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

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

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

Widely recognized for his debt financing expertise, Andrew is ranked by Chambers USA for his work in Banking and Finance in California. He is also featured in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for his work in Banking and Finance Law.

Representative Clients and Transactions:

  • Liability Management Transactions: Diamond Sports Group, Loparex, and Serta
  • Term Lender Groups: Alvogen Pharmaceuticals, Anuvu (Global Eagle), and TNT

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

Emily Naughton is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the Real Estate Practice Group where she advises clients on a broad array of commercial real estate transactions, with an emphasis on digital infrastructure. She represents data center owners, developers, operators, and investors globally in connection with acquisition and development projects, disposition and transition of data center facilities, and data center leases and colocation agreements. Emily has deep experience in the data center industry, and an in-depth understanding of the technology powering the cloud and the market for data center services, and applies this knowledge to assist clients with finding practical solutions to meet their business needs.

Emily has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2025 and 2026. She was also recognized by GlobeSt. as a 2025 Women of Influence.

Her recent experience includes the following representations:*

  • Negotiation of data center leases and colocation agreements with hyperscale and enterprise customers globally on behalf of both privately held and publicly traded data center operators.
  • Acquisition of greenfield sites across the U.S. on behalf of data center operators and infrastructure investors for development as data centers.
  • Disposition and lease back of data center assets on behalf of enterprise owner/operators, including a Fortune 500 fintech company and a regional health care system.
  • Development of data center lease and colocation agreement forms for data center owners and operators.

Emily received her B.A. with distinction from McGill University, and her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law where she was a member of the American University International Law Review. She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, and Virginia.  

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

Sydney Scott is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Houston office. Ms. Scott has experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in every stage of litigation, from pre-suit demands to final appeals, in a wide array of complex commercial disputes. She has also represented defendants in white-collar criminal matters. Ms. Scott focuses on developing pragmatic, winning strategies to resolve even the most complex disputes.

Benchmark Litigation named Ms. Scott to its 2022 and 2024 “40 & Under List – South,” which identifies the best and brightest litigators across the US and Canada. She is recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Criminal Defense: White-Collar.

Ms. Scott received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an Articles Editor for the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. At Dartmouth, Ms. Scott won three Ivy League Championships with the women’s basketball team. After college, she played two seasons with B.K. Amager in Copenhagen, Demark and won the Danish Women’s League Championship during her first season.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Ms. Scott practiced at Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, L.L.P., where she was elected to the partnership, and at Vinson & Elkins, LLP. Ms. Scott also clerked for the Honorable Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Honorable James J. Brady on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

Ms. Scott is admitted to practice in Texas, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Representative matters include*:

  • Obtained a total victory for life settlement broker in payment dispute, including an almost $2 million arbitration award, fees and costs, and a take-nothing judgment on defendant’s counterclaims.
  • Obtained a $3.3 million jury verdict in Texas state court for an oil and gas operator in a contract dispute involving unpaid invoices. Arguing an issue of first impression, successfully defended jury verdict in appeals to the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court.
  • Successfully briefed and argued appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on behalf of a billion-dollar settlement facility in a multi-million-dollar payment dispute brought by a foreign class of claimants.
  • Litigated and tried royalty dispute in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas for a group of mineral interest owners against a large oil and gas operator and its non-operating working interest owners. Secured ruling awarding over $8.4 million in damages and making favorable lease interpretations.
  • Represented a group of mineral interest owners in Texas state court against large oil and gas operator in a multi-million-dollar royalty dispute involving novel issues of co-tenancy law. Negotiated a favorable pre-trial settlement.
  • Represented an individual defendant in a federal prosecution and post-conviction proceedings in matter involving charges of wire fraud and money laundering stemming from a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud investors.

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

Marshall R. King is a partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation, Securities Litigation, and Class Action Practice Groups.

Marshall is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation in the 2024-2026 editions.

Marshall handles a wide range of complex commercial disputes, including securities litigation, mergers and acquisitions disputes, and bankruptcy litigation. His recent and notable experience includes:

  • Representing UBS in litigation arising out of the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Marshall successfully obtained dismissal of all common law claims in a $2 billion suit brought by the court-appointed trustee for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, and continues to defend suits seeking clawback of monies allegedly traceable to BLMIS.
  • Marshall frequently represents buyers or sellers in disputes arising out of acquisitions. He has both prosecuted and defended claims for fraud and misrepresentation, and often handles earnout and purchase price disputes, both in court and in alternative dispute proceedings.
  • Marshall represents Mesquite Energy, Inc., as reorganized debtor, in several hotly contested proceedings arising out of the bankruptcy of Sanchez Energy Corporation.
  • Marshall is defending Bank of America against claims by the FDIC alleging that Bank of America underpaid more than $1 billion in deposit insurance assessments.
  • Marshall is defending a number of lawsuits on behalf of clients alleged to be unregistered dealers in suits brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • Marshall represented Artémis, a French company, in two federal jury trials arising out of the rehabilitation of Executive Life Insurance Company, which resulted in favorable verdicts, and was selected as one of the Daily Journal‘s Top Defense Verdicts of the year.

Marshall received his Juris Doctor cum laude in 1991 from Harvard Law School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors in Economics from Princeton University in 1988. He is a member of the Bars of New York and New Jersey.

Marshall currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Legal Services NYC, the largest provider of free civil legal services in the country. He also served for more than 10 years on the Board of Beginning with Children Foundation.

Laura M. Sturges is Of Counsel in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, and has substantial experience in a number of areas, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) investigations and compliance initiatives, antitrust litigation, commercial litigation, False Claims Act cases, appellate litigation, and SEC enforcement proceedings.

Laura currently is leading a team conducting an FCPA investigation in Brazil, including interfacing with U.S. authorities. She previously served as a core member of an international team of Gibson Dunn lawyers assisting the compliance monitor in connection with the then-largest FCPA settlement ever. She has helped clients trouble-shoot FCPA compliance programs and identify potential violations in a variety of contexts, and regularly conducts M&A and third-party due diligence. Her FCPA compliance monitoring work includes activities in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

In addition to her FCPA experience, Laura has significant and wide-ranging experience in other areas of litigation. She recently represented clients facing antitrust claims in the healthcare industry, and resolved complex trade secret and employment litigation on behalf of a financial services client. She has extensive experience representing clients in complex contract dispute litigation in both state and federal court in a variety of industries, including real estate, construction, and hedge fund investing. Laura also assisted in the successful representation of clients accused of violating the False Claims Act in the Medicare context at both the federal district and appellate levels.

Laura also maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing asylum candidates, assisting refugees, and successfully representing a local charitable organization from trial court through the Colorado Supreme Court. Her commitment to pro bono has led to her twice receiving the firm’s Frank Wheat award, given annually to lawyers in the firm who obtain significant results for their pro bono clients and demonstrate leadership and initiative that serve as inspiration to others.

She is admitted to practice law in the State of Colorado. Laura is a member of the Colorado, Denver, and Colorado Women’s Bar Associations, recently chaired the Law Alumni Board of Directors of the University of Colorado School of Law, and is a member of the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Committee in Colorado. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Work Options for Women. Laura was named a “Colorado Rising Star” by Colorado Super Lawyers magazine in both 2010 and 2012. Laura has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Corporate Law since 2022.

Before joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to The Honorable Phillip S. Figa in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Laura earned her law degree magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Colorado School of Law, where she graduated first in her class. She graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, where she was a two-time NCAA All-American in Cross Country and Track. Before attending law school, Laura taught high school social studies.

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

He represents institutional investors, REITs, private equity funds, real estate funds, opportunity funds, fund sponsors and other real estate investors, developers and operators in a broad range of commercial real estate matters, including joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, financings, recapitalizations and development matters. His experience includes a variety of asset classes, including office and life science buildings, multi-family and student housing projects, industrial parks, retail and mixed-use centers, hotels and short-term rentals, single-family rentals and vacant land.

Ryan is also experienced in representing public pension funds and sovereign wealth funds making investments in domestic and international private funds investing in real estate, debt, infrastructure and other alternative assets.

Ryan was recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ in Real Estate Law since 2022 and as a Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2023 and 2024.

Ryan received his law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he was an Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, a member of the Dean’s Honor List and graduated with Honors in completion of the Corporate Law Concentration. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from California Lutheran University.

He was also a member of NAIOP SoCal Young Professionals Group, Class of 2019-2020.

Ryan is licensed to practice in the State of California.

Nathan C. Strauss is Of Counsel in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. 

Nathan’s practice focuses on representing corporate clients in high-stakes, bet-the-company litigation, with a focus on securities litigation and corporate governance disputes. He specializes in matters involving valuations of complex financial instruments or corporate transactions, as well as matters involving machine learning. He has represented clients in a range of industries, including the financial sector, media, technology, and manufacturing.

Nathan has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation since 2024. Nathan’s recent and ongoing representations include*:

Securities Litigation and Regulation:

  • Represented SolarEdge Technologies, Inc., a major global supplier in the residential and commercial solar energy markets, in a purported securities fraud class action challenging disclosures relating to sales practices, channel-stuffing, and international demand, as well as in follow-on derivative actions, all filed in the Southern District of New York.
  • Represented a major international investment bank in a number of securities fraud matters brought in New York State by investors in complex mortgage-backed derivatives sold by the bank prior to the housing market collapse. 
  • Represented Medallion Financial Corp. and its CEO in a civil securities fraud matter relating to accounting standards and subsidiary valuation brought by the SEC in S.D.N.Y.
  • Represented a hedge fund partner in an investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission regarding potential violations of SEC regulations and market manipulation, leading the SEC to close the investigation with no penalty.
  • Represented a major international bank in an investigation by the CFTC and other federal and state regulatory bodies regarding potential rate manipulation.

Delaware Corporate Law/Fiduciary Duty:

  • Secured dismissal of all claims against US WorldMeds Partners and its subsidiary after plaintiffs asserted several vicarious liability theories under Delaware law. Also secured dismissal of all claims against four current and former officers of US WorldMeds based on an application of Delaware’s officer consent statute. 
  • Represented four members of the board of directors of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings in an expedited trial before the Delaware Court of Chancery arising from a proxy contest initiated by the company’s executive chairman. Gibson Dunn’s clients prevailed in the proxy contest after the court issued its post-trial opinion.
  • Represented Goldman Sachs in litigation relating to interpretation of bylaws governing corporate officer indemnification under Delaware Law, including in a successful appeal to the Third Circuit.

Media and Technology:

  • Represented a group of the founders, early executives, and employees of the online dating application Tinder in a multibillion-dollar litigation, including a month-long jury trial in New York State court, culminating in a highly favorable settlement.
  • Defended Meta in purported class actions alleging discrimination resulting from the machine learning algorithms underlying targeting and delivery of advertisements to users. 

Additional Complex Litigation:

  • Successfully defended the New York Islanders in Article 78 proceedings seeking to halt the construction of the new UBS Arena, including defeating motions for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. 
  • Represented a global chemical and products manufacturer in connection with litigation seeking upwards of $1 billion in damages arising from a proposed deal relating to refinery cleaning technology, culminating in dismissal of all claims at summary judgment.
  • Secured dismissal of claims brought against Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., and its founder in four different jurisdictions, including New York State court and S.D.N.Y., and secured sanctions against plaintiff’s counsel. 

Nathan has an active pro bono practice and has received the Pro Bono Publico Award in recognition of his work on post-conviction relief with The Legal Aid Society. Nathan also serves on the Board of The Legal Aid Society’s New Leadership Program, as well as on the Nominating Committee of the NLP Board. 

He graduated magna cum laude from New York University School of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard University.

Nathan is admitted to practice in the State of New York, and before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

* Includes matters handled by Nathan prior to his joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Megan Hulce is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

She is recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation.

Megan graduated with pro bono distinction from Stanford Law School, where she served as an Articles Editor of the Stanford Law Review. Megan graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Philosophy and Organization and Human Resources.

Megan is admitted to practice in the State of Texas.

Katherine Maddox Davis is a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

She represents corporate clients in high-stakes disputes with consumers, shareholders, and foreign governments. Her pro bono practice is focused on state and federal criminal defense. Katherine has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Appellate Practice since 2023.

Outside of court, she publishes and speaks on international jurisdictional disputes, often with human rights implications. Her analysis has been featured in law reviews and Lawfare, and she is a regular contributor to the ABA International Section’s Year in Review. She serves as vice chair for Rule of Law on the ABA International Courts and Judicial Affairs Committee.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Katherine clerked at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

She received her law degree, with honors, from Emory University School of Law. She was elected editor in chief of Emory International Law Review and received the W. Richard Smith Founder’s Award for Writing Excellence and the Robert Beynart Award for Professionalism and Ethics. As a law student, Katherine interned with then-Justice Harold Melton of the Georgia Supreme Court, with civil rights prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice, sex trafficking prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, and war crimes prosecutors at the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Prior to law school, Katherine spent a year assisting sex trafficking prosecutors in Kolkata, then earned a Master of Science in Contemporary India from Oxford University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Auburn University’s Honors College, where she was the Morris W. Savage Pre-Law Scholar from 2006 to 2010. Katherine is the 2020 Auburn University Honored Alumni Award recipient.

Speaking Engagements

  • “Domesticating International Criminal Law,” American Society of International Law online symposium, December 2021
  • “India’s Identity in International Court,” South Asian University, New Delhi, India, February 2020
  • Auburn University Honors College Freshman Induction, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, September 2019
  • “Procedural Challenges and Strategies in State-to-State Proceedings Before the ICJ and ITLOS,” Leiden University’s Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands, May 2019
  • Oxford School of Global and Area Studies Careers Panel, Oxford University, May 2019

Publications

Ben Saltsman is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is chair of Gibson Dunn’s Land Use and Development Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department. Ben’s practice focuses on successfully obtaining land use entitlements for major real estate development projects in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and throughout California, as well as advising institutional investors and lenders on development-related matters.

Capitalizing on his deep understanding of both local government and the laws governing development in California, Ben works with clients to strategically navigate the complex interaction of local and state land use laws, politics / public policy, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). He advises clients on CEQA matters, the California Coastal Act, zoning law, historic preservation standards and ordinances, and State laws governing the dissolution of redevelopment agencies in California.

Ben’s clients include private developers, financial investors and lenders, television studios, non-profit organizations, airlines, religious institutions, large land owners, and sports and entertainment companies. He has successfully advised clients on a wide-range of projects, including the redevelopment of large retail centers, mixed-use and multi-family developments, Class A office developments, large master planned communities, creative office campuses, the redevelopment of former military bases, movie studios, hotels, and the reconstruction of two new terminals at LAX.

Ben has been recognized as a leading lawyer by:

  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 in Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ 2022, 2023 and 2024 in Land Use and Zoning Law
  • Chambers USA 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 for California Real Estate: Land Use/Zoning
  • California Lawyer Association 2016 as one of the Attorneys of the Year for extraordinary achievement in Real Estate & Development

Highlights of Ben’s recent experience include advising:

  • Murphy’s Bowl LLC in the land acquisition and pre-development strategy for the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC), also known as the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team as well as a fourth major concert venue in the City of Inglewood.
  • Los Angeles Rams in the successful entitlement of the team’s practice facility in the Warner Center neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles.
  • Delta Air Lines, Inc. in the entitlement of two new terminals at Los Angeles International Airport.
  • JP Morgan in the complicated redevelopment of Sunnyvale Mall in Northern California including successfully negotiating and securing a comprehensive update of the special development permits, housing agreement, development agreements.
  • The Kroenke Group in leading the development team implementing the multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment complex (SoFi Stadium) on 298 acres in the City of Inglewood.
  • The entitlement effort on the redevelopment of the two City blocks in Beverly Hills, California containing the Saks and former Barneys Beverly Hills stores with more than 640,000 square feet of new development including an adaptive reuse of the historic women’s store, the relocation of the Saks Women’s store, and the addition of housing, creative office, restaurant and retail uses to reactivate the street.
  • Ongoing entitlement of the Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, allowing for the development of more than 10,500 homes, hundreds of acres of parks, millions of square feet of office and such non-traditional uses such as a major cancer hospital and related office and treatment facilities all within a master planned community comprising the former Maria Corps Air Station El Toro.

Additional relevant information about Ben include:

  • Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Ben served as a senior advisor to a Los Angeles County Supervisor for nearly 15 years where he was responsible for planning and land-use issues, and coordinating policies and programs with developers, homeowner groups, environmental organizations, and various state and local governmental entities. Ben also oversaw, among other agencies, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the Community Development Commission and the Los Angeles County Housing Authority. As a Supervisor’s Deputy, Ben coordinated the successful entitlement and approval of major private sector and public sector development projects, including: a major campus master plan, a specific plan for a Los Angeles movie studio and entertainment complex, funding and entitlements for more than one thousand affordable housing units throughout Los Angeles County, the acquisition of thousands of acres of publicly owned open space, and the certification of a local coastal program by the California Coastal Commission.
  • Ben earned his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, in 2014 from Loyola Law School where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. He received his Master of Planning degree, with highest honors, in 2007 from the University of Southern California, and his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in 2002 from UCLA where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
  • Ben has also lectured at academic and professional forums and written a nationally award winning paper on best practices in the land use entitlement process.
  • He is a past board member of Pasadena Heritage and has an extensive pro bono practice.

Andrew J. Dady is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is a member of the Real Estate Practice Group. Mr. Dady focuses his commercial real estate practice on debt and equity finance, sales, acquisitions and development. He represents a wide range of clients, including developers, lenders, institutional investors, landlords and significant tenants.

Mr. Dady is ranked as one of the leading real estate lawyers in New York by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business , The Best Lawyers in America®, and Who’s Who Legal Real Estate. Chambers USA notes that Mr. Dady is “at the top of his game in terms of expertise in the marketplace” and “an amazing negotiator who doesn’t lose sight of the end goal. He ensures protection of the client while getting the deal done – a great business mind.”

Mr. Dady received his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 1989, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University in 1986.

Mr. Dady is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Danielle Zapata is an associate in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s New York office. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation department, and her practice focuses on intellectual property litigation.

Prior to joining the firm, Danielle served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. During her clerkship, she gained valuable behind-the-scenes experience assisting on numerous judicial proceedings, including sixteen civil jury trials and one bench trial.

Prior to clerking, Danielle was an associate at Greenberg Traurig LLP in New York, where her practice focused on intellectual property litigation.

Danielle graduated summa cum laude from UNT Dallas College of Law in 2021, where she was the Valedictorian. While in law school, she was a judicial extern for Judge Karen Gren Scholer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and served as the Editor-in-Chief for UNT Dallas Law Review – On the Cusp. Danielle received her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2018.

Danielle is a member of the State Bar of New York and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Christopher Kopp is an associate in the Washington D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s White Collar and Antitrust and Competition Practice Groups. Chris’s practice is focused on advising multinational corporations on Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and antitrust matters, with a particular focus on assisting clients navigating Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission investigations, as well as private party litigation involving complex antitrust and consumer protection issues. 

Chris earned recognition in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in America©: “Ones to Watch” for his work in Administrative – Regulatory Law practice.

Chris’s antitrust experience includes representing:

  • VMware in securing global antitrust clearance of its $61 billion acquisition by Broadcom;
  • AT&T in its successful defense of DOJ’s challenge to AT&T’s $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner;
  • Deutsche Telekom in its successful defense of a challenge by 16 states to the Sprint–T-Mobile merger;
  • Smithfield Foods in connection to a multi-district class action alleging a decade-long price fixing conspiracy;
  • Welbilt in its proposed acquisition by Middleby and then in the successful topping bid acquisition by Ali Group;

Chris’s investigations and white collar experience includes representing:

  • A money transmitter in connection to a DOJ investigation of alleged Bank Secrecy Act violations;
  • A global telecommunications company in connection to a DOJ investigation of foreign bribery and money laundering;
  • A large Israeli bank in connection to a government investigation of alleged tax evasion.

Chris also spent a year seconded at a large technology company, where he was responsible for responding to regulatory investigations and inquiries, including outreach from state and federal regulators regarding workplace safety, controlled substances sold on the company’s marketplace, artificial intelligence controls, and discrimination. Chris’s responsibilities included coordinating with multiple in-house business teams, preparing advocacy, briefing senior business and legal leaders, managing outside counsel, as well as designing and implementing ethics and compliance programs.

Chris received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2014, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his B.A., cum laude, from the University of Maryland in 2009.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen J. Murphy on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and to the Honorable Deborah L. Cook on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to attending law school, he served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.

He is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Jessica Valenzuela is a partner in the Palo Alto office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Securities Litigation Practice Group. Jessica’s practice focuses on securities, corporate governance and other complex business litigation, including the defense of securities class actions, derivative suits and M&A-related class actions. In addition to representing clients in state and federal courts, she also represents companies, boards and special committees in government and internal investigations and counsels public and private companies and their directors and officers about a wide range of issues relating to corporate governance, insider trading, disclosure obligations, director and executive compensation matters and litigation risk and strategy.

Jessica has also litigated commercial disputes in international and domestic arbitrations. Her clients have included companies and individuals in the hardware, software, semiconductor, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, finance, internet and digital-media industries.

Jessica is ranked among the leading Securities Litigation practitioners in California by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. She is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for her expertise in Commercial Litigation and Litigation Securities (2023-2026). The Legal 500 US 2025 guide distinguishes her as a “Recommended Lawyer” in Securities Litigation: Defense. Jessica has also been named to The Daily Journal’s list of “Top Women Lawyers” and The Recorder’s “Women Leaders in Tech Law.” LMG Life Sciences 2022 acknowledged Jessica as a “Life Sciences Star.” She was also recognized as a Benchmark Litigation “Future Star,” to the Lawyers of Color “Hot List” and Silicon Valley Latino’s “40 Under 40 Latinos2Watch.” In 2014, she was a Fellow on the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Jessica was a partner at Cooley LLP.

Jessica graduated from Stanford Law School with distinction in 2002. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1999, where she graduated with departmental honors.

Recent matters include:*

  • Filed a successful motion to dismiss a complaint on behalf of Fastly Inc. that alleged violations of federal securities laws against the company and two executive officers, and obtained voluntary dismissal of derivative lawsuits based on the same allegations.
  • Obtained dismissal of two complaints filed against Overstock.com and certain officers alleging that they violated federal securities laws.
  • Filed a successful motion to dismiss a complaint alleging violations of federal securities laws on behalf of Stitch Fix, Inc.
  • Defended Twitter Inc. and two former officers in a class action lawsuit alleging violations of federal securities laws.
  • Secured rare dismissal of claims brought under the Securities Act of 1933 in California state court filed against Pure Storage alleging that the company made false and misleading statements in the prospectus filed in connection with its IPO.
  • Obtained dismissal with prejudice of a derivative lawsuit filed against publicly-traded pharmaceutical company alleging that the company violated the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act.
  • Obtained orders granting motions to dismiss multiple shareholder derivative lawsuits filed against Orexigen Therapeutics challenging executive stock option awards.
  • Represented special committee of publicly-traded utilities company in internal investigation into alleged improper executive stock option awards.
  • Represented publicly-traded software company in internal investigation in response to whistleblower allegations of improper recognition of revenue.
  • Secured the dismissal of a series of derivative lawsuits against eBay based on allegations that the company’s directors breached their fiduciary duties related to strategic transactions and hiring practices.
  • Represented Blurb, Inc. against copyright infringement claims filed on behalf of the monkey who purportedly snapped the infamous “Monkey Selfie.”
  • Obtained a complete dismissal of a class action complaint filed against XOMA Corporation and certain of its officers alleging violations of federal securities laws, and obtained voluntary dismissal of derivative lawsuits based on the same allegations.
  • Negotiated favorable settlements of federal securities class actions and federal and state derivative actions on behalf of a former director and audit-committee chair of a Chinese company accused of accounting fraud that entered the US capital markets through a reverse-merger.

*Includes representations prior to Jessica’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Deena Klaber is of counsel in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, where she focuses on environmental and mass tort litigation, complex civil/business litigation, and administrative and regulatory law. Deena represents clients across numerous industries and has significant experience in the energy and health care sectors. She is a member of the firm’s Ethics Committee, and she served on the firm’s Hiring Committee from 2015 to 2022.

Deena is recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Administrative/Regulatory Law.

Deena has litigated a broad range of matters in state and federal courts throughout California and across the country.

Recent Representative Matters

  • Representing Fortune 500 medical insurer in petition for writ of administrative mandamus against the California Insurance Commissioner following precedential decision imposing over $170 million in penalties for alleged violations of the California Insurance Code and related regulatory code, including subsequent appeals after writ of administrative mandamus was granted.
  • Represented Fortune 50 energy company in legal challenges to various state and local regulatory schemes related to health and safety.
  • Defended Fortune 500 energy company at jury trial against $250 million contractual/indemnity and business interruption loss claims by business partner arising out of an industrial accident, resulting in favorable settlement.
  • Defended Fortune 100 petroleum product refiner and marketer in claims arising from industrial accident, including challenge of occupational safety and health citations.
  • Represented large renewable energy company in investigation of ignition and spread of wildfire at one of its geothermal power plants.
  • Defended real estate development companies against tort allegations arising out of planned residential development of remediated former military base, with successful dismissal of claims pending .
  • Represented international transportation services company in negotiating settlement with government authorities related to oceanic molasses spill affected coral reef habitats.
  • Represented Silicon Valley technology company in pursuing contract claims against software supplier, as well as defending cross-claims, including arguing dispositive motion, and obtained favorable settlement after mediation.
  • Represented multinational medical technology company in product liability suit arising from adverse drug reactions, resulting in favorable settlement.
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of leading life sciences company in civil False Claims Act qui tam suit, and successfully defended summary judgment before the Ninth Circuit.
  • Defended leading post-acute health care services provider in connection with civil and criminal False Claims Act investigations by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, and the Department of Justice.
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of major freight shipping company in a labor and employment dispute involving allegations of unlawful termination in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and obtained dismissal of unlawful termination claims asserted under California state law.
  • Successfully settled legal malpractice lawsuit against Am Law 200 law firm brought by former clients entangled in tax litigation regarding use of a tax avoidance transaction.
  • Secured appellate victory on behalf of Am Law 15 law firm in a legal malpractice suit brought by a large accounting firm, as well as dismissal of numerous follow-on suits brought by third parties in several states.

In addition, Deena completed a secondment with a large Silicon Valley technology company, managing its domestic and EMEA litigation matters and providing litigation-based product counseling. She actively provides pro bono legal services to indigent clients, including representing asylum-seekers in affirmative and defensive applications for political asylum. Deena has successfully obtained asylum for several clients from all over the world and negotiated a complex plea bargain with federal prosecutors on behalf of a criminal defendant in a parole violation case.

She received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2010. During law school, Deena served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Negotiation Law Review and was a board member of the Women’s Law Association. She earned her A.B. with Honors in Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship from Brown University in 2007, where she graduated magna cum laude, received the Albert Arnold Bennett Class of 1872 Award for academic excellence, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She also served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Juan R. Torruella of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Deena is admitted to practice law in the States of California and New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California. Deena is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers.

David F. Crowley-Buck is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the Firm’s Litigation Practice. David is recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Criminal Defense: White Collar.

David earned his Juris Doctor in 2012 from Boston College Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the Order of the Coif. While at Boston College Law School, he served as the Executive Articles Editor of the Boston College International & Comparative Law Review. In 2007, David earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government magna cum laude from Georgetown University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

He is admitted to practice in the State of New York and before the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

PUBLICATIONS:

  • Author, Unreasonable Reasonableness: Standardizing Procedural Norms of the ICC Through Al Bashir, 34
  • “White Collar Crime,” Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, Fourth Edition (December 2016).

Alyssa B. Kuhn is a litigation Of Counsel in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Alyssa’s practice focuses on high-stakes commercial litigation, white collar defense, and internal and regulatory investigations.  She has represented clients across a variety of industries, including technology, banking/finance, cryptocurrency, insurance, media, and betting and gaming. 

Alyssa has litigated a wide range of complex civil and commercial disputes in both state and federal court.  She has significant experience preparing cases for trial. Alyssa represented an AIG affiliate in a 25-day RICO, fraud, and breach of contract trial in the Southern District of New York against an originator of life settlements, which resulted in a successful settlement. In addition, she was a member of the trial team that obtained complete dismissal of fraud charges against Patriarch Partners and Lynn Tilton following a three-week trial against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Alyssa often represents institutions, hedge funds, companies, and individuals in civil, criminal, and regulatory matters before the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and other regulators. She also has extensive experience conducting confidential internal investigations for clients. She has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Criminal Defense: White Collar (2023-2026).

Alyssa maintains an active pro bono practice, where she currently represents individuals and organizations in immigration-related matters. She received an outstanding service award from the Legal Aid Society for her work on behalf of a class of disabled New Yorkers challenging a disaster food stamp program in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. 

From 2017 to 2018, Alyssa clerked for the Honorable Joseph F. Bianco, then U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York.

Alyssa graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2013, where she was an editor of the Journal of Law and Politics. She received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Duke University in 2010.  

Greg Boden is a litigation associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups.

Greg handles a broad range of cases at all stages of civil litigation, including securities fraud, consumer fraud, trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, insurance bad faith, and qui tam litigation. He has obtained favorable results in three trials. Greg also has experience in internal corporate investigations, government investigations, and enforcement actions. He has represented an international firm in a Special Counsel investigation; successfully obtained dismissal of criminal charges for an individual charged with insider trading; negotiated a plea agreement for a Fortune 500 company; handled several investigations related to the FCPA, accounting fraud, and insider trading; responded to SEC and DOJ subpoenas; prepared clients for Congressional and SEC testimony, and conducted internal investigations.

He has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Litigation-Securities (2024-2026).

Greg co-authored an article on the Fifth Amendment in Civil Practice, published by Law360.

He earned his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Pepperdine Law Review and Order of the Coif. During law school, Greg externed for Chief Judge Alex Kozinski on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also served as a research assistant to Donald Childress III, analyzing international litigation and the extraterritorial application of U.S. law. Prior to law school, Greg served as an officer in the United States Navy, where he served as the assistant to the Assistant Director of the Officer Department at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command. He completed Naval Nuclear Power School, oversaw officers awaiting training, and analyzed officer success and attrition at Nuclear Power School. Greg received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Public Policy from Stanford University in 2009.

Greg is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice law before the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the Northern District of California, and the Southern District of California.

Duncan Taylor is a senior associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where he practices in the firm’s Litigation Department. He is also member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group. Duncan represents companies in a wide variety of matters including government investigations, business-related disputes, high-stakes litigation, unfair competition, and trade secret theft.

Duncan is recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation.

He received his J.D., with pro bono distinction, from Stanford Law School in 2014, where he was a member of the Criminal Defense Clinic and was actively involved in the Stanford Law Association. While in law school, Duncan also served as the co-president of the law school’s Black Law Students Association and as co-president of the Stanford Entertainment and Sports Law Association. He earned a B.A. in Government and English from Georgetown University in 2010.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Duncan previously worked as a litigation associate at Crowell & Moring in San Francisco and as a corporate associate at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett in Palo Alto.

He is currently admitted to practice law in the State of California.

Esther Lifshitz is a litigation Of Counsel in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, antitrust actions, and internal and regulatory investigations.

She has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation (2021-2026) and Criminal Defense: White-Collar (2024-2026).

Esther received her Juris Doctor in 2014 from University of Chicago Law School, where she was an editor of the University of Chicago Law Review. In 2010, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Columbia University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Esther served as a law clerk to the Honorable Eric N. Vitaliano of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Before that, she was a litigation associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York.

Esther is admitted to practice in the State of New York and before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Publications:

  • Co-Author, The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s Valuation Regulation in Bankruptcy: Entitled to Chevron Deference or Arbitrary and Capricious, 20 U. Pa. J. Bus. L. 247 (2017).