate governance, and M&A transactions.

Known for his creative approach, Chambers USA and Chambers Global describe Ryan as “incredibly smart” with “jaw-dropping creativity” and as someone who “gets the better of the other side.” Nationally recognized as a “star” in life sciences by Legal Media Group (Euromoney), Ryan has been nominated three times as Corporate Attorney of the Year for North America by LMG Life Sciences and was recognized as one of the top 25 life sciences attorneys in North America and Europe.

Ryan currently serves as co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s Life Sciences Practice Group, as well as co-partner-in-charge of the firm’s San Francisco office. Previously, he served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Management Committee. Ryan has served as a member of the American Bar Association’s Mergers & Acquisitions Subcommittee and is active in advising various not-for-profit entities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Over his career, Ryan has advised on life-sciences M&A transactions exceeding $35 billion in aggregate consideration. Notable engagements include the $6 billion acquisition of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics by Quidel, the up-to $3.5 billion sale of 89bio to Roche, Gilead Sciences’ €1.15 billion acquisition of MYR GmbH, and the $3 billion hostile-takeover defense of Depomed (Assertio) against Horizon Pharma.

MergerLinks ranked Ryan as one of the top 10 Mid Cap M&A attorneys in North America. Additionally, Ryan is recognized for developing innovative M&A transaction structures, such as the CVR Spin and the so-called “sign-and-close” reverse merger.

Capital Markets

Over the past five years, Ryan has led more than 90 equity and debt financings raising over $13 billion, and throughout his career has filed more than 175 registration statements with the SEC for issuers across the life-sciences sector. Representative engagements include leading initial public offerings for Apogee Therapeutics, Rain Oncology, Shattuck Labs, Progenity, Inc. and 89bio, Inc. and reverse merger or de-SPAC going-public transactions for Crescent Biopharma, Jade Biosciences, Spyre Therapeutics, Oruka Therapeutics, Viridian Therapeutics, Cogent Biopharma and MoonLake Immunotherapeutics.

Ryan also represents life sciences investors, including private equity funds, hedge funds, and venture capital funds. These engagements include public and private offerings ranging from passive investments to bespoke control structures and spinouts.

Royalty Financing

Ryan also has extensive experience in royalty-based financing transactions, representing both purchasers and sellers of royalty entitlements, including synthetic royalty financing transactions, as well as royalty-backed loans and clinical funding agreements. These engagements, valued at over $12 billion, have included representing marketers of pharmaceutical products, licensors and academic institutions, royalty investment funds and hedge funds in a range of royalty-based financing transactions and structures.

Ryan’s engagements have included the acquisition of royalty interests (synthetic and true royalty monetizations) on behalf of leading investors such as Royalty Pharma, Healthcare Royalty Partners, RTW Investments, Blue Owl and XOMA Royalty Corp. He also represents sellers of royalty interests, including Ultragenyx, Arrowhead, BioCryst, and UCLA in its sale of Xtandi royalties for $1.145 billion, which was the largest monetization transaction at that time by an academic institution.

Recognition and Rankings

• Chambers USA:  Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial – USA: Nationwide. Client feedback includes the following commentary: “creative and smart” and someone who “gets the better of the other side.”  He is “extremely smart and experienced” and “his expertise and know-how within life sciences has proven extremely valuable.” “He provides really practical advice and great business judgment . . . a terrific lawyer.” “Among the best biotech attorneys in the industry. He’s sophisticated, practical and solutions-oriented.” “One of the smartest attorneys I’ve ever worked with” and “jaw-dropping creativity.”
• Chambers Global: Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial in USA. One of 18 attorneys in the United States ranked in the Chambers Global guide for life sciences corporate/commercial.
• Chambers USA:  Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (Western United States and California): Client feedback includes the following commentary: He is “a phenomenal lawyer” and is “incredibly smart and always provides valuable input on legal questions as well as business and strategic advice.”
• MergerLinks: Top Mid Cap M&A Lawyers in North America (top 10 in North America).
• IFLR1000: Rated “Highly Regarded” in California for Capital Markets (the only practitioner in California receiving this ranking in Life Sciences).
• LMG Life Sciences: Rated a “Star” in the areas of Corporate, Licensing & Collaboration, Mergers & Acquisitions, Venture Capital. Nominated three times as “Corporate Attorney of the Year” for North America.
• Expert Guides: Best of the Best USA (Top 30) Life Sciences
• Recognized by Business Insider as one of 13 “power-player lawyers” advising life sciences companies.

Select Presentations and Publications

M&A and Strategic Transactions

• Behind The ‘CVR Spin’ Method of Unlocking Assets In M&A, Law360
• How to Get Value for Non-Core Assets with CVR Spinoffs, The Deal
• Panelist, Facilitating Successful Merger & Acquisition Transactions, ABA / AICPA Summit on Emerging Corporate Governance Trends (Chicago)
• Speaker, Deloitte Tohmatsu Global M&A Seminar:  U.S. Healthcare M&A Overview (Tokyo, Japan)
• Speaker, Korean Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association:  U.S. Healthcare M&A Overview (Seoul, Korea)
• Moderator, BioPharm Partnering Conference: Structured Transactions in M&A (San Francisco)
• Moderator, BIO General Counsels Committee Meeting:  Evolving Issues in BioPharma Collaborations (New York)
• Speaker, The Impact of Market Dynamics on Health Care and Pharmaceutical Acquisitions
• Big Suits – Depomed v. Horizon Pharma, American Lawyer
• Contingent Value Rights: A Middle Ground in M&A Boom, Daily Journal

Securities Regulation & Corporate Governance

• Speaker, How Boards Should Handle Securities Compliance, Corporate Governance and M&A, Directors Roundtable (Palo Alto)
• Moderator, SEC Up-close, Gibson Dunn Webinar (San Francisco)
• Moderator, Effective Communication Between Attorneys, Accountants and the Audit Committee, ABA / AICPA Summit on Emerging Corporate Governance Trends (Chicago)

Financing

• How Biotech Companies Can Utilize Synthetic Royalty Financing, Law360
• Speaker, Advanced Life Sciences Institute: Facilitating Collaboration in the Life Sciences – Funding, Licensing, and International Collaboration (Palo Alto)
• Speaker, Raising Capital in the Current Environment: ATM Programs and Rights Offerings, Gibson Dunn Webinar (San Francisco)

Evan Shepherd is a corporate transactional associate in the Houston office of Gibson Dunn where he practices in the firm’s Transactional Department. He focuses his practice on representing public and private companies and investors on a broad range of complex transactions, including tender offers, cross-border transactions, mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, joint ventures, spin-offs, PIPEs, royalty financings and synthetic royalty financings and other strategic transactions. Evan also counsels companies on general corporate and governance matters.

His corporate representations include XOMA Royalty Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, Crescent Biopharma, Inc., Jade Biosciences, Inc., RTW Investments, LLC, Tang Capital Partners, The Kraft Heinz Company, NetApp, Inc., General Electric, Amazon.com, Inc., Mondelez International, Inc., Brown Forman Corporation, Viavi Solutions and Ziff Davis, Inc. (formerly J2 Global), among others.

Evan received his Juris Doctorate from the NYU School of Law, where he was President of the Student Bar Association, editor of the NYU Law Review and recipient of the Vanderbilt Medal for outstanding contributions to the NYU School of Law, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science (Law & Public Policy) from the University of Louisville, cum laude. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, he was an associate with a top international law firm in London, United Kingdom.

Evan is admitted to practice law in the states of New York and Texas.

Publications

• A Current Guide to Direct Listings
• Open Questions Remain after SEC Approves Primary Direct Listings on the NYSE

Bryston Gallegos is a trusted advocate for high-stakes disputes at all stages of litigation, with an emphasis on trying complex commercial cases.

Bryston is a fast-rising trial lawyer.  He has won multiple trials and handled matters of national significance covered by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Financial Times, among others.  In 2025, Bryston and Gibson Dunn’s Texas litigation teams secured record-setting jury verdicts exceeding $1 billion for their clients and twice earned national recognition as AmLaw’s “Litigators of the Week.”

Bryston also has considerable experience representing clients before and after trial, shaping cases from the earliest pretrial phase to the court of last resort.  He has litigated appeals and critical motions in federal and state courts across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and across a wide range of subject-matter areas.

Representative Matters:

• Trial counsel for Energy Transfer LP and Dakota Access LLC in a landmark trespass and defamation action against Greenpeace that culminated in a $667 million jury verdict—the largest in North Dakota history.  The American Lawyer recognized the trial team with its “Litigator of the Week” honors (March 2025).
• Trial counsel for Arizona real estate development companies Gray Development and Gray Services in a 12-day trial that resulted in a sweeping victory and a $296 million jury verdict—the full amount of damages sought.  The American Lawyer recognized the trial team with its “Litigator of the Week” honors (October 2025).
• Trial counsel for wind farm operator Enel Green Power in a suit brought in Oklahoma federal court by the U.S. government and the Osage Nation.  Hired on the eve of a damages trial after an adverse liability ruling in a case chronicled by the Wall Street Journal, Bryston and the trial team convinced the court to strike the plaintiffs’ main expert as unreliable and award less than 1% of the damages sought.
• Persuaded U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to grant summary judgment to GE Vernova International on more than $400 million in claimed damages in a fraud case involving failed plans to construct power plants using adapted jet engines.
• Convinced Fourteenth Texas Court of Appeals to unanimously reverse dismissal of 18 consolidated cases in multidistrict litigation concerning health-insurance dispute over the calculation of hundreds of millions of dollars in reimbursements for distributing prescription drugs.
• Represented LIV Golf and professional golfers in major antitrust litigation against the PGA Tour.
• Defended GameStop in a suit in the federal district court of Delaware brought by Boston Consulting Group over the validity of hundreds of millions of dollars of consulting services contracts.

Bryston is deeply committed to serving the legal profession and is active outside the courtroom.  He maintains a robust pro bono practice, with a focus on religious liberty issues and crime victims’ rights.  He also serves as an adjunct professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, where he co-teaches an innovative course on evidence advocacy centered on using clear, persuasive courtroom arguments that make judges take notice.

Before joining the firm, Bryston served as a law clerk to the Honorable Bobby R. Baldock of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and to the Honorable Sean D. Jordan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Bryston earned his law degree in 2019 from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he received the Kenneth L. Smith Award for having the highest GPA in the class through five semesters and the Melanie Hardaway Memorial Award for making the greatest overall contribution to the law school during his academic tenure.  He served as an Articles Editor of the Denver Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.  Bryston also graduated magna cum laude from Oklahoma Christian University with a Bachelor of Arts in History.

Bryston is a member of the Texas bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Tenth Circuits.

Perlette Jura is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. offices. Her practice focuses on complex litigation. She co-chairs the firm’s Consumer Products and Retail Group. She is also the co-founder and co-chair of its Transnational Litigation and ESG Risk Groups. She has played a key role in a number of the firm’s most high-profile matters. Perlette has extensive experience working with the food and beverage, agricultural, aerospace, automotive, technology and energy industries. 

Perlette has been recognized on multiple occasions as a “Leader of Influence” among Litigators and Trial Attorneys, and as one of the “Most Influential Woman Lawyers” in Los Angeles by The Los Angeles Business Journal. She is also recognized by Benchmark Litigation as one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” and featured as a California “Litigation Star.” Lawdragon has recognized Perlette as one of the 500 Leading Litigators in America and worldwide. BTI Consulting Group honored her as a Client Service All-Star, an attorney “who stand[s] above all the others in delivering the absolute best in client service.”

Consumer Products and Retail. As co-chair of the Consumer Products and Retail Group, Perlette is at the cutting edge of both litigation and investigation issues affecting consumer products companies. Perlette has played critical leadership roles in multiple high-profile consumer-deception and supply-chain lawsuits at both the trial-court and appeals level, including in U.S. Supreme Court appeals. She regularly counsels food and beverage companies on regulatory and litigation-risk issues, with particular expertise in helping companies navigate sensitive matters that present overlapping legal and media risks.

Complex and Transnational Litigation. As a co-chair of the firm’s Transnational Litigation Group, Perlette has extensive experience litigating and counseling on multidistrict and cross-border matters, including mass and class action suits. She has been recognized by Legal 500 as one of the top ten leading transnational litigation lawyers in the country and has held a spot in their Hall of Fame since 2022. She is regularly relied upon by clients to develop comprehensive multi-jurisdictional strategies and has advised on matters implicating the competing laws of more than 50 countries around the world. She also regularly advises on supply-chain risks and cross‑border compliance issues.

Environmental Social Governance Practice. Much of Perlette’s cross-border work involves a wide variety of domestic and cross-border supply chain, human rights, and tort disputes, including clients involved in manufacturing, food and beverage, agriculture and energy. In addition to litigating these matters, she also provides counseling and advice on to a number of clients on a wide range of ESG issues.

Community and Firm Involvement. In addition to serving as a practice group leader, Perlette is the firmwide hiring chair. She also sits on the firm’s diversity committee.

Perlette served on the Board of Directors for the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, where she is a lifetime member. She is likewise a member of the Women of Stanford Law and the Diversity Law Institute.

Perlette also dedicates substantial time to pro bono matters. During her time at the firm, Perlette has received the firm’s annual award for successfully litigating the firm’s Most Challenging Pro Bono Matter, served as a Military Commission Observer for the 9/11 proceedings in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and she has partnered with Lawyers Without Borders to help do important cross-border pro bono work.

Some of Perlette’s most recent non-confidential matters include:

• Coubaly v. Cargill, Inc. et al. (D.C. Cir.) (securing dismissal at both the trial and appellate court of TVPRA claims against the cocoa industry arising out of alleged activity in Cote d’Ivoire).
• Doe v. Apple, Inc. et al. (D.C. Cir.) (securing dismissal at both the trial and appellate court of TVPRA claims against major tech companies arising out of alleged human rights violations in the cobalt supply chain).
• Falcone v. Nestlé USA, Inc., (9th Cir.) (defending against consumer deception claims challenging statements regarding supplier and supply chain practices, including obtaining rare grant of 23(f) appellate review of class-certification order) (ongoing).
• Martinez v. Kraft Heinz Co. et al.(E.D. Pa.) (secured dismissal of first-of-its-kind lawsuit alleging that so-called “ultra-processed foods” led plaintiff to develop health problems).
• Ning Xianhua v. Oath Holdings, Inc. et al. (N.D. Cal.) (securing dismissal with prejudice of ATS, TVPA, and California UCL claims arising out of alleged activity in the People’s Republic of China).
• Nestlé USA, v. Doe, 593 US 628 dismissing a long-running Alien Tort Statute lawsuit against Nestle USA on extraterritoriality grounds) (co-counsel).
• Myers v. Starbucks Co., (C.D. Cal.) (defending against consumer deception claims challenging statements regarding supplier and supply chain practices) (motion to dismiss granted in July 2020).
• Doe v. Meta Platforms, Inc. (N.D. Cal.) (securing dismissal of claims against Meta filed on behalf of Rohingya refugees seeking to apply Burmese law to sidestep Section 230 immunity).
• Council for Education and Research on Toxins v. Starbucks Corporation et al. (successfully defeated Proposition 65 challenge to coffee industry, including an order affirming judgment on appeal and denial of plaintiff’s petition for certiorari).
• You v. Japan, et al. (successfully defending vehicle manufacturers in California against alien tort and RICO claims brought on behalf of a purported class of Korean citizens).
• Worldwide Directories A. de C.V. v. Yahoo! Inc. (defeating a $2.7 billion cross-border RICO suit filed in New York arising out of alleged activity in Mexico).
• Manspeaker v. Intel(defeating a series of lawsuits filed in Delaware and Arizona that involved complex choice of law and toxic tort issues).
• Hupan v. Alliance Oneand related cases (securing dismissal of over 400 toxic tort claims brought on behalf of foreign farmers).
• Chevron v. Donziger(successfully defending litigation against a fraudulent multibillion dollar Ecuadorian judgment arising from alleged environmental pollution in Ecuador).
• Tellez v. Dole Food Co. (securing dismissal with prejudice of U.S.-filed toxic tort claims alleging that DBCP caused reproductive harm).
• NML Capital v. Republic of Argentina(enforcing unpaid debts against the Republic of Argentina).
• Osorio v. Dole Food Co. (blocking recognition and enforcement of $97 million toxic tort judgment awarded by Nicaraguan court without due process or evidence of causation).

Recent Publications and Presentations

• “The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides 2023: United States Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial matters”(annual contributing author).
• “Appeals 2021” (Getting the Deal Through, May 2021)(contributing author).
• Gibson Dunn Discusses Mandatory Corporate Human Rights Due Diligence, (CLS Blue Sky Blog, March 24, 2021) (contributing author).
• “Appeals 2019” (Getting the Deal Through, June, 2019) (contributing author).
• One Small Step or One Giant Leap? FAA Releases Final Rules on Commercial Drone Use in the United States (Client Alert, June 27, 2016) (contributing author).
• Extraterritoriality: The ATS In Focus (Law360, October 25, 2016).
• Courts Make Doing Good Abroad Bad for Business At Home (Law360, January 14, 2016).
• International Aspects of U.S. Litigation: Practitioner’s Deskbook (ABA, 2016) (contributing author).
• Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2015 in 29 Jurisdictions Worldwide, United States (Getting the Deal Through, September 2015)(contributing author).
• Enforcing Arbitration Awards in California (Practical Law,2015) (contributing author).
• Disparate Treatment of the Corporate Citizen: Stark Differences Across Borders in Transnational Lawsuits (Business Law International, May 2014).
• Economic Rising Stars in Latin America (Pacific Council on International Policy, 2014 Spring Conference).
• Semiconductor Birth Defect Cases Keep Unraveling In Delaware (Law360, March 12, 2014).
• The Outer Limits of Expert Testimony Gatekeeping (Law360, March 13, 2013).
• Successful Global Strategies for Litigating Cross-Border Disputes in the United States (ABA, 2012).
• Legal Globetrotting II: Recognizing & Enforcing Foreign Judgments and Arbitral Awards (ABA, Miami 2012) (presentation for the American Bar Association, Section of International Law).
• Enforcing Workers’ Compensation in Toxic Tort Birth Defects Cases (American College of Environmental Lawyers, 2012).
• Confronting the New Breed of Transnational Litigation: Abusive Foreign Judgments (U.S. Chamber of Commerce (PLI), 2011).
• Unconstitutional Judgments for Import: Constitutional Limitations on Recognition and Enforcement of Abusive Foreign Judgments (Pepperdine Law Review, 2011).
• Legal Globetrotting: Recognizing & Enforcing Foreign Judgments and Arbitral Awards (ABA, Dublin 2011) (presented for the American Bar Association, Section of International Law).
• Forum Non Conveniens and Foreign-Judgment Recognition: Different Sides of Different Coins (Defense Research Institute, 2011).
• Transnational Litigation and Foreign Judgments: Litigating Recognition and Enforcement Actions in the United States and Developing a Successful Global Strategy (ABA, 2011).
• A New Transnational Battleground (presented for the Los Angeles County Bar Association in Los Angeles, October 2010).

Education & Background. Before joining the firm, Perlette served as a law clerk to the Honorable Pamela Ann Rymer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Perlette graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School. She was an Executive Editor of Stanford Law Review and received the Board of Editors Award. Perlette was also the Student Director of the Stanford Community Law Clinic, and a graduate advisor and teacher. During her time at Stanford, she was awarded the Public Interest and Pro Bono Service Award and a Stanford Law School Fellowship. Perlette graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was the Commencement Speaker at the Fine Arts & Humanities ceremony.

Perlette is a Fellow with the Litigation Counsel of America. She is licensed to practice in California, the District of Columbia and New York. She is admitted to appear before the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits, in addition to the Northern, Southern and Central Districts of California, the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern and the Southern Districts of New York. She is a member of the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association’s Transnational Legal Practice Committee, and the Association’s International Courts Committee and the International Litigation Committee.

Andrea E. Smith is a partner in the Houston office of Gibson Dunn and is licensed in California, New York and Texas. Ms. Smith Co-Chairs Gibson Dunn’s Transnational Litigation Practice Group and is a member of the firm’s International Arbitration, Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort, Class Action and Appellate Practice Groups.

Ms. Smith is a high-stakes trial lawyer with victories in billion dollar matters in both international and domestic forums. Her international work spans Central, South and North America at both the trial and appellate levels. Domestically, she represents clients in an array of industries nationwide, including oil and gas, food and agriculture, aerospace, technology, accounting, real estate and financial services. She has also served as trial counsel for state and local governments.

Throughout her career, Ms. Smith has received numerous accolades for her strategic and courtroom accomplishments. She was named by Benchmark Litigation as the 2023 and 2024 “US Environmental Litigator of the Year,” a “Litigation Star” in New York, and one of the nation’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers.” Ms. Smith was named by Lawdragon in 2024 as one of the “500 Leading Global Litigators” and one of the “Global Litigation 500” for International Litigation & Arbitration. She was also named as one of Latin America’s “Top 100 Lawyers” and as one of Latin America’s “Top 50 Female Lawyers” by Latinvex, received the “California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year” (CLAY) Award from California Lawyer magazine, “Attorney of the Year” from The Recorder, has been repeatedly recognized as a “Top Female Litigator” in the State of California and repeatedly named one of California’s “Top 100 Lawyers” by the Daily Journal. Ms. Smith has also been recognized by The National Law Journal as an “Energy & Environmental Trailblazer.”

As a lead counsel in Chevron’s “case of the century” against plaintiffs’ lawyer Steven Donziger and related foreign litigation, she has led multiple Chevron victories, some of which are detailed in The American Lawyer’s “Inside Gibson Dunn’s Winning Chevron Strategy.” Her victories for Dole Food were likewise featured as cover stories in the California Lawyer and Corporate Counsel, and a front-page feature story in The Wall Street Journal. Ms. Smith’s work is also featured in The American Lawyer coverage of Gibson Dunn as “The 2016 Litigation Department of the Year,” “The 2012 Litigation Department of the Year,” and “The 2010 Litigation Department of the Year.” As one American Lawyer article noted when discussing her courtroom accomplishments: “[Smith] coaxed one plaintiff to admit that he had been trained to testify ‘like a parrot,’ and she found others so frightened of retribution for testifying that they nearly collapsed during depositions.”

Ms. Smith received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia, and dual degrees from the University’s McIntire School of Commerce with high distinction.

Ms. Smith was awarded the Conspicuous Service Award “for her Extraordinary Efforts and Accomplishments as a Principal Author of NYCLA’s Legendary Treatise – Commercial Litigation in New York Courts”, has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center and on the Board of United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County. She has been a member of the United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society and the Women’s Philanthropic Fund. Ms. Smith has also served as Co-Chair of BUZZ: An Executive Women’s Think Tank.

Representative matters

• Chevron Corporation, Nationwide Climate Change Litigation: Represent Chevron Corporation in over 30 climate change actions filed across the country, which attempt to shift liability for national and international energy policy choices on to energy producers. To date, Chevron has prevailed on multiple motions to dismiss these actions, City of New York v. BP, P.L.C. et al., No. 18-cv-00182-JFK (S.D.N.Y.); City of Oakland v. BP, P.L.C., et al., No, 17-cv-06011 (N.D. Cal.); City and County of San Francisco v. BP, P.L.C., et al., No. 17-cv-06012 (N.D. Cal.).
• Eli Lilly & Co.: Represent Eli Lilly in Brazilian litigation brought against its subsidiary, Eli Lilly do Brasil Ltda., arising from allegations that former workers were exposed to environmental contamination at an industrial facility. Prior to Gibson Dunn’s involvement, a billion reais judgment was entered against Lilly Brazil in an action brought by a Brazilian public prosecutor, along with multiple judgments in favor of individuals also brought in the Brazilian labor courts. After Gibson Dunn’s involvement, hundreds of claims brought against Lilly Brazil were dismissed, and no new judgments have been issued.
• Hilton International, Foreign Litigation and Related U.S. Proceedings: Represent Hilton in multiple foreign disputes and in related U.S. actions. Successfully resolved multiple foreign disputes on Hilton’s behalf and defeated multiple attempts to obtain U.S. discovery from Hilton in support of foreign actions.
• Dole Food Company, Inc., Environmental DBCP Litigation: Lead trial, appellate and nationwide coordinating counsel for Dole Food Company in environmental litigation brought by tens of thousands of plaintiffs nationally and internationally. Plaintiffs from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama and the Ivory Coast alleging exposure to DBCP, have brought claims both across the United States and in the plaintiffs’ countries of origin. Tens of thousands of claims have been successfully defeated and no claims have survived to judgment since Ms. Smith became lead Dole counsel. In one of the lead DBCP cases, strategic foreign and domestic investigations lead by Ms. Smith ultimately resulted in a fraud trial and the dismissal with prejudice of all claims by Nicaraguan plaintiffs pending in U.S. trial courts, as a sanction for the plaintiffs’ and their counsel’s fraud on the court.
• Chevron v. Donziger, et al., S.D.N.Y.; Aguinda Chevron, Lago Agrio, Ecuador; Chevron v. Republic of Ecuador, Hague: Represent Chevron internationally in litigation arising out of an environmental case brought in Ecuador in 2003. Lead counsel in Chevron’s successful RICO and fraud suit against the U.S. lawyer and associates who masterminded an extortion scheme that included fraudulently procuring a $9.2 billion Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron. In its 485-page opinion, the court described the case as “extraordinary” and “includ[ing] things that normally come only out of Hollywood,” including “coded emails,” “payments out of a secret account,” videotaped evidence of crimes in progress, and blockbuster evidence that the defendants “wrote the [Ecuadorian] court’s Judgment themselves and promised $500,000 to the Ecuadorian judge to rule in their favor and sign their judgment.” The New York Times described the result as a “major victory,” and the Washington Post called it “resounding.” Ms. Smith continues to advise Chevron on a range of issues flowing from this high-stakes, complex matter and in the related foreign enforcement and International Arbitration matters.
• Perez v. Dole Food Company, Inc.: Lead trial counsel in successful defeat of hundreds of false claims that Dole Food Company funded and directed the activities of AUC paramilitaries in the banana-growing regions of Colombia and was responsible for hundreds of deaths in connection with Colombia’s internal conflict between warring paramilitaries and guerrillas in that region.
• Sanchez Osorio v. Dole Food Company, Inc., et al.: Represented Dole in a recognition and enforcement trial in the Southern District of Florida where plaintiffs sought to enforce a bellwether $100 million Nicaraguan judgment. Dole defeated enforcement of the Nicaraguan judgment following trial before the District Court and its victory was affirmed by the 11^th Circuit.
• In re Burbank Environmental Litigation: Successfully represented aerospace company in federal toxic tort case involving three putative class actions as well as individual plaintiffs alleging claims for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, CERCLA response costs, medical monitoring and punitive damages in connection with alleged air and groundwater contamination with TCE, PCE and Cr6. By the time of trial in Los Angeles federal district court, all class allegations had been defeated and only nine plaintiffs remained. The case was settled during trial for an amount below plaintiffs’ hard costs.
• In re Redlands Tort Litigation: Successfully represented Lockheed Martin Corporation in state court toxic tort litigation brought by over 800 individual plaintiffs and two putative classes alleging personal injuries and medical monitoring damages for alleged groundwater contamination with TCE and ammonium perchlorate. Seven successful writs of mandate resulted in the reversal of the trial court on key issues such as punitive damages, burden of proof and statute of limitations. Judgment was entered in client’s favor as to 100% of the first group of test plaintiffs.
• In re Norco Tort Litigation: Successfully represented defendant engineering and testing company in toxic tort lawsuits brought by over 100 plaintiffs and a putative class of property owners in which defendant was accused of contaminating the groundwater flowing from a site located in Norco, California. The lawsuit was resolved to client’s advantage with a successful strategy that resulted in the recovery of the client’s fees and costs.
• Elsie A. Abel v. Lockheed Martin Corporation: Successfully represented Lockheed Martin Corporation in high-profile toxic tort case involving aircraft and rocket manufacturing facilities. Suits were brought by thousands of residents alleging personal injuries and/or wrongful death stemming from multi-decades of alleged groundwater contamination. The exclusion of both plaintiffs’ Fate and Transport and causation experts and resulted in a defense judgment.
• Lee Anderson Minnelli v. Liza Minnelli Gest, etc.: Successfully defended Liza Minnelli in a high-profile suit brought by her stepmother, Lee Minnelli, alleging elder abuse and breach of fiduciary duty.
• City of Long Beach v. Exxon Corporation: Trial counsel for state and local government entities in an oil royalty matter, which included a four-month jury trial in California.
• Lead trial counsel in numerous successful trust litigation matters, including representations of both major trust companies and the heirs of United Parcel Services, Freedom Communications, Newhall Land and Farming and Farmers Insurance.

Catie Sakurai is an associate in the Palo Alto office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Finance and Royalty Finance Practice Groups.

Catie earned her Juris Doctor from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2023. In addition to serving as an Associate Editor of the California Law Review, Catie was a law student clinician with the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic.

Prior to law school, Catie earned a Bachelor of Science in Physiology & Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego.

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

Gillian B. Miller is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department. She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jacqueline H. Nguyen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Honorable Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia.

Gillian received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. While in law school, she served as a Supervising Editor of the California Law Review, a student advisor for the Appellate Advocacy class, and a board member of Women of Berkeley Law.

Gillian earned a B.A. in International Relations, magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to law school, Gillian worked for the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Gillian is admitted to practice law in the State of California and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ingrid V. Cherry is an associate attorney in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Ingrid earned her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2024, where she was a James Kent Scholar and Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar. While at Columbia, Ingrid served as the Student Director of the Foundation Moot Court program and externed at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

She received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, cum laude, from Northwestern University in 2018.

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