Douglas M. Fuchs is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office. Mr. Fuchs is the co-chair of the firm’s Los Angeles Litigation Department. He also is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations, Accounting Firm Advisory and Defense, Securities Enforcement and Securities Litigation Practice Groups.

Mr. Fuchs has a special expertise in representing corporations and individuals in white collar criminal, SEC and other regulatory enforcement matters, including cases involving allegations of securities fraud, environmental violations, public corruption, antitrust violations, economic espionage and government contracting fraud. Mr. Fuchs has also conducted sensitive internal investigations, been retained by companies that have been victimized by fraud, and developed compliance programs, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Mr. Fuchs additionally has experience handling a broad range of civil litigation, including cases stemming from the same facts giving rise to criminal, SEC, and regulatory investigations. Mr. Fuchs has represented companies and individuals in securities class actions, shareholder derivative actions, consumer class actions, and lawsuits involving allegations of fraud, interference with contract, theft of trade secrets, and unfair business practices.

Representative criminal matters:

• Represented Andy Wiederhorn, the founder, CEO and Chairman of a public company named Fat Brands in a criminal case brought by the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles alleging tax, securities and wire fraud violations, and a parallel enforcement action brought by the SEC, resulting in the dismissal of all charges against Mr. Wiederhorn, Fat Brands, and their co-defendants.
• Represented founder, former CEO and Board member of pharmaceutical company in insider trading prosecution brought by the United States Attorney’s for the Southern District of New York and parallel enforcement action brought by the SEC, resulting in dismissal of the criminal case and favorable settlement of the SEC case.
• Representing government contracting arm of publicly traded consulting firm in criminal and civil investigations by DOJ relating to representations made relating to government contracts.
• Representing oil refining company in a criminal case brought by the Santa Barbara DA’s Office alleging violations of state environmental laws in connection with repair work on oil pipeline along the Santa Barbara coast. 
• Represented global lodging company in investigation by multiple California DA offices into hazardous waste disposal practices at company properties throughout the state resulting in favorable settlement.
• Represent aerospace company in state of California grand jury investigation into cause of Malibu Woolsey Fire resulting in no charges being brought against company or its employees.
• Representing two universities in Varsity Blues criminal investigation by Boston U.S. Attorney’s Office, including conducting internal investigations and advising clients on employment decisions concerning university personnel.
• Representing insurance adjusting firm in criminal investigation by New Orleans United States Attorney’s Office into handling of Katrina-related insurance claims.
• Represented charter school operator in criminal investigation by Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office into alleged misuse of funds by company executives, resulting in client obtaining a non-prosecution agreement from the government.
• Represented oil refining company in connection with DOJ investigation relating to explosion at oil refinery involving fatalities resulting in government declining to bring charges.
• Represented university in investigations by the New York Attorney General, the California Attorney General, the DOJ, and Congress concerning student loan practices, resulting in no action taken against university by any regulator.
• Represented insurance adjusting firm in investigations by the DOJ, Mississippi Attorney General, Mississippi Department of Insurance and Congress, and a related qui tam action, into the handling of insurance claims following Hurricane Katrina resulting in no action taken against company and dismissal of the qui tam action.
• Represented ex-CFO of gaming company in connection with FCPA investigations by DOJ and SEC resulting in no action being taken against client.
• Represented Chinese-American professor in economic espionage investigation by United States Attorney’s Office resulting in no charges being brought.
• Represented real estate investor in investigation by DOJ into disturbance of wetlands resulting in no charges being brought.
• Represented aircraft parts manufacturer in DOJ investigation resulting in the government declining to bring civil or criminal charges and qui tam plaintiff abandoning False Claims Act case.
• Represented individual after he had already been indicted by the DOJ for making illegal campaign contributions and obtained a non-custodial sentence over the government’s objection.
• Represented individual in DOJ Antitrust Division investigation into price-fixing in auto lights industry resulting in client obtaining non-custodial sentence over government’s objection.
• Represented individual in payola investigation by DOJ resulting in no charges being brought against client.
• Represented individual in DOJ investigation concerning alleged improper receipt of government benefits resulting in DOJ taking no action against client.
• Represented securities firm in DOJ Antitrust Division investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices in the underwriting of municipal bonds resulting in no action being taken against firm.
• Represented college official in investigation by District Attorney’s Office into conflicts of interest resulting in no charges being brought.
• Represented CEO of non-profit in investigation by United States Attorney’s Office into alleged embezzlement resulting in government declining to take any action against client.
• Represented owner of pharmacy in drug diversion investigation by U.S. Attorney’s Office and DEA resulting in no charges against client.
• Represented Big 4 accounting firm in state and federal criminal investigations relating to alleged improper conduct by employees of audit client.

Representative SEC matters and other civil government investigations:

• Represent retailer in investigation by California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation resulting in no action being brought against client.
• Represented former General Counsel of public clothing manufacturer in SEC investigation after the SEC had issued a Wells notice to the client indicating an intention to charge him with fraud. Persuaded the SEC to drop its investigation leading to no action being taken against client.
• Represented fantasy sports provider in investigations by multiple state attorney generals concerning potential violation of state anti-gambling laws.
• Represented public retail company in an SEC investigation and a parallel securities class action and shareholder derivative lawsuit. The SEC matter settled with no financial penalties, the derivative action was dismissed, and the securities class action settled on favorable terms.
• Represented public professional services firm in SEC investigation into accounting for bonus payments to employees resulting in no action being taken by SEC.
• Represented real estate investment company in SEC investigation resulting in the SEC declining to bring any enforcement action against client.
• Represented auditor at Big 4 accounting firm in SEC investigation concerning stock option backdating resulting in the SEC declining to bring any enforcement action against client.
• Represented Big 4 accounting firm in SEC investigation relating to alleged insider trading in stock of audit client.
• Represented private equity firm in investigations by DOJ, SEC and the California Attorney General concerning pay-to-play allegations in pension fund industry resulting in no action being taken against client.
• Represented health insurance company in investigation by California Attorney General into claims handling practices resulting in no action being taken against client.
• Represented investment banking firm in lawsuit brought by City Attorney alleging fraud in connection with the sale of insurance by client’s portfolio company resulting in dismissal of case on demurrer.

Additional representative civil matters and internal investigations:

• Represented public executive search firm in lawsuit by rival firm alleging unfair competition and theft of trade secrets, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented university in connection with murder of professor by graduate student involving an internal investigation, an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office, and a settlement with the professor’s family.
• Represented founder of technology company in multiple lawsuits filed by co-founder alleging breach of fiduciary duty. Obtained summary judgment for client and affirmation on appeal in one case. Represented client at trial in the Delaware Chancery Court in the second case with result pending.
• Represented trust company in connection with embezzlement by former employee involving an internal investigation, settlement with the victim client, federal and state civil litigation to recover embezzled funds, and dealings with regulators.
• Represented university in connection with alleged misconduct by medical school dean, including internal investigation, negotiated separation with medical school dean, and resolution of claims by dean’s alleged victims.
• Member of large Gibson Dunn team representing technology company in internal investigation of applications developers for misuse of user data.
• Represented Big 4 accounting firm in lawsuit alleging intentional and negligent misrepresentation in connection with M&A transaction obtaining summary judgment for client and affirmation on appeal.
• Represented Big 4 accounting firm in lawsuit alleging malpractice relating to wealth advisory services resulting in favorable settlement.
• Represented Big 4 accounting firm in lawsuit filed by former client concerning alleged defective tax strategy purchased by client.
• Represented company in gaming industry in investigations by California state agency and related consumer class actions resulting in favorable settlement with state agency and dismissal of all class actions.
• Represented leading ticketing company as plaintiff in lawsuit against competitor involving interference with contract and other business torts resulting in favorable settlement.
• Represented clothing retailer in federal securities class action resulting in court granting motion to dismiss.

Prior to joining the firm in 2007, Mr. Fuchs was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California for seven years, and served as Deputy Chief of the Major Frauds Section. During his tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Fuchs represented the government in nine jury trials, briefed and argued cases before the Ninth Circuit, and handled multiple investigations involving complex white collar crime, including securities, accounting, bankruptcy, tax and money laundering and investor frauds.

While working for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Fuchs handled the high-profile prosecution of 11 former Homestore.com executives in connection with a revenue inflation scheme, which culminated in a nearly three-month jury trial. The investigation was used as a model to formulate DOJ policy relating to the prosecution of corporate fraud and corporations. Other representative matters included the prosecution of eight members of a telemarketing boiler-room operation for defrauding investors out of several million dollars and prosecution of numerous individuals for fraud and other crimes. For his work with the government, Mr. Fuchs received many awards and commendations from state and federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, INS, and Postal Inspection Service.

Before his tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Fuchs practiced with Munger, Tolles & Olson and Davis Polk & Wardwell. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cynthia Holcomb Hall in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Fuchs graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School in 1992, where he was a member of the Law Review. He earned his B.A. degree cum laude from Duke University in 1989.

Mr. Fuchs is a member of the California Bar, a board member of the Federal Bar Association, active in the American Bar Association, and has repeatedly been named a Southern California Super Lawyer in the fields of white collar criminal prosecution and criminal defense. Mr. Fuchs was selected by his peers as “Lawyer of the Year” in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in the area of Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) and has been recognized since 2013 by The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Criminal Defense: White Collar Law, Commercial Litigation, Regulatory Enforcement Litigation, and Securities Litigation. Mr. Fuchs was recently honored as a 2026 Lawdragon “500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management”, a California “Litigation Star” for 2026 by Benchmark Litigation, and recognized in the 2026 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations in the State of California.

Debra Wong Yang is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office. Reflective of her broad practice and comprehensive abilities, Ms. Yang is Chair of the Crisis Management Practice Group, former Chair of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group, which includes the FCPA Practice Group, and former Chair of the Information Technology and Data Privacy Practice Group. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

Drawing on her depth of experience and record of success, Ms. Yang focuses part of her practice on strategic counseling. She leads critical representations, both high profile and highly confidential, involving a wide variety of industries, economic sectors, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, global jurisdictions and all types of proceedings. Her clients are in the private and public sectors. She guides teams of attorneys and outside consultants in the development and implementation of strategies to achieve the most favorable outcomes, greatest protection of reputational interests, and minimizing of harm to the business assets.

Ms. Yang has a strong background in addressing and resolving problems across the white collar litigation spectrum, including through corporate and individual representations, internal investigations, crisis management and compliance.

The Los Angeles Business Journal has named her as one of the Top 500 most influential people in Los Angeles every year since 2016. In 2015, Ms. Yang was recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 27 “stellar attorneys” on the Most Influential Lawyers: White Collar and Cyber Crime list. In 2017, the Los Angeles Business Journal also named her to its list of Most Influential Women Lawyers in Los Angeles, featuring 50 of the most accomplished female attorneys working in the region, and in 2018, they named her among its Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Los Angeles. Lawdragon has recognized Ms. Yang as a “Lawdragon Legend,” one of the Top 500 lawyers in the United States, and a member of its inaugural 500 Leading Litigators in America from 2024-2026 and 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management from 2025-2026. Ms. Yang has been called out for her capabilities in overseeing investigations – Global Investigations Review has named her to its inaugural Women in Investigations list (2015), where they highlight 100 high-powered women in the profession from around the world. Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) included her in the 2018 Who’s Who Legal Investigations guide as a top practitioner, and has regularly recognized Ms. Yang in the field of Business Crime Defense. She was recognized from 2020-2026 as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA in California for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, an award she has received since 2009. Ms. Yang has also been nationally recognized in the 2025 edition of the Legal 500 US for her work in Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense. Additionally, Ms. Yang has also been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Criminal Defense: White Collar. The National Law Journal named her to its Outstanding Women Lawyers list (May 4, 2015). The Daily Journal has named her to its list of California’s Top 100 lawyers over the past several years, including most recently in 2020, highlighting her role in defending companies in investigations and crises that make headlines and are highly confidential in nature. The Daily Journal has also repeatedly named Ms. Yang to its annual list of 100 Leading Women Lawyers in California. Benchmark Litigation and Managing IP regularly name her a “Star.”

Ms. Yang has been recognized for her compliance-related accomplishments. In 2013, Ethisphere Magazine recognized her as one of the “Top Guns” in the “Attorneys Who Matter” category, one of the highest categories possible. Ethisphere Magazine is a publication of The Ethisphere Institute, which promotes best practices in corporate ethics and compliance.

Ms. Yang has long represented companies, boards, and audit and other board committees in internal investigations, compliance-related issues, and criminal investigations regarding the FCPA, health care laws, financial controls, trade secrets, and cyber/data intrusions, among multiple other areas. She serves as Special Counsel to a corporate compliance committee. She is experienced in overseeing teams of lawyers conducting internal investigations and has frequently reviewed and revamped compliance programs in a variety of industries. She has managed cases in the crisis arena relating to corporate governance, entertainment, gaming, recalled products, health care and insurance. She was twice appointed as a corporate compliance monitor on health care matters, once by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and once by the New York State Supreme Court at the request of the New York Attorney General’s Office. She authored the article “FCPA Program Continues to Focus on Individuals” along with Michael Wong published in The Daily Journal in April 2016.

Ms. Yang launched Gibson Dunn’s Information Technology and Data Privacy Practice Group, which focuses on a field in which she has maintained particular interest and proficiency since prosecuting one of the first computer hacking cases as a young Assistant U.S. Attorney. Ms. Yang was selected to serve on President George W. Bush’s Corporate Fraud Task Force and to chair the Attorney General’s Advisory Committees on Intellectual Property and Civil Rights. She was appointed by the Attorney General to sit on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and on the Intellectual Property Task Force. Among the numerous articles Ms. Yang has written is “Countering the Cyber-Crime Threat,” co-written with Brian M. Hoffstadt and published in the Spring 2006 edition of American Criminal Law Review.

Ms. Yang was appointed U.S. Attorney in May 2002 by President George W. Bush, becoming the first Asian-American woman to serve in that capacity. Prior to this service, Ms. Yang was a California state judge. She was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1997, serving for a time as a Supervising Judge, and became a member of the Los Angeles Superior Court bench in 2000. She was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for seven years prior to her judicial career, a role in which she prosecuted violent crimes, white collar crimes, arson and computer crimes at the trial and appellate levels. She has served on the Ninth Circuit Jury Reform Committee.

Ms. Yang has remained active in the local and legal communities, roles for which she has been frequently honored. In 2009, she was selected by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to serve as a Los Angeles Police Commissioner, part of the civilian oversight committee of the LA Police Department. Ms. Yang has been an adjunct professor at the USC School of Law and has instructed at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and at California’s Judicial College. She is a former president and board member of The Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles. She is on the Executive Committee of the prestigious Committee of 100.

In 2012, the Anti-Defamation League presented Ms. Yang with its prestigious Deborah Award, which honors “extraordinary women of achievement.” The award was given in recognition for her “professional and philanthropic dedication to the Los Angeles community.” In 2010, she was named by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Federalist Society as Lawyer of the Year. She previously served as a founding member and officer of many Asian-American bar organizations in Chicago and Los Angeles. Ms. Yang was recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America in 2008. She has been recognized as a champion of civil rights by both the Los Angeles City Council in 2002 and the Inglewood Superior Court. The Asian Pacific Bar Association selected her as the 2002 recipient of its Public Service Award and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association selected her as the 2003 recipient of the Trailblazers Award. In 2004, she was appointed to the President’s Council for Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges and was given the inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award.

Ms. Yang received her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and was a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Representative Crisis Management Matters

• Overseeing the response for an online company in challenges from federal, state and regulatory entities over the legality of the product. Presided over teams focused on legal challenges in a number of states, coordinating the public response and message, working closely with management and counsel in crafting strategies and defenses.
• Part of the ride-sharing trial team in high profile matter over whether drivers were independent contractors or employees.
• Representing an independent oil refiner in criminal matters arising from a multiple-fatality industrial accident. Counseled in connection with a criminal investigation into the incident by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and the WDWA U.S. Attorney’s Office resulting in no charges affecting the company or any individuals.
• Represented manufacturer in electronic device industry in high profile litigation and interfacing with government authorities.

Lauren Goldman is a litigation partner in the New York office of Gibson Dunn. She is Co-Chair of the Product Liability Practice Group and of the Technology Litigation Practice Group. Lauren’s practice focuses on high-stakes class- and mass-action disputes, particularly in the areas of product liability and data privacy.

Lauren serves as national counsel for several consumer-products companies facing mass litigation dockets across the United States. For more than two decades, she has developed and executed comprehensive legal strategies for companies facing sprawling multi-forum litigation. Lauren has also briefed and argued legal issues in connection with numerous high-stakes jury and bench trials, and has handled many successful appeals from large verdicts. She has a particular expertise with punitive damages litigation and has successfully challenged numerous excessive awards at trial and on appeal. 

Lauren also serves as lead counsel for major technology and social media companies in putative class actions alleging privacy violations under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and various common-law privacy doctrines. 

Lauren is ranked by Chambers USA in Litigation: General Commercial – New York, Litigation: Privacy & Data Security – USA – Nationwide, and Product Liability & Mass Torts – USA – Nationwide, reflecting her exceptional command of complex, high-stakes litigation. Clients consistently describe her as “an extraordinary legal strategist and communicator” with “superb instincts” and “a rare ability to simplify the complex and make it compelling.” She is hailed as “one of the best brief writers” and “a brilliant thinker on her feet,” with a reputation for “leading companies through the most challenging litigation with clarity and confidence.” Clients also emphasize her “outstanding client service,” “clear and organized advocacy,” and “unmatched ability to turn intricate fact patterns into persuasive, judge-ready arguments.” One summed it up: “Lauren is really talented—she just gets it.”    

Legal 500 has repeatedly recognized Lauren in its Appellate: Court of Appeals, Appellate: Supreme Courts (States and Federal) and Cyber Law (Including Data Privacy And Data Protection) guides. Legal 500 says that she is “noted for her impressive record in class actions, with an emphasis on data privacy and product liability-related cases.” It quotes clients who say she is “a superb relationship partner who drafts excellent briefs and provides great judgment on all legal issues.” She is “super client-focused, extremely responsive, an excellent writer, and a poised and prepared oral advocate,” whose work is “well-reasoned, concise, well-organized, and business-focused.” Clients describe her as “smart, hardworking, and very analytical,” with an “unmatched ability to work well with other lawyers.”

Lawdragon has featured Lauren multiple times in their leading practitioner guides, including the 500 Leading Litigators in America (2024-2026), 100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors (2024-2025), 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers (2024-2025), and Leading Global Litigations (2023) guides. These editions showcase “lawyers who connect it all – data and security, innovation and inspiration, litigation and exploration” and “capture the state of artificial intelligence in the law today, with a side of interesting legal tech.

Benchmark Litigation recognized Lauren as a New York Litigation Star in its 2023 and 2024 rankings. A reference described her as “the go-to expert for legal issues at Gibson” and added, “I would hire her to write a brief in a heartbeat – she’s excellent.”

The American Lawyer included Lauren in its “Litigators of the Week” series (October 22, 2021) for her work serving as defense counsel to Meta at a trial in the Northern District of California. Lauren has been interviewed regarding Supreme Court developments by Bloomberg Law Radio, CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” the WSJ Law Blog, The American Lawyer, Newsweek, and The National Law Journal. She has also been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Fortune and CNNMoney, among other publications.

Lauren received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the New York University Law Review and of the Order of the Coif. Following graduation, she served as a law clerk to Judge Dennis Jacobs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

L. Mark Osher is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s New York and Los Angeles offices and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Mark has broad experience representing both borrowers and lenders in all aspects of capital markets and balance sheet financing, including the origination, securitization and participation of senior and subordinate mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, credit facilities, as well as preferred equity investments. In addition, he represents these same clients in distressed situations, including foreclosures, workouts and restructurings.

Mark also routinely represents institutional and non-institutional real estate developers and operators, opportunity funds, private equity funds and hedge funds in acquiring, developing, operating and selling a broad range of commercial real estate asset classes, including vacant land, office and retail buildings, industrial projects, shopping centers, multifamily and hotels and resorts located throughout the United States. In connection with such investments, he is also experienced in negotiating management agreements, leasing agreements and joint-venture agreements for both operators and their capital partners.

Mark was recognized as a leading California Real Estate lawyer by Chambers USA in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Highlights of Mark’s recent representations include:

• IQHQ in obtaining construction financing for commercial real estate projects including its approximately $2 billion life science campus in San Diego, California.
• Stockdale Capital Partners in acquiring and financing various assets throughout the United States, including Horton Plaza in San Diego, California.
• Mesa West Capital in originating multiple mortgage and mezzanine loans secured by hotel, office, industrial, multi-family and other assets located throughout the United States.
• Sixth Street Partners in acquiring interests in existing loans, and in borrowings for property acquisitions including the acquisition of a senior note in an approximately $2 billion mortgage loan secured by a portfolio of industrial, office and mixed-use properties.
• Dune Real Estate Partners in acquiring and selling various assets, including an apartment complex in Arizona, an industrial development project in Menefee, California and an office project in Bellevue, Washington.
• MF1 Capital, in its preferred equity investment in an approximately $1 billion portfolio of multifamily assets located in the Western portion of the United States.
• BioMed Realty in buying, selling and financing various commercial real estate assets.
• Fortress in a complex workout and pre-packaged bankruptcy filing with respect to mortgage loan on a luxury resort in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

He earned his law degree in 1997 with honors from Rutgers University School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history, cum laude, in 1994 from Saint Joseph’s University.

Mark is admitted to practice in the States of New York and California.

Jesse Shapiro is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department. Jesse was ranked in the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions of Chambers USA for Real Estate. Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in real estate law, he was named “Lawyer of the Year” for 2020 and as one of the leading real estate lawyers in America for 2024, 2025, and 2026. He has also been named a Southern California Super Lawyer from 2014-2019, and in 2013, both Super Lawyers and Law360 named him a ‘Rising Star.’ Law360 designated him as one of its six “Rising Star” Real Estate attorneys under 40 to watch nationwide.

Jesse’s practice experience includes representation of real estate funds, lenders, and institutional and non-institutional investors in all areas of real estate, including: acquisitions and dispositions; construction, mortgage (fee and leasehold), mezzanine and participating financing; loan restructuring and workouts; and forming and representing limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships and joint ventures. Prior to joining the Real Estate Department, he represented debtors and creditors in high profile Chapter 11 proceedings, out-of-court restructurings, commercial bank financings and complex inter-creditor litigations.

Jesse received his law degree from the New York University School of Law in 2000. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Math, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

Jesse is admitted to practice law in the States of California, New York and New Jersey.

Stuart Graiwer is a partner in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Stuart’s practice focuses on all transactional aspects of commercial real estate, and is particularly focused in the structuring of complex joint venture and partnership agreements, financing transactions, purchase and sale agreements and all aspects of development deals. Stuart handles transactions for a multitude of asset classes, including office buildings, hotels, multi-family and residential developments, industrial parks, data centers and retail projects. Stuart has developed a particular expertise in representing owners, operators and developers of studio projects having represented clients in the largest studio transactions in the country.

Stuart has been recognized as a leading lawyer by:

• Chambers USA Band 3 for Real Estate in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026
• The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Real Estate Law in 2016-2026
• Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers in 2024 and 2025
• Los Angeles Business Journal named Stuart to their “Thriving In Their 40’s” list in 2020
• Profiled in the Super Lawyers article “Billion Dollar Man” for his work in commercial real estate
• Daily Journal named Stuart as one of the Top 30 Real Estate Lawyers in California from 2012-2013 and one of the Top 20 California Attorneys Under 40 in 2013

Stuart has recently represented:

• Hackman Capital Partners in the $1.85 billion acquisition and financing of CBS Studio Center and its associated operating business from ViacomCBS.
• Hackman Capital Partners in the $650 million acquisition, financing and creation of a joint venture with respect to Manhattan Beach Studios, a 22-acre production facility located in Manhattan Beach also known as the MBS Media Campus, and various matters with respect to acquisition and investment in the operating business associated therewith.
• Hackman Capital Partners in the $750 million acquisition and financing of Television City, a fully operational and broadcast facility in Los Angeles, CA comprised of approximately 780,000 square feet of stage, office, broadcasting and support space on a contiguous 25-acre campus.
• AECOM Capital and Combined Properties in a joint venture for the $505 million permanent financing of the Pendry West Hollywood provided by Credit Suisse, an approximately 300,000-square-foot mixed-use hotel and condo project encompassing a full city block along the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
• Affiliates of AIG Global Real Estate in a multi-asset class development program, including the acquisition, financing and entry into joint ventures for multifamily, industrial and senior housing facilities.
• AIG in connection with the recapitalization of a portfolio of multifamily properties across 6 states valued at approximately $692 million where the transaction involved a REIT restructuring, joint venture and agreement regarding future investments.
• CBRE in its $650 million acquisition, financing and entry into a joint venture in connection with a 30-asset medical office building with Kayne Anderson and MB Health Care.
• CBRE in its $1.2 billion acquisition, financing and entry into a joint venture in connection with a 70-asset grocery-anchored shopping center portfolio with Merlone Geier.
• ICONIQ Capital, LLC in its development of a two-phase, 803-unit multifamily community with more than 15,000 square feet of retail space in the heart of Miami’s Brickell neighborhood.
• IPI Partners, LLC in a real estate joint venture with Oaktree Capital Management for the development of a data center in Inzai, Japan.
• JP. Morgan Investment Management Inc. in the $540 million sale of 800 5th Avenue, an office building located in downtown Seattle.
• JP. Morgan Investment Management Inc. in the $178 million acquisition and $97.9 million seller financing of Pen Factory, an office building in Santa Monica, California.
• JP Morgan Investment Management Inc. in the complicated redevelopment of a defunct shopping mall in Northern California, into a mixed-use area with residential, shopping, entertainment and office space.
• Regent Properties in the $615 million acquisition and financing of the Trammel Crow Center in Dallas, Texas.
• Silvercup Studios Associates Limited in the $500 million sale of real estate and the existing operating business of Silvercup Studios to an entity managed by Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management.
• Wynn Las Vegas in connection with spinning off all of the retail properties within Wynn and Encore into a joint venture with Crown Retail, which acquired a 50% interest for approximately $470 million. This deal was featured in The Wall Street Journal.

Additional relevant information about Stuart includes:

• Stuart earned his Juris Doctor in 2000 from Harvard Law School. He received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, in 1996 from the University of California, Berkeley.
• He is on the University of California, Berkeley’s Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics Advisory Board.
• Stuart is admitted to practice law in California.

Farshad Morè is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s New York and Century City offices. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department.

Farshad’s real estate practice experience includes representation of opportunity and private equity funds, REITs, institutional and non-institutional real estate investors, developers and operators, lenders and borrowers in a broad range of matters, including acquisition, development, financing and disposition of commercial real estate of all asset types, including vacant land, hotels, residential, office, multi-family, retail and mixed-use buildings, shopping centers, and other commercial and residential properties throughout the United States; acquisition and disposition of debt instruments secured by, and equity interests in, real property, including the acquisition and disposition of REITs; complex construction, permanent, securitized, mezzanine, preferred equity and participating financing, including Shari’ah-compliant financings; forming and representing joint ventures, limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships, and negotiating joint venture agreements for operating and capital partners; ground leasing and ground leasehold financing.

Additionally, Farshad routinely advises and represents clients in connection with restructuring and “work-outs” of existing financing, as well as uniform commercial code and real estate foreclosures.

Farshad has been recognized as a leading lawyer by:

• Chambers USA in Real Estate from 2016 to 2026
• Law360 as the Real Estate “MVP” in 2015 and 2024 and as a “Rising Star” in Real Estate in 2015.
• The Recorder as Real Estate Lawyer of the Year in 2024
• Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers in 2024 and 2025
• The Best Lawyers in America from 2014 to 2026
• Best Lawyers as the 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” for Real Estate Law in Los Angeles
• Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in 2015
• Expert Guides in 2015

Select representative transactions that Farshad has led include:

• Kennedy-Wilson Holdings, Fairfax Financial Holdings and other purchasers in the acquisition of a $5.4 billion real estate construction loan portfolio from Pacific Western Bank.
• KKR in the approximately $2.1 billion acquisition and financing of a portfolio of 18 multifamily assets from Quarterra Multifamily.
• KKR in its approximately $1.64 billion acquisition of a 19-property student housing portfolio from Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT).
• Stockbridge Real Estate Funds in the sale of the Hollywood Park Racing track in Inglewood, CA to SKG for the development of SoFi Stadium.
• KKR’s $1.08 billion acquisition and financing of The Exchange in San Francisco’s Mission Bay, a 750,000 square foot office and life science capable complex.
• Lennar Corp. in the sale of a majority stake in Quarterra, its multifamily and rental development division, to TPG Real Estate.
• Jamestown Properties in its $825 million acquisition and financing of Levi’s Plaza, a 930,000 square foot, multi-building campus in San Francisco, CA.
• Ohana Real Estate Investors in the acquisition, financing, re-brading and subsequent disposition of the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort and Club in Dana Point, California.

Farshad earned his law degree in 2003 from Columbia University School of Law. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, with a minor in Italian, cum laude in 1999 from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Farshad is admitted to practice in New York and California.

Allison H. Kidd is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group and Land Use Practice Group. Allison’s practice includes a wide variety of commercial real estate transactions. She represents private equity funds, institutional and non-institutional real estate investors, REITs, developers and operators in all areas of real estate, including acquisitions, permanent and construction financing (mortgage and mezzanine), joint ventures, dispositions and work-outs.

Allison’s practice includes a variety of asset classes, including office, residential, industrial, senior housing and mixed-use. She also routinely works with developers on large-scale development projects, including structuring, negotiating and implementing public-private partnerships, development agreements and ground leases.

Allison has been recognized as a leading lawyer by:

• Chambers USA for California Real Estate: Land Use/Zoning in 2024, 2025, and 2026
• Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers in 2024 and 2025
• GlobeSt Real Estate Forum Women of Influence in 2023
• The Best Lawyers in America in Real Estate Law from 2020-2026
• Law360 as a “Rising Star” in 2019

Allison has counselled clients in some of the most high-profile developments in the San Francisco Bay Area, including:

• The Chase Center in San Francisco;
• The Oakland A’s Major League Baseball team’s waterfront baseball stadium and 50-acre mixed-use development; and
• Related’s 240-acre mixed use development adjacent to Levi Stadium in Santa Clara.

Allison received a law degree and master of public policy, with an emphasis on urban development policy, in 2008 from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Columbia in 2001.

Eric S. Meer is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and a member of Gibson Dunn’s Real Estate Practice Group.

Eric’s practice covers a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including debt and equity finance, joint ventures and acquisitions/dispositions. Eric has significant experience representing both developers and lenders in complex and highly structured development and construction-related real estate transactions. 

Eric has been recognized as a leading real estate lawyer by:

• Chambers USA in New York Real Estate, 2025 and 2026
• Law360 as a real estate lawyer “Rising Star,” 2025
• Lawdragon’s list of 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers, 2024 and 2025
• Lawdragon’s list of 500 X – The Next Generation, 2023

Eric received his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, where he served as the Executive Symposium Editor of the Emory Law Journal and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan. He is fluent in Hebrew.

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

Matt Owen is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn. He is a member of Gibson Dunn’s Litigation and Congressional Investigations Practice Groups. His practice focuses on antitrust, complex commercial litigation, constitutional law, congressional and other government investigations, and appeals.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Matt served as majority staff director and chief counsel of the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In that role, Matt, supervised the successful litigation of the Senate’s first contempt action in more than twenty years, and led congressional investigations into competition in the cable and satellite television industry, human trafficking, and drug pricing. Matt also previously served as chief counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, which oversees the federal antitrust enforcement agencies and reviews major proposed mergers affecting the national economy.

As a litigator, Matt has represented clients in federal preemption and constitutional matters, antitrust litigation, drug-pricing disputes, environmental cases, consumer class actions, contested bankruptcy proceedings, contract disputes and regulatory matters. He appears regularly in federal appellate and district courts across the country.

Matt is a graduate, summa cum laude, of the University of Michigan Law School, and a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and to Justice Neil Gorsuch, both on the Supreme Court of the United States and as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Matt also served as a Bristow Fellow at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Solicitor General.

 

Representative Matters*:

Civil Litigation

• Counsel for a major pharmaceutical company in affirmative constitutional litigation challenging state laws purporting to regulate the federal 340B prescription drug program.
• Counsel in several Walker Process antitrust monopolization cases, including for an oil & gas equipment manufacturer, a building supply manufacturer, and an industrial technology company.
• Counsel for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer in an antitrust monopolization case.
• Counsel for a building materials company in nationwide antitrust class action and related securities class action.
• Counsel for a sports organization in a pair of antitrust challenges to its bylaws.
• Counsel for a major pharmaceutical company in a nationwide RICO class action.
• Counsel for an oil exploration company in environmental and civil litigation arising from a major oil spill.
• Counsel for a private equity fund in civil and bankruptcy litigation related to a major environmental incident.
• Counsel for a major aerospace company in a securities class action.
• Counsel for a private equity fund in breach of contract litigation concerning an earn-out provision in a merger agreement.
• Counsel to a private equity fund in breach of contract litigation concerning an unpaid note and indemnity.
• Counsel for an energy company in a contested bankruptcy proceeding and a securities class action.
• Counsel for a major financial institution in False Claims Act litigation.
• Counsel for a health care company in False Claims Act litigation.

 

Governmental and Regulatory

• Counsel for a leading private university in its dispute with the federal government over research funding and compliance with civil rights laws.
• Counsel for lead director of a major university in congressional investigations into antisemitism on campus.
• Counsel for a leading private university in DOJ investigations into Title VI compliance.
• Counsel for a major pharmaceutical company in affirmative litigation challenging HHS regulations and agency determinations related to the 340B prescription drug program.
• Counsel for a health care company in affirmative litigation against HHS challenging revocation of its Medicare participation.
• Counsel for an oil exploration company in a criminal investigation arising from an oil spill.
• Counsel for a major pharmaceutical company in congressional investigations into drug pricing and related matters.
• Counsel for a major industrial company in a congressional investigation into foreign nuclear technology transfers.
• Counsel for a healthcare company in a congressional investigation into federal COVID funds.

 

*Includes matters prior to joining Gibson Dunn.

Ashley Rogers is a partner in the Palo Alto and Dallas offices of Gibson Dunn. She is Co-Chair of the firm’s Consumer Protection Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Technology Litigation and Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Groups.

Ashley is a nationally recognized technology-focused practitioner sought out by market-leading global companies to handle their most novel and challenging consumer protection and data privacy matters. She has particular expertise in defending clients in in Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), and state Attorneys General investigations and enforcement actions, as well as in class action litigation and advisory matters involving a wide range of consumer protection and data privacy issues.

Ashley is a frequent recipient of industry recognition for her legal expertise. Chambers USA and Chambers Global both rank Ashley among the top lawyers in Privacy & Data Security: Litigation (2024-2026). In recognizing Ashley, Chambers highlights client reports that Ashley’s “complete command of all details of a matter, her strategic judgment and her commercial savviness sets her apart,” and that she is “second to none in terms of her technical ability.” Legal 500 named Ashley as a key lawyer in the firm’s Cyber Law ranking, and Lawdragon named her to its 2025 100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors list, 2024 and 2025 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyer guide, and its 2023 500 X – The Next Generation edition. Ashley was also profiled in Law.com‘s “Women of Legal Tech” series, which highlights “women with thriving careers” in legal tech, as well as in connection with her recognition as a 2023 Law360 “Rising Star” for Cybersecurity & Privacy. Ashley was also named to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under list in 2023 and 2024, and she was recently recognized as one of D Magazine‘s Best Lawyers Under 40, an On the Rise honoree by Texas Lawyer, a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers, and a 40 Under 40 business leader by the Dallas Business Journal.

 

A sample of recent and ongoing government investigation matters include:

• Representing top social networking company in multiple nonpublic FTC and state Attorneys General investigations related to third party-information sharing.
• Representing global consumer technology company in responding to nonpublic FTC Order enforcement inquiry related to advertising claims that was closed without further action.
• Representing global energy company in nonpublic FTC investigation of potentially deceptive advertising claims that was closed without conditions.
• Representing leading educational technology company in two nonpublic FTC COPPA and data security investigations, both of which were closed without conditions.
• Representing top social networking company in two nonpublic state Attorneys General investigations related to content moderation that resulted in no action.
• Representing global entertainment company in nonpublic FTC investigation of potentially deceptive advertising claims and privacy issues that resulted in no action.
• Representing leading telecommunications company in full-phase FTC investigation relating to the Fair Credit Reporting Act that was closed without conditions.
• Representing global consumer technology company in nonpublic CFPB investigation.
• Representing top social networking company in nonpublic FTC investigation related to disclosures regarding the company’s use of consumers’ personal information that was closed without conditions.

A sample of recent and ongoing civil litigation matters include:

• Representing top social networking company in putative class action alleging violations of federal and California laws related to third-party data transmissions.
• Representing top social networking company in lawsuit alleging violations of Texas’s Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act.
• Representing top social networking company in putative class action challenging the accuracy of ad targeting, securing an order denying class certification.
• Representing industry-leading technology company in putative class action alleging violations of federal and California law due to alleged tracking of user locations using mobile devices, obtaining summary judgment in favor of client.
• Representing top social networking company in putative class action alleging violations of federal and California wiretapping laws due to alleged scanning of user communications, obtaining a favorable settlement.

Ashley earned her Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School, where she served as a senior editor of the Stanford Law & Policy Review, Vice President of Stanford Mock Trial, and President of Street Law, and represented disadvantaged children and families in special education and school discipline matters through the Youth and Education Law Project. She received a Master of Education degree from Chestnut Hill College, and she graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Before practicing law, Ashley taught middle school special education in Philadelphia as a Teach For America corps member, and she worked for Teach For America as a Managing Director in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

Ashley is admitted to practice in the State of Texas, the State of California, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kora Sifrer is an associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Finance Practice Groups.

Kora has experience structuring and executing cross-border credit and real estate transactions, as well as fund formations. She has advised senior stakeholders and coordinated with external counsel on high-value, multi-jurisdictional transactions.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Kora worked in-house at a major global financial services business.

Alvin Wong is an associate in Hong Kong and is a member of the firm’s Investment Funds Practice Group. He advises international and regional private fund sponsors on the structuring and formation of private investment funds, co-investments, and secondary transactions. 

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Alvin worked at the Hong Kong office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

Alvin received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, ranking first in his class. He went on to obtain his Master of Law at the University of Cambridge. During his studies, Alvin was awarded a string of scholarships and prizes in recognition of his academic achievements. He is admitted to practice in Hong Kong and is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Eric R. Womack is of counsel in the Washington office of Gibson Dunn where he currently practices in the firm’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Eric served as Deputy General Counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture, where he oversaw litigation matters on behalf of the Department. In this role, Eric advised on issues ranging from agricultural antitrust compliance to the labeling and regulation of bioengineered foods. Prior to joining USDA, Eric served as associate counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office, where he served as the primary legal advisor to the National Economic Council and the Press Office. Eric also worked at the Federal Programs Branch of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice for over 18 years, where he litigated and supervised some of the most high-profile lawsuits brought against the federal government, including challenges to statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders.

Eric earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude as a Robert McKay scholar. Before law school, Eric attended the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where he graduated magna cum laude. After law school, he clerked for Judge James Turk in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia and served as a staff law clerk for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Eric is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C., and the State of Illinois.

Ryan Murr is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading corporate lawyers in the life sciences industry. Over his career, he has led more than 300 transactions totaling over $65 billion in aggregate value, spanning mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and royalty-finance transactions, making his practice among the most active in the United States.

Ryan has more than 25 years of experience representing public and private life sciences companies and investors in connection with securities offerings and business combination transactions. Ryan serves as principal outside counsel for publicly traded companies and private venture-backed companies, advising management teams and boards of directors on corporate law matters, SEC reporting, corporate governance, and M&A transactions.

Known for his creative approach, Ryan is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA for Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial in both California and Nationwide, with Chambers USA and Chambers Global describing him as “incredibly smart” with “jaw-dropping creativity” and as someone who “gets the better of the other side.” Nationally recognized as a “star” in life sciences by Legal Media Group (Euromoney), Ryan has been nominated three times as Corporate Attorney of the Year for North America by LMG Life Sciences and was recognized as one of the top 25 life sciences attorneys in North America and Europe.

Ryan currently serves as co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s Life Sciences Practice Group, as well as co-partner-in-charge of the firm’s San Francisco office. Previously, he served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Management Committee. Ryan has served as a member of the American Bar Association’s Mergers & Acquisitions Subcommittee and is active in advising various not-for-profit entities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Over his career, Ryan has advised on life-sciences M&A transactions exceeding $35 billion in aggregate consideration. Notable engagements include the $6 billion acquisition of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics by Quidel, the up-to $3.5 billion sale of 89bio to Roche, Gilead Sciences’ €1.15 billion acquisition of MYR GmbH, and the $3 billion hostile-takeover defense of Depomed (Assertio) against Horizon Pharma.

MergerLinks ranked Ryan as one of the top 10 Mid Cap M&A attorneys in North America. Additionally, Ryan is recognized for developing innovative M&A transaction structures, such as the CVR Spin and the so-called “sign-and-close” reverse merger.

Capital Markets

Over the past five years, Ryan has led more than 90 equity and debt financings raising over $13 billion, and throughout his career has filed more than 175 registration statements with the SEC for issuers across the life-sciences sector. Representative engagements include leading initial public offerings for Apogee Therapeutics, Rain Oncology, Shattuck Labs, Progenity, Inc. and 89bio, Inc. and reverse merger or de-SPAC going-public transactions for Crescent Biopharma, Jade Biosciences, Spyre Therapeutics, Oruka Therapeutics, Viridian Therapeutics, Cogent Biopharma and MoonLake Immunotherapeutics.

Ryan also represents life sciences investors, including private equity funds, hedge funds, and venture capital funds. These engagements include public and private offerings ranging from passive investments to bespoke control structures and spinouts.

Royalty Financing

Ryan also has extensive experience in royalty-based financing transactions, representing both purchasers and sellers of royalty entitlements, including synthetic royalty financing transactions, as well as royalty-backed loans and clinical funding agreements. These engagements, valued at over $12 billion, have included representing marketers of pharmaceutical products, licensors and academic institutions, royalty investment funds and hedge funds in a range of royalty-based financing transactions and structures.

Ryan’s engagements have included the acquisition of royalty interests (synthetic and true royalty monetizations) on behalf of leading investors such as Royalty Pharma, Healthcare Royalty Partners, RTW Investments, Blue Owl and XOMA Royalty Corp. He also represents sellers of royalty interests, including Ultragenyx, Arrowhead, BioCryst, and UCLA in its sale of Xtandi royalties for $1.145 billion, which was the largest monetization transaction at that time by an academic institution.

Recognition and Rankings

• Chambers USA:  Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial – USA: Nationwide. Client feedback includes the following commentary: “creative and smart” and someone who “gets the better of the other side.”  He is “extremely smart and experienced” and “his expertise and know-how within life sciences has proven extremely valuable.” “He provides really practical advice and great business judgment . . . a terrific lawyer.” “Among the best biotech attorneys in the industry. He’s sophisticated, practical and solutions-oriented.” “One of the smartest attorneys I’ve ever worked with” and “jaw-dropping creativity.”
• Chambers Global: Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial in USA. One of 18 attorneys in the United States ranked in the Chambers Global guide for life sciences corporate/commercial.
• Chambers USA:  Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (Western United States and California): Client feedback includes the following commentary: He is “a phenomenal lawyer” and is “incredibly smart and always provides valuable input on legal questions as well as business and strategic advice.”
• MergerLinks: Top Mid Cap M&A Lawyers in North America (top 10 in North America).
• IFLR1000: Rated “Highly Regarded” in California for Capital Markets (the only practitioner in California receiving this ranking in Life Sciences).
• LMG Life Sciences: Rated a “Star” in the areas of Corporate, Licensing & Collaboration, Mergers & Acquisitions, Venture Capital. Nominated three times as “Corporate Attorney of the Year” for North America.
• Expert Guides: Best of the Best USA (Top 30) Life Sciences
• Recognized by Business Insider as one of 13 “power-player lawyers” advising life sciences companies.

Select Presentations and Publications

M&A and Strategic Transactions

• Behind The ‘CVR Spin’ Method of Unlocking Assets In M&A, Law360
• How to Get Value for Non-Core Assets with CVR Spinoffs, The Deal
• Panelist, Facilitating Successful Merger & Acquisition Transactions, ABA / AICPA Summit on Emerging Corporate Governance Trends (Chicago)
• Speaker, Deloitte Tohmatsu Global M&A Seminar:  U.S. Healthcare M&A Overview (Tokyo, Japan)
• Speaker, Korean Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association:  U.S. Healthcare M&A Overview (Seoul, Korea)
• Moderator, BioPharm Partnering Conference: Structured Transactions in M&A (San Francisco)
• Moderator, BIO General Counsels Committee Meeting:  Evolving Issues in BioPharma Collaborations (New York)
• Speaker, The Impact of Market Dynamics on Health Care and Pharmaceutical Acquisitions
• Big Suits – Depomed v. Horizon Pharma, American Lawyer
• Contingent Value Rights: A Middle Ground in M&A Boom, Daily Journal

Securities Regulation & Corporate Governance

• Speaker, How Boards Should Handle Securities Compliance, Corporate Governance and M&A, Directors Roundtable (Palo Alto)
• Moderator, SEC Up-close, Gibson Dunn Webinar (San Francisco)
• Moderator, Effective Communication Between Attorneys, Accountants and the Audit Committee, ABA / AICPA Summit on Emerging Corporate Governance Trends (Chicago)

Financing

• How Biotech Companies Can Utilize Synthetic Royalty Financing, Law360
• Speaker, Advanced Life Sciences Institute: Facilitating Collaboration in the Life Sciences – Funding, Licensing, and International Collaboration (Palo Alto)
• Speaker, Raising Capital in the Current Environment: ATM Programs and Rights Offerings, Gibson Dunn Webinar (San Francisco)

Ben Ross is a Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Media, Entertainment, and Technology Practice Group. He advises public companies, private equity sponsors, growth-stage companies, and founders on mergers and acquisitions and other complex strategic transactions, with particular experience across the media, entertainment, technology, consumer brands, and services sectors.

Ben regularly represents clients in the acquisition and sale of entertainment platforms and assets, technology businesses, and IP-driven consumer brands. He is frequently engaged on repeat and programmatic M&A, add-on acquisitions, strategic divestitures, and ownership transitions for sponsor-backed and founder-led businesses, and is known for navigating complex deal economics, including bespoke waterfalls and highly tailored structures.

Ben has been recognized as a leading lawyer in M&A and Media & Entertainment by Chambers USA, one of the Top 500 Leading Lawyers in America and one of the Top 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers by Lawdragon, a “Power Lawyer” by The Hollywood Reporter, and one of the best lawyers in the entertainment industry by Variety.

Ben clerked for Chancellor William B. Chandler III of the Delaware Court of Chancery. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he was awarded the Vanderbilt Medal and the President’s Service Award, and his B.A., magna cum laude, in Philosophy from Princeton University.

Representative Clients

The Azoff Company (and affiliated platforms) in strategic transactions and investments across music, live entertainment, sports, and media, including Global Music Rights, Iconic Artists Group, and Oak View Group, and related institutional financings, acquisitions, and joint ventures.

Universal Pictures (and affiliates, including Comcast divisions) in strategic investments, acquisitions, and partnerships, including with Amblin Partners, Will Packer Productions, Blumhouse Productions, and Illumination Entertainment.

Candle Media in multiple acquisitions and investments, including Hello Sunshine, Westbrook, ATTN:, The Home Edit, and Faraway Road Productions.

High-profile entertainers, athletes, and founders in the formation, financing, and sale of consumer brands and IP-driven businesses, including Huda Beauty (TSG Consumer Partners investment and redemption, and the sale of KAYALI), Jen Atkin (sale of Ouai to Procter & Gamble), and Kevin Hart (strategic partnership with Authentic Brands Group).

Other Experience

Ben has also advised public companies, private equity sponsors, growth-stage companies, and other organizations on cross-border transactions, financings, and restructurings, including complex, multi-year internal reorganizations and governance-driven restructurings; such clients include CBS, Twentieth Century Fox, AMC Networks, Riot Games, Cadence Design Systems, Nordstrom, PwC, and Acumen Fund.

Theane Evangelis is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn. She is Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s global Litigation Practice Group and one of the country’s leading litigators. Theane serves on the firm’s Executive Committee, and she previously served as Co-Chair of the Class Actions Practice Group. She represents clients in federal and state courts throughout the nation in a wide spectrum of cases and has argued and won high-profile, groundbreaking appeals across the country, including in the Supreme Court of the United States. Theane’s achievements have earned her accolades from leading national legal publications. Last year, she was honored as “Attorney of the Year” at the California Legal Awards, presented by Law.com and The Recorder, and she was selected by the Daily Journal as a California Lawyer Award of the Year (CLAY) winner.

Theane is also a member of the Appellate, Class Actions, Labor and Employment, Media, Entertainment, and Technology, and Crisis Management Practice Groups. She joined Gibson Dunn after serving as a law clerk to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during October Term 2004 and as an associate with Ziffren Brittenham, a Los Angeles law firm specializing in entertainment and media transactions. Before clerking for Justice O’Connor, Theane was a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Theane is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA, with clients noting, “She’s the person we turn to in a crisis, and the one who always picks up the phone, no matter the issue.” She was recently awarded the 2026 Beacon of Justice award by Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library for her contributions to the legal profession and public service. Law360 named her as an “Employment MVP” and has previously recognized her three times as a “Class Action MVP,” and she was recognized by the National Law Journal as a 2023 “Employment Law Trailblazer. Benchmark Litigation has recognized Theane with several prestigious honors. She was named “Labor & Employment Litigator of the Year,” listed among the country’s “Top 10 Women in Litigation,” and acknowledged as California’s “Labor & Employment Litigation Attorney of the Year” for her leadership in significant bet-the-company matters. Additionally, she was included in Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 50 Labor & Employment Litigators” list. Theane is also recognized by Lawdragon as one of “500 Leading Litigators in America,” “500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers,” “500 Leading Global Litigators,” and “500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management.” According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, which named Theane to its list of “Women of Influence: Attorneys” (2025 and 2026), “Top 100 Lawyers” list (2022 and 2025), “Leaders of Influence for Labor & Employment” list (2022), as well as naming Theane 2021 Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year”; she “has emerged as a go-to class action lawyer for businesses whose business models are under attack.” The Daily Journal has included Theane in its annual list of “Leading Commercial Litigators” from 2023 – 2026. She was also recognized as a “Top 100 Lawyer” in California and credited with “keeping the wheels of the gig economy turning” from 2021 to 2024. Furthermore, she was named a “Top Woman Lawyer in California” for the years 2016 through 2026. In its annual Top Verdicts of California 2018 feature, the Daily Journal recognized Theane for three of her litigation successes where she was able to obtain record verdicts for clients Uber, Kimberly-Clark, and Grubhub. Theane was also recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2023 Appellate Lawyer of the Year, selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America ® in the field of Appellate Practice since 2014, and named “Los Angeles Appellate Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers®. She was also recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers® in America for her work in Employment Law – Management. In a published article by The Am Law Litigation Daily, Theane shared her experience of “handling three oral arguments in four cases for gig economy clients on back-to-back days in two separate circuit courts” in 2022.

In July 2024, Theane was selected by The American Lawyer as the “Litigator of the Week,” in recognition of her victory before the Supreme Court of the United States in a landmark case with national implications on behalf of the City of Grant Pass, Oregon, which held that the Eighth Amendment does not prevent the enforcement of camping regulations on public property. Theane was previously recognized as a “Litigator of the Week” for her 2018 victory on behalf of Grubhub in the first federal case regarding the classification of workers in the “gig” economy. In 2018 and 2019, she was named as one of Los Angeles’ Most Influential Women Attorneys by the Los Angeles Business Journal, an honor designated for only 75 of the city’s most influential women attorneys. Theane was named by Euromoney Legal Media Group as the 2021 Litigation Lawyer of Year at the Americas Women in Business Law Awards.

Recent representative matters include:

• Winning a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court of the United States upholding the City of Grants Pass, Oregon’s public-camping laws in a case of widespread importance for local governments across the country grappling with the homelessness crisis. Assembled a broad coalition of hundreds of amici, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and dozens of cities and states across the country, and presented oral argument before the Supreme Court on behalf of Grants Pass. The case was widely reported in the national media;
• Successfully overturned a nearly $240 million verdict against UPS in a single-plaintiff retaliation and wrongful termination case;
• Serving as lead counsel to Uber in a series of private and public lawsuits across the country alleging misclassification of drivers who use the Uber app;
• Served as lead counsel for Reddit, winning the first appellate ruling in the country in the Ninth Circuit interpreting the FOSTA amendments to section 230;
• Served as lead counsel, arguing and winning appeals in several federal circuits across the country and in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, on the applicability of the Section 1 transportation worker exemption to the Federal Arbitration Act;
• Served as lead counsel for plaintiffs in a constitutional challenge to California’s worker classification law AB5;
• Defeating a lawsuit by opponents of Proposition 22, a ballot initiative to protect worker independence in California, that attempted to silence Uber’s communications about the initiative on the eve of the election;
• Serving as lead counsel to leading technology company in an FLSA case of first impression;
• Served as lead appellate counsel and obtaining a landmark, precedent-setting opinion and reversal of a nine-figure wage-and-hour class action judgment against a leading retailer;
• Served as lead counsel to a leading retailer in the Ninth Circuit and obtaining interlocutory review under Rule 23(f) and reversal of class certification;
• Served as lead counsel to Uber in the California Supreme Court in Adolph v. Uber, the first case regarding arbitrability of PAGA claims in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Viking River Cruises v. Moriana;
• Representing actor Ashley Judd against Harvey Weinstein seeking redress for the career-changing harm Mr. Weinstein caused when he defamed Judd to filmmakers in retaliation against Ms. Judd for having rejected Mr. Weinstein’s sexual advances;
• Winning a landmark trial victory on behalf of Grubhub in the first federal case ruling that a driver-partner who used Grubhub’s app was an independent contractor, after preemptively defeating class certification;
• Successfully presented argument in the Sixth Circuit on behalf of Uber Technologies, Inc., in a proposed overtime class action brought by two drivers. The three-judge panel unanimously found that were bound to arbitrate their claims;
• Representing Uber and persuading the Ninth Circuit to grant interlocutory review of a class certification order, and obtaining decisions by the Ninth Circuit enforcing Uber’s arbitration agreements and decertifying a class of hundreds of thousands of drivers;
• Securing the complete reversal from the Ninth Circuit of a class action judgment against Kimberly-Clark involving claims of fraud and unfair competition, after obtaining a 95% reduction from the Central District of California of the nearly half-a-billion-dollar verdict;
• Presenting argument on behalf of Yamaha and obtaining a published, precedential opinion from the Ninth Circuit dismissing a nationwide class action and limiting a manufacturer’s duty to disclose safety-related latent defects under California law;
• Persuading the Supreme Court of the United States to reverse the certification of the largest employment class action in American history;
• Representing the plaintiffs from trial to the Supreme Court of the United States in the historic federal constitutional challenge striking down California’s ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8;
• Serving as lead counsel for the City of Boise in the U.S. Supreme Court in defending the constitutionality of the City’s ban on public camping in Martin v. City of Boise;
• Presenting argument on behalf of Hewlett-Packard Company and obtaining a precedent-setting, published opinion from the Ninth Circuit regarding a manufacturer’s duty to disclose latent defects under California law;
• Obtaining a unanimous victory for Standard Fire in the Supreme Court of the United States in a case involving the proper interpretation of the Class Action Fairness Act;
• Obtaining reversal of a nearly $90 million judgment in a wage-and-hour class action in the California Court of Appeal;
• Serving as appellate counsel to Toyota Motor Company in the multidistrict litigation arising out of drivers’ reports of “unintended acceleration” in Toyota vehicles and persuading the Ninth Circuit to grant interlocutory review of whether “no injury” class-action plaintiffs lack Article III standing;
• Representing California public school students bringing in a landmark constitutional challenge to state tenure laws that prevent school administrators from hiring and retaining the most effective teachers;
• Winning dismissal with prejudice of a putative nationwide consumer class action filed in federal court against a technology company, which was subsequently affirmed by the Ninth Circuit;

Theane graduated summa cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2003 and received the University Graduation Prize, which is awarded to the student with the highest grade point average in the graduating class. During law school, she was a Butler and Pomeroy Scholar and served as Managing Editor of the New York University Law Review.

Prior to law school, Theane served as a legislative assistant to former U.S. Representative Max Sandlin, for whom she handled financial services, technology, and foreign affairs legislation. She received a B.S. in Foreign Service, cum laude, from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Theane is a member of the California bar and is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Courts of Appeal across the country, and all federal courts in California. Theane serves on the board of the California Women’s Law Center and The Hellenic Initiative. Theane is a Trustee of the Global Greek Film Initiative and is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the NYU Law School. Theane was also appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to the Los Angeles County Blue Ribbon Commission on Homelessness.

Rachel Kleinberg is a partner in the Palo Alto office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the Tax Practice Group.

Her practice covers the U.S. federal tax aspects of a wide array of transactional matters focusing on the representation of corporate and private equity clients on M&A, private equity, and investment funds transactions, including joint ventures, spinoffs, and reorganizations, as well as associated acquisition financing transactions. She has significant experience with royalty financing transactions, as well as financial products and derivatives. Rachel also advises clients on international restructurings and planning, debt workouts, and bankruptcy restructurings.

Rachel has been acknowledged in numerous industry publications. She has been ranked Band 1 of Chambers USA (2019–2026) as a leading lawyer in Tax for Northern California. She is also recommended in The Legal 500 United States for International Tax and Financial Products (2019, 2025). Rachel was featured as one of the “Women in Tax Leaders” by International Tax Review (2015–2024). She was named a Tax “MVP” by Law360 in 2019 for several notable transactions, including her representation of Brookfield Business Partners LP in its $13.2 billion acquisition of the power solutions business of Johnson Controls International and again in 2024 for her involvement in several transactions, including the $6.05 billion purchase of the Washington Commanders.

Rachel is on the Advisory Board of the GW Law/IRS 33rd Annual Institute on Current Issues in International Taxation and the Planning Committee of the prestigious University of Chicago Federal Tax Conference. She is also a frequent speaker on international and corporate tax topics at prestigious tax conferences, including leading panels at the University of Chicago Tax Conference, the USC Gould School of Law Tax Institute, and PLI. She is also a fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. She previously served as a Council Director of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation and a chair of the Foreign Activities of U.S. Taxpayers Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Rachel was a partner at another leading international law firm.

Rachel received her Bachelor Arts, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1994 and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1998. She also earned a Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 2003. After law school, Rachel clerked for Judge Norman Stahl on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 1998 to 1999.

Rachel is admitted to practice in California and New York.  

Representative Experience*

• Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. in its $7.7 billion take-private acquisition of Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc., a global provider of business decisioning data and analytics.
• Warner Music Group in its acquisition of a controlling stake in Tempo Music Investments, an investment platform for premium music rights, from Providence Equity Partners.
• Apollo Funds in the acquisition, alongside BC Partners, of the Environmental Services business of GFL Environmental Inc. for CA$8 billion.
• Macquarie Infrastructure Partners VI, a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management, in its acquisition of a 49% equity stake in select U.S. Gulf Coast infrastructure assets from Dow Inc. for approximately $3 billion. 
• Anthelion Capital Holdings (formerly known as Cowen Sustainable Investments) in the acquisition pursuant to a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization of the Energy business unit of integrated electric bus and commercial vehicle power train manufacturer Proterra Inc.
• Coupang, Inc. in the acquisition of the business and assets of Farfetch Holdings plc in a rescue deal through an English pre-pack administration process.
• Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, and other investors in the $6.05 billion Josh Harris-led consortium to acquire the Washington Commanders.
• Allkem Limited in its $10.6 billion merger of equals with Livent Corporation.
• Stone Point Capital LLC in their investment in IEQ Capital, LLC.
• Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. in the spinoff of its cabinets business, MasterBrand, Inc. 
• Regal Beloit Corporation in its $9.1 billion Reverse Morris Trust transaction with Rexnord Corporation.
• AmeriHome Mortgage Company, LLC in its sale by subsidiaries of Athene Holding Ltd. and funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management to Western Alliance Bancorporation.
• Variant Equity in the sale of Curb Taxi Media to Firefly, a mobile digital out-of-home company.
• Palo Alto Networks in its $265 million acquisition of The Crypsis Group, an incident response, risk management, and digital forensics consulting firm.
• Athene Holding Ltd. in connection with its acquisition of the business of Donlen Corporation from Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.
• Clearlake Capital Group L.P. in the acquisition of Zywave, Inc., a software-as-a-service provider of front office insurance solutions, from Aurora Capital Partners.
• Brookfield Business Partners on its acquisition of Johnson Controls’ Power Solutions Business.
• VF on its spinoff of Kontoor Brands.
• FMC on its spinoff of Livent Corporation.

*Includes representations prior to the association of Rachel with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Michael Cannon is a tax partner in the Dallas office of Gibson Dunn.

Michael has significant experience with the tax aspects of mergers and acquisition transactions, and has represented both buyers and sellers in a number of transactions, both public and private, including cross-border matters. He also dedicates a significant part of his practice to transactions and offerings in the energy and infrastructure space, including oil and gas, MLP and renewable energy (solar and wind) transactions (both on the sponsor side and on the tax-equity side). He also represents investment fund sponsors in connection with tax structuring matters, and has particular expertise with oil and gas, real estate and infrastructure funds. Michael also has substantial experience in representing real estate investors and sponsors in a wide variety of transactions, including complex joint ventures.

Michael has been recognized by Chambers USA in Tax (2024-2026), The Best Lawyers in America in Tax Law (2024-2025) and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America^™ in Tax Law (2021-2023).

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Michael served as a law clerk for several years, first for the Honorable Justice Thomas Rex Lee of the Utah Supreme Court and then for the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Michael earned his Juris Doctor summa cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, graduating first in his class. While attending law school, he served as a Lead Articles Editor of the Brigham Young University Law Review and published three articles in the Law Review. He also received a number of awards, including the John S. Welch Award for Outstanding Legal Writing, the Law School’s premier writing award, and the Hugh B. Brown Barrister’s Award, which is presented to one third year student in recognition of high standards of preparation and performance in the classroom. His academic performance led to his election to the Order of the Coif. Prior to law school, he graduated summa cum laude from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University, with a Bachelor of Science in accounting.

Michael is admitted to the bar of the State of Texas. Michael was recognized for obtaining the second highest score on the July 2012 Texas Bar Exam.

Al Kelly is a senior associate at Gibson Dunn. His practice focuses on complex litigation, with a particular focus on representing clients at the trial and appellate level in cases involving consumer-protection issues and mass torts. Al serves on the steering committees for the firm’s Class Actions and Consumer Products and Retail practice groups.

Some of Al’s recent, non-confidential matters include:

• Falcone v. Nestlé USA, Inc., (S.D. Cal., 9th Cir.) (defending against consumer-deception claims relating to the global supply chain).
• Plastic Pollution Coalition v. Keurig Dr Pepper et al. (D.C. Superior Court) (defending against novel litigation brought by an activist group challenging company statements about recycling and plastic bottles).
• Jeruchim v. The J. M. Smucker Co. (9th Cir.) (defending against claims regarding alleged omissions about PFAS in pet-food packaging, including obtaining 23(f) appellate review of a class-certification order).
• Whiteside v. Kimberly-Clark Corp. (C.D. Cal., 9th Cir. 2024) (won dismissal of false-advertising claims challenging the “natural care” and “plant-based” representations on a baby wipes products and secured opinion affirming dismissal).
• In re Nestle Boost Nutritional Drink Litigation (N.D. Cal., D.N.J., 9th Cir.) (defended against claims filed in multiple jurisdictions relating to the labeling and advertising of a nutritional drink designed for people with diabetes).
• Hasemann v. Gerber Products Co. (E.D.N.Y. 2025) (represented a company facing a certified class of consumer-deception claims and ultimately obtained judicial approval of a claims-made settlement).
• Mikhchi v. Zara USA, Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2024) (defended against false-advertising claims related to the advertised pricing of apparel products).
• Earth Island v. Crystal Geyser et. al (Cal. State Ct.) (defended against novel public-nuisance claims brought by a nonprofit against major packaged-goods manufacturers).
• Advising a Grammy award-winning artist on regulatory and advertising issues related to the launch of a food business.

Al also has extensive experience assisting clients in confidential investigations by state and federal regulators into environmental and consumer-protection issues. In addition, Al regularly advises clients on compliance and litigation risk, with a particular focus on supply-chain risks, food law, and ESG issues.

Al dedicates substantial time to pro bono matters and has successfully litigated multiple constitutional challenges on behalf of his clients, which include non-profits and indigent criminal defendants facing disproportionate punishment for petty offenses. E.g., In re People v. Camp, 581 P.3d 763 (Colo. 2025) (argued appeal and obtained unanimous reversal in a widely reported opinion setting new sentencing-equity rules for offenses in municipal court).

Prior to joining the firm, Al served as a law clerk for the Honorable Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2020, where he was awarded best brief in both the semi-finals and finals of the Ames Moot Court competition. Al received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Colorado Denver.

Al is admitted to practice in Colorado and the District of Columbia.