Eugene Scalia is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. He founded and Co-Chairs the firm’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group, and was long-time Co-Chair of its Labor and Employment Practice Group. He is a senior member of the Financial Institutions Practice Group.  He served for many years on the Firm’s Executive Committee.

In addition to his time at Gibson Dunn, Mr. Scalia has extensive experience in government, having served in the President’s Cabinet as U.S. Secretary of Labor; as Solicitor—general counsel—of the Department of Labor; and as a special assistant to the Attorney General. He has worked with governors, senators and congressmen, fellow cabinet members, and executives of leading American companies.

Mr. Scalia has a nationally-prominent practice in two areas: Labor and employment law, and advice and litigation regarding the obligations of federal administrative agencies. He also has extensive appellate experience. His success challenging government overreach has been widely covered in the national media, including in profiles in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg. Agency actions he has challenged include the Federal Trade Commission’s nationwide ban on non-compete agreements; the SEC’s “proxy access” rule and “private fund adviser” rule; the CFTC’s “position limits’” rule; MetLife’s designation as “too big to fail” by the Financial Services Oversight Council; and the Labor Department’s “fiduciary” rule. He has successfully sued the SEC ten times over its regulatory actions.

As Labor Secretary from 2019 to 2021, Mr. Scalia engaged at the highest level with national employment policy and matters affecting the financial services industry and international trade. He also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Laws administered by the Labor Department include the workplace safety requirements of OSHA, federal minimum wage and overtime protections, the anti- discrimination requirements applicable to federal contractors, and ERISA’s protection of the more than $11 trillion held in employee retirement plans and health plans.

Mr. Scalia served as Solicitor of Labor from 2002 to 2003, with responsibility for all Labor Department litigation and legal advice on rulemakings and administrative law. He is the only person to have served as both Solicitor and Secretary of Labor. From 1992 to 1993 he served at the U.S. Department of Justice as a Special Assistant to Attorney General William P. Barr.

In private practice, Mr. Scalia has represented employers in high- profile matters under the National Labor Relations Act and in class actions and collective actions under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, ERISA, and federal and state wage hour laws. He has handled employment cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal and state appellate and district courts, and in numerous arbitrations. He has been a leading authority on “whistleblower” investigations and litigation since enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Mr. Scalia also counsels employers on reductions-in-force and harassment and discrimination investigations, and is author of widely-cited law review article on sexual harassment law. He has provided pro bono representation to workers in discrimination matters, wrongful separation disputes, and other matters.

Mr. Scalia is a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States, a federal agency that makes recommendations to Congress and the Executive Branch on ways to improve the administrative process. Among other accolades, he has been named an “Employment MVP,” a “Securities MVP,” and an “Appellate MVP” by Law360, and for nearly two decades, he has been ranked a “Band 1” Labor and Employment lawyer in Washington, D.C. by Chambers. Mr. Scalia and his regulatory practice have been profiled in numerous articles, bearing such titles as “Suing the Government? Call Scalia!,” and “Eugene Scalia Leads Business’ Push Against Agency Rulemaking.” The National Law Journal recognized Mr. Scalia as a “Visionary” for his litigation against regulatory agencies, and the Nation magazine has called him a “fearsome litigator.” He has taught law as an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago and University of Virginia.

Mr. Scalia graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. He graduated With Distinction from the University of Virginia and was a speechwriter for Education Secretary William J. Bennett before attending law school. Mr. Scalia and his wife Trish have seven children.

 

 

 

 

Stephen Hammer is a senior associate in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn.  He is a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law and Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Groups.

Mr. Hammer specializes in litigating high-stakes appeals and critical motions in federal and state courts across a wide range of subject-matter areas.  During October Term 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court appointed Mr. Hammer to brief and argue a significant immigration case and adopted his argument on a key question regarding the timing of judicial review following certain expedited removal orders.  Riley v. Bondi, 606 U.S. 259 (2025).  Mr. Hammer has also presented argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Fifth Texas Court of Appeals.  He maintains an active pro bono practice, with a focus on religious liberty issues and crime victims’ rights, and serves as a vice president of the Dallas Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.  He is a contributing lawyer-editor for the twelfth edition of Black’s Law Dictionary.

Recent Representative Matters:

  • Won unanimous Supreme Court decision holding that an insurer with financial responsibility for bankruptcy claims is a party in interest with a right to be heard in reorganization proceedings; team named Law360 Legal Lions of the Week.  Truck Ins. Exch. v. Kaiser Gypsum Co., 602 U.S. 268 (2024).
  • Persuaded the Fifth Circuit to vacate in full the SEC’s Private Fund Advisers Rule, which would have fundamentally changed the way private funds and their advisers are regulated and cost $5.4 billion and millions of hours of employee time; team named Law360 Legal Lions of the Week and runner-up for AmLaw Litigation Daily’s Litigator of the Week.  Nat’l Ass’n of Private Fund Managers v. SEC, 103 F.4th 1097 (5th Cir. 2024).
  • Convinced the First Texas Court of Appeals to grant five mandamus petitions directing trial court to dismiss billions of dollars in tort claims against power generation companies in multidistrict litigation arising out of the 2021 Texas winter storm.  In re Luminant Generation Co., No. 01-23-00097-CV (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]).
  • Persuaded the Fifth Circuit to reverse order holding the head of a major state agency in contempt and imposing $100,000 in daily fines and to reassign the case in long-running institutional-reform litigation; team received shout-out from AmLaw Litigation Daily’s Litigator of the Week.  M.D. ex rel. Stukenberg v. Abbott, 119 F.4th 373 (5th Cir. 2024).
  • Successfully defended AT&T from emergency challenge to multibillion-dollar 5G wireless deployment brought by airline industry on eve of rollout.  In re Expanding Flexible Use in the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band, No. 18-122 (FCC).
  • Persuaded Virginia trial court to grant summary judgment to Trinity Industries on $1.2 billion in claims under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act, Commonwealth ex rel. Harman v. Trinity Indus., Inc., No. CL13-698 (Vir. Cir. Ct.); won unanimous affirmance of dismissal of action against Trinity Industries under the Tennessee False Claims Act from the Tennessee Court of Appeals, State ex rel. Harman v. Trinity Indus., Inc., No. M2022-00167-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App.); won unanimous affirmance of order denying motion to amend complaint against Trinity Industries under New Jersey False Claims Act from the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, State ex rel. Harman v. Trinity Indus., Inc., No. A-3788-21 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div.).
  • Won unanimous affirmance of summary judgment for State Farm from the Ninth Circuit in closely watched insurance case involving water intrusion damage to condominiums in Pacific Northwest.  Gold Creek Condo.-Phase I Ass’n of Apartment Owners v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., No. 22-35606 (9th Cir.).
  • Preserved appellate reversal of half-billion-dollar jury verdict in trade-secrets case by persuading the Texas Supreme Court to deny review after calling for full merits briefing.  HouseCanary Analytics, Inc. v. Title Source, Inc., No. 20-0683 (Tex.).
  • Persuaded the Fifth Circuit to render judgment upholding the constitutionality of Texas Justice of the Peace’s practice of allowing volunteer chaplains to perform invocations before court proceedings.  Freedom from Religion Found., Inc. v. Mack, 49 F.4th 941 (5th Cir. 2022).
  • Presented argument on behalf of criminal defendant in appeal involving application of the plain hearing doctrine under the Wiretap Act.  United States v. Carey, 18-50393 (9th Cir.).

Before joining the firm, Mr. Hammer served as a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Mr. Hammer graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as a managing editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.  Before law school, Mr. Hammer served as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army.  His military decorations include the Bronze Star.  Mr. Hammer received an M.Phil. in theology from the University of Oxford, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.  He received an A.B. summa cum laude in classics from Princeton University and graduated as Latin salutatorian.

Mr. Hammer is a member of the Texas and District of Columbia bars.  He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, D.C., and Federal Circuits, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of Texas.

Henry Cornillie is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn where he is a member of the Litigation Department. His practice focuses on antitrust, intellectual property, and commercial litigation, class actions, and government investigations.

Representative Matters:*

  • Represented a leading technology company in a high-profile trial of antitrust and unfair competition claims brought by a video game and software developer.
  • Represented a leading technology company in an unfair competition class action relating to the functionality of video conferencing software.
  • Represented a leading technology company in an antitrust action brought by a developer of software for jailbroken mobile devices.
  • Represented a leading technology company in a trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract dispute involving wireless communications technologies.
  • Represented a leading technology company in a trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, and breach of loyalty dispute with a former semiconductor executive.
  • Represented a prominent genomics company in patent and false advertising litigation relating to next-generation sequencing technologies.
  • Represented an information technology contractor and its principals in an anti-kickback investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as in related civil litigation.
  • Represented a global chemical manufacturer in a high-exposure commercial arbitration arising from a long-term supply agreement.
  • Represented a large financial institution in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation relating to the origination of residential mortgages.
  • Represented a prestigious university in a putative class action alleging breach of fiduciary duty in the administration of the university’s employee investment plans.

Henry has also represented pro bono clients in civil rights and fair housing litigation, and has won asylum for a refugee in a contested removal proceeding.

Henry has seconded with the commercial litigation department of a leading technology company and has worked as a Deputy Attorney General in the Antitrust Law Section of the California Attorney General’s Office. He received his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. During his time there, he was a Supervising Editor and Publishing Editor of the Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Goodwin H. Liu of the Supreme Court of California. Henry received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he was a Chick Evans Scholar.

Henry is admitted to practice law in the State of California, the State of Illinois, and before various federal courts.

*Includes matters Henry handled prior to joining Gibson Dunn

Lucia Lopez is an associate in the San Francisco office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Lucia received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley in 2025. While in law school, she interned for the California Attorney General’s Office – Antitrust Law Section and was a member of the Berkeley Real Estate Club.

Lucia graduated with honors from Stanford University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History and Spanish Literature and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies.

Lucia is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Roxana Akbari is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s International Trade Advisory and Enforcement, Sanctions and Export Enforcement, and White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Groups. Roxana advises clients on U.S. economic sanctions and export controls, including under the ITAR, EAR, and OFAC-administered sanctions programs. She has experience with internal investigations, preparing voluntary self-disclosures and administrative subpoena responses, advising on trade compliance program design and enhancement, and conducting international trade due diligence in corporate transactions. She also supports clients with White Collar Defense and Investigations, including anti-corruption and anti-money laundering matters.

Roxana earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2024, where she was a Human Rights Center Scholar, an Associate Articles Editor at the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law and Justice, and a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution team. She also served as President of the Iranian American Bar Association’s national law student chapter.

Roxana graduated cum laude from the University of California, Irvine, where she received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Sociology, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Before attending law school, Roxana worked on various political campaigns and for the City of Irvine as Legislative Deputy to the Mayor.

Roxana is fluent in Farsi and is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Steve Melrose is a New Zealand qualified Of Counsel in the London office of Gibson Dunn.

Steve is a member of the firm’s Dispute Resolution, White Collar Defence and Investigations, and Antitrust and Competition Practice Groups. His practice focuses on domestic and cross-border corporate and regulatory investigations, and antitrust and white-collar criminal matters.

Steve advises corporates and individuals under investigation by government authorities in the UK, including the Financial Conduct Authority and the Serious Fraud Office, and in the U.S., including the New York Attorney General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodities and Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Justice. He has extensive experience advising clients in relation to the UK Bribery Act 2010 and FCA systems and controls matters.

Steve has also has experience counselling clients under investigation by the European Commission, as well as the UK Competition and Markets Authority, for antitrust violations. In addition, he advises clients in connection with English consumer law matters and related CMA investigations.

Steve is a member of the London Office Diversity Executive Committee.

Representative work includes:

  • Advising a global company in connection with parallel DOJ, FCA and SFO investigations regarding allegations of bribery and corruption.
  • Representing an individual under investigation by the FCA and CFTC for trading related conduct issues.
  • Advising a global financial institution as part of a multi-office teams in connection with the LIBOR and FX investigations conducted by antitrust, criminal and regulatory bodies in the UK, U.S. and various other major jurisdictions, which involved extensive direct interactions with the FCA and SFO.
  • Advising a U.S. investment bank in connection with criminal investigations brought simultaneously in the U.S. (DOJ and SEC) and UK (Financial Conduct Authority) in relation to suspicions of insider dealing.
  • Advising a global consulting firm in connection with enquiries from the FCA regarding insider dealing concerns.
  • Advising a U.S. listed global consulting firm to resolve historic contentious tax issues with the Swiss Federal and Cantonal tax authorities.
  • Advising a Swiss insurance company in connection with its U.S. cross border tax exposure.
  • Advising a global media company in connection with various cross-border whistleblower and other internal investigations in Europe and APAC.
  • Advising a global musical instruments company in connection with a CMA antitrust investigation, through to negotiated resolution.
  • Advising a care home management firm and its North American shareholders in connection with a CMA consumer law investigation, which resulted in the first resolution in which the CMA used its newly acquired Enhanced Consumer Measures (in this case formal Undertakings).

Prior to joining the firm, Steve practiced in the Wellington office of a leading New Zealand law firm. Before entering private practice, Steve was a Legal and Policy Advisor at the New Zealand Law Reform Commission where he worked on a range of criminal and public law enquiries.

Christian Talley is an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson Dunn. He practices in the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, and Judgment Enforcement Practice Groups.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Christian clerked for the Honorable John K. Bush of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Christian earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he received a merit scholarship, served as a Notes Editor on the Virginia Law Review, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Before law school, Christian studied history at Oxford University, earning a master’s degree with Distinction. He received his undergraduate degree in history, magna cum laude and with highest honors, from Vanderbilt University, winning departmental prizes for best essay and best thesis.

His legal writing has appeared in the law reviews of Yale, Stanford, and Virginia, among others.

Christian is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits.

Eleen Zhou is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring & Reorganization and Liability Management & Special Situations Practice Groups. Her practice focuses on representing credit investors, sponsors, and borrowers in a broad range of liability management transactions, distressed financings and private credit financings.

Eleen earned her Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 2022. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, Sculpture, and Visual/Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016.

Representative Clients and Transactions*

  • An ad hoc group of senior lenders to Sinclair Broadcast Group in connection with a recapitalization and refinancing of more than $4.25 billion of the company’s debt.
  • Cision in connection with a $250 million new money financing and a $2.4 billion recapitalization of its credit facilities and senior notes.
  • An ad hoc group of term lenders to SI Group in connection with a $1.8 billion uptier recapitalization transaction.
  • United Site Services in a $300 million new money financing and the recapitalization of $2.6 billion of secured and unsecured liabilities.
  • An ad hoc group of term lenders to Mobileum, Inc. in connection with the company’s Chapter 11 proceedings and related DIP-to-exit financing.
  • An ad hoc group of lenders in an amend-and-extend transaction for hospital group Quorum Healthcare.
  • An ad hoc group of term lenders to Hornblower Group in connection with the company’s Chapter 11 proceedings and related DIP-to-exit financing.

*Includes transactions prior to Eleen’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Raleigh Cavero is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She practices in the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, First Amendment and Free Expression, and Litigation practice groups.

Raleigh received her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2022, where she served as a Forum editor for the Yale Law Journal, an Online Editor for the Yale Journal on Regulation, an intern for the federal prosecutor in the District of Connecticut, and an extern for the Honorable Duane Benton of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to law school, she earned a Masters in Philosophy with Distinction from the University of Cambridge in American History. Her thesis won the 2017 Best Postgraduate Paper Prize at the Historians of the 20th Century United States conference and the Trinity Hall Bateman Scholarship for academic performance. Raleigh also holds a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in History from Yale College. There, she was a Yale Journalism Scholar and co-founded, anchored, and produced YTV at the Yale Daily News. Her on-air and written reporting has appeared on NBCNews.com and Vice News. Other writing experience includes speechwriting for Yale President Peter Salovey and research assistance for former-New York Times journalist Sam Tannehaus’s new biography of William F. Buckley.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Raleigh clerked for the Honorable Kevin C. Newsom on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden on the District Court for the District of Columbia

Raleigh is a member of the bar of Washington, D.C. She is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Ankita Ritwik is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the International Arbitration, Transnational Litigation and Judgement and Arbitral Award Enforcement Practice Groups.

Ankita has extensive experience in investment treaty and international commercial arbitration, including award enforcement in multiple jurisdictions. She has represented a variety of clients with investments in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, in the mining, energy, telecommunications, real estate, maritime and manufacturing industries in international arbitration and enforcement proceedings. Recently recognized by The Legal 500 as a “Leading Associate” in Dispute Resolution – International Arbitration, Ankita also brings deep familiarity with a wide variety of arbitral institutions including ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, SCC, HKIAC, SIAC, AIAC, TAI, DIA and OCC. Ankita was previously recognized as a “Rising Star” by The Legal 500 in 2023 and 2024.

She earned her law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was the Notes Editor for the Harvard International Law Journal. She graduated with honors from Yale University, where she double-majored in Economics and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry. Before attending law school, Ankita worked as a business consultant at McKinsey & Co.

She is fluent in Hindi, and has a working knowledge of Spanish and French. Ankita is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the State of New York.

A sample of Ankita’s experience includes*:

  • Representing a maritime and salvage company in a USD 10 billion arbitration against Colombia, arising from the discovery of a historical sunken shipwreck.
  • Representing investors in a telecommunications enterprise with over USD 1.5 billion in arbitration awards against India in the enforcement of those awards.
  • Representing a number of U.S. investors in an ICSID arbitration claim against Colombia of over USD 200 million, arising from a significant property development and management enterprise in the State.
  • Advising U.S. investors in a large scale precious metals mining project in a former Soviet Union country in parallel investor state and commercial arbitration claims.
  • Representing multiple international investors seeking enforcement of arbitration awards against Spain, arising from investments in renewable energy projects in the country.
  • Successfully represented a multinational telecommunications company in a number of contract disputes under a multi-jurisdictional service agreement framework, resulting in a favorable settlement for the parties.
  • Successfully represented an Australian copper and gold mining company with a USD 6 billion arbitration award against Pakistan in the global enforcement of that award.
  • Successfully represented European investors in renewable energy projects in a multi-million dollar ICSID arbitration against Spain. The tribunal found Spain liable for violating its obligations under the Energy Charter Treaty and is currently evaluating damages.
  • Successfully represented a Swiss mining company with investments in a coal mine in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia, securing an arbitration award of over USD 20 million for the client.
  • Successfully represented a Canadian gold mining company in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia. The tribunal found Colombia liable for violating its obligations under the Canada-Colombia FTA, and is currently evaluating damages.
  • Successfully represented European investors in a manufacturing plant in Venezuela in an ICSID arbitration against the country, resulting in an arbitration award of over USD 160 million.
  • Advised a large multinational oil and gas company with investments in North Africa on potential contractual disputes with the State-owned oil company.

*Includes experience prior to joining Gibson Dunn

Dennis Seifarth is a partner in the Munich office of Gibson Dunn. He is member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice Groups.

Dennis advises strategic and financial investors on mergers & acquisitions with a focus on private equity transactions. His experience includes complex, national and international corporate/M&A, private equity as well as venture capital investments for clients of various industries.

IFLR1000 lists him as Rising Star 2024 in the categories M&A and Private Equity in Germany. The Legal 500 Deutschland 2025 cited clients with: “[…] Dennis Seifarth – ambitious, energetic, motivated, will make a great partner! Very intelligent and pays attention to detail, quick and competent answers.”

Experience

Representative transactions* include advising:

  • Astorg on the acquisition of hg medical from Nord Holding
  • Triton on the acquisition of Arrowhead Industries
  • Triton on the sale of Norres Group
  • Advent International and Centerbridge on the public tender offer for Aareal Bank AG
  • Triton on the sale of Meine Radiologie Holding to EQT Infrastructure
  • Triton on its acquisition of a majority stake of Inwerk GmbH
  • Gilead Sciences, Inc. on its acquisition of MYR GmbH (approx. €1.15 billion plus up to €300 million milestone payment, named Deal of the Month by JUVE, February 2021)
  • CENTROTEC SE on the acquisition of all shares of PARI Group
  • Heska Corporation on the acquisition of scil animal care GmbH, a veterinary point of care laboratory and imaging diagnostics leader, from Covetrus, Inc.
  • Triton on its acquisition of Lamina Technologies SA
  • Advent International on its US$3.25 billion acquisition of Distributed Power Business from GE
  • Schoeller on the partnering with Brookfield
  • LGT on financing round in aviation start-up Lilium
  • ProSiebenSat.1 on partnership with General Atlantic for NuCom
  • Philipp Lahm Holding on investment in Schneekoppe
  • ProSiebenSat.1 on acquisition of majority stake in Jochen Schweizer GmbH
  • Qatar Solar Technologies on insolvency of SolarWorld and acquisition of SolarWorld’s assets 
  • ProSiebenSat.1 on acquisition of majority stake in Virtual Minds
  • PAI Partners and Goldman Sachs on sale of Xella
  • General Atlantic on investment in FlixBus and merger of Mein Fernbus with FlixBus
  • Advise on sale of mytheresa.com to Neiman Marcus Group
  • Goldman Sachs on acquisition of Flint Group in partnership with Koch Industries
  • RHJ International on the Acquisition of BHF-Bank AG from Deutsche Bank

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, he worked in the Munich office of a renowned U.S. law firm.

He studied law at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, from which he also received his doctor’s degree in 2015. Dennis has been admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) since 2013.

Dennis speaks fluent German and English.

 

*Includes Experience Prior To Joining Gibson Dunn

Mary Aline Fertin is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department.

Mary Aline’s practice spans a broad range of complex matters, with a focus on commercial and investor-state international arbitrations, cross-border disputes, judgement enforcements, commercial litigations, and First Amendment issues. Mary Aline maintains a robust pro-bono practice in the areas of immigration, international human rights, and First Amendment rights.

Mary Aline earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, and her Masters of Law in International and Comparative Law, cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2023. She served as Notes Editor on the Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law and represented Duke University in the 2023 Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, earning the distinctions of Third Best Oralist in the Prague Pre-Moot and an Honorable Mention for Claimant’s Brief in the Vis Moot. Mary Aline was a Teaching Assistant in three courses, to include: (1) the Duke First Amendment Clinic, (2) the Trauma Informed Courts Practicum, and (3) the Appellate Practice seminar.

She previously served as a paralegal in the Consumer Protection Division of the Federal Trade Commission, and she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University in 2019.

She is a native speaker of English and French. Mary Aline is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

Markus Rieder is a partner in the Munich office of Gibson Dunn and Co-Chair of the firm’s Transnational Litigation practice. He is also a member of the firm’s Class Actions, Securities Litigation, and International Arbitration Groups.

Markus focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, both domestic and cross-border, and national and international arbitration, as well as on compliance and white collar defense. He has substantial experience in the automotive, industrial, and manufacturing sectors.

He also advises related to the increased risks of ESG litigation, encompassing a variety of issues including climate and environmental protection matters, human rights and the new German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, and represents clients in major cutting-edge issues such as climate protection lawsuits.

Markus is regularly recommended by the leading legal publications. Handelsblatt / The Best Lawyers™ 2025/2026 list him among the best lawyers in Germany for Arbitration and Mediation, Corporate Governance and Compliance, International Arbitration, and Litigation and recognized him in 2023/2024 as Lawyer of the Year for Corporate Governance and Compliance Practice and International Arbitration. Previously he was recognized as Lawyer of the Year for Arbitration and Mediation in 2021 and, for the third consecutive time in 2020, for Corporate Governance and Compliance. Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 2025 includes him among the world’s leading dispute lawyers for Transnational Litigation & Arbitration. JUVE Handbook 2025/2026 lists him as “frequently recommended” for Dispute Resolution – Litigation and cites a client who described him as “a very good strategist”. Competitors previously remarked that he “covers cases very deeply” and recognized him as “Top lawyer – if he bites the bullet, it’ll be good” (JUVE Handbooks 2023/2024 and 2022/2023). The Legal 500 Germany 2026 and The Legal 500 EMEA 2025 recommend him for Dispute Resolution – Commercial Litigation, and cite references stating that he has “an excellent eye for the bigger picture and provides very strong strategic advice. His team is extremely well organized,” and that his “team specializes in complex disputes, both nationally and internationally” (Legal 500 Germany 2025). Further references described him over the years as “a true litigator through and through, very perceptive, yet able to compromise where necessary and very pleasant to work with,” as “an excellent litigator with bite, vision and stamina as well as a great understanding of process strategy and tactics,” and as “a top litigator and an excellent advisor for all disputes and arbitration proceedings.”

His recent experience includes advising *:

  • Mercedes-Benz and other clients in climate change litigation
  • Mercedes-Benz in diesel-related litigation
  • UniCredit S.p.A. in multijurisdictional shareholder litigation following corporate restructuring
  • Deutsche Bank regarding complex management liability and governance issues, including FIRREA settlement with US Department of Justice
  • A German PE fund in ICC arbitration regarding compliance violation in Italian target company
  • Korean and German defendants in DIS arbitration proceedings in relation to windpark project in the German North Sea
  • Daimler AG regarding all aspects of the disposal of Chrysler to Cerberus and the bankruptcy of Chrysler
  • Daimler AG in favorably settled ad hoc arbitration proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany in connection with the introduction of a truck toll in Germany (Toll Collect) with an amount in dispute in excess of €10B (largest-ever reported arbitration seated in Germany)
  • Toll Collect GmbH in successfully settled ad hoc arbitration proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany regarding compensation for toll collection services (amount in dispute in excess of €4 billion)

Markus regularly publishes on legal matters. Among others, he is co-editor of the volumes covering commercial law within the standard publication “Münchener Vertragshandbuch,” a handbook on model contracts and agreements (8th edition, 2018/ 2020 published at Beck Verlag), and co-author of the “Münchener Kommentar” regarding the Act on Limited Liability Companies (5th edition, 2025, published by Beck Verlag).

Since 2011, Markus is lecturing at the Faculty of German and European Private Law, Civil Procedure and Legal Theory at the University of Passau, where he has been appointed honorary professor in 2025.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Markus was a litigation partner in the Munich office of a renowned U.S. law firm.

Markus studied law at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he also obtained his doctor’s degree in 2003. In 1996, he earned his LL.M. from the University of Michigan. He is dual-qualified and has been admitted to the New York State Bar since 1998 and as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) since 1999.

In addition to his native German, Markus is fluent in English.

*Includes Experience Prior To Joining Gibson Dunn

Martin Wallner is an associate in the New York office of Gibson Dunn, where his practice focuses on project finance, financing transactions and mergers and acquisitions in the projects, infrastructure and energy space.

He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an M.A. in Economics and International Relations with a specialization in Infrastructure Finance and Policy from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Law Degree from the University of Vienna in Austria.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Martin worked as associate for a prominent international law firm and for a multilateral development bank.

Laura Kylmänen is an associate in the Frankfurt office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s Finance Practice Group.

Laura advises private equity funds, banks, financial institutions and corporates on leveraged finance, real estate acquisition finance, and corporate finance matters.

Her experience includes advising*:

  • EQT Private Equity on the sale of its 20% stake in Ottobock.
  • Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) and Commerzbank AG on EUR 250 million bridge financing for Villeroy & Boch to finance the acquisition of Ideal Standard.
  • J.P. Morgan on the €2.4 billion financing of the acquisition of Polyplus by Sartorius.
  • Convini Intressenter AB on the acquisition of HelloFreshGo.

She studied law at the Goethe University Frankfurt and completed her Second State Exam at the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt. As a part of her legal clerkship she worked at a leading Swedish law firm in Stockholm. Before joining Gibson Dunn, she was an associate in the Banking and Finance and Litigation practice groups in the Frankfurt and London offices of a renowed German law firm. Laura has been admitted as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwältin) since 2023.

Laura is fluent in Finnish, German and English.

* Includes experience prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Katharina Humphrey is a partner in the Munich office of Gibson Dunn. She is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group.

She specializes in white collar defense and compliance investigations in a wide array of criminal regulatory matters. She has many years of experience in advising clients in connection with corruption, fraud, and money laundering cases, particularly in an international context.

Katharina advises clients in the context of corporate as well as government investigations, both nationally and internationally, and with the structuring, implementation and assessment of compliance management systems. She represents companies before domestic and foreign authorities during associated criminal and administrative proceedings and is experienced in advising companies in connection with FCPA monitorships or similar monitor functions.

The Legal 500 Deutschland 2026 and The Legal 500 EMEA 2025 listed her once again as “Next Generation Partner” in the field of Compliance. In the 2025 and 2026 editions of Chambers Germany, she was ranked for Compliance. Global Investigations Review 2025 cited a testimonial describing her as “smart and incredibly competent in running investigations.” Chambers Germany 2026 quoted references describing Katharina as “an excellent investigation lawyer. She has a great brain and is very efficient,” and stating that they “like working with Katharina because she seeks to understand the sensitivities that we have and prepares an answer that fits. She knows the reality of her clients and how to find implementable solutions.” JUVE named Katharina to its “40 under 40” list in its January 2019 issue, presenting the rising stars among Germany’s lawyers under the age of 40.

She is co-author of the book “Interne Untersuchungen” (Internal Investigations), published by Moosmayer/Kraus in its 3rd edition (2025), and contributed to the book “Corporate Compliance”, published by Moosmayer/Lösler in its 4th revised and expanded edition (2024) as part of the series “Compliance für die Praxis” by C.H. BECK.

Katharina studied at the University of Heidelberg, the University of Geneva and the University of Munich (LMU), specializing in International and European Law. She passed a part of her legal clerkship at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in New Delhi and the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations in New York.

She speaks German, English, and French.

Alexander D. Fine is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions, Finance, and Private Equity Practice Groups.

Alexander’s practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors and public companies on a wide range of transactional matters, including strategic mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, minority investments, and joint ventures. He also advises clients on corporate governance and securities law matters.

Alexander has been named by Lawdragon Leading Dealmakers in America 2025 and 2026, which honors “the eminents of M&A and power players of private equity”, and was also recognized in The Legal 500 U.S. for Capital Markets: Equity Offerings, 2014. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Alexander was a partner at another international law firm. Before that he served as Executive Vice President and Corporate Counsel of Allied Capital Corporation.

Representative Clients and Transactions

Private Equity Sponsor Transactions

  • ATL Partners on various M&A transactions, including:
    • the sale of GCL (fka Rock-It Cargo) to Providence Equity Partners
    • the sale of GEOST to Rocket Lab
    • the acquisition of Aero Accessories and related add-on acquisition of AOG Accessories
    • the acquisitions of GEOST, Ophir Corporation and Trident Systems to form LightRidge Solutions
    • the sale by ATL Partners and BCI of Pilot Freight Services to A.P. Moller-Maersk for $1.7 billion
    • the significant minority investment in Arrive Logistics
    • the acquisition by ATL Partners and BCI of Valence Surface Technologies and the related add-on acquisition of Fountain Plating
    • the acquisition of Global Critical Logistics (fka Rock-it Cargo) and related add-on acquisition of SOS Global
  • Crestview Partners on various M&A transactions, including:
    • the sale of Elo Touch Solutions to Zebra Technologies for $1.3 billion
    • the acquisition of Smyth Companies
    • the acquisition of OneMagnify and the related add-on acquisitions of RXA, Splash Analytics and Guidance Solutions and Optimal’s performance marketing business
    • the acquisition of AutoLenders
    • the formation of the SyBridge Technologies platform and various related acquisitions, including Concours Mold, Active Industrial, X-Cell, Pyramid, Action Tool, Cavaform, Wachusett Precision Tool and Fast Radius
    • the formation the of Convergix Automation Solutions platform and various related acquisitions, including JMP Solutions, Classic Design and Eagle Technologies
    • the acquisition of Elo Touch Solutions
    • the sale of JR Automation Technologies to Hitachi, Ltd. for $1.425 billion
    • the acquisition of Congruex
    • the acquisition of Accuride Corporation*
    • the acquisition of Stackpole International and its subsequent sale to Johnson Electric Holdings Ltd.*
  • Catchment Capital in the acquisition of Fidus Systems
  • MidOcean Partners and PSP Investments in the sale of Noranco Inc. to Precision Castparts Corp.*
  • Crestview Partners and MidOcean Partners in the sale of OneLink Communications*
  • MidOcean Partners in the acquisition of Water Pik, Inc.*
  • MidOcean Partners in the acquisition of Jones & Frank*

Public Company Transactions

Various M&A transaction representations related to the power and energy sector, including:

  • Essential Utilities in its pending $63 billion merger with American Water
  • CenterPoint Energy in its pending $2.62 billion sale of Vectren to National Fuel Gas
  • Essential Utilities in the sale of its portfolio of microgrid and district energy properties to Cordia
  • Essential Utilities in the sale of its West Virginia gas utility business to Hope Gas
  • Avista Corporation in its $5.3 billion sale to Hydro One Limited (deal terminated).
  • Morgan Stanley, as financial advisor to Vivint Solar, in connection with Vivint Solar’s $3.2 billion merger with Sunrun Inc.
  • WGL Holdings in its $6.4 billion sale to AltaGas, Ltd.*
  • Questar Corporation in its $4.4 billion sale to Dominion Resources, Inc.*
  • Piedmont Natural Gas in its $4.9 billion sale to Duke Energy*
  • Hess Corporation in the sale of its hydrogen fuel cell business*

Other representative public company M&A transactions include:

  • FTI Consulting in its acquisition of Delta Partners
  • Welltower in its acquisition of the seniors housing properties of Holiday Retirement, a portfolio company of Fortress Investment Group, and various joint venture matters
  • Sagent Pharmaceuticals in its $750 million sale to Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical*
  • Sagent Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Omega Laboratories*
  • Special Committee of the Board of Directors of SRA International, Inc. in its $1.9 billion going-private acquisition by Providence Equity Partners*

Alexander graduated in 2000 from the University of Virginia School of Law where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and of the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review.

*Engagements prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Oliver Nassiri is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Oliver represents institutional real estate investors, lenders, and developers in a variety of complex real estate transactions, including joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, developments, and financings.

Oliver received his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the George Washington University Law School in 2017. He received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2013.

Oliver is admitted to practice in the State of California and in the District of Columbia.

Carli Zimelman is an associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. She currently practices in the firm’s Transactional Department.

Carli earned her Juris Doctor in 2023 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 was a Quarterfinalist in USC’s Hale Moot Court Honors Program and was published in Spotlight, USC Gould School of Law’s Entertainment Law Publication, for her article discussing how Taylor Swift was able to legally re-record her music and how her actions will affect the music industry in the future. Carli graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with double minors in Global Studies and Film, Television, and Media Studies.

Carli is admitted to practice in the State of California.

Representative Transactions

  • Advised SpaceX, an aerospace company, on its acquisition of xAI, an artificial intelligence platform.
  • Advised OceanSound Partners and its portfolio company DMI on DMI’s divestiture of its commerce, marketing & strategy, and digital engineering services segment to Encora, a portfolio company of Advent International and Warburg Pincus and a leader in digital engineering services.
  • Advised OceanSound Partners and its portfolio company SMX in its acquisition of cBEYONData, a digital technology consulting firm.
  • Represented Aurora Capital Partners, a private equity firm, in connection with the acquisition of First Legal, a litigation support services company.
  • Advised Tower Arch Capital on its acquisition of HDW Construction & Drilling, LLC, an auguring and hand-tunneling business, via its HardRock Infrastructure platform.

Ryan Butcher is an English qualified associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s Dispute Resolution Group. Ryan regularly advises clients in the tech space in relation to both disputes and regulatory matters, including online safety regimes across various jurisdictions (such as the UK Online Safety Act and the EU Digital Services Act). He also maintains an active Pro Bono practice and is a member of the London Pro Bono Committee.
 
In 2024 and 2025, Ryan spent time on secondment to (i) the Content Policy Legal team of a large multinational online retailer and (ii) the Content Regulation Legal team of a large multinational video sharing social networking platform. In both cases, Ryan worked across a range of online safety matters, primarily related to regulatory compliance and implementation. 
 
Ryan also has broad experience of International Litigation and Arbitration, particularly in matters relating to Fraud and Financial Services (including offshore experience, having worked on cases in Singapore and the Cayman Islands). He trained at Gibson Dunn, during which time he spent six months seconded to the EMEA Litigation team of UBS.