Shanelle A. Jones is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and focuses primarily on Labor & Employment.

She earned her Juris Doctor in 2024 from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School where she served as an Associate Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. While in law school, she also served on the Black Law Student Association Executive Board. Shanelle holds the Certificate in Management from the Wharton School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Human Rights, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Connecticut in 2021.

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

Ellie Schwietering is an associate in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office. She is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Ellie earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2024, where she served as Membership Editor for the Northwestern University Law Review. During law school, Ellie also interned for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the George Washington University, where she graduated cum laude as a double major in International Affairs and Economics, and was inducted into Omicron Delta Epsilon. Prior to attending law school, Ellie served as a business development assistant at a large law firm.

Ellie is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia. 

Kelly M. Yahner is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department. 

Kelly graduated with honors from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2024 and served as an Executive Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. Kelly received a Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University, where she graduated with highest honors and was awarded the William F. Clinger Prize for outstanding thesis. Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with honors. 

Before and during law school, Kelly worked for an officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she advised Members and staff on floor procedure and facilitated different steps along the legislative process. 

Kelly is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. 

Karl W. Kowallis is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the Litigation Practice Group.

As a litigator, Karl has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement litigation. Karl represented parties in Delaware, Texas, and Pennsylvania District Courts. He also represented a complainant in a patent infringement action before the International Trade Commission and has defended patents in IPR proceedings before the United States Patent Office.

Karl received his Juris Doctor cum laude from Brigham Young University in 2019. During law school he was a member of the school’s Law and Entrepreneur Clinic where he drafted patent applications, prepared trademark applications, and drafted employment agreements. Karl competed with BYU’s national moot court team, making it to the finals of the regional competition. He had previously won both the 1L and 2L competitions at BYU’s law school.

Prior to law school, Karl was a computer security analyst for the federal government, using his expertise to write assessments and brief US policymakers and the US cyber defense community. Karl initiated a government wide Data Analytics Conference, which he hosted and emceed for six years. Karl’s final government position was the senior advisor for data analytics at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence where he provided executive oversight on government wide data analysis projects. For one of his initiatives, he formed and led a collaborative team to integrate data between agencies.

Karl received a Master’s Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in honors applied physics and mathematics from Brigham Young University.

Karl is admitted to practice before the Southern and Eastern District Courts of New York as well as New York state courts. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Karl was an associate at the New York office of one of America’s largest Intellectual Property & technology law firms.

Nathan graduated cum laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting. Nathan earned his Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. While in law school, he was a Legal Research and Writing Advisor, the Business Manager of the UCLA Law Review, the President of the Real Estate Law Association, and one of the Peter Bren Distinguished Fellows in Entrepreneurial Real Estate at UCLA’s Ziman Center.

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

Jessica Rollinson is an associate in the Energy Regulation and Litigation practice in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Her practice focuses on energy-related regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as matters relating to state utility commissions, regional transmission organizations (RTOs), and independent system operators (ISOs). Jessica advises clients regarding the Federal Power Act, the Natural Gas Act, the Interstate Commerce Act and related federal and state statutes. She has experience assisting clients with compliance filings, waiver requests, petitions for rehearing, and answers to complaints before FERC. She also has experience counseling clients on energy transactions, drafting DOE grant applications, and representing energy industry clients in investigations brought by FERC’s Office of Enforcement and in matters facing the Department of Justice.

She received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.S. from Texas A&M University.

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

Laura Stanley is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and is a member of the Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort Practice Group. Laura previously served as an economist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she developed regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.

Laura graduated with high honors from The George Washington University Law School and was awarded Order of the Coif. Laura served as an Articles Editor of the George Washington Law Review, and she was awarded the ABA Gellhorn-Sargentich Award for the best student essay in administrative law. Laura received a Master of Arts degree in Economics from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from James Madison University.

She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ryan D. Nelson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Stephen S. Schwartz of the United States Court of Federal Claims.

She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Hailun Zhang is a Registered Foreign Lawyer (Victoria, Australia) and an associate in the Hong Kong office. She is a member of the Finance Practice Group.

Hailun’s practice focuses on advising complex cross-border financing transactions, including acquisition and leveraged financings, direct lending transactions, and special situations debt investments. She has experience advising major financial institutions on acquisition and leveraged finance transactions.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Hailun worked in the Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong office of another international law firm. Hailun graduated from the China University of Political Science and Law in 2018 and from the University of Melbourne in 2021. She is admitted to practice in Australia and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer (Victoria, Australia) in Hong Kong. She is native in Mandarin and fluent in English.

Lizzy Brilliant is an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and maintains an active pro bono practice that includes immigration, civil rights, and capital defense work.

Lizzy earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2021, where she served as a Publication Editor for California Law Review and Director of the 1L Written and Oral Advocacy Teaching Assistant Program.  While in law school, Lizzy also served as Legal Director of the International Refugee Assistance Project and participated in the International Human Rights Law Clinic and Death Penalty Clinic.  Lizzy earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Arabic from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Lizzy served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jane Richards Roth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable Paul S. Diamond of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Lizzy is admitted to practice in courts of the State of New York, the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Adam J. Garnick is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Patty Shwartz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable Naomi Reice Buchwald of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  

Adam earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif, served as an editor on the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and taught first-year legal writing. He also dedicated significant time to immigrant rights advocacy, serving as president of Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project and spending a summer representing asylum seekers in Dilley, Texas.   

Prior to law school, Adam taught English to university students in Budapest, Hungary, through the Fulbright Program. He also taught U.S. History and coached basketball in Dallas, Texas, as a Teach for America corps member, during which time he earned a Master of Education from Southern Methodist University. Adam received his Bachelor of Arts and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania.

Adam is a member of the New York bar. He is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York. 

Jill Refvem is a corporate associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she practices in the firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Group.

Jill advises public companies and their boards of directors on a wide range of corporate law matters, including corporate governance, compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and requirements of the major U.S. stock exchanges and shareholder proposals. She also has experience advising nonprofit organizations on issues related to corporate governance.

Jill earned her Juris Doctor, with high honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law. While in law school, she served as an Articles Editor for the North Carolina Law Review. Prior to joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Jill was an associate in the corporate department of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.

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

Shannon Summer is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She currently practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Shannon graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law with Pro Bono Honors with Highest Distinction and was elected to the Order of the Coif. While in law school, she served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Scott C. Clarkson, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California. She also served as a reviewing editor for the Berkeley Business Law Journal and on the publishing committee for the Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law.

She graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Diego in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, having double majored in Communication Studies and Music, with a minor in Environmental Studies.

Shannon is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Ed Hwang is a Registered Foreign Lawyer (New York) and an associate in the Hong Kong office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He practices in the firm’s Finance Practice Group, representing private equity sponsors, public corporations and lenders in a variety of complex secured and unsecured loan and capital markets transactions for both U.S. and non-U.S. transactions, including acquisition financings, cash flow revolvers, asset-based revolvers, first and second lien facilities and senior and mezzanine facilities.

Ed received his law degree in 2017 from The University of Chicago Law School. He received his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in Psychology from Duke University in 2012.

He is admitted to practice in the state of New York and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer (New York) in Hong Kong. He is native in Korean.

Mark Reiter is former co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s global Intellectual Property Practice Group and is a resident of the Dallas office. Mark has extensive experience litigating intellectual property matters in Federal Courts, appellate courts, including the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the International Trade Commission and consistently serves as lead counsel in complex intellectual property disputes.

Mark has handled patent litigation matters dealing with a variety of technologies including immunization technologies, DNA sequencing and DNA assembly technologies, RNAi technologies, mass spectrometry, semiconductor manufacturing, design and processing, software, construction techniques, chemicals, medical devices and food technology. He has also handled trademark, trade secret, copyright matters, and unfair competition cases. Chambers sources say, “He is great on his feet and very technically sound. He’s a very sharp lawyer who’s always considering all the different angles to attack a problem from.” Mark has been repeatedly recognized for Intellectual Property in Texas by Chambers USA as well as named a Patent Star and Trademark Star by Managing Intellectual Property. He is also recognized as one of the “world’s leading patent professionals” by IAM Patent. Mark has consistently been named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Intellectual Property and Patent Litigation in addition to being named Best Lawyers® 2015 Patent Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in Dallas.

Mark is a member of the Dallas Fort Worth Intellectual Property Law Association. Additionally, he served as adjunct law professor at Southern Methodist University where he taught intellectual property litigation.

Mark received a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from The University of Texas and holds a J.D. from Southern Methodist University.

Representative Matters

• Lead counsel for Uber Technologies in multi-patent dispute covering location-based and communication-based technologies in the Eastern District of Texas.
• Lead counsel for Uber Technologies in multi-patent case filed in the Western District of Texas. Case transferred to the Northern District of California based on mandamus order received from Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
• Lead counsel for Uber Technologies in multi-patent cases in Western District of Texas. Case settled after successful motion to dismiss.
• Lead counsel for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in multi-patent case covering networking technology. Case was filed in the Western District of Texas.
• Lead counsel for Kimberly-Clark Corporation in trade secret misappropriation, patent infringement and breach of employment agreement case against former employees relating to the manufacture of polymeric and cellulose based fabrics.
• Counsel for Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. in a multi-patent case regarding an Abbreviated New Drug Application filed by Mylan Laboratories seeking approval to manufacture and sell a generic version of Merck’s intravenous formulation of NOXAFIL®, a prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections.
• Counsel for Merck & Co./Intervet Inc. in multi-patent dispute against Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. regarding immunogenic compositions that protect against a particular porcine virus.
• Counsel for Natera, Inc. against Illumina, Inc. in a multi-patent case regarding non-invasive prenatal testing through the use of DNA sequencing and analytic techniques.
• Lead counsel for RXi Pharmaceuticals in trade secret misappropriation dispute relating to RNAi technology.
• Lead counsel for Micro Focus International plc, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Bank of America and Wells Fargo in a multi-patent, multi-forum dispute regarding network loading and testing.
• Lead counsel for Agilent Technologies in multi-patent litigation against Themo Fisher Scientific regarding inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry technologies.
• Lead counsel for Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Lenovo in a patent infringement matter involving organization of data in a computer system.
• Lead counsel and counsel for Fitbit, Inc. in multi-patent, multi-case dispute, including multiple federal district court patent cases, state court trade secret misappropriation case, and patent infringement investigation in the International Trade Commission regarding technologies used to monitor activity and heart rate in activity trackers.
• Counsel for New England BioLabs, Inc. in arbitration against Synthetic Genomics, Inc. related to contract/licensing dispute regarding recombinant DNA formulations used to facilitate cloning of DNA strands.
• Lead counsel for Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal in a multi-patent and unfair competition case involving processes and chemistry involved in the manufacture of specialized steel. The case involved related litigation in Japan and Korea, which included claims for trade secret misappropriation.
• Lead Counsel for Agilent and Molecular Devices in patent infringement matter involving devices used to analyze DNA microarrays.
• Counsel for Life Technologies, Inc. in arbitration relating to genetic testing equipment.
• Counsel for T-Mobile in 8 patent disputes involving cellular telephony.
• Lead counsel for Frito-Lay in a multi-national patent ownership dispute.
• Co-Lead counsel for Red Hat and Novell in a patent infringement matter pending in the Eastern District of Texas. The case concerned the user interface found on certain Linux operating systems. Trial occurred in April 2010 and the jury found on all counts in favor of Red Hat and Novell.
• Lead counsel for Tessera, Inc. in an ITC matter brought against several DRAM chip and DRAM module manufacturers. The technology involved mechanical stresses applied to sensitive components.
• Co-lead counsel for Viacom in a patent infringement matter involving video game technology pending in the Eastern District of Texas.
• Lead counsel for IBM in multiple patent infringement actions covering a variety of technologies in a variety of courts, including Delaware, the Southern District of California, Eastern District of Texas, and Western District of Wisconsin.
• Lead counsel for SanDisk in a patent infringement matter covering technology used in flash memory products.
• Counsel for Allergan in a patent infringement matter involving dry-eye treatment pending in the Eastern District of Texas.
• Counsel for St. Jude Medical in a patent infringement matter involving pace-maker technology pending in the Eastern District of Texas.
• Representation of Spinal Concepts in the Western District of Texas in a case involving plates used to treat degenerative spinal conditions.
• Mark has handled a number of cases on behalf of Texas Instruments including:
  • Multi-forum and multi-patent litigation against Samsung Electronics involving semiconductor processing, manufacturing, and circuitry. Part of this litigation was before the International Trade Commission.
  • Multi-forum and multi-patent litigation covering a variety of semiconductor-related technologies against Hyundai Electronics Industries, including a several-week patent trial resulting in a verdict in favor of Texas Instruments.

Shannon Mader is Of Counsel in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he practices with the firm’s Litigation Department and is a member of its Law Firm Defense, Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Appellate and Constitutional Law, Transnational Litigation, and Trials Practice Groups.

Shannon is a trial attorney and litigator who has represented clients in a wide variety of practice areas in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. He has extensive experience litigating civil RICO cases, legal malpractice cases, antitrust cases, complex business disputes, anti-SLAPP motions, attorney disqualification motions, and privilege issues.  

Most recently, Shannon was part of the trial team that obtained a favorable jury verdict for Nike in its endorsement contract dispute with NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. 

Representative RICO matters include:

• P6 LA MF Holdings SPE, LLC v. Shekhter.  Represented AEW and affiliates in connection with a long-running real estate dispute, in which the plaintiffs sought almost $12 billion damages. After the trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for terminating sanctions based on extensive discovery misconduct, Gibson Dunn filed a civil RICO lawsuit, alleging predicate acts of attempted extortion, wire and mail fraud, and bank fraud. Gibson Dunn successfully opposed the plaintiffs’ motions to dismiss and anti-SLAPP motion. Shortly after the Ninth Circuit affirmed the trial court’s denial of the anti-SLAPP motion, the parties settled.   
• Worldwide Directories, S.A. De C.V. v. Yahoo! Inc.  Represented Yahoo! Inc. and Yahoo! Mexico in connection with a $2.75 billion civil RICO claim brought by two Mexican companies. Plaintiffs asserted claims for RICO, conspiracy to violate RICO, fraud and civil conspiracy based on alleged misconduct in an underlying Mexican lawsuit where Yahoo and its attorneys successfully overturned a $2.75 billion trial court judgment. Specifically, plaintiffs alleged that Yahoo and its Mexican attorneys improperly attempted to influence the trial court judge and wrongfully obtained the reversal of the trial court’s unprecedented and meritless judgment. The District Court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion to dismiss, holding that plaintiffs did not properly allege continuity, did not plausibly allege any RICO predicate acts, and did not plausibly allege that Yahoo conducted the affairs of a RICO enterprise. The court also rejected plaintiffs’ argument that the non-final trial court judgment constituted a property interest under RICO.
• Kan-Di-Ki, LLC v. John Leslie Sorensen et al.  Represented two senior executives of a skilled nursing home operator in a RICO action alleging predicate acts of mail and wire fraud, extortion, bribery, and obstruction of justice. The District Court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion to dismiss, finding the plaintiff failed to adequately plead continuity.
• Bui v. Nguyen. Represented a successful music entrepreneur and a closely held company in a RICO action arising out of a real estate dispute. The District Court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion to dismiss, finding the plaintiff failed to adequately plead an enterprise and sufficient predicate acts. 

Representative Law Firm Defense Matters:

• Represented a national law firm in an action for aiding and abetting fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with legal advice that the law firm provided to a national accounting firm. The plaintiffs had purchased a tax shelter product marketed by the accounting firm, which the IRS later challenged. The trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for summary judgment, holding that the plaintiffs’ claims were time barred.
• Represented a national law firm in an action for legal malpractice brought by the wife of a deceased former client, in her individual capacity and in her capacity as trustee of her deceased husband’s estate. The plaintiff alleged negligence in connection with various split-dollar transactions. After the trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for summary judgment as to the estate, Gibson Dunn moved for terminating sanctions against the wife based on her failure to preserve documents. The parties settled shortly thereafter.
• Represented a national law firm in an action for legal malpractice brought by the wife of a successful entrepreneur. The plaintiff alleged the law firm failed to effectuate her late husband’s intent that she receive the husband’s $7 million house in Arizona in addition to a multimillion dollar home in Los Angeles and an estate valued at $100 million. Prior to bringing the legal malpractice action, the plaintiff filed an action in probate court regarding the Arizona home. Shortly after Gibson Dunn filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings based on the probate court’s adverse ruling, the parties settled.
• Represented a national law firm in a civil RICO action brought by individuals who contributed to donor advised funds managed by National Heritage Foundation. In addition to alleged RICO violations, the plaintiffs alleged violations of California’s Consumer Remedies Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law, Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, and Missouri’s Merchandising Act. The district court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion to dismiss and the Fourth Circuit affirmed.
• Represented a national law firm in an action for legal malpractice brought by the son of a nationally renowned art collector. The trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for summary judgment, holding that the plaintiff lacked standing, that his claim was time-barred, and that he had not established causation. The California Court of Appeal unanimously affirmed, holding that plaintiff’s claims were time-barred under California’s four-year statute of limitations.
• Represented a national law firm in action for legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and other claims. Plaintiffs, municipal entities embroiled in scandal, sued Gibson Dunn’s client for allegedly negligent advice in connection with certain bond transactions. After discovery confirmed the claims lacked merit and were time-barred, plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed them. The trial court declared Gibson Dunn’s client the prevailing party and awarded costs.
• Represented a national law firm in an arbitration involving a claim of malpractice in connection with a restructuring. Prior to the commencement of arbitration, the arbitrator granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for summary judgment on the statute of limitations.
• Represented a national law firm in an action for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty based on allegedly negligent advice with respect to a series of private placement memoranda. A committee of creditors purported to assert the claims on the debtor’s behalf. The parties reached a settlement shortly after Gibson Dunn filed a motion for summary judgment based on in pari delicto and other defenses.
• Represented a national law firm in an action for malicious prosecution. The trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s anti-SLAPP motion and awarded over $100,000 in attorney’s fees and costs.
• Represented a national law firm and its client in an action for malicious prosecution. The trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s anti-SLAPP motion and awarded over $80,000 in attorneys’ fees.
• Represented a national law firm in an action for legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty based on an allegedly defective UCC filing. The trial court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion for partial summary judgment based on the statute of limitations. The parties settled shortly before trial.
• Represented numerous law firms in successfully opposing motions to disqualify.

Representative Transnational matters include:

• Chavez v. Dole Food Co., Inc.; Chaverri v. Dole Food Co.; Patrickson v. Dole Food Co.; Marquinez v. Dole Food Co.; Macasa v. Dole Food Co.; Dow Chem. Corp. v. Blanco.  Represented an international producer of fresh fruit and vegetables in connection with mass tort actions filed by thousands of foreign agricultural workers. Multiple courts have rejected plaintiffs’ class action tolling arguments and held that plaintiffs’ claims are time-barred.
• Worldwide Directories, S.A. De C.V. v. Yahoo! Inc.  Represented Yahoo! Inc. and Yahoo! Mexico in connection with a $2.75 billion civil RICO claim brought by two Mexican companies. Plaintiffs alleged misconduct in an underlying Mexican lawsuit in which Yahoo and its attorneys successfully overturned a $2.75 billion trial court judgment. Specifically, plaintiffs alleged that Yahoo and its Mexican attorneys improperly attempted to influence the trial court judge. The District Court granted Gibson Dunn’s motion to dismiss, holding that plaintiffs did not properly allege continuity, did not plausibly allege any RICO predicate acts, and did not plausibly allege that Yahoo conducted the affairs of a RICO enterprise. The court also rejected plaintiffs’ argument that the non-final trial court judgment constituted a property interest under RICO.

Representative Antitrust and Trade Regulation matters:

• SC Innovations, Inc. v. Uber Technologies, Inc.  Represented Uber Technologies, Inc., in a federal antitrust action alleging that Uber monopolized or attempted to monopolize the ride-hailing market through predatory pricing and other allegedly anti-competitive conduct.
• Roxul USA, Inc. v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc.  Represented Armstrong World Industries, Inc., in a federal antitrust action alleging that Armstrong monopolized or attempted to monopolize the U.S. ceiling tile market through exclusive distribution agreements.
• In re Animation Workers Antitrust Litig.  Represented DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., in a federal antitrust class action alleging that the major U.S. animation studios conspired to suppress employee compensation by agreeing not to solicit each another’s employees and by sharing competitively sensitive information.         
• AMD v. Intel.  Represented Intel Corporation in a federal antitrust action filed by Advanced Micro Devices. AMD alleged that Intel monopolized the worldwide market for microprocessors through exclusive dealing agreements, below cost pricing, manipulation of technological standards, and other purportedly anti-competitive conduct. 
• In the Matter of Intel Corp.  Represented Intel Corporation in a proceeding initiated by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC alleged that Intel engaged in unfair and anticompetitive conduct and deceptive practices in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.
• New York v. Intel.  Represented Intel Corporation in a parens patriae action brought by the New York Attorney General. The NY AG alleged that Intel violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by purportedly entering into exclusive or near-exclusive deals with the large computer manufacturers. 

Representative Hospitality and Gaming Matters:

• Brincko v. Rio Properties, Inc.  Second chaired a multi-week federal jury trial concerning 66 alleged fraudulent transfers to a Las Vegas casino. The trial focused on the casino’s compliance with state and federal anti-money laundering regulations. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the casino with respect to 59 of the 66 alleged transfers. The jury unanimously found that the casino acted in good faith in accepting verified cashier’s checks from a known customer and permitting him to gamble.
• Ultra Internet Media, SA v. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. Represented an affiliate of one of the nation’s largest hotel-casinos in an action for breach of contract and other claims arising out of alleged breaches of a promotional agreement involving the World Series of Poker. The parties settled prior to the close of fact discovery.
• Harrah’s Operating Company v. PROS Revenue Management, LP.  Represented one of the nation’s largest hotel-casinos in an action for breach of contract and fraud arising out of a failed software implementation project involving customer relationship management (CRM) software. Gibson Dunn successfully defeated multiple attempts to dismiss the fraud claims. The parties settled prior to the close of fact discovery.

Representative Securities Matters:

• ScripsAmerica, Inc. v. Ironridge Global LLC.  Represented an equity investor in micro-cap public companies in connection with a federal securities fraud claim involving securities issued pursuant to an arms’ length settlement agreement. The court dismissed plaintiff’s market manipulation claim with prejudice, finding the plaintiff did not properly plead manipulation, reliance, or a strong inference of scienter. Following the court’s ruling, Gibson Dunn sought an award of attorney’s fees pursuant to the parties’ settlement agreement. The court granted the motion, awarding Gibson Dunn’s client $269,260 in attorney’s fees. 

Representative Intellectual Property Matters:

• Grateful Dead Productions v. Sagan.  Represented multiple performers and recording companies in a case asserting trademark infringement, violation of the right of publicity and copyright infringement in connection with defendants’ acquisition of Bill Graham archives and operation of Wolfgang’sVault.com.

Shannon earned his law degree in 2004 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated Order of the Coif and was a member of the Moot Court Board. While at UCLA, Shannon was the Roscoe Pound Moot Court Tournament Champion and a recipient of the White O’Connor Moot Court Team Award. Shannon is also the co-author (along with Professor Michael Asimow) of Law and Popular Culture: A Course Book.

Prior to joining the firm, Shannon served as a law clerk to The Honorable Stephen V. Wilson in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Shannon is a member of the California Bar.

Sara Zamani is a litigation associate in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations, Litigation and FCA Practice Groups. Sara’s practice focuses on government and internal investigations and white collar criminal matters. Additionally, she advises clients on complex regulatory environments and the effectiveness of their internal policies and compliance programs.

Sara received her Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 2022 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she focused her studies in Corporate Law. While at UC Hastings, she competed on the Moot Court team and participated in the Startup Legal Garage where she advised San Francisco-based startups on general corporate matters. Prior to law school, Sara graduated with Honors from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts, where she completed a double major in Political Science and Criminology.

She is admitted to practice law in the States of Colorado and California.

Alexa Acquista is a litigation associate in Gibson Dunn’s Dallas office.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Alexa served as a law clerk to the Honorable Don R. Willett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Honorable Nathan L. Hecht of the Supreme Court of Texas, and the Honorable Brantley Starr of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Alexa graduated summa cum laude from SMU Dedman School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor of the SMU Law Review. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Dallas with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics.

Alexa is a member of the Texas bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

James Cox is a partner in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of the firm’s Labour and Employment Practice Group.

James has extensive experience in contentious and non-contentious labor and employment matters, with an emphasis on cross-border employment issues, collective labor and industrial disputes, redundancies and workforce restructurings, ARD/TUPE, the employment aspects of public and private mergers and acquisitions and outsourcing arrangements, corporate governance matters, boardroom appointments and removals, contractor and directorship matters, employment issues facing private equity companies, whistle-blowing, equal pay and other discrimination claims, worker consultation, enforcing and resisting post-employment restrictive covenants, and protecting confidential information from misuse by current and former employees. James also advises on data privacy and data protection issues.

James is recommended as a leading lawyer for Employment in the 2007-2025 annual editions of Chambers UK, in which clients have noted: “James is an excellent lawyer who is able to handle complex and sensitive situations well”, “he understands the commercial objectives of the client and he knows how to achieve them” and “he is excellent: he is very responsive, he is easy to deal with and he also effectively manages advice from different jurisdictions.” He is also ranked as a leading employment lawyer by Chambers Global 2022 and recognised in Chambers Europe 2013, Best Lawyers (2009-2025), Euromoney’s Labour & Employment Expert Guide and UK Legal Experts 2012. James is also recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2025 for Employment. James has been interviewed on matters relating to employment law on television and radio and has been quoted in The Times, The Sunday Times and Financial Times newspapers on employment law issues. He lectures regularly on behalf of the Employment Lawyers Association and at commercial conferences.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, James practiced as a partner in the Employment, Incentives and Pensions department of a major English law firm.

Jennifer J. Rho is an of counsel resident in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and Intellectual Property Group, where she focuses on intellectual property, antitrust, and other complex litigation matters with a high tech focus. Jennifer has successfully represented leading companies in consumer electronics, communications, biotechnology, medical device, video game, and social networking technologies, among others, in federal courts across the United States. She has significant experience litigating patent infringement and trade secrets issues in the U.S. International Trade Commission, for areas of technology including semiconductors, consumer electronics, and biologic products.

Jennifer’s representative matters include:

• In re Qualcomm Litigation. Representation of major consumer electronics device manufacturers in multi-billion dollar action asserting antitrust, breach of contract, FRAND, and patent claims against wireless technology licensor, in which the manufacturers defeated a motion for preliminary injunction seeking to force them to pay billions of dollars in royalties under patent license agreements being challenged as anticompetitive and violating FRAND.
• Fitbit v. Jawbone. Representation of Fitbit in a multi-patent, multi-case dispute spanning multiple federal district court cases and an International Trade Commission patent investigation, regarding technologies used to monitor activity and heart rate in activity trackers.
• Atlas IP v. St. Jude Medical.  Representation of St. Jude Medical against claims of patent infringement against its ICD and pacemaker devices, in which St. Jude Medical won a Daubert motion striking the plaintiff’s expert report – seeking hundreds of millions in damages – and leaving the plaintiff without an expert to testify on damages.
• Adrea v. Amazon.com.  Representation of Amazon.com in a multi-patent infringement action brought against its Kindle products.
• Konami Digital Entertainment v. Viacom, MTV Networks, and Harmonix Music Systems.  Representation of Viacom against claims that its Rock Band video game had infringed multiple patents.
• Walker Digital Litigations. Defense of numerous media, social networking, and game publishing companies—including Atari, EA, Zynga, and Sega—in three separate patent infringement lawsuits filed by Walker Digital pertaining to encryption and online payment systems.
• In Re Certain Semiconductor Chips with Minimized Chip Package Size and Products Containing Same. Representation of Tessera Technologies in three separate ITC investigations against various companies, including Motorola and Qualcomm, alleging infringement of certain semiconductor patents.

Jennifer was named a “Rising Star” annually since the 2021 edition of Managing IP Handbook and has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ every year since 2021.  In 2018, she was recognized by The Recorder as a Next Generation Women Leader in Tech Law. She also was recognized by Who’s Who Legal in 2023. Jennifer is presently the president of the Judge Paul R. Michel Intellectual Property American Inn of Court. She also is involved in ChIPs and Girls Who Code, where she participates in efforts to increase diversity in STEM and intellectual property fields.

Jennifer received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School in 2007. During law school, she was a member of the University of Chicago Law Review and the Chicago Journal of International Law. She graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy of Industrial Societies.

Jennifer is a member of the California bar. She is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Eastern District of Texas, and all Districts of California.

Robert Trenchard is a litigation partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of Gibson Dunn’s Intellectual Property, Antitrust and Competition, and Trials Practice Groups. He has maintained a diverse litigation practice in New York for 20 years. He represents corporate and individual clients in complex civil and regulatory matters in federal and state courts through and including trial, and before governmental bodies. Robert is recognized in IAM Patent 1000, LMG Life Sciences, Managing IP, and has been named a New York “Super Lawyer” since 2011. In 2023, Patexia recognized Robert as among the top 100 out of 1,800 practitioners in the Hatch-Waxman litigation space.

Robert has extensive first-chair experience in life-science patent litigation, including in U.S. district court and before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He has litigated cases involving pharmaceuticals, biologics, genetics, mRNA vaccines, polymorphs, siRNA and medical devices.

Robert has also represented clients as first- or second-chair in domestic and international market manipulation and antitrust matters, securities cases and many others. He has represented clients in individual and class actions in multiple courts around the country, and before the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), State AG offices and other governmental bodies.

Representative non-confidential matters include the following:

Life-Science Patent Disputes:

• Novartis: Robert has represented Novartis as the Patent Owner in various matters related to the first-ever oral multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya®, Novartis’s best-selling drug in 2018 with almost $1.8 billion in sales. These matters have included a successful inter partes review trial before the PTAB on a dosing method-of-use patent, and litigation following that victory in Delaware District Court against 23 ANDA filers. In the Delaware District Court, Robert co-led the team with partner Dr. Jane Love that secured a preliminary injunction preventing a launch-at-risk by multiple generics, a ruling handed down from the bench after a one-day evidentiary hearing. In addition to that matter, Robert has co-led teams with Jane in PTAB proceedings regarding a formulation patent for Gilenya; in district court litigation regarding formulation and compound patents for Gilenya; in district court and PTAB litigation regarding polymorph patents related to Gilenya; and in district court litigation for patents covering Novartis’s Reclast and Zometa zoledronic acid products.
• Merck Sharp & Dohme: Robert co-led the successful district court defense and related IPR against a formulation patent asserted by Mayne Pharmaceuticals based on sales of Merck’s Noxafil anti-fungal product. Robert and Jane persuaded the PTAB to institute and IPR, then succeeded in having the district court action stayed, and then successfully persuaded the PTAB to invalidate the patent.
• Moderna: Robert co-led the defense of claims in Delaware District Court related to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
• Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research: Robert and Jane successfully represented the JFCR in a patent interference trial before the PTAB concerning the invention of interferon-beta, one of the first human proteins ever cloned.
• Alnylam: Robert and Jane represented Alnylam in a patent interference trial before the PTAB concerning siRNAfor the treatment of cancer.
• Hologic: Robert and Jane successfully represented Hologic in a patent interference trial concerning a breast biopsy device.

Antitrust and Market Manipulation Disputes:

• Statoil: Robert represented Statoil in multi-district class action litigation concerning the alleged manipulation of Brent North Sea oil prices.
• Sumitomo: Robert represented Sumitomo Corporation in multiple criminal, civil and regulatory disputes in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. arising from rogue trading by a prominent copper trader.
• The Hartford: Robert represented The Hartford insurance company in State AG investigations and multi-district class actions in the District of New Jersey involving allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the market for insurance broker services.
• Tower Resarch LLC: Robert represented Tower in class action litigation concerning alleged market manipulation in high- frequency securities trading.