Whitney Smith is of counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. She advises clients on a broad array of real estate matters, with a particular focus on digital infrastructure assets. Whitney represents owners, operators, developers, investors, and sponsors in the data center space on the acquisition and disposition of data center assets, the negotiation of data center leases and services agreements, and the negotiation of property management agreements. Whitney leverages her in-depth knowledge of the data center market to develop business-minded solutions for her clients.

Whitney’s recent experience includes the following:*

  • Negotiation of numerous large-scale leases and services agreements with hyperscale and large enterprise customers across the globe on behalf of public and privately owned data center owners, operators, and developers;
  • Negotiation of both the acquisition and disposition of data center assets nationally, including the acquisition of greenfield sites for the future development of data center campuses; and
  • Negotiation of the real estate aspects of multiple M&A transactions and portfolio investments in the cloud and digital infrastructure space.

Whitney was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Real Estate Law.

Whitney received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia in 2016, where she was a member of the Virginia Journal of International Law. She earned a Master of Arts in urban planning in 2013 and a Bachelor of Arts in 2011 from Rollins College.

Whitney is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Virginia.

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

Neil H. Sekhri is Of Counsel in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Land Use and Development Practice Group.

Neil has practiced real estate, land use and municipal law for over 30 years. His experience includes public and private partnerships, ground leasing, development agreements, land use and entitlements, CEQA, BCDC, public trust, historic preservation, acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing for landlords and tenants, and public agency rules and procedures.

Neil’s representative clients include:

  • the Golden State Warriors in the entitlement and implementation of the Chase Center in San Francisco;
  • the Oakland Athletics working on the entitlement of a new ballpark in Las Vegas;
  • Brookfield Properties in the entitlement and redevelopment of Pier 70, a 28-acre mixed-use development within the Port of San Francisco’s Pier 70 Historic District;
  • The Related Companies in the entitlement and redevelopment of a 300-acre publicly-owned landfill site in the City of Santa Clara;
  • Build Inc. in the entitlement of a large mixed-use public/private development with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department; and
  • Treasure Island Community Developers in the entitlement and ongoing implementation of the redevelopment of Treasure Island, a former U.S. Navy base, as a large new master-planned community.

Neil has extensive experience collaborating with public agencies for both private and public clients. Recent public agency clients include:

  • UC College of the Law, advising on real estate, financing and construction matters related to their recently opened academic and student housing building at 198 McAllister Street; and
  • Napa County in the entitlement for the Napa Pipe project, a large mixed-use brownfields redevelopment project.

Previously, Neil was a San Francisco Deputy City Attorney where he acted as senior real estate counsel for the Port of San Francisco. Representative projects at the Port include:

  • leading the Port through the negotiation and approval of the transaction documents and entitlements for the $400 million James R. Herman Cruise Terminal project at Piers 30-32;
  • the $100 million historic rehabilitation of the Ferry Building;
  • the historic rehabilitation of Piers 1, 1½, 3 and 5; and
  • the complex land exchanges at Mission Bay, a 300-acre redevelopment site.

Neil is recognized by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer for California – Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use and was awarded the 2017 Daily Journal California Lawyer of the Year award for his work on the Golden State Warriors Mixed-Used and Event Center. He was also recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Land Use and Zoning Law. He has been a member of the board of Directors of the Foundation for San Francisco’s Architectural Heritage and is an officer of the Golden Gate Chapter of LAI International, an honorary real estate professional society.

Neil is a graduate of the University of California at Davis King Hall School of Law where he was editor of the Law Review. Neil received his undergraduate degree in English with honors from the University of Maryland.

Dominique Roberts is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn. Dominique advises on a broad range of corporate transactional and advisory matters and has experience representing private and public companies, private equity funds, banks, and other financial institutions on a variety of corporate transactions. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Dominique worked at another law firm in London. She is admitted to practice in England, Wales, and California.

Arjun Ogale is an associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn.

Arjun represents clients in complex and time-sensitive business litigation. He has significant experience at the trial level, including in managing discovery, taking and defending depositions, and preparing witnesses for examination. He also has considerable experience with high-stakes briefing—including in three cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and multiple matters before the Supreme Court of Texas.

Representative matters:

  • Co-led associate team and helped deliver a clean sweep trial victory—winning a $46 million verdict and defeating every counterclaim—in a high-stakes breach of contract and fiduciary duty case. Directed depositions, argued key motions, managed discovery and briefing, and prepared witnesses for trial. Texas Lawbook profiled the victory, and the American Lawyer selected it as Runner-Up for Litigators of the Week.  GCP Cici’s v. Dharod, No. DC-24-01196. (Dallas Cty. Dist. Ct.).
  • Assisted with briefing and argument preparation in unanimous Supreme Court victory in case holding that an insurer with financial responsibility for bankruptcy claims is a party in interest with a right to be heard in reorganization proceedings. Team named Law360 Legal Lions of the Week. Truck Ins. Exch. v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., 602 U.S. 268 (2024).
  • Won partial grant of mandamus on venue transfer from Fifth Circuit in case involving business disparagement claims against nonprofit organization. In re Media Matters, — F.4th —- (5th Cir. 2025). In an earlier appeal in the case, helped persuade Fifth Circuit to grant stay of discovery order pending interlocutory appeal on First Amendment grounds. X Corp. v. Media Matters for Am., 120 F.4th 190 (5th Cir. 2024).

Arjun also has an active pro bono docket focused on criminal justice and civil rights. His team received the Gibson Dunn’s 2024 Frank Wheat Team Pro Bono Award for its efforts in securing parole for a woman facing a lengthy sentence in Texas state prison. In another matter, he contributed to a favorable civil settlement for a woman who was the victim of a violent race-based attack.

Before joining the firm, Arjun clerked for the Honorable Gregg J. Costa of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also worked as a fellow at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, where he successfully argued a case before the D.C. Court of Appeals and helped author an amicus brief joined by over 20 states in a landmark Supreme Court election-law case. 

Arjun received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review. At graduation, he was elected to Order of the Coif, and his student note won the Roger and Madeleine Traynor Prize for best written work. Arjun also graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering.

Jake E. Nielsen is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Jake has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Real Estate Law.

Jake received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Loyola Law School in 2020 and his Bachelor of Science in Finance, summa cum laude, from California State University, Fresno in 2016.

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

Ben Imdieke is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he serves as a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department. His experience includes a broad variety of finance, joint venture, workout and development matters, and he has represented landlords and tenants in large scale, often complex, office and industrial leasing transactions including negotiations for tech industry campuses of up to 750,000 RSF and ancillary property management-related transactions.

Ben received his J.D., summa cum laude, from University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and Contributing Editor of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform. While in law school, he was also a member of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, a volunteer extern for the Office of Chief Counsel, U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and a judicial extern to the Honorable Jeffrey J. Helmick, United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio.

Ben was awarded a Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer Fellowship by the Ohio State Bar Association to study how land use planning and land banks can strengthen community in Midwestern cities experiencing population decline.

Ben was recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch™ for Real Estate Law, Real Estate Litigation, and also, Land Use and Zoning Law.

He earned an M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University, where he was a Jane Addams-Andrew Carnegie Fellow, and his B.A. in Political Science from Kalamazoo College. Prior to attending law school, Ben was a non-profit fundraising executive and a capital campaign consultant for various philanthropic, educational, environmental, social service, arts and culture and health care organizations.

Ben is admitted to practice law in the States of California and Minnesota.

Ian Ratner is of counsel in the New York office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, where he is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Ian’s practice spans a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including joint ventures, acquisitions, financings, and leasing. His clients include prominent private equity firms, real estate investment trusts, and developers.

Most recently, Ian has played a key role in numerous high-profile transactions for RXR, including the recapitalization of 1211 Avenue of the Americas, and a 500,000 square-foot office lease at 1285 Avenue of the Americas.

Ian has also assisted Investcorp with multiple acquisitions, including various student housing and industrial portfolios.

Additionally, Ian has advised on many complex joint ventures across various asset classes, including:

  • Related Fund Management:  $325 million mixed-use development in Miami, Florida
  • Welltower:  $500 million recapitalization for a portfolio of medical office buildings across the U.S.
  • RXR:  Phased mixed-use development in Denver, Colorado
  • Private Equity Client:  $230 million programmatic agreement for industrial properties across the U.S.

Ian’s notable equity-side CMBS loan transactions include:

  • Trinity and Elliott:  $800 million financing for Grande Lakes, a luxury resort in Orlando, Florida (1,592 keys)
  • Trinity:  $500 million financing for the Westin Maui (770 keys)
  • Investcorp:  $210 million financing for a 17-property industrial portfolio (2.4 million square feet)

Ian regularly negotiates ancillary real estate agreements, including ground leases and development, construction, and property management agreements.

Ian has been recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ (2023-2026) for Real Estate Law. Before beginning his decade-long career at Gibson Dunn, Ian earned his Juris Doctor in 2014 from New York University School of Law, where he served as Senior Editor of the Journal of Law and Business. Prior to law school, Ian earned a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management with a minor in Real Estate from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in 2011, where he graduated as First Degree Marshal, an honor awarded to the student with the highest GPA.

Ian is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.

Nicole S. Kim is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where she practices in the firm’s Finance Practice Group.

Nicole was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022 – 2026 Ones to Watch in Banking and Finance Law.

She earned her law degree in 2013 from Columbia Law School, where she was a Managing Editor of the Columbia Business Law Review and where she was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Nicole graduated in 2010 from Yale College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Literature. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, she was an associate in the Banking Department of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Los Angeles.

Oren Fishman is an associate in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he currently practices in the firm’s Real Estate Department.

Oren’s practice focuses on the representation of foreign and domestic clients in a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, leasing, debt and equity investments, financings, joint ventures, and sales.

Most recently, Oren was recognized as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ in Real Estate Law in 2022-2026.

Oren earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 2016, where he was a Submissions Editor for the Entertainment Law Review. While in law school, he served as vice president of the Real Estate Law Association.

Oren earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology, from San Diego State University.

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

Sara Brazao Ferreira is of counsel in the Houston office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and a member of the firm’s Real Estate group.

Sara represents private equity firms, public companies, REITs, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds and various other clients in complex real estate matters across all asset classes. She regularly advises on acquisitions and dispositions of real estate assets, including hospitality, retail centers, commercial office buildings and multi-asset portfolios; financing transactions, including senior mortgage, mezzanine and construction financing; commercial leasing transactions; and the formation and restructuring of joint ventures.

Sara has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Real Estate Law (2023-2026).

Representative Matters include representation of:*

  • QIC in various transactions, including its $3.175 billion acquisition of a portfolio of regional shopping malls
  • Apartment Investment and Management Company in its $10.4 billion reverse spin-off of Apartment Income REIT Corp.
  • Ares Management in connection with:
    • its $175 million construction financing of a luxury beachfront development in Maui, Hawaii;
    • its formation of a joint venture with a sovereign wealth fund investor; and
    • a $260 million sale of a majority ownership interest in a development asset to a sovereign wealth fund
  • A private equity fund in various dispositions of single-family residence portfolios, each valued at over $100 million
  • Genesis HealthCare, Inc. in its restructuring of approximately $256 million of debt and operations of 51 facilities leased with Welltower
  • A private equity firm in a $65 million mezzanine financing secured by a luxury hotel and resort in Los Cabos, Mexico
  • Major financial institution in its aggregate $129 million acquisition and pre-development senior and mezzanine loans to a real estate investment firm for a mixed-use development in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Sovereign wealth fund in its formation of numerous joint ventures, with aggregate investments valuing over $500 million
  • Pattern Energy in its $1.7 billion debt and tax equity financing for the Western Spirit wind project and transmission line in New Mexico
  • Brookfield Renewable in its $733 million sale of a portfolio of wind energy projects to NextEra Energy Partners
  • Ontario Power Generation in its $298 million acquisition of Eagle Creek Renewable Energy
  • Public company in its $260 million acquisition of a portfolio of convenience store locations
  • Property management and investment company in its $218 million sale of a major commercial office building in San Francisco
  • Numerous other clients, including AustralianSuper, The RMR Group, Silverstein Properties, Inc., Terraform Power, Talen Energy, Centro Properties Group, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., MSD Capital, L.P., WEC Energy Group and Yahoo/Altaba in various acquisitions, dispositions, financings, investments, joint ventures, developments and leasing transactions

Sara has also advised on various transactions across the energy sector, including the acquisition, disposition, development and financing of renewable energy projects and transmission facilities.

She has been involved in a variety of pro bono engagements, including advising charter schools and nonprofit organizations in leasing and financing transactions, Holocaust survivors in reparations cases, and asylum seekers in immigration matters, as well as participating in screening projects for the Innocence Project. She was previously a board member of the Women Lawyers’ Association of Los Angeles.

Prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Sara practiced at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She received her Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law, where she was a member of the UCLA Law Review.

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

Stephen Flug is Of Counsel in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. His practice focuses on a broad range of transactions, including real estate acquisitions and dispositions, financings, joint ventures and ground-up developments.

Stephen was recognized in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ in Real Estate Law.

He earned his Juris Doctor in 2014 from the New York University School of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor of the New York University Journal of Law and Business. He received his Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Cornell University in 2008.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Stephen was an associate in the Real Estate Department of Paul Hastings LLP in its New York office.

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

Monica Grover is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher where she currently practices in the in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

She received her Juris Doctor from University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the Editorial Board for the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law and as President of the South Asian Law Student Association. Monica graduated magna cum laude from the Honors College at Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. degree in Chemistry and minor in Biology. She served as a research assistant in the Department of Internal Medicine and as a private tutor for student athletes at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her student research paper, Prenatal Nicotine Exposure as a Teratogen in Neurological Pathways was published in Auctus and the Undergraduate Research Commons.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Monica practiced with the firm Milbank LLP in their Intellectual Property Litigation group.

She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, State of New York, Southern District Court of New York, and Eastern District Court of New York.

Amar K. Madhani is an English law qualified partner in the London office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Investment Funds, and Strategic Sourcing and Commercial Transactions Practice Groups.

Amar’s practice focuses on domestic and international private equity M&A, corporate real estate transactions and investments and private M&A transactions including domestic and international cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital transactions. He regularly represents international sponsors, public and private buyers and targets in auctions, asset and share sales and mergers across a broad range of sectors, including industrials.

Amar has been recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Private Equity: Transactions and M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals £750 million+.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Amar trained and practised at the London office of a major international law firm where he spent six months seconded to the Abu Dhabi office. Amar has also spent six months on secondment to AnaCap Financial Partners LLP, a European private equity fund focused on the financial services sector.

Katharina Heinrich is an associate in the Munich office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

Katharina advises clients on German and international commercial arbitration and complex litigation matters.

She studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich and the University of Oslo. Katharina passed her first state exam in 2019. During her legal clerkship, she worked for renowned law firms in Hamburg. She passed her second state exam at the Higher Regional Court of Schleswig in 2021 and has been admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwältin) since 2022. Katharina obtained her Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from New York University, U.S.A., in 2025 where she specialized in environmental and energy law.

She is fluent in German and English.

Stella Cernak is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. Stella is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department and White Collar Defense and Investigations and Trials Practice Groups.

Stella’s practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, white collar defense, and internal investigations. Stella has represented a range of clients—including Fortune 500 technology companies and clients in the real estate and banking/finance industries—in numerous federal and New York State cases, administrative proceedings, and federal and state regulatory investigations.

Stella has experience managing teams and advising clients in connection with complex, high-stakes legal matters, including investigations and enforcement actions brought by the SEC and the Department of Justice and high-profile federal lawsuits. Stella has significant discovery experience and has worked extensively with expert and fact witnesses. Stella has also played a key role on a number of trial teams.

Representative Engagements Include:

  • Representing S&P Global in purported federal class action alleging unfair competition and violation of federal antitrust laws pertaining to the use of CUSIP identifiers.
  • Represented Amazon.com in multi-site ergonomic safety investigation brought by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Justice.
  • Represented major Fortune 500 technology company in a putative federal class action lawsuit and related regulatory investigations alleging violations of federal and state laws in connection with the use of data analytics technologies.
  • Represented multinational bank in Department of Justice and state regulatory investigations relating to alleged violations of the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions laws, which were resolved without enforcement action.
  • Secured jury verdict for Fortune 250 company in connection with federal trial related to an alleged “Ponzi” scheme.
  • Successfully represented Lynn Tilton and her company Patriarch Partners at trial in the largest individual administrative enforcement action ever brought by the SEC.
  • Represented one of the world’s largest oil companies in its successful defense against an attempted confirmation of an $18 billion sham foreign arbitration award in federal court.

Stella maintains an active pro bono practice. Stella was a member of the Gibson Dunn team that drafted an amicus brief for constitutional law scholars in the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, addressing the constitutionality of the State of Mississippi’s enactment of the Gestational Age Act. She successfully drafted a habeas petition that resulted in the release of a client from detention on bond and has helped clients obtain asylum. Stella has served as a firm liaison to Crisis Text Line.

Stella serves on the Board of Trustees of Of Home, Family and Future. Stella served on the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music from July 2018 through July 2021. She holds a leadership role for the 2025-2026 bar year with the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division’s First Generation Initiative.

Stella has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America as “One to Watch.”

From 2022 to 2023, Stella served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jennifer H. Rearden in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Stella earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, in December 2014 from the University of Michigan Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Journalism, magna cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2009. While in law school, Stella served on the selections committee for the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law, where she published a Note that applied international law as a method of handling intra-military gender-based crimes.

Stella is admitted to practice in the State of New York and before the Southern District of New York.

Brad Smith is a partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He plays a leading role in high-stakes antitrust matters, offering strategic counsel on both merger-related and standalone antitrust issues. Brad is especially noted for his deep expertise in Hart-Scott-Rodino Act pre-merger notification requirements. He has advised clients across sectors including technology, life sciences, finance, transportation, and industrial clients, with completed transactions totaling over $500 billion in value.

Throughout his career, Brad’s antitrust work has included some of the largest and most high-profile matters on record: United States v. Microsoft (1998-2004), InBev’s $52 billion acquisition of Anheuser-Busch (2008), Bayer’s $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto (2016-2018), and Pfizer’s $43 billion acquisition of Seagen (2023).

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Brad spent 28 years at another major international law firm. A sample of Brad’s antitrust litigation and merger clearance representation from that time includes advising:

  • Bayer AG in antitrust matters before the U.S. Department of Justice and as global coordinating counsel relating to the $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto and the accompanying $9 billion divestiture to BASF
  • Microsoft Corporation in the landmark antitrust action by the U.S. Department of Justice and 19 states and the District of Columbia between 1998 and 2004
  • Diageo plc in connection with its $335 million acquisition of Aviation gin
  • Unisys Corp. in connection with the $1.2 billion sale of its U.S. Federal contracts business to Science Applications International Corp.
  • Tenaris S.A. in connection with its $1.2 billion acquisition of IPSCO Tubulars Inc.
  • Diageo plc in connection with its $550 million sale of a portfolio of spirits brands to Sazerac
  • Seattle Genetics concerning its $614 million acquisition of Cascadian Therapeutics
  • INC Research Holdings, Inc. in connection with its $7.4 billion merger with inVentiv Health, Inc.
  • Navistar International Corp. concerning its $256 million alliance with TRATON (formerly Volkswagen Truck & Bus)
  • Terumo Corporation in antitrust matters before the Federal Trade Commission relating to its $1.12 billion acquisition of vascular access and closure devices from Abbott and St. Jude Medical
  • Alcatel-Lucent in relation to its $16.9 billion combination with Nokia Corp.
  • Global pharmaceutical companies in antitrust matters relating to multiple transactions collectively valued at $13.5 billion
  • ZF Friedrichshafen AG in antitrust matters before the Federal Trade Commission relating to its $12.4 billion acquisition of TRW Automotive

Brad received his law degree in 1997 from Yale Law School. He earned a C.E.P. from Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University in 1993.

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

James Lavery is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. He currently practices with the firm’s Corporate Department.  James has represented clients in connection with matters related to data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, regulatory inquiries, mergers & acquisitions, and securities regulations.

James received his Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law and was inducted to the Duke Law chapter of the Order of the Coif; he also received a Masters of Laws (LL.M) in International and Comparative Law. While at Duke, he served as an Articles Editor for the Duke Law Journal and was a member of both the Moot Court and Mock Trial Boards.

Prior to law school, he graduated cum laude with Honors and Distinction from Whitman College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, and a minor in Chinese.  After graduating from Whitman, he worked as a college English instructor at Yunnan University in Kunming, China, and for a startup in Portland, Oregon.

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

Meir Lax is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring & Reorganization Practice Group and Liability Management & Special Situations Practice Group. He represents credit investors, equity sponsors and borrowers in a wide range of liability management transactions, distressed credit situations and private credit financings.

Representations include:

  • Oregon Tool in connection with a $150 million new money financing and a $1.3 billion recapitalization of its credit facilities and senior notes.
  • Petmate in a new money drop-down financing and out-of-court restructuring of over $800 million of liabilities.
  • Ares Capital Management in a $250 million financing to FORTNA Group.
  • Abacus Life in a $150 million private credit financing.
  • An ad hoc group of lenders to Rodan + Fields in a $75 million new money financing and uptier transaction of $550 million of secured debt.
  • HPS in a $385 million private credit facility to Ribbon Communications.
  • TCW Asset Management in a private credit refinancing for Florida Marine Transporters.
  • Angelo Gordon in a private credit leveraged recapitalization facility to Priority Waste.
  • Diameter Capital Partners in a private credit financing to Servpro.
  • Apollo Global Management in a $1 billion secured notes financing to Norwegian Cruise Lines.
  • An ad hoc group of lenders to Selina Hospitality in a discounted notes exchange.

Meir earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and his Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College.

Jennifer Bellah Maguire is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office and a member of the firm’s Investment Funds Group. Jennifer’s practice focuses on private equity fund formation and mergers and acquisitions, including public company transactions and divestitures. Jennifer specializes in representing parties to asset manager transactions (investors and sponsors) ranging from seeding new sponsors and General Partner stakes investments to full acquisitions as well as sponsor recapitalizations and restructurings of sponsor firms, including in connection with initial public offerings and other exits.

Jennifer has been recognized as a leading lawyer by:

  • Chambers Global has recognized her as a leading lawyer from 2012-2019 in the area of Private Equity: Buyouts and from 2012-2013 in the areas of Investment Funds: Private Equity: Fund Formation.
  • Chambers USA has recognized Jennifer as a leading lawyer in the areas of Private Equity: Fund Formation and Buyouts, in California Corporate M&A: Private Equity and in Southern California Corporate M&A.
  • Expert Guides named Jennifer to its 2017 Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law.
  • Chambers USA shortlisted Jennifer in the ‘Women in Law’ Awards in the Corporate M&A Lawyer of the Year category, 2012.
  • The Los Angeles Business Journal named her as one of the ‘Most Influential M&A Advisors’ (2013) and ranked her among ‘The Best of the Bar’ for Corporate Transactions (2007).
  • Jennifer has been selected by her peers for inclusion in 2006-2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Securities/Capital Markets Law, and for Mergers and Acquisitions Law in 2024-2025.
  • Who’s Who Legal list of Private Fund Lawyers for 2011, 2018, and 2019.
  • The National Diversity Council recognized Jennifer on the 2016 Top 50 Women Lawyers list.

Highlights of Jennifer’s experience includes:

  • Formation and corporate representation of Candle Media, LLC, a media and entertainment company founded by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and backed by Blackstone.
  • RidgeLake Partners in numerous General Partner Stakes investments.
  • Leslie’s PoolMart in the sale of the company to LCatterton and corporate counsel subsequent to its 2020 initial public offering.

Additional relevant information about Jennifer includes:

  • Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bryn Mawr College, magna cum laude, and studied for one year at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. She was awarded a Watson Foundation Fellowship following college. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and served as an Associate Editor for the California Law Review.
  • She speaks and writes French fluently and maintains a cross-border practice with the firm’s Paris office.
  • Prior to joining the firm, she served as law clerk for the Honorable Mary M. Schroeder in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
  • Jennifer speaks frequently on corporate and securities topics.
  • She is a founding director and the current Chair of the Board of the Los Angeles Ballet.
  • Jennifer is the co-author of “Fashion Law and Business: Brands & Retailers”.

Christina Fernandez is of counsel in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department. She concentrates her practice on real estate finance transactions representing investment banks, debt funds and institutional lenders in the origination and restructuring of mortgage and mezzanine loans for the acquisition and refinancing of properties throughout the United States. In addition to traditional loan structures, Christina also represents clients on transactions that involve CRE CLOs, loan-on-loan financings and repurchase facilities.

Christina was recognized by CRE Finance Council as a 20 Under 40 professional who has positively impacted the commercial real estate finance industry in 2023. She was is also listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ 2024-2026 for Real Estate Law.

Christina graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Business, and received her JD from Northwestern University. She is admitted in the states of New York and Florida.