Julian W. Poon

Julian W. Poon is Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s award-winning Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group and a Fellow of both the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

A seasoned appellate and trial-court advocate, Julian regularly appears before federal and state appellate courts in California, including the Ninth Circuit, the California Supreme Court, and the California Court of Appeal, as well as other state and federal appellate and trial courts around the nation. Since 2012, he has been repeatedly reappointed by the Chief Justice of California to serve on the Judicial Council’s Advisory Committee on Civil Jury Instructions.

Chambers USA has recognized Julian as one of the preeminent appellate lawyers in California for 14 consecutive years. Clients describe him as a “vigorous advocate who is very passionate and compelling,” as “highly analytical,” and as an “extremely professional” appellate practitioner with “a commanding level of knowledge and experience.” He is especially known for his writing skills and oral arguments, with clients praising his briefs as “tight and impressive.” One client recently called Julian “a fantastic lawyer and probably one of the smartest I have ever known.” Another described him as “the mastermind of his cases, very intelligent,” noting his ability to “understand the difficult concepts quickly.” Clients agree that Julian provides “great guidance and sound advice as well as insight[ful] strategy on how to best position [a] case,” and that he is “relentless in his advocacy.”

Julian has also been recognized as a “Client Service All-Star” by BTI Consulting Group, earning praise for his communication, creativity, and knack for offering helpful alternative viewpoints. Benchmark Litigation has named him a “Litigation Star” since 2015; Lawdragon has included him on lists of the “500 Leading Litigators in America” and “500 Leading Global Litigators”; Legal 500 US has highlighted his contributions to Gibson Dunn’s powerhouse appellate practice; and The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized Julian for his exceptional work in appellate practice.

Julian is featured in the Los Angeles Daily Journal’s annual “Top Verdicts” reports for winning top appellate reversals in 2024, 2023, 2021, 2018, 2016, and 2014. His featured accomplishments include:

• Persuading the California Supreme Court to restore trial court authority to impose discovery sanctions under the Civil Discovery Act.
• Vindicating the First Amendment associational rights of an investor-owned utility in a precedential California Court of Appeal decision.
• Persuading the Ninth Circuit to order judgment against a plaintiff class on nine-figure wage-hour claims.
• Securing complete vacatur and class decertification in a high-stakes fraud and unfair competition case.
• Obtaining full reversal of an eight-figure summary judgment and attorneys’ fee award in a cross-border dispute.
• Winning a unanimous affirmance in the California Supreme Court in a malicious prosecution case.
• Convincing the Los Angeles Superior Court to vacate a record-breaking $178 million wrongful death verdict.

Other representative matters Julian has handled include:

• Securing a post-trial vacatur of the entirety of an $83 million punitive damages award in a $103 million verdict against a major insurer.
• Winning a nine-figure arbitration-related dispute for a real-estate developer in the Ninth Circuit.
• Reducing a $30 million punitive damages award to $10 million in a wrongful termination case.
• Overturning federal designation of “critical habitat” under the Endangered Species Act.
• Achieving an 87% post-trial reduction in a wrongful termination verdict.
• Winning a construction law and attorneys’ fees dispute in the California Court of Appeal.
• Securing an eight-figure appellate win for a utility against a transportation agency.
• Dismissing a multistate indemnification dispute on personal jurisdiction grounds.
• Winning a precedent-setting appellate costs decision.
• Prevailing in False Claims Act appeals in the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits.
• Obtaining a writ in a statewide wage-and-hour class action involving adjusters.
• Winning a California Supreme Court reversal in a tax case involving emission credits.
• Vacating a $14 million false advertising verdict and securing Ninth Circuit affirmance.
• Reversing summary judgment and fees in a multistate insurance dispute.
• Winning key appellate decisions on U.S. discovery in foreign proceedings (28 U.S.C. § 1782).
• Obtaining interlocutory review of class certification in a major wage-and-hour case.
• Winning a patent case involving sports equipment in the Federal Circuit.
• Securing a favorable loss causation ruling from the Tenth Circuit.
• Winning a corporate disclosure dispute in the Arkansas Supreme Court.
• Defeating nationwide and statewide wage-and-hour class actions without discovery.

Prior to joining the firm, Julian clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1999, where he received the Fay Diploma (first in class), served as a Note Editor of the Harvard Law Review, and earned the Sears Prize in both 1L and 2L years. He earned honors in Economics and Public Policy from Stanford University in 1996, graduating with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa.

Julian is admitted to practice before all California state and federal courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, D.C., and Federal Circuits.

Capabilities

• Appellate and Constitutional Law
• Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
• Class Actions
• Crisis Management
• Energy Regulation and Litigation
• Insurance and Reinsurance
• Litigation

Credentials

Education:

• Harvard University - 1999 Juris Doctor
• Stanford University - 1996 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• California Bar

Clerkships:

• US Supreme Court, Hon. Antonin Scalia, 2000 - 2001
• US Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, Hon. J. Michael Luttig, 1999 - 2000