Gus Eyler is a leading defense attorney and Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Consumer Protection and FDA and Health Care Practice Groups. An experienced litigator and former Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, he represents companies and executives in high-stakes criminal and civil investigations and litigation.

Gus brings broad and practical experience to clients facing government enforcement actions. Ranked by Chambers and Legal 500, he is praised for his “exceptional ability to manage crises, disarm regulators, and get results,” especially in matters alleging consumer harm. Gus regularly handles clients’ most crucial legal issues, engaging with federal and state enforcers to close investigations, resolve disputes, and prevail in litigation. Clients also rely on him to mitigate risks through internal investigations and compliance guidance. His clients include the world’s top consumer product, life sciences, and technology companies.

As Director of DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch (now reorganized into the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section), Gus led more than 250 prosecutors and staff in criminal and civil enforcement actions involving food, drugs, medical devices, tobacco products, consumer goods, social media, and marketing practices. He personally oversaw a wide range of corporate enforcement matters, partnering closely with the FDA, FTC, CPSC, and NHTSA to achieve landmark results. Gus also helped to craft corporate compliance policy as a member of DOJ’s Corporate Crime Advisory Group. 

Before serving as Director of the Consumer Protection Branch, Gus worked as a Counselor to the Attorney General, providing advice on matters related to the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Criminal Division, the FBI, and the DEA. He also served as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. He is a recipient of both the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the Attorney General’s Fraud Prevention Award. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Gus worked at Gibson Dunn, as counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and as a law clerk to Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Gus received his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review and an author for the Yale Law Journal. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University and studied history at Merton College, Oxford.

Representative matters:

  • Successfully represented multiple leading food and beverage companies in DOJ criminal investigations under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.
  • Persuaded DOJ to decline a criminal investigation into a consumer product manufacturer under the Consumer Product Safety Act.
  • Secured closure of an FTC deceptive practices investigation into an online gaming platform.
  • Represented a major healthcare organization in a DOJ investigation under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and False Claims Act.
  • Successfully resolved numerous State Attorney General deceptive practices investigations into an online ordering and delivery platform.
  • Convinced DOJ to close a parallel criminal and civil fraud investigation into a leading healthcare company and its top executives.
  • Favorably resolved multiple Consumer Product Safety Commission investigations into consumer product manufacturers and distributors.
  • Persuaded DOJ to close a fraud and money laundering investigation into a financial management business.
  • Secured closure of DEA and State Attorney General investigations into an online marketplace related to the sale of regulated products.
  • Convinced DOJ to drop a criminal investigation into a cryptocurrency financial technology company and its top executives.
  • Favorably resolved an FTC investigation and enforcement action against a healthcare company and its CEO.
  • Represented a global e-commerce entity in parallel civil and criminal investigations brought by the FTC and DOJ.
  • Defended a drug manufacturer in a DOJ criminal and civil investigation under the Controlled Substances Act and False Claims Act.
  • Represented a global e-commerce platform in federal and state matters related to counterfeit goods and trade.
  • Led multiple risk assessments and internal investigations into marketing practices and regulated products.
  • Designed and assisted in implementing corporate programs to ensure compliance with federal and state consumer protection laws.

Shaun A. Mathur is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where his practice focuses on complex commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Appellate and Constitutional Law, Antitrust and Competition, Class Actions, Media, Entertainment and Technology, and Intellectual Property Practice Groups.

Shaun represents clients in a variety of industries, including technology, media and entertainment, consumer products, automobile, insurance, and pharmaceutical, among others. He has extensive experience advising clients in copyright and trademark infringement, class action, and antitrust disputes. Shaun also has drafted numerous merits and amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, multiple federal circuit courts, and all levels of the California appellate courts, and has presented oral argument to the Seventh Circuit.  He has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ for Technology Law (2021-2026), Entertainment and Sports Law, and Litigation – Intellectual Property (2023-2026).

Representative Matters:

  • Obtained reversal in the U.S. Supreme Court of the Ninth Circuit’s judgment awarding $12.8 million in non-taxable litigation expenses under the Copyright Act
  • Obtained reversal in the California Court of Appeal of fraudulent concealment verdict and punitive damages award levied against automobile manufacturer
  • Obtained reversal in the Ninth Circuit of $100 million judgment against large retailer
  • Prevailed before the First Circuit on the scope of the Section 1 exemption to the Federal Arbitration Act, on behalf of gig economy company
  • Obtained partial affirmance in the Ninth Circuit of order granting summary judgment on copyright infringement and business tort claims asserted against software company
  • Obtained complete defense verdict in federal trademark infringement and unfair competition action filed against large social media and entertainment platform
  • Defeated motion for preliminary injunction on behalf of world-famous singer, songwriter, and actress accused of trademark infringement.
  • Obtained dismissal of trademark infringement claims in two lawsuits brought against media companies relating to alleged use of images on online properties
  • Obtained order compelling influencers’ censorship claims against large social media and entertainment platform to arbitration in Singapore
  • Obtained numerous orders from state and federal courts compelling individual arbitration and dismissing and/or staying class and representative actions alleging worker misclassification
  • Obtained dismissal of complaint alleging RICO, antitrust, and tort claims against digital media company in competitor dispute
  • Obtained dismissal of Walker Process fraud claims alleged against large pharmaceutical company in antitrust action
  • Obtained dismissal for lack of Article III standing in putative class action alleging RICO and state-law tort claims against global science and technology company
  • Obtained stay of preliminary injunction entered against ride-share platform in action brought by the California Attorney General and represented ride-share platform in appeal of injunction
  • Obtained favorable settlement for water purification start-up company in action alleging that one of the company’s founders fraudulently concealed material information from the other founders
  • Obtained favorable settlement for cosmetics company in copyright infringement lawsuit alleging that cosmetics company’s advertisement infringed plaintiff’s copyrighted painting
  • Obtained favorable settlement for pretrial detainee in civil rights lawsuit alleging his substantive and procedural due process rights were violated during 8.5 year term of solitary confinement
  • Represented software company at trial against claims of copyright infringement and numerous business torts
  • Represented media and broadcasting company in contract dispute relating to broadcast of awards show
  • Representing large pharmaceutical company in antitrust action alleging unlawful agreement and conspiracy to delay generic competition
  • Representing major technology company in antitrust action alleging monopolization and attempted monopolization

Before joining the firm, Shaun served as a law clerk to the Honorable Carolyn B. McHugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and to the Honorable Robert J. Shelby of the United States District Court for the District of Utah.

He graduated with Highest Honors and Order of the Coif from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, where he served as an articles editor on the Utah Law Review. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Stony Brook University.

Shaun serves on the board of KEEN Los Angeles, which is a nonprofit organization that empowers youth with disabilities through inclusive recreation and fitness programs.

Shaun is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits.

Jonathan Griffin is a partner and UK solicitor-advocate whose practice spans transnational litigation, white-collar investigations and digital regulation. He has specialised experience in the fields of UK public company takeover regulations, and UK and EU technology regulations.

Commercial litigation

Jonathan has represented financial institutions, multinational corporations and a government in complex multi-billion dollar transnational litigation in jurisdictions comprising England & Wales, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Middle East, Caymans and the BVI among others. His sector experience includes energy, infrastructure and financial services. In the UK, he frequently represents clients before the English High Court (Commercial Court) and Court of Appeal. Beyond the UK, Jonathan has particular experience of the court systems and procedures in the EU, having spent much of his career acting as co-ordinating counsel on pan-European matters, and having studied law in both the civil and common law systems.

White collar

Jonathan has a substantial white collar investigations practice, and represents clients in the finance, consulting and pharmaceutical industries, among others, in respect of anti-bribery, financial crime and market manipulation matters.

He was the senior litigator appointed on long-term secondment to The Takeover Panel to advise it on some of its most important enforcement matters to date, including bringing the Panel’s largest enforcement matter in its history to a successful conclusion in 2024, resulting in the largest number of sanctions being handed down, including a novel compensation ruling to compensate affected shareholders.

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

Digital regulation

Jonathan has substantial experience advising technology companies on UK and EU technology regulations. Recently, Jonathan spent a year on secondment at a major technology company running the implementation of the Online Safety Act, and co-ordinating the company’s Online Safety Act and Digital Services Act risk assessments.

Jonathan is a member of the firm’s Transnational Litigation, White Collar and FCPA Practice Groups. He speaks fluent French. He graduated with an MA in Law (First Class) from the University of Cambridge in 2006, and Distinction from BPP Law School.

Hugo Choy is an associate in Hong Kong. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

Hugo has experience in representing and advising multinationals, listed companies, financial institutions, and private clients in civil litigations and arbitrations involving a wide range of contentious matters such as commercial and contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, insolvency, and commercial fraud.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Hugo was a senior associate at an international law firm in Hong Kong. He received his Bachelor of Laws from King’s College London and completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws programme at the University of Hong Kong.  

Hugo is admitted to practice in Hong Kong and is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Yolanda Lau is an associate in Hong Kong. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. 

Yolanda has over a decade of litigation experience in Hong Kong and a strong business acumen. She is trusted for her ability to identify and pursue practical and real-world solutions to complex commercial disputes. Yolanda has been involved in a number of major pieces of multi-jurisdictional litigation involving court proceedings, arbitration, and mediation. Her experience in dispute resolution spans across a range of specialist subjects including banking, intellectual property, cross-border insolvency and restructuring, receiverships, professional negligence and fraud, asset tracing, directors’ duties, and shareholder disputes. Yolanda is also well-versed in handling investigations and dealing with regulators in Hong Kong. She has extensive experience in working with law enforcement bodies in relation to matters involving white collar crime and misappropriation of company assets.

Yolanda has been recognized as a rising star by independent legal publications. She was awarded Rising Star of the Year award for APAC Litigation and Rising Star of the Year award for North Asia by Women in Business Law Awards in 2022 and Asian Legal Business’s Women in Law Awards in 2021 respectively.

Some of her recent and most significant experience includes advising:

  • A global asset management company in relation to the enforcement of a secured senior loan facility for the refinancing of the construction of a luxury residential development in Hong Kong including the receivers in related Hong Kong court proceedings and the receivership
  • The Hong Kong Court-appointed receivers of an offshore private equity fund appointed against highly unusual circumstances in connection with a complex and multi-jurisdictional dispute involving numerous court and arbitration proceedings and undertaking wide ranging investigations to identify, preserve and recover assets
  • The Hong Kong branch of a major Chinese bank in bringing winding up proceedings against a foreign real estate development company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange including on overall strategy in light of the restructuring proposals presented by the company
  • The majority shareholder in a high-profile family / shareholder dispute concerning a substantive restaurant business in Hong Kong
  • A Hong Kong insurance company in arbitration proceedings before CIETAC Beijing in relation to a dispute arising from an M&A transaction

Currently, Yolanda sits on the board as Vice Chair to the Hong Kong Chapter of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Yolanda was a senior associate at another international law firm based in Hong Kong. Yolanda received her Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) from the Australian National University. She is admitted to practice in Hong Kong and the Australian Capital Territory. She is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. 

Lisette Chan is an associate in Hong Kong. She is a member of the firm’s global Strategic Sourcing and Commercial Transactions Practice Group.

Lisette advises on complex corporate transactions, including cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures across Asia Pacific, with a particular focus on the telecommunication and digital infrastructure sectors. She also has extensive experience working on trans-Pacific and trans-Indian Ocean submarine telecommunications cable projects and related digital infrastructure transactions covering landing arrangements, managed capacity, colocation, terrestrial backhaul, data centers and network, NOC, crossings, and IRUs.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Lisette was a senior associate at an international law firm in Hong Kong where she advised corporates, multinational technology companies, and financial institutions on a broad range of commercial transactions in the TMT space.

Lisette is admitted to practice in Hong Kong and is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Lauren Finnegan is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Prior to attending law school, Lauren worked as a Real Estate Case Assistant at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Lauren received her Juris Doctor from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2025. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California – Los Angeles in 2019.

Lauren is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Holly Rooke is of counsel in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s litigation department, where she focuses on complex commercial litigation, securities litigation and enforcement, breach of fiduciary duty claims, breach of contract, mergers and acquisitions, and internal investigations. Holly has significant experience litigating in the Delaware Court of Chancery. She is recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Securities, and has been listed in the publication since 2021.

Representative Matters:

  • Represented Energy Transfer in connection with two securities litigation class actions, including serving as the lead associate for fact development, discovery, deposition preparation, expert reports, summary judgment briefing, and trial preparation.
  • Obtained dismissal of a securities fraud complaint filed against ArrowMark in connection with its investment in an office products company.  Served as the primary drafter for the motion to dismiss briefing, including developing the argument on an issue of first impression that was affirmed by the Second Circuit.
  • Represented a special litigation committee created by the Board of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. to investigate claims related to alleged insider trading in connection with over $130 million in insider stock sales. Represented the committee in subsequent litigation challenging its report and conclusions, which were upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court.
  • Conducted and managed an internal investigation of a cryptocurrency company to assess potential liability.
  • Represented a stockholder in breach of fiduciary litigation related to insiders’ stock sales and bonuses, including serving as the primary drafter of the complaint and motion to dismiss briefing.
  • Represented a multi-billion-dollar consulting company in an appraisal action, which resulted in a favorable settlement.
  • Obtained dismissal of putative stockholder derivative action filed against current and former directors of a publicly traded finance company.
  • Represented a special litigation committee in connection with an internal investigation of alleged accounting improprieties and fiduciary duty breaches by directors and employees.

Holly earned her law degree in 2013 from the University of Colorado School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She received her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Spanish from Colby College in 2008, graduating magna cum laude and with distinction in both majors.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Holly clerked for the Honorable Nathan B. Coats of the Colorado Supreme Court.

Holly is admitted to practice law in the States of Colorado and Washington (inactive) and is a member of the Colorado Bar Association.

Brian Richman is a partner in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn who represents clients in high-stakes regulatory, constitutional, and emergency litigation nationwide. He is regularly engaged when companies face imminent regulatory action, compressed compliance deadlines, or enforcement initiatives that threaten core business models. His practice centers on challenges to federal and state agency action, including major rulemakings, enforcement campaigns, and complex appeals. He is a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law and Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Groups.

Brian is frequently brought in at the outset of major rulemakings and enforcement actions, when swift litigation strategy is critical to preventing immediate compliance burdens, market disruption, or cascading enforcement risk. He has played a leading role in some of the most consequential regulatory cases in recent years.

Brian helped dismantle the Securities and Exchange Commission’s multi-year enforcement campaign advancing a novel “dealer” theory—under which the agency sought to treat a broad range of market participants as unregistered securities dealers—by coordinating and litigating parallel district-court, appellate, and rulemaking challenges nationwide. Following sustained litigation, the SEC voluntarily dismissed all remaining claims, resulting in the dismissal of disgorgement demands seeking approximately $500 million.

Brian has also been at the forefront of challenges to sweeping regulatory mandates. He helped deliver what the Financial Times described as a “major defeat” to the SEC in litigation challenging regulations affecting the private funds industry, and he currently represents clients in challenges to one of the SEC’s “biggest overhauls of U.S. corporate reporting in years” (Politico). In separate litigation, Brian played a central role in securing emergency appellate relief enjoining enforcement of California’s climate-disclosure laws pending appeal, averting immediate and irreversible compliance obligations for thousands of companies while the litigation proceeds. Collectively, Brian’s matters have resulted in the vacatur or suspension of regulations estimated to impose more than $5 billion in annual compliance costs. His work has earned three-time recognition as an AmLaw Litigation Daily “Litigator of the Week” Runner-Up.

In addition to public-enforcement and rulemaking challenges, Brian has achieved significant appellate victories curtailing private regulatory litigation. He argued before the Ninth Circuit in Social Life Network, Inc. v. LGH Investments LLC, 2023 WL 3641791 (9th Cir. May 25, 2023), and authored the briefing in Xeriant, Inc. v. Auctus Fund, LLC, 141 F.4th 405 (2d Cir. 2025), resulting in decisions that sharply limited the availability of private actions premised on alleged unregistered-dealer activity and narrowed a category of claims that had proliferated in the wake of the SEC’s enforcement efforts.

Brian regularly represents clients in complex appeals and high-stakes trial-court proceedings, including emergency motions for stays, injunctions, and extraordinary writs, in federal and state courts nationwide. He has presented oral argument before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits and has briefed matters across the country. His experience spans administrative law, securities regulation, constitutional challenges, employment and commercial litigation, and class-action defense.

Clients turn to Brian when regulators or state actors advance novel, aggressive legal theories that threaten to reshape markets, impose sweeping compliance mandates, or upend settled business models—and when stopping those actions quickly is critical.

Representative Matters

  • National Association of Private Fund Managers v. SEC, 103 F.4th 1097 (5th Cir. 2024) – Secured a unanimous Fifth Circuit decision vacating the SEC’s private fund advisers rule. The court held that the agency “exceeded its statutory authority” and rejected its justifications as “pretextual.” The decision was described as a “significant setback” for the regulator (Bloomberg) and one that “could set the stage for other legal challenges” (The New York Times).
  • National Association of Private Fund Managers v. SEC, 2024 WL 4858589 (N.D. Tex. 2024) – Obtained vacatur of the SEC’s “dealer” rule, delivering what Reuters called the “latest blow” to prominent SEC regulations. The court adopted Gibson Dunn’s argument that the agency unlawfully sought “to dramatically … expand the definition of dealer” to reach major market participants.
  • People v. Amazon.com, Inc., 169 N.Y.S.3d 27 (N.Y. App. Div. 2022) – Achieved a unanimous reversal in New York’s Appellate Division dismissing all claims brought by the New York Attorney General concerning COVID-19 workplace-safety practices.
  • In re Electronic Security Association, No. 24-60570 (5th Cir. 2024) – Secured the extraordinary remedy of mandamus, compelling the Federal Trade Commission to comply with the federal lottery statute in litigation challenging the agency’s “click-to-cancel” rule.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Brian clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He also served as a securities compliance officer at Goldman Sachs, advising on regulatory matters involving the SEC, CFTC, FERC, FINRA, and the Federal Reserve.

Brian serves on the Board of Advisors of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan civil-rights organization focused on constitutional and administrative law.

Brian earned his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a lead editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation. He received his B.S., with honors, from Cornell University in Policy Analysis and Management, and was a visiting student in economics and politics at the University of Oxford (Lady Margaret Hall).

Brian is admitted to practice in Texas, New York, and the District of Columbia, and before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Northern District of Texas, and the District of Columbia.

Charles Peugnet is a partner in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn, where he serves as a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Litigation Practice Groups.

Charles focuses his practice on restructuring, in particular in the context of LBOs and complex debts restructuring. He has also developed specific experience assisting listed companies, advising his clients in their relationships with the French financial markets regulatory body, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF). Charles seamlessly represents companies of all sizes and sectors, insolvency practitioners, debtors and creditors (funds, banks or pools of financial institutions) in connection with pre-insolvency proceedings (either mandat ad hoc or conciliation proceedings) and insolvency proceedings (safeguard, reorganization or liquidation proceedings).

His practice covers the finance aspects of restructuring such as credit facilities, debt restructuring (including debt equity swap), sales of business plans and new money funding. He is part of a multidisciplinary team that often proposes innovative approaches, as they for instance introduced fiducie structures and golden shares.

Charles is also experienced in insolvency litigation, representing clients in insolvency proceedings litigation, debtors’ recourse, receivables disputes, appeals against safeguard or rehabilitation plans, and disputes related to the appointment of controllers. His litigation practice also encompasses general commercial litigation and arbitration, with a focus on expertise disputes, industrial and product liability.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in 2017, Charles practiced for two years with a leading British law firm.

Admitted to the Paris Bar, he graduated with a degree in corporate and tax law from the University of Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne and received an undergraduate diploma in corporate law from the University of Paris II – Panthéon Assas.

Charles speaks French and English fluently.

Steve Wright is of counsel in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities, and general corporate governance matters.

Steve received his Juris Doctor and LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship from Duke University School of Law cum laude in 2016. While at Duke Law, he was a member of the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, with an emphasis in Business Strategy, from Brigham Young University in 2013.

Steve is admitted to practice in Texas.

Experience

  • Counsel to CenterOak Partners LLC in its acquisitions and divestitures of numerous businesses, including Cascade Windows, Wetzels Pretzels, Aakash Chemicals, Full-Speed Automotive, SurfacePrep, Hometown Services, CollisionRight and Service Champions
  • Counsel to Murata Electronics North America, Inc. in its acquisition of Resonant, Inc. in an all-cash tender offer to create a leading global provider of RF system solutions and filter products
  • Counsel to Satori Capital in its minority investment in Torani, the flavor company
  • Counsel to LittleJohn & Co. in its acquisition of The Cook & Boardman Group
  • Counsel to Liberty Hall Capital Partners in its acquisitions of Aircraft Performance Group and Numet Machining Techniques
  • Counsel to InfraREIT, Inc. in its $1.275 billion sale to Oncor Electric Utility Company LLC
  • Counsel to ATL Partners in its acquisition of Rock-it Cargo

Arnaud Moulin is of counsel in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn, where he serves as a member of the firm’s Finance and Business Restructuring Practice Groups.

He specializes in structured finance transactions, in particular in the context of LBO transactions, and complex cross-border debt restructuring transactions. He seamlessly represents senior and junior lenders, financial sponsors, borrowers, and distressed investors in their significant strategic transactions.

Arnaud is experienced in acquisition finance (whether using all-senior, senior, second lien, unitranche, mezzanine or PIK financing), advising lenders, borrowers and sponsors on leveraged buy-outs, build-ups and corporate acquisitions. He also has experience in acting for lenders and borrowers in relation to investment-grade syndicated facilities, other corporate loans, and bridge financing. Arnaud also advises on bespoke financings for companies that require more complex corporate financings, including “special situation” financings for companies struggling to raise debt post-restructuring.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, he practiced as a law clerk at a leading British law firm.

Admitted to the Paris Bar since 2017, Arnaud graduated from University Paris 2 – Panthéon Assas in 2016 with a Master’s degree in Business and Tax law, and from EM Lyon Business School in 2014 with a M.Sc in Management (Programme Grande Ecole). He also obtained a Certificate of Proficiency in English in 2006 from Cambridge University.

Arnaud speaks French and English fluently, and is proficient in German.

Ciarán Deeny is a New York and English qualified of counsel based in the London office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups. He is currently on secondment.

Ciarán has a broad range of corporate transactional and general advisory experience, with a primary focus on cross-border transactions in private equity, private M&A and growth capital transactions across Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Ciarán took his Legal Practice Course in 2015 at BPP Law School, and earned his Bachelor of Laws LLB in 2010 at the London School of Economics. He is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales, and the New York Bar.

Selected experience advising:

  • Cision, a portfolio company of Platinum Equity, on its USD450 million acquisition of Brandwatch, a global leader in digital consumer intelligence and social media listening.
  • TAWAL on its acquisitions of telecom tower portfolios in South Asia and on related master services.
  • The majority shareholders of Avianca in the formation of Abra Group Limited, an airline transportation group anchored by a pan-Latin American network of airlines that includes GOL, Avianca and Viva Air.
  • Investcorp on its joint investment with TPG in Outcomes First Group, an educational social group, providing educational services to those with learning and social difficulties.
  • Hackman Capital Partners on a UK joint venture, involving the acquisition of interests in various film studios in the UK and Scotland.
  • Crestview on the acquisition of AGR Automation, a UK-based provider of automation design and systems integration.
  • AGIC Capital on the sale of global medical laser business Fotona to Vitruvian Partners and the related minority reinvestment arrangements.
  • CITIC Capital on its sale of ISI Emerging Markets Group, the leading provider of macroeconomic, business and industry intelligence on global emerging markets, through a sale to Montagu Private Equity.
  • Morgan Stanley on its investment in Huel, a sustainable nutrition company.
  • Gulf Capital on the sale of MetaMed, the largest diagnostic imaging network in the Middle East, to a consortium of international and regional investors.
  • Investcorp on the investment by a consortium of private equity investors into a rehabilitation healthcare facility in Abu Dhabi.
  • A number of institutional investors with respect to their investments in technology companies focused on FinTech, consumer services and other technology enabled services in series seed, early and later stage investment rounds.

Frédéric Chevalier is of counsel in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn where he is a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Securities Regulation, and Corporate Governance Practice Groups.

Frédéric focuses his practice on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, as well as corporate governance matters. He has strong experience in securities law, especially regarding public tender offers, governance issues, as well as strategic or complex transactions involving listed companies.

He has advised clients from a variety of sectors, with a particular focus on the TMT sector. Over the years, he has worked on a wide range of transactions such as acquisitions, disposals, investments, group reorganizations, LBOs, joint-ventures or assets transactions, including in cross-border contexts.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn in 2022, Frédéric practiced in a leading French law firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions department.

Admitted to the Paris Bar since 2015, he graduated with honors in 2014 with a Master in Management & Business Law from HEC Paris, and an advanced master’s degree (Master 2) in Business Law and Taxation from Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

He speaks French and English fluently.

Rachel Robertson is a partner in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  She practices in the firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment Departments.  Rachel focuses her practice on complex, high-profile business disputes, including class actions, multidistrict litigation, and employment matters.  She has been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America®: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation since 2022

Rachel focuses her practice on helping clients resolve their most challenging problems and guiding them through all stages of legal disputes—from advice and business strategy to trial and appeal.  Rachel has significant experience running all aspects of litigation matters, including through the dispute initiation, complex discovery, motion practice, and trial. 

Rachel has represented clients in a wide range of industries, including telecommunication companies, retailers, software companies, manufacturers, energy companies, investment firms, and social media companies.  She has experience in a wide range of business litigation and employment matters in state and federal court, arbitration, and mediation.  

Rachel has successfully litigated a wide range of issues in cases involving contract disputes; business torts, commercial fraud, and civil conspiracy disputes; trade secret, competition, and employee-raiding disputes; compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws; worker misclassification challenges; and breach of fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.  Rachel also maintains an active pro bono practice.

Recent Representative Experience

  • Representing a major telecommunications company in multiple class actions alleging wage and hour violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • Representing a major telecommunications company in a class seeking over $700 million in damages that alleges violations of fiduciary standards and other requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
  • Representing an oil and gas company in the largest case in the history of North Dakota, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for defamation, conspiracy, trespass, and tortious interference with business relations.
  • Representing a national heavy machinery rental company in over 20 trade secrets cases in both federal and state multidistrict litigation.
  • Member of the trial team who represented a global telecommunications company in a Fair Labor Standards Act case in a jury trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Obtained a full and nearly immediate defense verdict.
  • Representing a major energy company in class action litigation and numerous related cases in state and federal court in Texas relating to contract disputes arising out of Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.
  • Representing a top retail company in numerous wage and hour arbitrations in California.
  • Representing a large manufacturer in a Department of Labor investigation related COVID-19 health and safety procedures.
  • Member of the trial team that represented Deutsche Telekom AG in a case brought by 14 state attorneys general seeking to block the $26 billion purchase of Sprint by DT’s subsidiary, T-Mobile.  Following a bench trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the court rejected the claims of the states and held that the merger should be allowed.
  • Representing a top social networking company in two nonpublic state Attorneys General investigations related to content moderation that resulted in no action.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Rachel was a law clerk for the Honorable Sidney A. Fitzwater of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Rachel received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was the notes development editor and a member of the Executive Board of the Virginia Law Review.  Rachel graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Before law school, Rachel taught in Houston as a Teach For America corps member, and she was named a semi-finalist for the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award. 

She is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

Anna McKenzie is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she currently practices in the firm’s Litigation and Labor & Employment Departments.

She has represented clients in a range of employment litigation matters, including cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage-and-hour violations. Representative matters include:

  • Served as lead associate representing defendant in three-week jury trial in the Southern District of New York; argued motion seeking judgment as a matter of law; prepared witnesses, exhibits, and demonstratives for trial; drafted materials for jury study.
  • Defended global company against novel claims of age discrimination in social media  advertising in a Northern District of California case involving putative class of millions of Facebook users, significantly narrowing the case through dispositive motions practice and ultimately achieving a favorable settlement.
  • Second-chaired five-day FINRA arbitration in executive compensation and whistleblower case, resulting in denial of all claims against client; prepared witnesses to testify; cross examined witness; drafted post-hearing briefing.
  • Represented government contractor in putative class action involving wage and hour laws, breach of contract, and business torts, resulting in dismissal of all claims; successfully briefed and argued motion to exclude opposing party’s expert witness in the Eastern District of Virginia.
  • Assisted clients in drafting employment agreements, separation agreements, and arbitration provisions; conducted pre-litigation investigations of employment-related claims; and advised clients on a variety of employment-related issues.

Anna joined the firm in 2013, after clerking for the Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith, who was then the chief judge in the Eastern District of Virginia. Anna left the firm in 2020 to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, where she represented federal agencies and officers in a wide variety of defensive matters, including cases involving employment discrimination, constitutional law, the Administrative Procedure Act, complex jurisdictional issues, Touhy requests, and medical malpractice. She returned to the firm in 2025.

Anna received her law degree from the University of Virginia, where she was an editor of the Virginia Law Review and participated in the Child Advocacy Clinic. She graduated summa cum laude from the Robert E. Cook Honors College at Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science.

Anna is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia bars, and also is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Virginia, the Supreme Court of Virginia, and the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit.

David M. Kusnetz is a partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. His practice focuses on high-stakes complex commercial, entertainment, intellectual property, and securities litigation. David regularly handles high-profile matters covered by major publications and media outlets.

Recent representative matters include:

  • Jerry Seinfeld, Netflix, and Sony Pictures Television: Secured complete victories at the trial and appellate levels in copyright ownership lawsuit over Mr. Seinfeld’s hit Netflix show, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” The lawsuit’s dismissal earned Gibson Dunn a spot on Law360’s list of “Legal Lions” and was featured on the front page of the New York Law Journal.
  • Jerry Seinfeld: Represented Mr. Seinfeld in high-profile lawsuit concerning the authenticity of a rare 1958 Porsche. Defeated a motion to dismiss Mr. Seinfeld’s third-party complaint, resulting in a favorable settlement for Mr. Seinfeld.
  • Bob Dylan: Successfully prosecuted copyright infringement claim on behalf of Mr. Dylan, resulting in a highly favorable settlement.
  • Vale S.A.: Represents the world’s largest iron ore mining company in multiple billion-dollar putative securities class actions filed in the wake of catastrophic mining accidents in Brazil, including securing dismissal of one securities class action and successfully defeating class certification in another.
  • Rio Tinto: Represented one of the world’s largest mining companies in a putative securities class action and parallel SEC enforcement action arising from a multibillion-dollar write down of a Mozambique mining project. Secured dismissal of nearly all the SEC’s fraud claims on a motion to dismiss, resulting in a settlement where the SEC agreed to drop all remaining fraud charges. Obtained dismissal of parallel securities class action on a motion to dismiss.
  • Estée Lauder: Represents the global leader in prestige beauty in a putative securities class action arising from sales practices in China and South Korea.
  • Lynn Tilton and Patriarch Partners: Served as member of the trial team that defeated an SEC fraud action seeking disgorgement of over $200 million, in which all charges were dismissed following a three-week trial before an SEC Administrative Law Judge. Served as lead associate on a trial team that successfully prosecuted a fraud claim against a major insurance company, resulting in a favorable settlement just minutes before closing arguments.
  • Currently representing Ms. Tilton in a billion-dollar adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court.

David has been recognized as “One to Watch” in Securities Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Entertainment and Sports Law by The Best Lawyers in America®. Super Lawyers has named him a “Rising Star” in Securities Litigation.

David maintains an active pro bono practice. David leads Gibson Dunn’s nationwide efforts to combat antisemitism, co-founding and leading the ADL Legal Action Network and the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL). CALL received nearly 1,000 reports of antisemitism at 230 campuses nationwide and led directly to the filing of civil rights complaints and criminal prosecutions.

David also litigates civil rights cases. He successfully prosecuted a federal civil rights action as lead-counsel for a former prison inmate, in which he obtained a six-figure settlement. He also secured a significant settlement for a former ICE detainee in a Federal Tort Claims Act action arising from an assault by an ICE officer.

From 2015 to 2016, David served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard M. Berman in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

He earned his Juris Doctor in 2014 from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a notes editor on the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. While in law school, David served as a judicial extern to then-Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, an extern in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and an intern in the Superior Court Trial Division of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

Prior to attending law school, he was an analyst in a strategic communications consulting firm, advising political candidates, government agencies, and major corporations.

David is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, and before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is also the Chair of the Colgate Lawyers Association.

Publications:

  • Author, “Addressing Structural Racism in Juvenile Justice through Experimentalism,” 47 Columbia Journal of Law & Social Problems 245 (2014).

Joe Edmonds is a partner in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where he is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.  His practice focuses on complex litigation at both the trial and appellate levels, with a special emphasis on mass torts, environmental litigation, and transnational litigation.

Joe has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Litigation (2023-2025), and Appellate Practice (2024-2025).

Representative matters include:

  • Woolsey Fire Litigation.  Defend the Boeing Company against wildfire claims alleging damages stemming from the November 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California.  Obtained dismissal of claims and entry of judgment in Boeing’s favor following demurrer.
  • Behar v. Northrop Grumman.  Represent Northrop Grumman in putative class action alleging groundwater and vapor intrusion claims related to trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE).
  • Codoni, et al. v. Port of Seattle, et al.  Represent airline in putative class action alleging pollution-related tort claims in the Western District of Washington.
  • Dole Food Company, Inc., Environmental DBCP Litigation.  Trial and appellate counsel for Dole Food Company in environmental litigation brought by hundreds of foreign plaintiffs alleging exposure to DBCP.  Obtained summary judgment for Dole on all tort claims filed in Hawaii state court.
  • United States & New Mexico Environment Department v. Matador Production Company.  Defended upstream oil and gas company in an enforcement action by the United States and the State of New Mexico relating to emissions from the company’s production facilities. The resulting consent decree resolving the case contained one of the first Supplemental Environmental Projects approved by US DOJ and EPA since the policy was reintroduced under the Biden Administration.
  • York v. Northrop Grumman.  Represented Northrop Grumman in putative class action alleging groundwater contamination from trichloroethylene (TCE) in Missouri.  Obtained dismissal of many of the asserted claims based on federal preemption arising from a federal consent decree (York v. Northrop Grumman Corp. Guidance & Elecs. Co., Inc., 2022 WL 19240760 (W.D. Mo. May 18, 2022)) and reached a favorable settlement as to the remaining claims.    
  • Acosta v. Dole Food Company, Inc.  Defended claims by approximately 1,500 plaintiffs alleging property damages and personal injuries from alleged vapor intrusion of petroleum hydrocarbons in a community in Carson, California.  Reached favorable settlement after court excluded plaintiffs’ standard of care experts.
  • Chevron Corp. v. Donziger.  Won a two-month civil RICO trial and obtained an injunction barring enforcement of $9 billion Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron relating to alleged environmental contamination, which the court found was procured by fraud.
  • Perez v. Dole Food Company, Inc.  Represented Dole Food Company in a wrongful death case brought by dozens of Colombian plaintiffs who alleged Dole had provided support for a Colombian paramilitary organization.  Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their claims with prejudice after Gibson Dunn uncovered evidence of improper interactions between plaintiffs’ counsel and jailed paramilitary witnesses.
  • ET Plus Litigation.  Counsel for Trinity Industries, Inc. and Trinity Highway Products, LLC, in nationwide product defect litigation alleging personal injuries from Trinity’s ET Plus guardrail end terminal system.
  • Winkler v. City of Phoenix.  Represented single grandmother in pro bono § 1983 excessive force case.  Presented oral argument in the Ninth Circuit and obtained unanimous reversal of adverse jury verdict based on a jury instruction error.  Winkler v. City of Phoenix, 849 F. App’x 664, 665 (9th Cir. 2021).

Prior to joining the firm, Joe served as a law clerk to Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

He earned his law degree magna cum laude in 2011 from Brigham Young University, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.  During law school, he served as lead note and comment editor on the BYU Law Review editorial board and competed on the moot court team.  In 2008, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude from Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a major in business finance.

Joe is a member of the California bar and Washington bar (inactive), and is admitted to practice before the Fifth and Ninth Circuits.

Lauren Traina is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Her practice focuses on land use and real estate matters, with an emphasis on energy transactions, including project development, acquisitions, financings and restructurings. She has significant expertise in wind power, solar power and other renewable energy technology, and has represented both developers and tax equity investors in connection with these transactions. Lauren also has notable experience in corporate mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and securities regulation.

Significant Representations:

  • Represented First Reserve in connection with its investment in the 120 MW Comanche Solar Facility located in Pueblo County, Colorado, credited as being “the largest solar farm east of the Rocky Mountains.”
  • Represented Terna Energy in connection with simultaneous tax equity, construction financing, and joint venture transactions related to its 155 MW wind facility to be constructed in Fluvanna, Texas.
  • Represented Berkshire Hathaway Renewables in its acquisition of the 110 MW Alamo 6 Solar Project located in Pecos County, Texas.
  • Represented MidAmerican Energy in connection with its tax equity investment in the 230 MW Mariah North Wind Project, including a sale lease-back arrangement for the project’s 27 mile, 345 kV transmission line and related rights-of-way.
  • Represented the Carlyle Group in connection with its acquisition of Essential Power’s 1,767 net MW power generation portfolio, including natural gas-fired, petroleum-fired and hydroelectric facilities located in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
  • Represented Energy Future Holdings in its $1.3 billion acquisition of two gas turbine power plants in Northeast Texas with a combined capacity of 2,988 MW.
  • Represented Newport Corporation in its $980 million acquisition by MKS Instruments, Inc.
  • Represented PneuDraulics, Inc. in its $325 million sale to TransDigm Group Incorporated.

Lauren was recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ 2022 – 2026 in Real Estate Law, Energy Law, and also, in Land Use and Zoning Law.

She has also has an active pro bono practice, which includes representing Lloyd Properties in connection with the dedication of property in Ventura County, California, consulting on real estate matters in connection with two mergers of the Boys and Girls Clubs in Los Angeles and Orange County, and working for the 2024 Los Angeles Olympic Committee. Lauren also participated in a team that prepared a case file for Lawyers Without Borders, which culminated in a trip to Africa to train Kenyan lawyers on prosecuting elephant poachers.

Lauren earned her law degree in 2014 from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where she was a submissions editor of the Southern California Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California in 2011, graduating summa cum laude.

Lauren is admitted to practice law in the state of California.

Carissa H. Zidell is a partner in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Real Estate Department. Carissa represents private equity funds, developers, operators, and institutional and non-institutional investors in all aspects of real estate transactions, ranging from acquisitions and dispositions, financings, preferred equity investments, development matters, and joint ventures in a variety of asset types, including hospitality, office, student housing, multi-family, industrial, and data center.

Carissa was recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ 2025 and 2026 in Real Estate.

Carissa earned her Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She graduated cum laude and with College Honors from UCLA, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Classical Civilizations.

Carissa is admitted to practice law in California.