Mark is a partner in the London office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Finance Practice Groups.

Mark advises a range of senior and mezzanine investment bank and private capital clients in respect of real estate investment and development financing transactions across diverse real estate asset classes (including hospitality, office, residential, student, logistics, cold storage and data) throughout Europe.

Mark is ranked Band 1 for Real Estate Finance – UK wide in Chambers UK 2025, where clients describe him as “very strong and at the forefront of the market” and is recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2025 as a “Leading Partner” for Real Estate Property Finance.

Prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Mark was Global Head of Real Estate Finance at another major international law firm where he was a partner in both London and Frankfurt.

Mark is admitted to practice in England and Wales and has been practising law for over 25 years.

Mark’s experience includes advising:*

  • The syndicate financing the acquisition of the European data centre business of CyrusOne
  • The syndicates financing the development of various data centres in the UK and the Netherlands owned by Yondr
  • The owner of a large data centre campus in Portugal in respect of its development finance arrangements
  • The syndicates financing the acquisition of various portfolios of cold storage warehouses in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany owned by Lineage
  • The syndicates financing the acquisition and development of cold storage warehouses in the UK, Germany and France owned by NewCold
  • A number of other syndicates financing the acquisition and development of cold storage warehouses in the UK
  • The syndicates financing the acquisition of life science parks in the UK managed by Brookfield
  • The senior syndicate (and subsequent CMBS) financing the acquisition of life science parks in Germany and the Netherlands owned by TPG
  • The syndicates in respect of the insolvency sales of various retail parks originally owned by the Intu group
  • The syndicates in respect of a number of PRS schemes in the UK and France
  • The syndicates in respect of a number of student accommodation schemes in the UK
  • The syndicates in respect of a number of logistics warehouse portfolios across the UK and continental Europe
  • An investment bank in respect of the development financing of two office developments with the same sponsor in Paris
  • The syndicates in respect of the financing of a number of PRS schemes in the UK
  • The syndicates in respect of the financing of various hotel portfolios across the UK and continental Europe
  • The syndicates in respect of the financing of various offices across the UK and continental Europe
  • The bondholders in respect of various distressed German real estate companies

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

Marie Gosset is an associate in the Paris office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups.

She specializes in corporate and commercial law, handling public and private mergers and acquisitions, along with private equity matters. Marie provides counsel to a diverse range of companies, both private and public, spanning various sectors and advises funds involved in French or international strategic investments, joint ventures and divestments. Her experience includes addressing diverse corporate matters, such as stocks and assets transactions and shareholders agreements.

Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2025, she graduated with an LL.M. in Law & Tax Management in 2022 from EDHEC Business School, as well as a Master’s degree in Business Law from the Catholic University of Lille in 2022.

Marie speaks French and English fluently.

Abby Walters is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Abby clerked for the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and for the Honorable John B. Nalbandian on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to clerking, Abby graduated cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as a Notes Editor on the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics and as a Co-Director for the Appellate Advocacy Division of Barristers’ Council. While in law school, Abby represented clients as a student attorney in the Appellate Litigation Clinic, arguing before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.  

Abby graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2018, where she majored in Foreign Languages and Literature with an emphasis in Latin and minored in Spanish.

Abby is admitted to practice in New York, the District of Columbia, and the Sixth Circuit.

Jillian N. Katterhagen is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department with a particular focus on white collar defense investigations, complex commercial litigation, global anti-corruption matters, and congressional investigations.

Jillian has experience representing financial institutions and multinational companies in investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and the United States Congress. She has conducted internal investigations involving alleged securities and accounting fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, violations of anti-money laundering laws, and violations of the False Claims Act. Additionally, Jillian has significant litigation experience and has represented clients in proceedings before administrative agencies.

She received her law degree from Stanford Law School in 2018. She served as an Editor for the Stanford Law and Policy Review, and as a student attorney in Stanford’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, where she advocated on behalf of clients seeking legal advice in connection with asylum applications and other immigration matters. Jillian graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, earned a B.A. in history and politics, and served as the captain of the women’s track and field team.

Jillian is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.

Spencer Becerra is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.

He graduated a James Kent Scholar from Columbia University School of Law in 2024, where he served as a member of the Mediation Clinic and The Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts. Spencer received his Bachelor of Arts in English from The George Washington University in 2020.

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

Trey Shomin is an associate attorney in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Trey earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2024. Prior to law school, he graduated magna cum laude from Grand Valley State University where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the Seidman College of Business.

Trey is admitted to practice law in Colorado. 

Ariel Fishman is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices with the firm’s Litigation Department and specializes in intellectual property.

Ariel’s practice includes litigating complex trademark and copyright matters. Representative matters include:

  • Key member of the trial team defending a beverage company’s use of its trademark, pursuing extensive fact and expert discovery before the case was successfully resolved;
  • Briefed novel copyright and fair use issues in a bench trial representing a leading enterprise resource planning software support company;
  • Key member of the trial team in a private arbitral trial, including taking direct examination of two fact witnesses;
  • Advised media client on potential First Amendment exposure and defenses;
  • Secured asylum award for individual who fled El Salvador while a minor to escape persecution.

Ariel clerked for Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Editor for the Harvard Law Review. Ariel received her undergraduate degree with general honors in art history and English literature from the University of Chicago.

She is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.

Publications

  • Note, Textualism’s Mistake, 135 Harv. L. Rev. 890 (2022)
  • Recent Case, Save America’s Clocks v. City of New York, 133 Harv. L. Rev. 1790 (2020)
  • Free Speech and Advertising Regulation (Missouri Broadcasters Association v. Schmidt), 2019 Jus Vini: J. Wine & Spirits L. 47 (coauthored)

Simone Benton is a senior counsel in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is a member of the Business Restructuring and Reorganization and Finance Practice Groups.

Simone has broad experience advising across a range of multi-jurisdictional restructuring matters and financings. She is responsible for developing and implementing the internal and external knowledge and training strategy for the London Business Restructuring and Reorganization team.

Simone’s experience includes advising:

  • Fidera, as the largest creditor in the Part 26A restructuring plan of the Project Fürst development in Berlin
  • The junior creditors in the contested proceedings to restructure Virgin Active using a Part 26A Plan
  • Certain Senior Lenders to Danaos in connection with its debt restructuring and NatWest Group on the disposal of its shareholding in Danaos in an off-market privately negotiated share sale to Danaos
  • Rhône Capital on English law financing aspects of its acquisition of Zodiac Pool Holding SA from a fund affiliated with the Carlyle Group for approximately $1.2 billion
  • Altran Technologies on its definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Altran agreed to acquire Aricent from a group of investors led by KKR for a total enterprise value of $2.0 billion, in an all-cash transaction.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Simone worked at another major international law firm in London. Simone is admitted to practice in England and Wales and Alberta, Canada (inactive).

Simone received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours)  in Political Studies and Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Simone’s recent publications include:

  • Killer NDAs: NDAs that kill a creditor’s restructuring options, Global Turnaround May 2023
  • Sequana: Have directors been given a chance to score an own goal? Global Turnaround December 2022
  • “Restructuring Law and Practice: Third Edition,” LexisNexis, 2022

Alexandra M. Davidson is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the Global Finance and the Transportation and Space Practice Groups.

Alexandra concentrates her practice in transport finance with a special focus on aviation related transactions. She advises clients on purchasing, selling, leasing and lending and financing aircraft, aircraft engines and locomotives.

Alexandra was recognized in the 2023 and 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Transportation Law.

Alexandra received her law degree from Maurice A. Deane School of Law in 2014, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Binghamton University, State University of New York. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Alexandra was a member of the Global Transportation Finance team at an international law firm.

Robyn E. Zolman is partner in charge of the Denver office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices in the firm’s Capital Markets and Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Groups. Robyn represents clients in connection with a broad range of capital markets transactions. She advises clients with respect to SEC registered and Rule 144A offerings of investment grade, high-yield and convertible notes, as well as initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings, at-the-market equity offering programs, PIPE offerings and issuances of preferred securities. In addition, she has extensive experience with tender offers, exchange offers, consent solicitations and corporate restructurings. Robyn also regularly advises clients regarding securities regulation and disclosure issues and corporate governance matters, including Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements, stock exchange listing standards, director independence, counseling boards of directors, and insider trading compliance. She provides disclosure counsel to clients in a number of industries, including energy, life sciences, home building, consumer products and telecommunications.

Robyn is ranked by Chambers USA for Energy & Natural Resources – Colorado. She has been listed in Best Lawyers in America® – Denver Corporate Law, Securities / Capital Markets for many years, and was named a 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Securities/Capital Markets Law, Denver. She is also listed as a Notable Practitioner for Debt and Equity Capital Markets by IFLR1000 and has been recognized as a Top Lawyer: Securities by 5280 Magazine for many years. Additionally, Robyn has been selected as a “Next Generation Lawyer in Capital Markets: Debt Offerings” by The Legal 500 U.S. and has received accolades from Lawdragon and Women in Business Law, among others. She has been named a Top Woman in Energy multiple times by the Denver Business Journal and to its Who’s Who in Energy list and was one of the Denver Business Journal’s 40 under 40 in 2017. In 2015, Law360 selected Robyn as one of eight “Rising Star” capital markets attorneys under 40 to watch nationwide.

Her recent and ongoing experience includes:

Capital Markets Transactions

  • Advising The Williams Companies on numerous issuances, tender offers and exchange offers involving over $60 billion of debt and equity securities, including its 2024 issuances of $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes across three tranches and $2.2 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes across two tranches.
  • Advising Atmos Energy Corporation on issuances of over $10 billion of debt securities and $7 billion of shares of common stock in numerous transactions, including registered debt issuances, at-the-market equity offerings and equity forward sale transactions.
  • Advising D.R. Horton, Inc. on issuances of over $6 billion of debt securities in numerous transactions, including most recently its issuance of $700 million aggregate principal amount of 5.000% Senior Notes due 2034.
  • Advising Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. on the issuance of $575 million aggregate principal amount of its Convertible Senior Notes due 2028.
  • Advising Vail Resorts, Inc. on the issuance of $600 million aggregate principal amount of its $6.500% Senior Notes due 2032.
  • Advising Jabil Inc. on numerous issuances of senior notes, including its inaugural green bond offering.
  • Advising Forestar Group Inc. on issuances of $1.4 billion of debt and equity securities, including through at-the-market equity offering programs.
  • Advising Zayo Group on its initial public offering and numerous debt issuance and liability management transactions.
  • Advising numerous life sciences and pharmaceutical companies with respect to issuances of common stock and pre-funded warrants.

Corporate Counseling

  • Advising publicly traded clients across various industries regarding SEC reporting, securities regulatory matters and corporate governance.
  • Advising boards of directors of publicly traded companies regarding governance matters and significant transactions.

Strategic Transactions

  • Advising publicly traded clients with respect to spin-offs and IPO carve out transactions.
  • Advising publicly traded clients with respect to corporate restructurings, including MLP simplification transactions.
  • Advising publicly traded clients with respect to acquisitions and divestitures and related financings.

Robyn graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2002, where she served as an executive editor of the Harvard Law Review. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies summa cum laude from the University of Colorado in 1999.

Sarah H. Roberts is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

She earned her Juris Doctor, with Honors, from The University of Chicago Law School in 2024. While at the University of Chicago, Sarah was the Executive Comments Editor of the Business Law Review, the co-director of the Law School Musical, and worked with Eric A. Posner on antitrust research and publications. She also represented clients in eviction court as a clinical student in the Poverty and Housing Law Clinic, and her pro bono practice at the firm emphasizes issues related to housing access. 

Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2020, where she graduated magna cum laude with the Department Citation. Prior to attending law school, Sarah taught middle and high school in the South Bay. 

Sarah is admitted to practice law in California. 

Mary Boci is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where she is a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group.

Mary received a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She also received a B.A. from Fordham University, where she majored in Psychology.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mary was an associate at another major global law firm. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Benjamin A. Blefeld is an associate in the Houston office of Gibson Dunn, where he currently practices in the firm’s Transactional Department with a focus on Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Investment Funds, and Corporate Restructurings.

Benjamin earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, graduating magna cum laude and as a member in the Orders of the Coif and Barons. While attending law school, he served as an Articles Editor for the Houston Law Review and worked as a corporate law research assistant for Professor Douglas Moll. In 2020, Benjamin received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas, graduating with honors.

Selected Representative Experience

Benjamin has had significant responsibility for the following matters:

Capital Markets

Equity

  • Represented Jefferies LLC and Johnson Rice & Company L.L.C. in Berry Corporation’s $50 million ATM program. (2025)
  • $2.2 billion secondary offering of stock of Diamondback Energy as counsel for the Legacy Endeavor Owners as selling stockholders (representing the largest secondary equity offering in oil and gas industry). (2024)
  • Represented Barclays Capital in Western Midstream Partners, LP’s secondary equity offering for $697 million of common units traded on the NYSE. (2024)

Debt

  • Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.’s tack-on notes offering of $100 million of 9.75% Senior Notes due in 2028. (2025)
  • Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.’s notes exchange of $354 million for all of its 11.00% senior notes due 2025 for newly issued 11.00% senior notes due in 2026. (2024) 
  • Phillips 66 Company’s senior notes offering of $1.8 billion. (2024)
  • Represented Barclays Capital and other dealer managers in Waste Management’s bond exchange in a $500 million private exchange offer of 3.875% senior notes due 2029, issued by Stericycle, Inc., for 3.875% senior notes due 2029. (2024)
  • Represented TD Securities and other underwriters in Western Midstream Operating, LP’s notes offering of $792 million for its 5.450% Senior Notes due in 2034. (2024)

M&A

  • Dril-Quip, a developer, manufacturer, and provider of highly engineered equipment, service and innovative technologies for use in the energy industry, on its merger with Innovex Downhole Solutions. (2024)
  • SilverBow Resources in its $2.1 billion sale to Crescent Energy. (2024)

Investment Funds

  • Representing private equity firms in the formation of their Luxembourg investment funds.

Corporate Restructuring

  • Representing publicly traded entities in connection with their corporate restructurings and reorganizations.

Benjamin is admitted to practice in the State of Texas.

Barbara L. Becker is Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. Prior to her election to this role, Barbara served as Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group for over a decade, and also created and led the firmwide Diversity Committee.

In her practice, Barbara continues to advise companies on significant business and legal issues, including mergers and acquisitions (both domestic and cross-border), spin-offs, joint ventures, and general corporate matters. She also advises boards of directors and special committees of public companies, and represents corporations (based in and outside of the United States) and other investors in their M&A activities. 

An elite M&A lawyer, Barbara has been recognized by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Crain’s New York Business, IFLR1000, Law360, Lawdragon, New York Law Journal, The AmLaw Daily, The Best Lawyers in America®, The Deal, The Legal 500 US, The National Law Journal, and Who’s Who Legal, among other publications and outlets. She was also named Managing Partner of the Year at the 2023 American Lawyer Industry Awards, and received the 2022 AJC Judge Learned Hand Award.

Barbara serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at New York University School of Law (Executive Committee), an inaugural member of the Advisory Board for the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at New York University School of Law,  a member of the Welcome.US CEO Council, and a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. She is also a former Chair of the New York City Bar’s Mergers, Acquisitions & Corporate Control Contests Committee.

Barbara earned her Juris Doctor in 1988 from New York University School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree in 1985 from Wesleyan University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. 

Colleen Bazak is an associate in the Century City office of Gibson Dunn. She currently practices with the firm’s Transactional Department.

Colleen earned her Juris Doctor in 2019 from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. While in law school, she served as a Senior Submission Editor of the Southern California Law Review and was a member of the Small Business Clinic. Colleen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Colleen is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Jim Zelenay is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn where he practices in the firm’s Litigation and White Collar Departments. Jim has extensive experience representing clients in high-stakes commercial disputes, and in defending clients in class actions, government regulatory matters, False Claims Act litigation, and other civil and administrative disputes. Jim also has substantial experience in assisting clients with white collar investigations and in responding to government subpoenas.

Known for his detail-oriented approach, persuasive advocacy, and courtroom presence, Jim has a proven track record of successfully defending Fortune 500 companies in federal and state courts nationwide. Jim brings strategic insight to complex litigation and representation of clients before government authorities, combining deep legal knowledge with a practical understanding of business objectives. Whether navigating multifaceted regulatory issues or leading a high-profile trial team, Jim is committed to achieving results that protect clients’ reputations and interests. Recognizing his successes, Jim was named as one of the Top 50 Litigators in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal (2018), a list that highlights “50 of the very best litigators in the business.” Jim has three times been awarded Top Verdict in California by the Daily Journal (2015, 2017, 2022). Jim is also a recipient of the prestigious Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing.

Jim’s representative matters include:

  • Representing mortgage-service industry client in a multi-week arbitration trial alleging trade secret and breach of contract claims;
  • Representing social media company in putative class actions alleging discrimination;
  • Representing oil refinery company in state regulatory matters;
  • Representing surgical supply company in False Claims Act litigation;
  • Representing government contractor in breach of contract litigation brought by subcontractors;
  • Representing bank in False Claims Act litigation brought in multiple state courts;
  • Representing cosmetics company in putative class action relating to alleged false statements;
  • Representing public utilities in numerous litigations and disputes with municipalities;
  • Representing pharmaceutical company responding to civil investigative demands from state agencies;
  • Representing hospital owner in False Claims Act litigation;
  • Representing educational institutions in government civil fraud investigations and False Claims Act matters.

Jim’s litigation and regulatory experience covers a wide range of subject areas, including Food and Drug Administration regulations, laws relating to false advertising or marketing, regulations governing trade with sanctioned countries, government conflict of interest and procurement rules, and other topics. Jim has practiced in federal and state courts across the country, and has worked with numerous prosecutors’ offices nationwide. 

Jim also has written extensively, including in particular on the False Claims Act. Jim is one of the editors of the Firm’s mid-year and year-end False Claims Act alerts, regularly presents on the False Claims Act, and has represented a breadth of industries in False Claims Act matters—including educational institutions, financial institutions, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, construction companies, telecommunication clients, emergency services personnel, and accounting firms, among others.

Jim is an active member of the community and is involved in the Firm’s Pro Bono program. On a pro bono basis, Jim assisted the California Science Center Foundation with the acquisition and transportation of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jim also has been involved in assisting clients in pro bono matters protecting victims of domestic violence. 

Jim is serving his second term as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of Pasadena Heritage, California’s second largest historical preservation organization.

Prior to joining the firm, Jim served as a law clerk to The Honorable Nora M. Manella in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Jim graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2004, where he served as an Editor of the Harvard Journal on Legislation. In 2000, Jim graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and received Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Jim is a member of the California Bar.

Jillian London is a partner in the Century City office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Litigation, Media, Entertainment & Technology, Class Actions, and Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Groups. Jillian is a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

Jillian has extensive experience litigating all stages of complex commercial disputes in the entertainment and technology sectors, from pre-litigation counseling through trial and appeal.  She has represented corporate and individual clients in the media, entertainment, and technology industries in a wide range of litigation in state and federal courts, including in breach of contract, class action, unfair competition, First Amendment, and antitrust matters.  Jillian also regularly advises clients on media relations and media legal issues in the context of high-profile litigation and commercial disputes.

Jillian was named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports, and Media Lawyers. She has also been recognized in 2024 by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Entertainment and Sports Law, and Appellate Practice, and by The Legal 500 for Media and Entertainment: Litigation. She was also named in Variety’s Hollywood’s New Leaders list for 2023.

Representative Matters:

  • Achieved a complete victory for a confidential client in a multi-million dollar profit participation arbitration after a two-week hearing.
  • Defeated certification in full of a class of printer owners bringing claims against Hewlett Packard Inc. relating to the use of color ink in printing.
  • Represented AMC in profit participation and breach of contract litigations and arbitrations concerning the television series, The Walking Dead.
  • Represented a major technology company in multidistrict class action litigation related to consumer fraud claims, which resulted in a favorable settlement for the client.
  • Represented a major entertainment company in an arbitration concerning a television series breach of contract dispute that arose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Represented a major pharmaceutical company in a purported “reverse payment” antitrust action in which direct and indirect purchasers sought billions of dollars in damages.
  • Secured dismissal of a breach of fiduciary duty action against the Trustee of a billion-dollar Estate.
  • Represented a major technology company in a putative class action concerning misclassification of its workers.
  • Represented an entertainment company in relation to a prior contractual dispute over the rights in certain music recordings.
  • Secured a new trial for an automobile manufacturer in a dispute with a former motor vehicle franchisee after a jury had awarded $256 million in damages.
  • Obtained affirmance from the Eleventh Circuit of a summary judgment ruling in favor of a for-profit educational institution against False Claims Act allegations.

Jillian received her law degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2013, where she was a technical editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review and the President of the Board of Student Advisers, and received the Dean’s Award for Community Leadership. She graduated magna cum laude in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Harvard College and received a Master of Science with Distinction in Philosophy & Public Policy from the London School of Economics & Political Science in 2008. After obtaining her Master of Science degree, Jillian worked as a researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, on a nationwide mental health campaign.

Prior to joining the firm, Jillian served as a law clerk to The Honorable Chester J. Straub in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and to The Honorable Claire C. Cecchi in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. She also worked as a litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in New York.

Jillian is a board member of the Western Justice Center. She also serves on the board of KEEN Los Angeles and the Harvard Law School Association of Los Angeles. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, including filing amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeal and representing individuals and organizations with immigration, First Amendment, and other constitutional law related issues.

Jillian is a member of the California and New York bars. She is admitted to practice before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, as well as the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of California and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Jonathan D. Fortney is a litigation partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. He has spent his entire professional career at the Firm, where he has been a long-time member of the Firm’s Litigation and Securities Litigation practice groups, with each consistently recognized as a leading national practice. He regularly represents investment funds, private equity firms, portfolio companies, corporate issuers, directors and officers in complex disputes, including M&A litigation, securities class actions, stockholder derivative suits, and corporate control contests. Jonathan also handles sensitive internal and government investigations for public and private companies that involve complex asset valuation and esoteric securities and trading matters.

Jonathan is an aggressive and strategic litigator with a national practice, regularly litigating in courts in Delaware, Manhattan, and other jurisdictions around the country. He has almost as much experience litigating affirmative claims for clients as he does defending claims against them. He brings a plaintiff’s side mindset to every engagement, going on the offensive to uncover critical evidence and craft compelling themes that rewrite plaintiff-driven narratives, reclaim the high ground for clients, and secure pivotal wins throughout the litigation cycle.

Jonathan actively engages in high-impact pro bono litigation. He has successfully represented members of New York’s artistic community, led a winning voting rights trial team, and defended press freedoms by representing a journalist arrested while reporting on a protest.

Jonathan earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Law and pursued specialized studies in transnational corporate law at Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He earned a B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Bob Jones University, where he was recognized as an Avro Manhattan Scholar.

Representative Securities and Stockholder Derivative Matters:

  • Medallion Financial: Represented company and senior officers in a multi-year SEC investigation and subsequent securities fraud action brought by the SEC in the Southern District of New York, where the case is stayed pending settlement negotiations.
  • Danimer Scientific: Represented company, directors, and certain officers in securities class actions and multiple derivative lawsuits that followed a de-SPAC transaction; secured voluntary dismissal of all Securities Act claims and Section 14(a) Exchange Act claims after filing pre-motion letters and a motion to dismiss. Secured complete dismissal at the pleadings stage in the Eastern District of New York of all Securities Act and Exchange Act claims with prejudice and without leave to amend—all affirmed by the Second Circuit.
  • Northwest Biotherapeutics: Representing company in Delaware Court of Chancery derivative action challenging incentive compensation approved by an overwhelming stockholder vote.
  • Elliott Management: Represented Elliott and related parties in various stockholder actions arising out of investments.
  • Third Point Management: Represented Third Point and related parties in various stockholder actions arising out of investments.
  • Major Retailer: Represented company and several directors and senior officers in securities class actions and derivative suits in multiple jurisdictions related to FCPA allegations.
  • JPMorgan Chase: Secured complete victory for independent directors of JP Morgan Chase in derivative lawsuits arising out of “London Whale” trading losses.
  • National Association of Corporate Directors: Represented NACD before the Delaware Supreme Court in the Rural/Metro Corporation litigation, drafting an amicus curie brief to provide a voice for directors who were not present at the trial in the Court of Chancery, as all had settled on the eve trial, leaving only financial advisors as defendants.
  • International Hedge Fund: Represented client in pursuing securities litigation in the Southern District of New York to protect its investment in a foreign private issuer, including developing novel securities law claims tied to the foreign private issuer’s American Depository Receipts.
  • Fortune 50 Company: Represented client in responding to demand on its board of directors related to ongoing civil litigation concerning last-mile delivery projects.
  • Fortune 50 Company: Represented client that faced hostile overtures from activist investors related to an anticipated equity issuance; reviewed company’s bylaws, proposed equity offering, and related SEC filings to assess potential liability and litigation theories that activist investors might employ to attack the company and build an activist response playbook.
  • Fortune 150 Company: Represented client that faced a potential hostile takeover attempt; reviewed company’s bylaws, assessed special meeting issues, and implemented amendments.
  • Hedge Fund of Funds: Represented one of the first hedge fund of funds in litigation related to the collapse of Amaranth.
  • Hedge Fund of Funds’ Directors: Represented former directors of a hedge fund of funds in multi-district litigation related to the collapse of Refco; secured voluntary dismissal of all claims of directors following extensive multi-national discovery.
  • Representing public and private companies in both pursuing and defending multiple unrelated books and records demands from stockholders. Successfully tried and defended multiple books and records summary proceeding trials.

Representative M&A and Deal-Related Matters:

  • Representing private equity firms and/or their PortCos in multiple unrelated commercial disputes.
  • Alcon: Represented the company in expedited litigation and trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery, as well as an expedited appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court, over a voting proxy and preferred shareholder consent rights relating to ownership stake in early-stage med tech company. Secured victory after trial on a voting proxy revocation that successfully halted the med tech company’s planned IPO and paved the way for Alcon to acquire all the company’s preferred stock from early-stage investors.
  • Deer Park Road: Represented the firm in expedited litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery relating to its ownership stake in an early-stage tech company disrupting the real estate broker market. Secured an early status quo order freezing the controlling stockholder from taking any material actions and aggressively enforced that order, ultimately yielding a settlement through with the majority stockholder gave up control of the company’s board.
  • Private Equity Firm: Represented a leading LatAm firm in deal-adjacent litigation brought by an opportunistic company seeking a finder’s fee related to a port acquisition. Secured a successful resolution after narrowing the case by winning dismissal of two of three claims at the pleadings stage.
  • Vista Outdoor: Represented the company in a high-stakes earn-out dispute initiated by Vista against the sellers of a business Vista acquired. Following expedited discovery, won summary judgment in the Southern District of New York on affirmative claims and dismissal of defendants’ counterclaims—all of which the Second Circuit affirmed, with the District Court awarding Vista substantial attorneys’ fees and costs. The District Court’s memorandum and order is now a leading opinion addressing the duty of good faith and fair dealing under NY law.
  • Private Equity Firm: Represented client in an escrow dispute related to its sale of one of its PortCos. Filed a lawsuit against the buyer after receiving a notice of claims and refusal to release escrowed portion of the purchase price, securing a prompt and favorable resolution for client.
  • Private Equity Firm: Represented client in a corporate control dispute litigated in the Illinois Chancery Division and the Delaware Court of Chancery related the firm’s investments in an energy recycling company; filed and won, after trial, a parallel books and records proceeding in the Delaware Court of Chancery that yielded a highly favorable resolution of all claims, including payment of client’s attorneys’ fees and costs.
  • Itron: Represented Itron in a $60 million contract dispute regarding a subsidiary it acquired; resolved case on the morning trial was to start in the Delaware Court of Chancery.
  • Corvex Management & The Related Companies: Represented clients in a two-week arbitration (the result of which was publicly disclosed) that resulted in invalidating all material anti-shareholder defenses of CommonWealth REIT, whose Trustees Corvex/Related ultimately removed in a consent solicitation. Major media outlets described the outcome as a “major victory” for Corvex/Related.
  • Private Equity Firm: Represented client in investigation and litigation for one of its PortCos in the Delaware Court of Chancery against a former employee regarding improper competition and soliciting of the PortCo’s customers in violation of non-compete and non-solicitation covenants; successfully secured extension of covenants and full refund to the PortCo of all salary paid to the former employee during the non-compete period.

Other Commercial Litigation Matters:

  • Coupang, Inc.: Represented the global e-commerce company in the Delaware Court of Chancery in a contract dispute that a former employee belatedly brought years after departing the company and on the eve of its IPO.
  • Major Financial Institution: Represented client in a $160 million lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery related to corporate owned life insurance policies; successfully resolved dispute in the early stages of discovery and secured complete indemnification for client.
  • Major Financial Institution: Represented client in a multi-week bench trial in the Southern District of New York in which client sought billions of dollars of damages on its claims of contract and fiduciary duty breaches, fraud, and civil RICO; secured favorable settlement during trial.
  • Intel: Represented Intel in a commercial dispute involving a telecommunications entity in which it had invested, securing dismissal at the pleading stage of all causes of action with prejudice.
  • Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield: Represented Empire in an action by pension funds that sought millions in rebates rightfully earned by Empire, securing a dismissal from the bench at oral argument of all causes of action with prejudice. Obtained affirmance of that dismissal on appeal before both the New York Appellate Division and Court of Appeals.
  • Major Financial Institution: Represented client in antitrust class action alleging bid manipulation in the municipal derivatives industry. Case was favorably resolved with no payment by client.

Representative Investigations & Regulator Responses:

  • Representing certain financial institutions and executives in multiple unrelated ongoing criminal investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • Hedge Funds: Represented funds in government investigation regarding block trading. Following multiple submissions, government did not pursue investigation of any clients.
  • Hedge Fund: Represented leading structured credit hedge fund in a government investigation pursuing a novel theory of undervaluation of assets; secured a favorable resolution for client.
  • Multinational Hedge Fund: Represented one of the largest hedge funds in the world in connection with an internal investigation of securities trading by a senior manager.
  • Risk and Financial Advisory Firm: Represented client in a government investigation of the valuation of collateralized debt obligations by a hedge fund the firm advised. Following submission of white paper and expert report, government took no action against client.
  • Multinational Insurance Company: Represented client in a government investigation of its issuance of annuities and subsequent changes to the terms of those annuities during the 2008 Financial Crisis. Following submission of responses to targeted inquiries, government dropped the investigation.
  • Multinational Hedge Fund: Represented one of the largest alternative asset managers in the world in connection with government investigations of its valuations of esoteric assets.

Angela Coco is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn.

Angela’s practice spans a broad range of complex civil and criminal litigation matters, with a focus on high-stakes white collar defense, securities-related investigations, and commercial litigation across all industries. Angela has served as a key team member representing clients in regulatory inquiries, internal investigations, and enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, as well as various other federal, state, and local government agencies and attorneys general. Angela has been involved in all stages of arbitration and litigation and has contributed to successful outcomes in both bench and jury trials.

Angela maintains an active pro bono practice and has handled a wide range of matters, including serving as first-chair in the successful representation of an asylum petitioner before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (U.S. Immigration Court). She has also partnered with organizations such as Legal Services NYC, Catholic Charities, and HerJustice to provide legal services to individuals in need. 

Angela earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2022, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and as an intern to the Honorable Judge Richard M. Berman of the Southern District of New York. While attending law school, Angela was awarded certificates of merit for superior academic performance and for recognition in Pro Bono service. Angela also represented low-income individuals and United States Veterans in Michigan State Courts through the Veterans Legal Clinic and Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic. In February 2022, Angela authored an article published in The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Journal analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on the older workforce and proposing reforms to ensure a safer workplace.  
 
Angela earned her Bachelor of Arts in history from Wellesley College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with departmental honors. At Wellesley, Angela also received the Deborah W. Diehl Prize for Distinction in History, and was honored with various other awards and fellowships recognizing her superior academic performance and papers in various disciplines.

Angela is admitted to practice in the State of New York, before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the United States Tax Court, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Cate Harding is an associate in Gibson Dunn’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

She has represented individual and corporate clients across various industries in all matter of high-stakes trial-level litigation in federal and state courts. Her practice focuses on complex civil matters, including wide ranging employment litigation, class actions, commercial disputes, and First Amendment matters. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, in which she has represented victims of mass atrocities in seeking redress in U.S. federal courts.

Cate received her law degree from New York University School of Law in 2019. During law school, she was an Articles Editor for the NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy and served as a board member for the National Security Law Society. Cate was also an oralist for NYU Law’s Jessup International Law Moot Court team, which was one of 32 teams worldwide that advanced to the competition’s final rounds. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Duke University in 2010 in Public Policy.

Prior to law school, Cate worked at the intersection of U.S. foreign policy, international development, and diplomacy for both the U.S. Government and community-based organizations in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.

Cate is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.